ABSTRACT. Forests and woodlands are the predominant zonal vegetation of Europe. Most of them belong to one of three main biomes: mediterranean evergreen, temperate deciduous and boreal coniferous. However, when going into more detail, things become complicated. Transitional areas (e.g., the submediterranean and hemiboreal zones), high montane and subalpine forests, azonal habitats (e.g., alluvial forests) and seral stands are treated in very different ways and on different hierarchical levels in the literature. In my talk, I discuss what we might (or should) expect from a classification of forests, and whether or not the current phytosociological systems meet these expectations. After giving a short history of forest classification in the Braun-Blanquet approach, the inconsistent treatment of the vegetation layers is identified as one of the main problems in the floristic classification of forests. Based on a numerical classification of a large data set of Central European forests, I show that the higher levels of the Braun-Blanquet system can basically be reproduced by taking only the shrub and tree layer into account. However, all past and current classifications suffer from arbitrary exceptions to this rule, leading to inconsistencies and blurring the main biogeographical patterns. In the last part of my talk, I will present some new findings on the historical biogeography of European forest herbs. These results suggest that species having a high fidelity to beech forests under the current climatic conditions have partly survived the last glacial period in coniferous forests. Given that the upper levels of a vegetation system should be more stable over time than the lower levels, this is another argument for giving the tree species a higher weight in the classification of the European forests.

ABSTRACT. Mediterranean woodlands are amongst the most threatened forest ecosystems worldwide and are predicted to be severely hit by climate change. This region hosts a group of narrowly distributed marcescent oaks that evolved under Mediterranean-type climate regimes, distinguishing a continental-scale ecotone between the temperate deciduous and the typical evergreen forests of the Mediterranean basin. This group of species distributions patterns are deeply related to recent past range shifts since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Therefore, analyzing their past range dynamics may help us to predict how vulnerable species are to climatic fluctuations and how they will respond in the face of future climate changes. We used Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and explored the range dynamics of eight submediterranean oaks, considering six past periods since the LGM, current climate conditions, and future climatic scenarios (2070 and 2100). We compiled 12450 occurrence records and downscaled climate datasets from PaleoClim and CHELSA to obtain the potential distribution of each species, through an ensemble-modelling approach. Dynamics between past and future range shifts were analysed through linear regression. SDM performance ranged from good to excellent, and we obtained positive correlations between past and future range shifts. These changes were generally higher for eastern Mediterranean species and the amelioration periods generally recorded higher associations between past-future dynamics for the same group of species. Vulnerable oaks (Q. kotschyana, Q. vulcanica, Q. canariensis and Q. lusitanica) suffered higher range shifts and loss of suitable area in parallel to future-projected suitability, into areas utterly outside their biogeographic outreach. Studying past distribution range shifts of oaks helps to better predict future dynamics in the face of climate change. The implications of our results contributes to the broader conservation efforts of Mediterranean forests.

ABSTRACT. In macroecology, a shift from coarse- to stand-scale explanatory factors would represent a significant step forward in understanding the effect of global changes on functional diversity (FD). Plants are multifunctional organisms and different traits may respond differently to environmental conditions. Selecting plant traits mirroring independent axes of functional specialization is therefore compelling to understand how environmental and human-induced changes can affect plant functioning. Here we aim to assess how modelled macro- to micro-climate, as well as stand-scale measured soil properties, forest structure and the type of management affect the FD of forest understories at the macroecological scale using a multifunctional approach. We used a probabilistic sampling representative of the managed forests of Italy. Twelve predictors were selected and grouped into climate, soil, forest structure, and management variables. We used five traits capturing independent functional dimensions to calculate the standardized effect size of FD for all traits (multitrait) and single traits. Multiple regression models were used to assess the effect of predictors on FD. Climate and soil were the main drivers of FD of specific leaf area, plant size, seed mass, and bud bank, while multi-trait FD and clonal lateral spread did not significantly respond to the predictors. Considering structural variables, only the amount of deadwood affected specific leaf area and seed mass, while forest management exerted a very limited effect. Future warmer and more seasonal climate might reduce the diversity of resource economics and persistence strategies of forest understory plant communities. Soil eutrophication and acidification might mainly affect the diversity of regeneration strategies by both seeds and bud bank. Multifunctional approaches are fundamental to disentangling the effect of global changes on FD since independent functional specialization axis are modulated by different drivers.

ABSTRACT. Riparian forests are included within azonal vegetation types by the Euroveg checklist due to their local characteristics as soil humidity and flooding. Nevertheless, climate is clearly affecting the species composition and diversity of these forests, as demonstrated by Biurrun et al. (2016) for the Iberian Peninsula, where four alliances differ regarding several climatic parameters. One of these alliances, Alnion incanae, is present in the upper sections of several tributaries of the Ebro river, from the Cantabrian Range to the Pyrenees. In this work we focus on the floodplain forests of this alliance at the basin scale, with the aim at assessing the effect of mesoclimate and water regime in their diversity. The study area is the basin of the river Irati (Navarre, Spain), located in a climatic transition zone, with a temperate climate and forests with Fraxinus excelsior in the northern part and a submediterranean climate and forests with F. angustifolia in the south. In addition, some rivers of the area come from the Pyrenees, with pluvio-nival water regime while others raise in the Basque-Cantabrian Mountains, with pluvial regime. We sampled 45 vegetation plots distributed across the four main rivers of the basin. Plots of 20 m x 10 m were arranged paralel to the river, and the four corners were marked with sticks for further resurvey. All the vascular plants present in the plot were considered and their percentage cover estimated. Cover of the tree, shrub herb and cryptogam layers was also estimated, as well as the litter and dead wood. We will first classify the plots using Twinspan, in order to go more in depth in the differentiation of forest types. Further, we will compare their functional composition regarding a set of selected traits (SLA, seed mass, life-forms). We will also compare their ecological features by means of Ellenberg indicator values as well as their degree of adaptation to disturbance by means of Disturbance indicator values.

ABSTRACT. Disentangling the spatial and environmental drivers influencing vegetation communities holds a special interest among researchers. Species-area relationships (SARs), described as the increase of species richness with area and one of the fundamental laws in ecology, is hitherto broadly used to compare spatial diversity patterns in a wide range of organisms (Dembicz et al., 2021). In addition, several studies have also tested the fitness of the different functions and how ecological context affects them, undoubtedly acknowledging that the power function (S = c Az ⇔ log S = log c + z log A) has the best performance in a wide array of cases. Eventually, SARs, is also a suitable tool to allow extrapolation and standardization of species richness to different scaled units. Nevertheless, most of the research outcomes regarding the empirical evidence on small-grain SARs in continuous habitats have centered in open habitats such as grasslands in the Palaearctic region (Dengler et al., 2019), completely ignoring forest ecosystems, known as the habitats holding the largest terrestrial biomass. Therefore, this study pretends to continue the trend of describing the diversity drivers of the habitats in the Palaearctic region, with the main goal of setting how forest type and climatic factors affect the fine-grain diversity in forests. In order to achieve this purpose, we have used 73 nested-plot series with grain sizes ranging from 1 cm2 to 200 m2 located in several forest habitats of the subcantabric region of the Basque Country and Navarra. We conducted this nested-plot sampling for the herb layer of the forest, using the shoot presence method, with two nested series with seven sizes in each 100 m2-half of the big plot, a rectangle of 20 m x 10 m. We calculated the z-value of the power function of SAR and used it as a measure of fine-grain beta diversity. We further tested the changes across forest types and effects of climatic factors on beta diversity.

ABSTRACT. Human activities are among the major causes of native forests decline. Establishing concrete conservation priorities and restoration goals for these communities is challenging as information is scattered, detailed maps are usually missing, and their high ecological value is hard to synthesize. Using life-forms and simple rules about cover values, we determined the dominant tree species for 14745 relevés of Iberian native forests, obtaining 69 different dominance types. We mapped the environmental envelope associated to each dominance type, using high-resolution variables known to determine vegetation distribution, namely, climatic variables, soil variables, and hydrologic variables. Inside each of these modelled areas, we extracted data on the human footprint as a measure for multiple pressures associated to the different human activities. Additionally, to estimate the maximum area ever realized by each dominance type during the Holocene epoch, we used estimates of forest cover at the landscape level from the great forest expansion period (circa 8250 calibrated BP, in the Iberian Peninsula). Contrasting the current footprint size with the maximum realized areas, we were able to classify each dominance type into four major risk classes. We discuss the relevance of each class from a nature conservation perspective and point towards appropriate actions needed in each class.

ABSTRACT. The attribution of a plant community to a syntaxonomic class is not always an easy choice, and above all the forest communities seem to be often subject to different interpretations regarding their classification at the class level. In the Italian peninsula, the most widespread deciduous oak forests are those dominated by Quercus cerris and Q. pubescens s.l. and their classification has often been a source of debate. Q. pubescens-dominated forests find their coenological optimum within the South facing slopes where traditional agricultural land-use practices occur. According to Brullo & Marcenò (1985), southern Italy downy-oak species are not to be referred to Quercus pubescens Willd. but to other strictly steno-Mediterranean pubescent-oak taxa (e.g. Q. virgiliana (Ten.) Ten., Q. dalechampii Ten., Q. congesta C. Presl…) having their optimum in the meso-Mediterranean bioclimate. For this reason, these authors classified the related forests in the Quercetea ilicis. Other authors (e.g. Blasi et al. 2004) considered all the downy-oak associations as belonging to the Querco-Fagetea by virtue of the deciduous character of the guide species. Eventually, the EVC (Mucina et al. 2016) considered all the pubescent oak forests as an evolution (or a relict) of paleo E-European steppe-forests, therefore to be classified in the Quercetea pubescentis. For their part, Quercus cerris-dominated forests represent an important component of the forest heritage of the Italian peninsula. They show a wide distribution, especially within the Apennine range. In this case, the EVC classifies them in the class Quercetea pubescentis as well, framing them within a single order and four alliances. On the other hand, Biondi et al. (2014) classifies them in the class Querco-Fagetea within two orders and six alliances. In this paper, we focus on the most suitable criteria to be considered for an appropriate interpretation and classification of these "thermophilous" oak forests at the rank of class.

ABSTRACT. Environmental drivers filtering life forms at local scales are poorly investigated in general, and studies devoted to this topic in the Mediterranean mountains are still missing. We investigated the role of edaphic and topographic gradients in vegetation above 1900 m a.s.l. on Pizzo Carbonara (Madonie Mountains, Northern Sicily), a carbonate massif extensively affected by karst erosion that gave rise to a system of sinkholes and windy ridges alternating on the summit plateau. We sampled 42 vegetation plots, georeferenced with a sub-metric GPS. Different topographic variables were derived from the regional technical map of Sicily, with 2 m resolution, using QGIS. Additionally, several chemical and biochemical soil parameters were analysed for each plot. The species were split into three life-form groups: chamaephytes, hemicryptophytes, and therophytes. Data were analysed using different response variables: species richness, vegetation cover, and species composition. For the first two response variables, a Generalised Linear Model (GLM) was run. The compositional data were processed by distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) through variation partitioning. Results show that life forms are subject to differential filtering by edaphic and topographic variables. These topographic conditions affect the relative performance of the co-occurring vascular plant species, and consequently, the structure and composition of local plant communities.

