Abstract
During the last decades, an ongoing spread of broad-leaved evergreen laurophyllous species has been reported for forests of Southern Europe. Several factors were suggested as the main drivers of the phenomenon, namely global warming, land-use change, evolutionary history, and increase in atmospheric CO
2
. Among laurophylls,
Laurus nobilis
L. is considered one of the most prominent from the morphological, evolutionary, and ecological point of view. We studied the population structure of
L. nobilis
in Central Italy in its natural habitat to investigate its regeneration and potential expansion along with the influence biotic and abiotic factors. To define types of population structures, we collected proportions of six growth classes of
L. nobilis
in 16 sites. We obtained three types of population structure, i.e., (1) stable, (2) dynamic, and (3) regressive. The first two types are the most frequent, suggesting a potential increase of
L. nobilis
abundance within forests of Central Italy. The regressive population type occurs mainly in sites with heavy ungulate impact. High propagule pressure along with shaded and moist environmental conditions favor
L. nobilis
regeneration. Accordingly, we found evidence of a recent
L. nobilis
spread in Central Italian forests. We suggest the increase of forest cover and age, due to the abandonment of traditional rural practices, as key factors for the regeneration of this apparently late-successional laurophyll. In conclusion, the recent expansion of
L. nobilis
that we observed in the Italian forest stands can therefore be ascribed to a process of natural recover of a potential niche following land-use change.