Article

On the Macereto plateau (Monti Sibillini, Central Apennines), at elevation between 800 and 1150 m, there is a settlement of round, dry-wall stone huts with conical rooves, similar to huts existing in other towns of the south-central Apennines. The huts served as shelter for shepherds and peasants during the period 1700-1940. All the huts of Macereto have collapsed, and the remaining stones from the walls and vault favor secondary succession by species of the following vegetation classes: Asplenietea rupestris, Sedo-Scleranthetea, Thlaspietea rotundifolii, Rhamno-Prunetea and Querco Fagetea. In particular, three shrub associations develop on the remaining piles of stones: Milio vernalis-Aceretum campestris, Galio aparine-Prunetum mahaleb and Cytisophyllo sessilifolii-Prunetum spinosae, which are typical of the meso-temperate altitudinal belt. Also present is Atadinus alpinus (Rhamnus alpina), a species of the supra-temperate belt, but which grows at lower altitudes where it is favored by the piles of stones, giving rise to these subassociations: Milio venalis-Aceretum campestris atadinetosum alpini, Galio aparine-Prunetum mahaleb atadinetosum alpini and Cytisophyllo sessilifolii-Prunetum spinosae atadinetosum alpini.