ABSTRACT. Species realized niches are determined by successional conditions and their colonization-related skills. Recently, two indexes have been developed to capture these niche dimensions or gradients for a subset of Central European plant species: an estimated optimum of abundance after disturbance and the Index of Colonization Potential. Here, we show how functional and phylogenetic differences of Festuco-Brometea (dry grasslands) species from the Czech Republic drive the species sorting along these two gradients. First, we identified the main axes of trait variation through ordination. Then, we ran both random forests and linear regressions to show that traits explain a moderate amount of variation of species sorting along these two axes. The explanatory traits were related to the leaf economics, regeneration niche, plant size and clonality. We also analyzed the relevance of phylogeny in explaining the two gradients and showed that the Index of Colonization Potential and many traits, but not the successional preferences, have a strong phylogenetic signal. However, phylogenetic relatedness does not explain the patterns found by phylogeny-agnostic analysis. We also analyzed the multivariate explanation of traits as they are filtered by succession and colonization preferences. We identify a meaningful pattern of plant size, seed mass, and phenology, explained by successional preferences, and clonality, certain dispersal types and plant size explained by colonization abilities. We conclude that the dry grasslands species pool holds a significant successional and colonization gradient generating a continuum of life histories.

ABSTRACT. The central Apennines on the Italian peninsula are a region of great interest to forest ecologists, as their refugial status during the repeated Pleistocene glacial events and traditional timber and pasture management retained a high plant diversity. As elevation increases, the mesoclimate changes from temperate with dry summers to cold with a wet summers, altering the forest composition and structure. To understand how the environment impacts community assembly by filtering plants with specific trait strategies along this gradient, we conducted a transect-based field sampling on northern and southern slopes. From the valley bottom to the climatic treeline at ~2,000 m, we recorded vascular plant diversity, forest structure and soil characteristics. We used 10 functional traits characterising species competitiveness, dispersal, and stress tolerance to compute community-weighted means and functional richness based on trait hypervolumes. Our data suggest that functional richness is highest at the valley bottom in mixed broadleaf coppices. With the transition into beech-dominated high forests, functional richness reaches its minimum mid-slope, but increases again toward the treeline. This convex relationship seems to contradict the commonly observed linear decline of diverging trait strategies with elevation. We explain this pattern with a reduced dominance of Fagus sylvatica at high elevations, where the trees’ height and diameter decrease, leading to more open canopies. Although slopes with a southern orientation showed a positive impact on species richness, we could not find a similar effect for functional richness. By analysing community weighted means, we confirmed and extended results from previous studies, in that beech forests filter plants with acquisitive leaf traits and rhizomes, whereas communities in the low-elevation mixed Ostrya carpinifolia and Quercus forests are characterised by higher lateral spread rates and conservative leaf traits.

ABSTRACT. Surveys concerned with patterns of biodiversity change along environmental gradients have always been in scientific focus. In particular, functional leaf traits have been used in plants to assess how effectively they can manage different resources. Specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were used to assess these changes in the subalpine ericoid Rhododendron ferrugineum in the Sharri Mountains. Variations in abiotic conditions over short vertical distances can affect leaf functional traits and plant phenology. Here, we tested the relationship between leaf size, SLA, LDMC, and total chlorophyll content at three randomly selected sites (1910 m a.s.l., 2080 m a.s.l., and 2220 m a.s.l.) in the Sharri Mts. in Kosovo, over two periods in June and July. We assessed these ecophysiological variables and analyzed the obtained results using ANOVA analysis. It was found that total chlorophyll content, leaf size, SLA as well as LDMC varied significantly along the altitude factor but showed no variation(s) with respect to the two sampling periods. SLA, leaf size and total chlorophyll content were higher at the altitude of 2200 m a.s.l. compared to the other two sampling sites. Our study highlights the importance of examining both seasonal and elevational gradients to understand plant adaptation strategies. Overall, our results indicate that the plasticity of ecophysiological traits underscores the wide distribution of R. ferrugineum in the high mountains of Europe.

ABSTRACT. Elyno-Seslerietea is a large vegetation class of alpine and subalpine limestone grasslands in the European mountains. This class occurs in the more continental parts of the Balkans, as Seslerietalia tenuifoliae in the western part along the Dinaric Alps and as Onobrychido-Seselerietalia in the continental regions of the central and southern Balkans. Our analysis is based on 110 new relevés and 299 literature relevés assigned to the same class from the Balkans. The communities thriving in the Sharri Mts. are classified to the order Onobrychido-Seslerietalia. We note two alliances, Anthyllido-Seslerion klasterskyi, the alliance of alpine vegetation and Seslerion nitidae, that encompass subalpine vegetation. Of the alpine alliances Anthylido-Seslerion klasterskyi we found Carici laevis-sempervirens Rajevski 74 nomen inept. We inverted (Art. 42 ICPN) the name to Caricetum sempervirens-kitaibeliani Rajevski 74 nom. invers. From the alliance Seslerion nitidae we found three new associations: 1. Festuco-Bryoerythrophylletum recurvirostrae ass. nova prov.; 2. Poeto-Cerastietum cerastioidae ass. nova prov. and 3. Helianthemo-Festucetum pancicianae ass. nova prov. We also reviewed the nomenclature of some other associations from this alliance, as: 1. Helianthemo-Festucetum adamovicii Rajevski 74 nom. invers, which we further divided into two subassociations: Helianthemo-Festucetum adamovicii Rajevski 74 nom. invers. (alchemilletosum velebiticae and bromopsietosum erectae) and 2. Helianthemo-Festucetum adamovicii Rajevski 74 nom. invers. With two new subassociations (bromopsietosum erectae and alchemilletosum velebiticae), based on the data of our original relevès. New data on (sub)alpine vegetation in the Sharr Mts. will be of considerable importance for the establishment of protected areas and will contribute to our understanding of the functioning of grassland ecosystems and provide information that can be used for conservation, land management and sustainable development.

ABSTRACT. Russian military aggression in Ukraine has caused catastrophic environmental damage amounting to ecocide. Approximately 300 protected territories covering over 3.5 million hectares and providing habitats for around 30 protected plant and animal species, have been decimated. Ukraine's steppe ecosystems, which make up 8% of the world's reserve of chernozems, were already largely plowed, with less than 1% preserved as protected areas, and are now on the brink of destruction. In response, an urgent search for alternative ways to restore these losses has begun. The proposed Program aims to compensate for the losses of Ukrainian steppes by reserving significant areas of low-productivity and degraded plowed soils for further restoration of steppe vegetation. Based on our research and analysis of over 300 sources, the program includes the following steps: 1. Developing a legislative basis for steppe vegetation restoration; 2. Identifying, inventorying, and classifying land plots for future steppe reserves of various typological and regional variances; 3. Step-by-step large-scale conservation of eroded lands in the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Ukraine, optimization of agricultural landscapes, and restoration of vegetation on degraded lands; 4. Developing a digital database of steppe localities in Ukraine, including those planned for conservation, using GIS technology; 5. Studying the self-development of the steppes and their adaptation to global warming; 6. Developing strategies and biotechnical measures for post-plowing restoration; 7. International projects on steppes restoration involving academic, educational institutions, environmental organizations, and the public; 8. Identifying financing sources for the program, including state, private, and reparations from the russian federation; 9. Establishing a scientific advisory council on steppes restoration; 10. Developing monitoring and control mechanisms for program implementation.

ABSTRACT. Spontaneous revegetation of the destroyed land is the basic role in improving the environmental condition. The goal of the researches is to reveal the specifics of the Vegetation restoration on military tank range. The territory of military tank range are located within Adopted Sites of Emerald Network of Ukraine, site name «Middle Inhulets river valley». The main factors that influence on forming vegetation of military tank range are relief, frequency and degree of disturbance of vegetation and soil cover by military equipment. The mosaic structure of ecotypes determines the detailed contour of the vegetation. The ruderal vegetation are presented of the class Artemisietea vulgaris Lohmeyer et al. in Tx. ex von Rochow 1951, mainly by associations - Agropyretum repentis Felföldy 1942, Calamagrostietum epigei Kostylev in Solomakha et al. 1992 nom. rejic. propos. (art. 31), Convolvulo arvensis-Agropyretum repentis Felföldy 1943 etc. Plants communities of Convolvulo-Brometum inermis Eliáš 1979 associations are formed in places of significant disturbance of soil cover. Monodominant plant communities form by Carduus acanthoides L., Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl in place of explosions of artillery shells. Plant communities of the class Festuco-Brometea Br.-Bl. et Tx. ex Soó 1947 are formed on the territory where military exercises have not been conducted for a long period of time. The vegetation cover is mosaic and represented by the derivative group DC Festuca valesiaca + Koeleria cristata [Festucion valesiacae Klika 1931] and association Salvio nemorosae-Festucetum valesiacae Korotchenko et Didukh 1997. Korotchenko et Didukh 1997. These secondary steppe groups will be formed under the influence of anthropogenic load. Plant communities dominated by Stipa capillata L. and Stipa lessingiana Trin. & Rupr. are formed on the territory of the military tank range bordering the slopes of the gully system.

ABSTRACT. An algorithm for describing and evaluating the ecological and topological structure of habitats of the Dniester Canyon is suggested. As a main unit for these purposes, we used the catena level, which shows the distribution of habitats in the landscape. For the typification of selected territorial units, we used the sigma-syntaxa approach (Rivas-Martínez, 2005). For their identification we used the dataset of 622 relevés of different vegetation types from Dniester Canyon. For the statistical analysis we used R programming language and Past. Ecological evaluation is done using the phytoindication methodology (Didukh 2011). The habitat diversity of the Dniester Canyon is mainly characterized by forests of the Carpino-Fagetea sylvaticae class. The remnants of thermophilic and acidophilic forests of the Quercetea pubescentis class are unique to this region. The steppe vegetation of the Festuco-Brometea class shows the highest phytosociological diversity. The dominants of such communities are often rare species, such as Stipa sp., Sesleria heufleriana, Chamaecytisus podolicus, etc. The chasmophitic vegetation is confined to the outcrops of carbonate outcrops of the canyon and is classified into the classes Sedo-Scleranthetea, Asplenietea trichomanis, Verrucarietea nigrescentis. Floodplain forests and shrubs, forest fringe vegetation, meadows, and aquatic communities have a limited distribution within the canyon. The complexity of the structure of the habitats in the Dniester Canyon is explained primarily by the variety of natural conditions (orographic,geological, edaphic, and climatic). The ecological and topological structure of the habitats of the Dniester Canyon is presented by 16 sigma-syntaxa: one sigma-class, two sigma-orders, and 12 sigma-associations. The analysis on the level of sigma-syntaxa displays the , , -diversity of the study region, and shows the integrity of the environmental conditions despite the highly fragmented natural habitat system.

ABSTRACT. This study aims to revise previous syntaxonomic concepts and provide a unified classification of the Alysso-Sedetalia order communities in the Carpatho-Pannonian region, western Ukraine, and Moldova. We focused on plant communities dominated by annuals, succulents, bryophytes, and lichens. We extracted relevés from EVA (Chytrý et al. 2016) and Ukrainian Grassland Database (Kuzemko 2012). We also selected nomenclatural types of 25 associations described within the Alysso-Sedetalia order in the study area. To obtain a selection of relevés of the target plant communities, we classified the initial dataset of 10211 relevés using an expert system. We conducted the HCR resampling (Lengyel et al. 2011) on the relevés belonging to the Sedo-Scleranthetea class and got a dataset of 633 relevés. Then we used the modified TWINSPAN algorithm (Roleček et al. 2009) to obtain 20 clusters. We removed 10 clusters that did not represent the Alysso-Sedetalia order. Ten clusters of Alysso-Sedetalia were interpreted at the association level: Aurinio petraeae-Sedetum hispanici (3 relevés); Alyssetum muralis (3 relevés); Sempervivetum soboliferi (11 relevés); Poo compressae-Saxifragetum tridactylitae (30 relevés); Allio montani-Sedetum sexangularis (14 relevés); Alysso-Sedetum (87 relevés); Aurinio saxatilis-Allietum podolici (87 relevés); Saxifrago-Veronicetum praecocis (65 relevés), Cerastietum pumili (45 relevés); and Erodio cicutarii-Brometum hordeacei (28 relevés).

ABSTRACT. The study area: Ukraine. Materials and methods: The data of more than 3000 relevés were analyzed in the JUICE software. We used the TWINSPAN modified algorithm for cluster analysis of the dataset. Based on the phytoindication methodology, we calculated changes in the point indicators of climatic factors: thermoregime, cryoregime, continentality, ombroregime and edaphic; additionally, we have conducted DCA analysis (Detrended Correspondence Analysis) to assess the impact of environmental factors on plant communities. Results: The correlation sequences between environmental factors were determined, which have non-linear features and change depending on the regional characteristics of the four bioclimatic zones of Ukraine. We established that the indirect effect of changing the characteristics of the leading ecological factors is more important than the direct one and causes cascade processes that cause various fluctuating, successional and synevolutionary changes in the vegetation cover. The nature of these changes depends on the resilience and resistance of the communities, which we assessed by the indicators of Grime's types of ecological strategies. Based on the analysis of about 300 associations of different vegetation classes in Ukraine, we established that the critical limits are increasing the annual temperature from 2 to +2,5 °С, above which more than half of syntaxa fall into the zone of possible risk, 30-40% of syntaxa fall into the area of possible habitat extinction (this zone is characterized by the irreversible changes that are signs of a catastrophic state). Notably, 70 % of 170 rare species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (2009) fall into the zone of condition changes; 30% of rare species fall into the extinction zone, which indicates a severe loss of biodiversity. The situation threatens species and communities in extreme conditions or on the edge of their range without retreating.

ABSTRACT. Climate change is impairing tree physiology and growth, causing an increase in tree dieback in many Mediterranean forests. These desiccation phenomena are leading to changes in land cover and plant community composition. Mediterranean plants are capable to emit large amount of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs), whose emission and biosynthesis is strongly affected by environmental conditions. This study evaluates the seasonal changes in understory species composition in two forest stands in Southern Tuscany (Maremma Regional Park, Alberese, Grosseto, Italy) characterized by different levels of Quercus ilex L. crown defoliation (low and high defoliation, LD and HD) and the relationship with BVOCs emissions over three years. We found significant changes in the understory plant community following Q. ilex crown defoliation and mortality, observing an increment in the number of shrubs both in HD and LD stands. The environmental sampling of BVOCs fully reflected the changes in vegetation cover and composition, with a reduction in the amount of monoterpene emissions due to the increasing rates of defoliation and mortality of Q. ilex trees. Our results suggest that terpene emissions from Mediterranean forests would be modified by an increase of Q. ilex dieback, with important consequences for functioning of this forest ecosystem and its atmospheric chemistry.

ABSTRACT. Madonie Mountains cover an area of approximately 984 km2 and represent the westernmost portion of the so-called “Sicilian Apennine”, a tectonically complex mountain range located along the northern coast of Sicily. The Madonie Regional Natural Park, established in 1989, represents a hotspot in the framework of Mediterranean plant biodiversity, hosting several endemic species and being a refuge area for several boreal and nemoral species that migrated southwards during the repeated glacial events of the Pleistocene. Most significant scientific contributions on the vegetation of Madonie Mts. were published in the 1970s and 1980s. During summer 2022, we sampled 42 vegetation plots in the oromediterranean calciphilous grasslands colonising the summit plateau of Pizzo Carbonara, above 1900 m a.s.l. Vegetation data from these plots and from phytosociological scientific literature were analysed together, with the aim to classify the grassland communities at the association level. Using Modified TWINSPAN and Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), we defined seven associations along an altitudinal gradient, from 1200 to 1979 m a.s.l. Five of these associations were already described in the past and are confirmed, while the other two are described as new. The first new association occurs on windy ridges of the highest peaks of Pizzo Carbonara (above 1900 m a.s.l.) and is ascribed to the Cerastio-Astragalion nebrodensis, a phytosociological alliance grouping the endemite-rich xeric calcicolous hemicrypto-chaemaephytic oromediterranean vegetation of the Madonie Mountains. The second new association occupies the bottom of the sinkholes scattered throughout the summit areas of Pizzo Carbonara, well above 1800 m a.s.l., and is ascribed to the Plantaginion cupanii, an alliance grouping mesophilous hemicryptophytic communities colonising leached or acidic compacted soils.

ABSTRACT. The “Padule di Fucecchio” area is one of the largest inland marsh in Italy. About 2,000 hectares wide, it spreads in central Tuscany between the provinces of Florence and Pistoia. It is one of the wetlands of international importance listed in the Ramsar Convention and hosts several protected natural areas of European and local interest, due to the naturalistic richness and the peculiarities of its hydrogeology and landscape. The studies on its flora, even if rather dated, are numerous and several specimens are deposited in the Tuscan herbariums (Garbari 1980; Tomei et al. 2001). On the contrary, surprisingly, studies on plant communities are very scarce and out of date. For these reasons, a vegetation survey concerning aquatic and marshy vegetation has been carried out in the last two years. As it could be predicted, the preliminary data analysis show that a large part of the aquatic and marsh plants of relevant conservation value have disappeared or have greatly reduced their diffusion, in favor of alien species, which have also become an important or predominant part in plant communities. Nevertheless, several vegetation types with high naturalness have been detected and reported in the area for the first time, such as for example Schoenoplectetum lacustris, Caricetum ripariae, Phalaridetum arundinaceae. In addition, several communities dominated by species of the genus Bolboschoenus have been detected and are being defined through comparison with international data (Hroudová et al. 2009). Particular communities of ephemeral environments dominated by native and alien species (e.g., Cyperus sp.pl., Amaranthus blitum, Lindernia dubia) have been widely detected in the study area and their syntaxonomic definition is underway.

ABSTRACT. The impact of holm oak dieback on understory vegetation composition was investigated in the Maremma Park (Tuscany, IT). Seasonal inventories of shrub and herbaceous species were conducted from summer 2019 to summer 2022 on two stands of an area of about 600 m2, characterized by different degrees of holm oak crown defoliation (high and low defoliated, HD and LD). Species richness, Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indices (alpha diversity) were calculated. Species inventories were also used to assess the biological spectrum and estimate habitat explanatory factors using Ellenberg's indicator values (EV). We hypothesized that the reduction in canopy cover of holm oak trees would result in loss of alpha diversity. Canopy cover was halved from summer 2019 to summer 2022 in both areas, and the higher light availability due to canopy gap resulted in an increase in species richness for both stands in 2021. However, in 2022, species richness decreased in both areas, probably because of the large amount of dead holm oak wood on the ground. During the study, the Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indices did not significantly change between the stands; however, the LD stand maintained a higher variety of life forms than the HD stand (phanerophytes, hemicryptophytes, and therophytes). High temperature and light EV values suggested that both HD and LD areas are suited for species preferring warm conditions and high light intensity. Further, EV highlighted a certain anthropic disturbance of the HD stand, which counted more nitrophilous species than the LD stand. These results may be due to the presence of some medicinal herbaceous plants (e.g., Atropa belladonna L., and Datura stramonium L.) introduced by humans in the Middle Ages, whose diffusion may have recently been favoured by the holm oak decline. In conclusion, although no reduction in alpha diversity has been observed during the study period, holm oak dieback has altered species composition in the understory vegetation.

ABSTRACT. In the context of climate change, drought and heatwaves affect Mediterranean ecosystems by deteriorating tree health, leading to species die-off, with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, it is crucial to identify effective tools for monitoring forest dieback after extreme climatic events. We monitored changes in tree health status induced by severe drought in a holm oak forest located in Southern Tuscany by integrating field measurements and Sentinel 2 data over two years (2020-2021). We analysed the relationships between field-assessed crown defoliation and satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation and Water Indices (NDVI and NDWI) in six holm oak forest plots characterized by different degrees of defoliation and tree mortality. In addition, chlorophyll fluorescence and the DUALEX® chlorophyll index were monitored in two of these plots showing contrasting degrees of defoliation. The relationships between physiological indicators of plant stress and remote sensing indices were evaluated. A strong relationship was observed between NDVI and NDWI indices and crown visual assessment for the plot characterized by the highest holm oak mortality rate. Although the high spatial resolution of Sentinel 2 (10 m) allowed for the detection of general vegetation decline after the extreme summer drought of 2017, these indices were ineffective for the detailed analysis of forest stands characterized by a patchy dieback. Positive correlations among NDVI, NDWI and physiological parameters were observed in plots with lower defoliation in all seasons. In conclusion, Sentinel-2 satellite indices are efficient tools for monitoring holm oak forest status only when tree health conditions are severely and homogeneously impaired. Our study highlights the importance of multiscale analyses that integrate in situ physiological measurements and satellite data to effectively monitor holm oak forest health status and responses to extreme climatic events.

ABSTRACT. In open ecosystems, such as pastures, scattered trees create environmental heterogeneity, resulting in a variety of microhabitats and increasing biodiversity. Scattered trees also play an essential role in carbon sequestration, and enhance the well-being of grazing livestock as well by providing shade during the hottest period of the year. However, trees of European wood-pastures are in jeopardy as some potential disservices can also be linked to them, which leads to an unfavorable valuation of trees. Furthermore, the current legal environment is inadequate to secure their existence. In this study, instead of the well-documented ecosystem services, we aimed to document and quantify the potential negative effects of trees. We used a grazing-exclusion experiment to assess the effect of scattered trees on herbage production in wood-pastures from semi-arid continental to humid montane areas in the temperate deciduous forest ecoregion. We found that trees have a suppressive effect throughout the year, although herbage nutritive value, as indicated by herbage nitrogen content, seems to be improved in spring. We upscaled the locally detected negative effect on herbage yield to entire wood-pastures, and we found that the loss remained below 3%, which can be amply compensated by the gains in livestock production due to advanced access to shade. Although scattered trees undoubtedly suppress herbage production in wood pastures, this cost is overridden by their beneficial effects, thus the negative attitude of land managers and decision-makers towards trees may be based on mistaken observations. Our results proved that traditionally low tree cover proportions do not comprise current land use, therefore, protecting old scattered trees and establishing young ones is highly recommended.

ABSTRACT. In 1987, for the first time in the Ukrainian conservation activity, the idea of protecting rare plant communities identified by the dominant approach was implemented. All theoretical principles of this concept were presented in the Green Data Book of Ukraine (2009). In Ukraine, the flat steppe areas, except those located in nature reserves, have been plowed up. Therefore, it is concentrated by small-scale patches along the slopes of river valleys, ravines, and gullies. Rare steppe plant communities are represented by 37 associations of the classes Festuco-Brometea, Festucetea vaginatae, Sedo-Scleranthetea, Festuco-Puccinellietea, Rhamno-Prunetea, Drypidetea spinosae, Erico-Pinetea. The rarest communities belong to associations Asphodelino-Juniperetum foetidissimae, Bromopsio tauricae-Asphodelinetum tauricae, Genisto albidae-Stipetum lithophilae, Minuartio auctae-Festucetum pallentis, Paronychio cephalotae-Onosmatetum polyphyllae, Poetum versicoloris, Ranunculo zapalowiczi-Helictotrichonetum desertori, Stipo brauneri-Bromopsietum cappadocicae. Currently, most of them are in the area of hostilities or under occupation. In this regard, new successions are predicted, which will lead to high uncertainty of processes, the likelihood of new unexpected changes in ecosystems, expansion of both native and invasive species, changes in dominant species, and the appearance of a significant number of transformed plant communities.

ABSTRACT. Elaeagnus angustifolia is one of the highly invasive woody species that is actively spreading in Ukraine nowadays and has a high ability to form plant communities. We aimed to make phytosociological classification of E. angustifolia-dominated stands in Ukraine and compare their synecological characteristics. We collected 245 phytosociological vegetation plots, analyzed them and identified four associations and one community due to their floristic differences and environmental conditions. Association Lactuco tataricae-Elaeagnetum angustifoliae represents halophylous stands on the flat areas with turf-meadow or sandy soils and inhabits previously covered areas by salt meadows or salt steppe grasslands in the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions. Association Plantago arenariae-Elaeagnetum angustifoliae is known only across Lower Dnipro Arenas and occurs in the lowland areas between dunes on sandy soils. Balloto nigrae-Elaeagnetum angustifoliae unites species-rich mesophylous stands with a higher ratio of nitrophylous plants, which tend to riparian zones with turf-meadow or loamy soils in the steppe zone of Ukraine. Leymo sabulosi-Elaeagnetum angustifoliae represents species-poor stands that are located on spits of sandy or sandy-pebbly seacoasts across the Azov Sea coast. E. angustifolia stands with the dominance of Elytrigia repens in the herb layer we identified as Elytrigia repens-Elaeagnus angustifolia community. This vegetation occupies meadow solonchaks and is characterized by a high proportion of graminoids and ruderal plants resulting from grazing overpressure. The current spread of E. angustifolia-dominated vegetation in Ukraine is related to anthropogenic pressure. At the landscape level, E. angustifolia is actively naturalizing in different habitat types, from river floodplains and sand steppes to halophytic and coastal grasslands.

ABSTRACT. Knowledge of vegetations and their fine scale mapping are essential for Natura 2000 implementation. We studied three Natura 2000 coastal sites, located in the Gulf of Lion (southern France) in order to have a complete view of the vegetation occurring in these sites and to see if it corresponds to habitats of community interest. As habitats of community interest identification relies heavily on phytosociological identification, we carried out many field relevés according to the Braun-Blanquet method. We analysed these relevés jointly with data from SIMETHIS-Flore-CBNMed database (EU-FR-006). It appears that a large majority of the vegetation units were already known in the surroundings, but some relevés seem to be more interesting. We discovered new sites for the Limonio virgati-Plantaginetum crassifoliae Gesti & Vilar ex Mercadal 2022, extending its known distribution range. Two groups of relevés do not match anything known and should probably be described as two new associations. Finally, relevés of thickets dominated by Tamarix gallica L. raise some questions on how they should be classified: they are traditionally assigned to Nerio oleandri-Tamaricetea africanae Braun-Blanq. & Bolòs 1958 class but they don’t fit in well. We can see that while southern France is the cradle of sigmatist phytosociology, many vegetations are still to be discovered and many questions stay unanswered.

ABSTRACT. Bulgaria contains diverse and geographically separate mountain areas. The Stara Planina Mts. are directly linked to the Carpathians, whereas other mountains, such as Rila and Pirin, are more connected to the southern Balkan. This contributes to the regionally rich vegetation of the class Mulgedio-Aconitetea. This class is poorly studied in the Balkans, and the previous classification of the diversity of the Mulgedio-Aconitetea in Bulgaria (Tzonev et al. 2009) containing only two alliances, Cirsion appendiculati (order Adenostyletalia alliariae) and Rumicion alpini (order Senecioni rupestris-Rumicetalia alpini), seems incomplete. We have compiled ⁓350 vegetation plots, which derive from our field sampling or are part of the Bulgarian vegetation database (EU-BG-001). The compiled data cover all the main mountain ranges. Our concept of the Mulgedio-Aconitetea follows Mucina et al. (2016) and excludes Betulo carpaticae-Alnetea viridis. Our goal is to (1) classify the vegetation types of the class Mulgedio-Aconitetea in Bulgaria to the level of association and to (2) identify the gaps in available data. Some vegetation types, such as Rumicion alpini (ord. Senecioni rupestris-Rumicetalia alpini), are widespread, while others, such as Adenostylion alliariae (ord. Adenostyletalia alliariae) and Calamagrostion villosae (ord. Calamagrostietalia villosae) are rare and show certain geographical patterns. References Mucina L., Bültmann H., Dierßer K., Theurillat J.-P., Raus T., et al. (2016): Vegetation of Europe: hierarchical floristic classification system of vascular plant, bryophyte, lichen, and algal communities. – Applied Vegetation Science, 19: 3–264. Tzonev R. T., Dimitrov M. A. & Roussakova V. H. (2009): Syntaxa according to the Braun-Blanquet approach in Bulgaria. – Phytologia Balcania, 15: 209–233.

ABSTRACT. Intact raised bog vegetation diversity is provided by the site micro-topography - hummocks, hollows, lawns and pools. Plant communities from the Oxycocco-Sphagnetea class occupy hummocks that are permanently above water level, while hollows and pools that have waterlogged conditions are assigned to Scheuzerio palustris-Caricetea nigrae class. Due to drainage, the characteristic raised bog vegetation changes, as a result the typical intact mire species are replaced by the indicators to degradation. The species gradient from relatively dry hummocks through the flat lawns close to the water level to waterlogged hollows and pools is lost. Raised bog vegetation shift was studied in Sudas-Zviedru Mire in Latvia. The aim of the study was to follow vegetation response after restoration activities. Changes in the vascular plant and bryophyte cover and site hydrology, resulting in water level raise in drainage-influenced areas of peatlands were analysed in permanent vegetation plots and include daily water level data. Vegetation plots were established in 2015 within the LIFE Wetlands project and continued within LIFE PeatCarbon project in 2022. Vegetation studies show that restoration results in the succession of plant communities towards the targeted raised bog vegetation of wetter conditions. This was evident from the decreased abundance of species benefiting from drainage and the corresponding increase of species characteristic for wetter habitats. As there was a distinct rise of the water level, also the vegetation recovery was immediate followed by re-appearance of Sphagnum cuspidatum in the hollows, accompanied by other bog species. Most important is the development of Sphagnum communities as they play a crucial role in raised bog carbon accumulation. After the rise of the water level because of peatland restoration activities there is a trend of natural bog vegetation establishment.

ABSTRACT. So far, vegetation monitoring has been conducted mainly in the field, with time-consuming methods and logistical difficulties. But recently, however, remote sensing is becoming a suitable source of data for vegetation classification with satellite and aerial photointerpretation as most common approaches. These approaches can though produce errors when applied to heterogeneous vegetation on small scales and when pixel size is not small enough to avoid combination of different vegetation. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which can reach high resolution with pixel size of a few centimetres, represent a solution to monitor vegetation dynamics, partially replacing field work, reducing costs and acquiring images with high temporal resolution. However, few studies have used UAV images to classify vegetation. Through UAV images photointerpretation and comparison with field surveys we updated habitat cartography of 5 Nature 2000 sites in Aosta Valley. The aim was to define and test a protocol for UAV images detection considering the vegetation phenology to guarantee the acquisition of the best images. The design and classification of polygons were done verifying phytocenosis, the main species that make up the layers and phenological trends through field surveys. Old and updated maps were compared to quantify the increased information details obtained from high-resolution images and the validity of the method. Results show a resolution increase in the habitat cartography, the correct definition of best conditions and times of the year for image acquisition, and the need of field verifying of real vegetation conditions for its correct classification.

ABSTRACT. The Cantabrian Mixed Forests ecoregion, located in NW Iberian Peninsula, displays a great diversity of forest communities due to multiple drivers such as high climatic heterogeneity and the existence of glacial refugia, both enhanced by a complex topography. The ecoregion is dominated by broadleaved deciduous forests ranging from warm-temperate to boreal-like typologies, with the co-existence or local dominance of broadleaved evergreen and coniferous forests. The aim of this study is to synthesise forest diversity in the ecoregion and to classify forest habitats according to the EUNIS classification. We used the EUNIS expert system to differentiate broadleaved deciduous, broadleaved evergreen and coniferous evergreen forests in vegetation plots stored in SIVIM. We followed a semi-supervised approach based on TWINSPAN and the k-means algorithm to select the optimal number of groups in agreement with regional knowledge. We obtained 22 different types of forests: 12 broadleaved deciduous, 6 broadleaved evergreen and 4 evergreen coniferous. The forests were related to the regional phytosociological classification, with some EUNIS types including more than 10 associations and other types not being defined by any association. A NMDS ordination of all data showed a clear differentiation between broadleaved deciduous and evergreen forests, while coniferous forests displayed a scattered pattern. Overall, the Cantabrian Mixed Forests include around 40% of the forest types occurring in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, highlighting the relevance of this ecoregion for European forests.

ABSTRACT. Ruderal communities with Calamagrostis epigejos are listed within the association Rubo caesii-Calamagrostietum epigeji COSTE 1985. However, in the territory of Ukraine, communities with the participation of C. epigejos were described in different ecological conditions and species composition. They are characterized as tall plants, coenoses of dry and wet areas, dominated by Calamagrostis epigejos, Convolvulus arvensis, Elytrigia repens, Melandrium album, Achillea submillefolium, Poa angustifoli, Rubus caesius. This allows us to classify them as a class of thermophilic ruderal vegetation. The analysis of C. epigejos communities (63 relevés) from different habitats showed a significant differentiation of three groups. The first of them is dominated by nitrophilous and mesophytic species: Urtica dioica, Aristolochia clematitis, Poa pratensis, Galium aparine, Anthriscus sylvestris, Alopecurus pratensis. The second cluster is dominated by xerophytic species: Erigeron canadensis, Artemisia dniproica, Agrostis gigantea, Berteroa incana, Potentilla argentea, Viola arvensis, Veronica spicata, Carex hirta. The third cluster is characterized by xeromesophytes Artemisia vulgaris, Daucus carota, Hypericum perforatum, Cichorium intybus, Dactylis glomerata. Analysis of the studied communities Aristolochia clematitis + Urtica dioica, Artemisia dniproica + Erigeron canadensis, Artemisia vulgaris + Daucus carota and comparison with other syntaxons of the class showed their clear differentiation, which allows them to be separated into an alliance Rubo caesii-Calamagrostion epigeji Dengler et al., 2003. These communities are spread over the entire territory of Ukraine, mainly in the northern and central parts. They form as a continuum on the edges of forests, in the coastal zone of rivers and reservoirs, in the lower part of beams, along roads.

ABSTRACT. Military operations as a result of the military aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine have led to large-scale direct and indirect losses of Ukrainian ecosystems. Damage assessment is based on the characteristics of the type and extent of damage, stability (resistance), and vulnerability (restoration rate) of different habitat types. The proposed approach to damage assessment includes several steps. The first step is to compile a list of damaged habitat types, their areas, and damage classification. The second step includes collecting, recording, and documenting relevant information, which involves assessing the extent (size, structure, and valuable components) of losses, the possibility, degree, and time of their restoration to a certain stable state, the need for additional restoration measures, the possibility of indirect negative phenomena, etc. to minimize negative consequences. At this stage, remote sensing methods come to the fore, and in some cases, methods of field interpretation and data verification when can be used without direct risk to the researcher's safety. The last step includes analyzing the information obtained at the previous stage and converting it into quantitative (scoring) units. According to the degree of habitat damage, five categories are distinguished: A - cannot be restored and require recultivation (80% of points); B - requires special measures for restoration (60-79%); C - natural recovery is possible with control or adjustment of regulatory processes (30-59%); D - damage is minor, the ecosystem is capable of self-restoration within a certain time (0-39%); E - damage is local (fragmentary), the structure and functioning are maintained and will be restored within a short time. The developed methodology will be used to quantify losses in monetary terms for the purpose of compensation.

ABSTRACT. Changes caused by global warming and atmospheric nitrogen deposition are observed in forest, grassland and alpine ecosystems worldwide. Still scarcely little is known about the impact of these global phenomena on the natural rocky plant communities. We used 214 pairs of replots (collected between 1989 and 2022) of rocky plant communities stored in the VESTA database. The changes in the species composition, basic plant traits and environmental conditions expressed by Ellenberg Indicator Values for Europe for nutrients, temperature and moisture were analyzed using ordination techniques and generalized additive models (GAM). We assumed that the longer time span between the surveys the more pronounced changes in compositional and functional structure as well as environmental conditions of rocky communities. The results of the analyses revealed that species composition of studied communities has not changed significantly over the last 30 years. The changes in environmental conditions calculated as the difference in the EIVEs values at each site between the resurvey and baseline survey did not show such strongly significant relationships with the time span that we expected. Time span between surveys significantly influenced only on changes in EIVEs for temperature (∆Temp) on neutral and ultrabasic substrates and moisture (∆Moist) on acidic bedrock. Much more significant impact on changes in nutrients (∆Nutr), moisture and temperature had change in light availability (∆Light) - ∆Nutr and ∆Moist decreased significantly with light availability regardless of the type of bedrock, whereas ∆Temp showed a converse trend but only on neutral and ultrabasic rocks. It also appears that the lower baseline values of EIVEs the greater their change. Similarly, variation in plant traits (specific leaf area - SLA, leaf dry matter content - LDMC and seed mass - SM) was mainly influenced by change in light availability and bedrock type.

ABSTRACT. The detailed knowledge of the alien species pool in Europe including residence time and invasion status of introduced plants is crucial for macroecological research of plant invasions. The development of inventories of alien floras in many European countries started in the 1990s based on the collation and expert evaluation of available floristic records. Subsequently, continental-scale databases containing regional data on alien plants were developed, such as DAISIE, GloNAF and Euro+Med PlantBase. However, there are still gaps and inconsistencies among existing databases in terms of revision, completeness, taxonomy, data quality and consistency of species categorizations. We compiled 111 recently published articles and online national or regional alien plant inventories for 56 European territories (countries or large islands and archipelagos with distinct history and biogeography). We unified species nomenclature, residence and invasion status categories and other information provided, using a standardised methodological approach. The highest numbers of aliens were reported from Belgium (2289 species), Norway (1750), United Kingdom (1713) and the Czech Republic (1561). The full categorization of invasion status was available only for 24 (43.6%) European territories. In total, we identified 7208 alien plant species of which 553 were hybrids and cultivars. According to their residence time, 93 plant species were assessed exclusively as archaeophytes in all countries where reported, 565 as archaeophytes and neophytes in different parts of Europe, 3919 species were exclusively neophytes, and 2588 species received undefined alien status. We identified 2436 alien species with casual status, 2414 that were classified as naturalized and 1045 species that reached the invasive status in at least one of the European territories. Country-based species status data obtained from the published checklists will become part of the recently developed FloraVeg.EU online database.

ABSTRACT. Nowadays substantial decrease in grasslands in Europe is observed, and majority of semi-natural grassland habitats are protected in Natura 2000 network. Unfortunately, the existing systems of protected areas and ecological corridors are not suited for grasslands protection, but focused on forest ecosystems (Szymura and Szymura 2019). It caused further degradation of grasslands due to intensification of cultivation or abandonment. It is urgent need to establish the methods of grassland value assessment, and protocol of management ensuring biodiversity preserving, at least in protected areas. Extensive pasturage of animals is in a line with the principles of sustainable development, but its new rules should be developed taking into account the climate and economic changes. The aim of the study was to create methodology of analysis and establishment of protocol which guarantee determining of optimal grassland management in protected areas, like National Parks in changing climatic and socio-economic conditions. A vegetation analysis was the basis for the model, and sampling plots were established on the basis of digital elevation model (DEM), topographic wetness index (TWI), and diurnal anisotropic heating index (DAH). The study was conducted in Stołowe Mountains National Park, located in SW Poland. In this protected area forest vegetation dominate, mostly coniferous, whereas grasslands cover only 8%, and have a form of islands in forest landscape. The most of the studied grasslands were used as arable lands before II WW (Szymura et al. 2016), and after cessation of cultivation the grasslands vegetation spontaneously developed. According National park management plans the grasslands were mowed once per year, in July. Nowadays the extensive sheep pasture management has been introduced. Basing of the created methodology and protocol of management the plan of pasturing in accordance to suitable development, and nature protection was developed.

ABSTRACT. Mediterranean coastal wetlands are important ecosystems that provide a variety of ecological services such as coastal protection, habitat for fish and bird species, and carbon sequestration (Tomaselli et al. 2022). As regards the Maltese Islands' saline, these wetlands are sparsely spread along the shoreline and are frequently affected by anthropogenic influences. Consequently, the Maltese Islands lack pristine saline marshlands (Henwood 2006; Lanfranco et al. 2009) and the most extant have been artificially engineered. One such wetland is il-Magħluq ta’ Marsaxlokk, which forms part of the Natura 2000 site, il-Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk. This is a case study to investigate the plant species cover and diversity of il-Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk, which aims to contribute to the knowledge on participatory management in protected areas. Despite its high ecological importance, this site has been subjected to several stresses including habitat loss due to sea erosion. In order to evaluate the plant biodiversity of the wetland, a multimethod approach investigation was carried out. Photointerpretation and on-site surveys were used to identify habitats, which were then classified in accordance with CORINE Biotopes, Directive 92/43/EEC, and EUNIS codes. In addition, phytosociological relevés retrieved from literature and unpublished data were processed. The diversity was quantified through three indices: species richness, Shannon’s diversity index, and Simpson’s diversity index. Our preliminary results suggest that over time there has been a reduction of the halophilous plant communities. With several threats such as climate change and human activities, frequent monitoring of wetlands like this one will be increasingly important for long-term conservation in accordance with the objectives of the Habitats Directive. Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the Environment & Resources Authority (2023) for drone images of Il-Ballut ta' Marsaxlokk.

ABSTRACT. Vegetation mapping represents an important and useful tool for implementing sustainable development policies and in the decision-making process regarding the management of protected areas. The study area is Mount Etna (Sicily), the highest (3,357m a.s.l.) active volcano in Europe. This huge polygenic basaltic volcano represents for some specie and plant communities the southernmost geographical range, which appear to be more affected by climate change. Besides several field activities, all literature data concerning the vegetation map of Mt. Etna were considered (Hoffman et al. 1960; Pirola et al. 1960; Poli 1965; Poli et al. 1983; 2000; Brullo et al. 2001, 2005). Main aim of our research is to update the vegetation map of Mt. Etna through an expert evaluation approach. Based on satellite photo interpretation, the vegetation polygons were defined by means GIS software. The resulting map was validated by several field surveys, performed with the phytosociological method, in order to analyse structure, floristic composition, serial and catenal contacts and distribution patterns. This ongoing study allowed us: to perform an in-depth update of the vegetation map, to quantify the Habitats Directive coverage, to identify the areas deserving plant conservation priority, and to evaluate the effects of climate change on the Betula etnensis-populations over the last 80 years.

ABSTRACT. Floodplain forests and scrublands are communities conditioned by strong impact of water. Inside this group, communities are developed depending on factors such as type of flooding, water table level, substrate ability to retain water etc. These factors are changing along short gradients, which make the classification of this type of vegetation challenging. The database currently includes 4400 vegetation plots representing 4 classes - Alnetea glutinosae, Salicetea purpureae, Alno glutinosae-Populetea albae, Franguletea. 59% of plots (2590) have been sampled during field seasons since 2014 and contain accurate geographical coordinates and data on sampling sites. We also digitalized relevés from the literature sampled from 1997 and included unpublished plots contributed by different authors (totally 54 contributors). All digitalized relevés have been georeferenced with precision and contain all information presented in the original sources (locality, country, relevé area, total/tree/shrub/herb cover, bedrock, reference, etc). About 25% of plots represent Alnetea glutinosae class, 30% – plant communities of Alno glutinosae-Populetea albae class. The Salicetea purpureae class represents about 35% of all data, Franguletea - 10 %. The plot sizes vary in very wide ranges – from 1 to 150 м2. The main aims of this database are to compile vegetation-plot data from all over Ukraine to conduct a large-scale phytosociological synthesis, ecological studies to provide and implement conservation strategy of floodplain forests. It will enable us to find out the patterns of territorial distribution of these vegetation and habitat types, to identify the leading factors of their ecological differentiation, to give a sozological evaluation, as well as to observe the vegetation dynamics trends in space and time, especially in conditions of human impact growth. The database will be registered in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD) and European Vegetation Archive.

ABSTRACT. Several research papers emphasize that both species composition and land cover in Mediterranean ecosystems generally recover rapidly after fire. Mediterranean species have ecological strategies for the post-fire period, such as the ability to resprout, seed bank persistence, or the ability to grow or disperse. Here an abandoned agricultural field (AAF) near Biograd na moru (Croatia) was burned by an induced fire. Fifteen rings (diameter 0.2 m2) were established, five for each variant: I. unburned (UB), II. medium intensity (MB) and III. high intensity (HB), and observed within 12 months. The results showed that the functional group (FG) of grasses dominated in the variant MB, in contrast to the dominance of legumes in the variant HB. Compared to AAF, the number of forbs FG slightly decreased in both burn variants (MB, HB). The dominant strategy was competitors (C), followed by ruderal plants (R), whose numbers increased slightly after burning in the MB and HB variants, while stress tolerants decreased significantly in both variants. The total cover of renewed vegetation was higher on HB than on MB. These preliminary results indicate that the intensity of HB does not promote grass survival in the first year after fire, while legumes and forbs are more resistant to higher fire intensity and therefore have a higher chance of survival.

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the Croatian science foundation under the project “Influence of Summer Fire on Soil and Water Quality” (IP-2018-01-1645).

ABSTRACT. The loss of natural or semi-natural grasslands in Latvia, similar to the trends throughout Europe, has been observed in recent decades. Mostly it is a result of land use change – intensification of agriculture, succession of grasslands to bushes and forests, cessation of regular mowing or grazing. Today, of all habitat types of the European Union importance, which occupy about 10% of the entire country, only 1% belongs to grasslands. Of these, the dominant area is taken by Fennoscandian lowland species-rich dry to mesic grasslands and Northern boreal alluvial meadows. In order to restore grasslands and species associated with these habitats, different management projects have been implemented in Latvia. In one of them, a 7-year activity was started in the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia. It aims to restore the grassland in former orchard. Six regimes will be tested in 30 experimental plots, combining different mowing intensities, removal of the sod layer and application of grassland-related seed material. Repeated monitoring of vascular plant and bryophyte species showed that, compared to the control plot, any management activity has a positive effect on species diversity. From a total of 32 species in regularly mowed lawns, the number has doubled to 74 species in maintained plots. Pairwise Manova test, Shannon diversity index, indicator species analysis and Decorana ordination were used to compare the effects of different techniques on species composition. The results confirm that annual mowing, collecting of mowed material, planting of grassland-related species seeds combined with removal of dense graminoid sod improves lawn quality already two years after management. Although only half of 20 species sown survived to the second year of ¬experiment, the project's activities show promising results. In addition, the role of botanic gardens in supporting miniature habitats has been proven.

ABSTRACT. Forest sites are an essential basis for forest management in Slovenia. In forest management, their characteristics are assessed on the basis of the forest plant communities found there. For forest management purposes in Slovenia, forest sites have recently been defined by forest site types (FST), which include floristically and ecologically similar forest communities and can therefore be treated similarly in silvicultural terms. The typology is now a widely accepted system for naming forest communities and forest sites in Slovenian forestry. In sustainable forest management, knowledge about forest sites and their ecological characteristics is particularly important as this type of forest management attempts to adapt as much as possible to the natural characteristics of the forest sites and to the natural species and structural composition of forest stands, as well as to the natural development patterns of forest stands. The growth of forest trees and forest stands depends on forest sites, which include all the growth factors of a particular area, so it is obvious that forest sites are also an important framework for forest growth studies. In recent study, we provide a synthetic overview of ecological conditions in the FSTs of Slovenia based on an extensive database of phytocenological inventories. Data on elevation and terrain characteristics were taken directly from the phytocenological relevés, while other ecological conditions were assessed indirectly using Ellenberg phytoindication values of the recorded plant species. We also analysed the species diversity of each FST. Ecological conditions of FSTs were represented and compared using ecograms, and floristic similarity of FSTs was determined using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). In the ordination space of the DCA analysis the realised ecological niches of the woody species of the forest vegetation layer in Slovenian forests were also presented.

ABSTRACT. Soil pH is a crucial factor that affects the distribution of plant species, particularly at a fine scale. However, it is frequently overlooked in species distribution models. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of topsoil pH and rock alkalinity maps on the accuracy of distribution models for vascular plant species at continental and regional scales (Europe and the Czech Republic). The plant species were selected to represent different site preferences along the soil pH gradient, using their Ellenberg indicator values for reaction. We modelled species distribution across continental and regional scale with the MaxEnt algorithm, and further with the Random Forest algorithm at regional scale. The change in predictive power of the model was evaluated by comparing the model calibrated using only climatic variables from the CHELSA database with the model that also included soil pH 1, from LUCAS and 2, SoilGrids250m. Soil pH was found to be one of the most significant predictors for the distribution of vascular plants at the regional scale, while climate was the primary factor controlling the distribution of plants at the continental level. However, even at the continental scale, soil pH was more important for plants in areas with homogeneous climatic conditions. While inclusion of soil pH improved the predictive power of the models for most acidophytes, basiphytes and neutrophytes, we found different pattern for generalists. For this group, the climate-only models were more accurate, particularly at the continental scale. The models with rock alkalinity achieved better predictive power than the climate-only models, but they were inferior to the soil pH models. The differences in accuracy between the individual types of models varied depending on the modelling method used, with Random Forest models showing better predictive performance (tested only at regional scale).

ABSTRACT. Klánovický forest is protected as a special area of conservation according to the Habitats Directive. This nature reserve near Prague extends across ca 300 ha of former agricultural land surrounding extinct Mediaeval villages and has undergone relatively large changes in tree species composition and forest management. To assess vegetation changes, I resurveyed part of 130 semi-permanent plots recorded in the area in three periods (1964, 1988–1992, 2002–2015) based on accurate maps and personal communication with their authors and ascertained the current plant species composition and chemical properties of the forest soil. Despite probable sampling bias, it seems that the vegetation relevés have captured three important facets of woodland herb layer degradation: (i) the disappearance of heliophilous plant species (e.g. Hieracium sp. div.) still present in the 1960s, (ii) the expansion of brambles (Rubus fruticosus agg.) during the 1980s (shrubification) associated with the closure of the hornbeam canopy, and (iii) the current invasion of non-native species (e.g. Prunus serotina) spreading from abandoned buildings and plantations. In addition, the soils in the forest have suffered a drastic loss of basic ions. Based on the resurvey, I conclude that sustainable forest management is needed to halt the biodiversity loss. I recommend (i) the elimination of non-native tree plantations, particularly of red oak to reduce the spread of its invasion by propagules from adult trees, (ii) thinning dense shrubs under old sessile oak in infertile places to release light for heliophilous plant and animal species and avoid an explosion of nitrophilous vegetation, and (iii) introducing the traditional practice of coppicing in part of the forest.

ABSTRACT. Effects of climate change on vegetation are often modeled by correlative models trained on the present vegetation-environment relationships and extrapolated into the future. Extrapolation is less risky if the training area involves situations that are similar to the expected future conditions, i.e. climatically analog areas. The motivation of our study was to identify such areas for future Hungary for more effective climate change impact modeling. We compared the current climate of the Balkan Peninsula and the lowland part of mainland Italy with the future climate projections of Hungary for the 2071–2100 period according to 4×2 global and regional climate models obtained from Euro-Cordex. We focused on eight indicators of the annual climate distribution that are determinants of bioclimatic variables, which are widely used in correlative models to describe climate features relevant for vegetation. The inverse Euclidean distance of the standardized bioclimatic variables was calculated as a measure of analogy between all the point pairs. The resulting multidimensional climate analogy space was then aggregated into statistical measures and map representations. We found that the main challenge in finding analogs lies in the periods underlying bioclimatic variables that involve precipitation patterns. We identified global climate models, which project non-analog climates. However, in the majority, it was possible to identify analog areas. Future projections appear to bear a similar climate pattern to either the Po Plain and Slovenia or the border area of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (depending on the climate model) for the western part of Hungary. While eastern Hungary is expected to change less or to become similar to the current climate of Serbia and that of the Danube floodplain of Romania.

Acknowledgments: This research was supported by the Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Hungary, grant no. SA-64/2021.

ABSTRACT. Murter is an island placed in the northern part of Dalmatia region on the Adriatic Sea. The island covers the area of 17.58 km². Karst is the most dominant landscape type, while fields, vineyards and olive groves are mostly abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation. Tourism is the main human impact on the island of Murter that continuously leads to landscape changes and biodiversity loss. The goal of the research was to determine human impact on vascular plant diversity and alien species number among detected habitat types of Murter island. Another objective was to explain a connection between human impacts, plant diversity and degree of invasion. For the habitat determination 269 literature relevés were used. Relevés were classified into different EUNIS habitat types using the expert system (Chytrý et al. 2020). Ecological indicator values were used for ecological interpretation of studied habitat types (Tichý et al. 2023). To check the differentiation of the habitat types and to explore relationship with environmental variables Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) was applied. Disturbance indicator values were used to estimate anthropogenic impact on studied habitat types (Midolo et al. 2023). In the studied area 15 habitat types were identified. Alien species were present in 25 % of the relevés and represented 5 % of the total number of species. The average highest α-diversity of vascular plants was determined at Mediterranean tall perennial dry grassland and Dry perennial anthropogenic herbaceous vegetation as well as in plots with moderate disturbance. Studied habitats are resilient to moderate human disturbances but a strong disturbance leads to negative consequences such as an increase in number of alien species. The best management strategy in the researched area is moderate grazing because it secures a great plant diversity and reduces the number of alien species.

ABSTRACT. One of the main limiting factors in plant growth and development in recent decades is drought. In the last two decades alone, several extreme, record-breaking droughts have been recorded in Europe - for example in 2003, 2005 and 2018-2020. (Kasper et al. 2022). In order to be able to predict how certain species, especially those that occupy large areas, will react to drought and in what way the negative impacts of drought could be mitigated through forest management, this issue has been increasingly researched in recent years (Kasper et al. 2021 ; Kahmen et al. 2022). We studied provenance-specific growth response of Fagus sylvatica L., one of the most important and widespread broadleaved tree species in Europe, and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. to experimentally applied drought under different soil phosphorus concentrations. Saplings originating from two provenances (wet and dry) of each species in a mixed composition were grown in four mesocosms at the nursery. Those four mesocosms were subjected to different treatments. A significant influence of drought and different phosphorus concentrations on above-ground and below-ground growth and biomass allocation in both species was determined. In beech, neither drought nor phosphorus affected the above-ground biomass, but these two factors interacted to affect the below-ground biomass, especially the fine, physiologically active roots. In the case of oak, which is a more drought-resistant species than beech, the drought significantly reduced stem diameter, height growth, leaf area and biomass. Differences between the provenances indicate that both species show a significant provenance-specific acclimation potential, which should be kept in mind when managing forests with regard to predicted climate changes.

ABSTRACT. In France, within the national project PRéSur, we search to set up a monitoring network of the conservation status of agropastoral habitats of community interest (HCIs). The main objective of this network is to produce objective, quantitatively comparable and enough precise data to allow building indicators, and finally obtain comparable assessment results for the Habitat directive reporting. To set up an adequate monitoring network, we ask two main questions: (i) how to design the network of plots? (ii) how to size the network of plots? For the design, we started from our main objective, i.e. collect data to produce assessment results for the Habitat directive reporting. Consequently, from an original dataset of 22 830 phytosociological relevés, we first stratified the sampling of plots by the object to assess (i.e. the HCIs) and by the spatial scales necessary for the restitution of the assessment results (i.e. national and biogeographic region scales). Then, we secondly stratified the sampling of plots (i) to avoid the spatial autocorrelation between plots, (ii) to optimize the field logistic for the future data collections, and (iii) to priorize complementaries (e.g. mutualisation of costs) between this monitoring network and others already existing. For the size, we tried to determine the minimum number of plots necessary to obtain results that are statistically sensitive enough. For this, we used power tests for several indicators (moisture level, trophic level, etc.) and we applied these tests on the phytosociological alliances and sub-alliances composing the agropastoral HCIs. Due to the lack of data observed or measured directly in situ, we used mainly bio-indicator values of plants to construct the indicators, and due to the strong variability of the most of HCIs, the phytosociological alliances and sub-alliances have been recognized as the ideal objects for the assessment of differences among the indicators and consequently to apply the power tests.

ABSTRACT. Protecting forest communities like Pannonian-Balkanic turkey oak–sessile oak forests, Euro-Siberian steppic woods with Quercus spp., and Pannonic woods with Quercus petraea and Carpinus betulus are part of the Natura 2000 network and protected areas in Slovakia, and thus require proper identification and regular monitoring. These forests are dominated by Quercus cerris and Quercus petraea and form part of a large complex of oak forests in the hilly plains and foothills of SE and Central Europe. In this study, we combine ground-based data, vegetation databases, and remote sensing data to develop a new approach for monitoring these habitats using a specialized software called NaturaSat. Automatic segmentations were performed from points that represented the coordinates of phytosociological relevés and, in the case of areas supplemented using the databases, from the centre of a homogeneous area of forest strands. Our goal was to test the feasibility of distinguishing similar forest habitats dominated by oaks based only on multispectral data from Sentinel-2. We achieved a training success rate of 97.6% using a deep learning algorithm called a natural numerical network. The result of the training was the creation of relevance maps, which result in the detection of new forest areas of the target habitats. These areas were subsequently verified in the field. This approach can be used to monitoring of selected habitats and tracking habitat changes over time. Our approach represents an innovative way to connect ground-based and remote sensing data and could significantly contribute to the preparation of documents and maps for nature conservation.

ABSTRACT. Floristically specific fens with high endemism occur in the large massifs of high mountains of Southern Europe that form isolated islands in the Mediterranean climate region. In the EUNIS habitat classification, they form a separate habitat type called “Relict mires od Mediterranean mountains” that contain isolated fens of Sierra Nevada (S Spain; Festucion frigidae Rivas-Martinéz et al. 2002), Corsica (Caricion intricatae Quézel 1953; Syn.: Bellidio-Belion nivalis Gamisans 1975) and the SE Balkan (Narthecion scardici Horvat ex Lakušić 1968). Recently, the new alliance Pinguiculo vulgaris-Plantaginion gentianoidis de Foucault 2022 was described for the entire South-Eastern Europe and Turkey, but without a direct comparison to Narthecion scardici. A distinct group of endemic species also characterises Cantabrian and Pyrenean alpine fens, but no endemic alliance is described from this area; the planned vegetation synthesis could quantify whether these fens are indeed less distinct than the Balkan, Sierra Nevadan or Corsican ones or whether there is a room for a separate alliance. The fens in Central System Mountain Range in Spain have an intermediate position towards Sierra Nevadan ones. Some other high-mountain areas in S Europe located at the same latitudes show much lower endemism in fens (e.g., Apennines). This pattern draws attention to the possible role of current and past climate. Our poster aims to summarise the existing knowledge of the target vegetation, emphasising our current field research. We highlight the directions of future research that should include broad-scale vegetation syntheses, continuation in basic taxonomic research and regional vegetation surveys, and analysing of the relationships between the richness of narrow-range endemic species and edaphic, climatic, and biogeographic variables. The expected results would allow modelling of the future distribution of these unique mires and set the appropriate conservation strategies.

ABSTRACT. We present preliminary results of studies on eco-physiological responses of chosen species occurring in novel ecosystems of hard coal-mine spoil heaps to environmental stresses. The response of vegetation to environmental stress factors depending on the reclamation method was studied. A large spoil heap (112 ha) in Upper Silesia, South Poland (Central Europe), was selected as a model site for research. On 120 study plots, in two variants: 1) active reclamation by topsoiling (TS) and 2) passive reclamation from the natural succession (NS) research was conducted. Chosen of physiological traits of 3 plant functional groups (grasses, legumes and forbs) on TS and NS were measured. It has been shown that the chlorophyll index was significantly lower in forbs than in grasses in both subsoil types. We did not find significant differences in the flavonol index for plants in both habitats. The maximum recorded fluorescence was significantly lower in grasses on TS than grasses on NS and legumes and forbs populations in both subsoil types. The average values of quantum yield of electron transport φEo (at t = 0) were significantly lower in forb and legumes populations than in grasses populations. The results confirmed drought on spoil heaps and high temperature in NS sites as the leading environmental stressors that shape the response of photosynthetic apparatus (PSA) and gas exchange (gs) of grasses, forbs and legumes in studied habitats. Plants of the forbs and legumes population showed significantly lower gs from forbs and legumes in TS than NS plants. Authors found that studied groups of species cope with environmental stressors by a slightly different mechanism while growing on coal mine heaps depending on the way of reclamation.

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (Grant No. 2020/39/B/ST10/00862).

ABSTRACT. The biodiversity loss is more rapid than ever before, and mainly it is caused by human activity [1]. Roadsides are the special man-made habitats which can serve as a refugia for native plants in agro-landscape. However, alien species are also closely related to man-made habitats, and one of the main vector of their distribution are transport systems: roads, railways, airports or ports [2]. Roadsides are specific habitats that face hard and frequent management pressure for traffic-safety reasons. The frequent management could be one of the factors which reduce alien species establishment in these habitats. However, the current trend is to reduce the frequency of mowing on roadsides, which in general would have a positive effect for native flora or pollinators but could also accelerate alien plant invasions [3, 4]. In addition, the reduction of mowing has raised concerns in society that the tick population will increase drastically due to infrequent mowing [5]. During this study, we will test the role of roadsides as a refugia, habitats and dispersal corridors for native and alien flora, as well as a hotspot for tick diversity. This project will reveal how the distribution of native and alien plant species is related to environmental factors such as traffic intensity, soil chemistry or management frequency. At the same time, this project will determine if there is any link between the abundance and diversity of ticks and environmental variables specific to roadsides as well as community functional diversity. The study will combine data from fieldwork and various databases and provide new insights into roadsides as an important player in shaping biodiversity and invasions.

ABSTRACT. Knowledge on the spatial patterns of species richness is essential for theoretical studies and nature conservation. A key element for the recognition of species richness is to prepare a comprehensive data set. It is important to use data from different sources, however, it can be challenging due to differences in nomenclature, and the type and magnitude of biases in the source databases. This study presents a stepwise process of joining and harmonizing the data from the Atlas of Distribution of Vascular Plants in Poland (ATPOL) and the Polish Vegetation Database (PVD) in order to study spatial patterns of vascular plant species richness in Poland. The ATPOL data were derived from mapping the occurrence of vascular plants, using the cartogram method in 10 × 10 km squares (henceforth, squares). Each floristic record in ATPOL is assigned the code of a square. ATPOL provided records of 3,053 taxa in 3,280 squares. The PVD stores 117,328 georeferenced vegetation plots. Data on taxa occurrences were derived from each plot based on its georeferenced location and assigned to particular squares. PVD provided records of 2,625 taxa in 2,593 squares. The nomenclature of taxa was harmonised using Euro+Med PlantBase, and taxa aggregations were created as needed. Cultivars and ephemerophytes, and taxa recognized at the genus level only were excluded. However, taxonomically difficult genera (e.g. Alchemilla, Hieracium, Pilosella, Rubus, and Taraxacum) were considered at the genus level for species richness mapping. The procedures of data filtering and taxonomic harmonisation resulted in the data set including 2,160 species in 3,283 squares. The species were divided into groups according to their status and frequency of distribution, and the statistics for each square were obtained. For purposes of analysis, sampling bias was assessed. The data set promotes theoretical analysis on species richness and reinforces the planning of nature conservation.

ABSTRACT. This study examines how the ground vegetation in forest stands and in a plantation of deciduous trees is affected by fertilization with ammonium nitrate and wood ash depending on soil conditions and tree species. The dominant tree species of the forest stands were Pinus sylvestris L., Picea abies (L.) H. Karst., and Betula pendula Roth, whereas the species growing in the plantation were Betula pendula Roth, Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., and Cerasus avium (L.) Moench. Fertilization was carried out in 2013-2017. The ground vegetation was assessed two years following the fertilization and the ground cover for each species was visually estimated. A comparison was made between fertilized and unfertilized plots regarding species diversity, richness, composition, and Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs). In addition, Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) was performed with soil chemical parameters, EIVs and Shannon diversity index (H') as explanatory variables. Regarding forest stands, our findings indicate that the overall species composition in both the control and fertilized plots is typical of the forest site types studied. However, the differences in species diversity and richness were most noticeable in silver birch stands. The DCA shows that, for the most part, environmental gradients (moisture, continentality, reaction, temperature) have a greater impact on species composition than the application of ammonium nitrate and wood ash. The fertilized parcels of the plantation had a greater occurrence and larger coverage of several nitrophilous species, comparing with the control. The DCA showed that only sweet cherry-growing parcel had a significant difference in species composition between the control and fertilized plots. Furthermore, significant differences in the number of species and H' values also were only observed for sweet cherry. Light was identified as the most influential factor regarding species diversity.

ABSTRACT. The long history of forest fragmentation in Central Europe has resulted in a mosaic landscape consisting of forest remnants surrounded by a matrix of agricultural, urban, and other developed land. Humans have not only affected the area and the relative distance between the rest of the forest but also their physical and biological composition through the influence of the external environment and biota on the forest interior We investigate the impact of spatial characteristics in various habitats on functional species diversity of forest patches in the core and the edge area. We study if the effect differs among forest habitat types (turkey oak, oak-hornbeam, hardwood floodplain, and alder forests), depending on their position within the forest fragment (core vs. edge area), and spatial configuration (shape area, perimeter, shape index). In the western part of Slovakia, we analyzed 49 forest fragments. For all fragments, we computed the dissimilarities between each paired “edge” and “core” plot. This dissimilarity was used as a dependent variable in a set of GLM models. Fragmentation indices (perimeter, shape area, shape index) were used as explanatory variables. Dissimilarities in the herb layer differ significantly between the edge and the core of individual habitat types. We have found that the biggest differences between the edge and the core area in the herb layer are within the alder fragments and the smallest ones within the turkey oak forest remnants.

ABSTRACT. Urban grasslands (UGs) serve as places for leisure, sport, and recreation for local citizens. They also support biodiversity, improve the quality of soil, water and air. The goal of this study was to teste the effects of UGs location in the city (centre, peripheries), patch size (small, medium, large), and function (lawns, road verges, river embankments, parks) on their: 1. ecosystem functions (community-weighted means of plant species traits); 2. habitat characteristics (community-weighted means of Ellenberg Indicator Values and Disturbance Indicator Values); and 3. spatial distribution patterns (landscape metrics). We investigated vascular plant species composition on 244 UGs in Wrocław, Silesia, Poland. Our results revealed that UGs in city centre were more scattered, and their vegetation was dominated by ruderals, annuals, and hemicryptophytes adapted to intensive disturbance, high light intensity, high soil pH, and high soil salinity. UGs in peripheries were better spatially connected, the vegetation was dominated by perennial plants adapted to high soil nutrient concentration (N) and high soil moisture (M). We also found that vegetation on lawns and road verges, regardless their location, was similar to UGs in the city centre. The UGs vegetation at river embankments was characterised by high proportion of perennials and clonal species producing more biomass and adapted to higher N and M. UGs in parks were characterised by a higher proportion of autochoric and stress-tolerant species, also adopted to higher N and M. We found significant interactions between tested factors, it is UGs size and location, and function. The study highlighted two main factors shaping UGs vegetation. Firstly, direct human pressure including landscape fragmentation, disturbance intensity, soil salinisation and calcification. Secondly, soil nutrient availability, and soil moisture gradients shaping vegetation composition and, in turn, ecosystem functions of UGs.

ABSTRACT. Mountain meadows within central Eastern Carpathians are known as species-rich grasslands with unique traditional low-intensity grassland management. However, little is known about the drivers of its high floristic richness and, what is particularly interesting, the importance of social factors such as political borders. Our study area is located at the border between Ukraine and Romania, in the historical regions of Maramures and Bukovina, where grassland vegetation and management practices were considered. Plant diversity was recorded at 7 spatial scales within 6 nested plot series per village. The effect of the political regime on taxonomic composition we calculated separately for vascular plants and bryophytes in the RDA and CCA, respectively. In total, we recorded 383 species within 48 releves. The mean number of vascular and non-vascular plants was similar or considerably less within Ukrainian villages. The political border was found as one of the strongest drivers for vascular plants composition within studied villages (4.0% of the explained variation as a conditional effect), while for the bryophyte’s richness it wasn’t significant (as a simple effect it explains 2.6%) as opposed to the valued topographic and soil-related factors. Our results emphasize the role of the political regime in the species composition of mountain grasslands. Agriculture policy, including use of chemical fertilizers, may show one of the differences between villages separated by political boundaries. Nevertheless, to assess traditional low-intensity grassland management, other factors may also act significantly and therefore should be taken into account.

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the APVV-0226 project and VEGA 02/0065/23. We also thank Government Office of the Slovak Republic for the opportunity to continue substantive work for Ukrainian scientist (Scholarships for excellent researchers threatened by the war conflict in Ukraine: 09I03-03-V01-00018).

ABSTRACT. The most species-rich permanent grasslands, which are the results of the coevolution of nature and human activities, are currently undergoing radical management changes, significantly influenced by the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in Slovakia since the country joined the European Union in 2004. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness and impact of agri-environmental schemes (AS) on the species-rich grasslands implemented since 2004 on the current state of the habitats, using the resampling of phytosociological relevés. Vegetation resampling was carried out during the vegetation seasons in 2021 and 2022. Relevés (originated in 1998–2003 before Slovakia joined EU) were obtained from the Slovak Vegetation Database and personal databases of the authors. For each relevé, we determined the implementation of AS in three reference years (2009, 2014, 2021), and they were divided into four categories (1 – no AS, 2 – AS in one reference year, 3 – AS in two reference years, 4 – AS in all reference years). Field resampling was performed according to the Zürich-Montpellier school on plots of the same size as the original relevés (16–25 m2). The phytosociological relevés were stored in TURBOWIN and harmonised using the program JUICE. Temporal changes were analysed by indirect and direct gradient analyses using Canoco 5. The results show significant changes in the species composition of Arrhenatherion grasslands in all four groups. The number of ruderal species, trees, shrubs and generalists is increasing, in contrast to the decreasing number of species of more oligotrophic species-rich communities. For sites with AS received for a longer time (categories 3 and 4) the changes are less pronounced, while in categories 1 and 2 they are highly significant. In conclusion, implementing AS will not prevent undesirable changes in plant diversity of mesic grasslands, but it can slow down habitat degradation.

ABSTRACT. Snow cover is an essential part of the climate system and one of the most critical drivers affecting plant community distribution patterns across the landscape. Snow interacts with other climate and environmental components at hemispheric, regional, local, and micro scales, generating steep environmental gradients and determining the presence of specific snow bed communities, distributed in the alpine areas of temperate high mountains and the Arctic. The main aim of our contribution is to understand the main drivers influencing species pools and community diversity of snowbeds across European regions. Based on national data sets, we put together all available relevés from European mountains the Arctic and run supranational analyses to search the main types of European snowbeds at the level of alliances and associations, if applicable. We identified diagnostic, constant, and dominant species of individual units, as well as the main gradients in species composition based on selected traits (growth forms, life forms, life history, etc.). We also recognized the affinity of certain chorological elements to particular vegetation units. To interpret the obtained results, the climatic data were used to link the results with average temperatures and precipitations during the vegetation season.

Data Contributors: Sylvain Abdulhak, Emiliano Agrillo, Iva Apostolova, Ariel Bergamini, Idoia Biurrun, Henry Brisse, Laura Casella, Milan Chytrý, Renata Ćušterevska, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo, Federico Fernández-González, Xavier Font, Florian Jansen, John Janssen, Borja Jiménez-Alfaro, Zygmunt Kącki, Igor Lavrinenko, Jonathan Lenoir, Tomáš Peterka, John S. Rodwell, Maria Pilar Rodríguez-Rojo, Eszter Ruprecht, Roberto Venanzoni, Urban Šilc, Vladimir Onipchenko, Angela Stanisci, Kiril Vassilev, Wolfgang Willner, Thomas Wohlgemuth

ABSTRACT. Aims: Sinai is a global hotspot for desert vegetation; however, there is no well-developed vegetation map for its vegetation. We aim to provide suitability maps of Sinai desert vegetation based on an extensive database and formal classification. We further aim to describe the distribution of the vegetation communities and their relation to the environmental parameters. Methods: We retrieved the vegetation observation coordinates from a comprehensive database of Sinai vegetation. We acquired the environmental parameters (the predictors) from different verified sources to build abiotic layers for the vegetation plots coordinates in QGIS v3.2. Then we used the predictors and the coordinates of vegetation plots in modelling the desert vegetation suitability maps using Maxent V. 3.4. We used 50% of the data for modelling and the other 50% for testing. Results: We produced four suitability maps representing the main desert vegetation groups of Sinai and 25 suitability maps representing the groups of the desert vegetation communities. The maps correspond to the expected distribution of the vegetation communities and we interpreted them based on the environmental parameters included. Conclusion: We present suitability maps of Sinai desert vegetation first of its kind, based on a comprehensive database and modern tools for vegetation mapping.

ABSTRACT. One of the important factors determining grassland species composition and species richness is the landscape structure and its past changes. Despite this fact, there are still only few local or regional studies assessing this relationship. Here we explore how the habitat continuity and the local and landscape-scale land use and its changes affect recent species composition and species richness of central European grasslands on the example of the Czech Republic. We used recent vegetation plots from the Czech National Phytosociological Database and a set of historical land-use maps (1840, 1870, 1950, 1990 and 2006), where we distinguished 9 land-use categories. For each plot, we applied a 300 m buffer to assess changes at local scale and a 1 km buffer to assess landscape scale. Generalized Linear Models showed high importance of grassland continuity for species richness and number of endangered species in both meadows and mesic pastures (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) and dry grasslands (Festuco-Brometea) in the mid-elevations (300–600 m a.s.l.). However, no impact was detected for pioneer vegetation of sandy and shallow soils (Koelerio-Corynephoretea). We also found a negative effect of the area of continuous forest on grassland species richness, especially in higher altitudes characterized by the highest forest expansion. We recently detected increase in the grassland area around broad-leaved dry grasslands localities, while we revealed its continual decline around intermittently wet to wet grasslands both locally and on the landscape scale. During the second half of the 20th century, many valuable and preserved grasslands, harbouring large species diversity disappeared or drastically reduced their area. Surviving fragments were in risk of random extinctions or disappearance of rare species. Nowadays, there are some newly established or restored grasslands, but our results reveal almost no spatial connection to remaining fragments of continuous grasslands.

ABSTRACT. The forest habitats listed in the 92/43/CEE Habitat Directive include several seminatural formations that are favoured or maintained in equilibrium by human action, mainly for productive purposes. Some of these coenoses are undergoing transformation due to decreasing human interest and the consequent triggering of dynamic processes. To study this phenomenon, we have analysed the case of cork oak forests on the Tyrrhenian side of central Italy, which are part of the “9330 forests of Quercus suber” habitat of the Habitat Directive. The choice is appropriate due to the current characteristics of these populations: they cover a limited area and have a fragmented distribution, they have been created by man to exploit the cork and they have mostly run wild. The ecological characteristics and dynamic processes underway have been analysed through a multi-disciplinary approach in order to draw up possible conservation strategies. Through the processing of climate, stational, structural, regeneration and soil data we have shown how habitat is linked to sylvicultural management that encourages the renewal and affirmation of cork, in the absence of which there are clear signs of transformation towards uneven-aged mixed forests. By analysing the ecological niche we have identified the potential distribution of the species, as well as the most suitable areas for potential intervention. In conclusion, cork oak woodlands can be viewed as a system on the edge of radical change and at clear risk of collapse, driven by rapid and turbulent socioeconomic and climatic changes. Cork production is still profitable in many places and motivates some protection, if not investment, in new stands. In that sense, cork oak can be considered not only an emblematic but also an archetypal Mediterranean plant. It is also an ecologically and economically emblematic tree for Mediterranean landscapes, where people and nature have interacted for millennia.

ABSTRACT. Air pollution is among the main issues plaguing our century. The pollutants released in the atmosphere by ever-increasing human activities are altering natural ecosystems and affecting human health. Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most threatening pollutants in the European Union, and Poland has the worst PM concentration among European countries. Polish policymakers are applying several strategies to improve the air quality; however, the achievement of the target appears to be distant due to the massive use of coal to produce energy and heat. Although strong actions are needed to limit sources of pollution, proper forest management could be a useful tool to decrease the number of pollutants in the atmosphere through the Ecosystem Services they provide. Several studies recognized the important role of forests in improving air quality and reducing emissions in the atmosphere. In this study, we aimed to assess the role of forests, in both biophysical and monetary terms, in enhancing air quality and human well-being by removing particulate matter in the Tuchola forest (Poland). Tuchola is a Biosphere and UNESCO-MAB Reserve, representing one of the biggest Polish forest complexes. Following the most recent System of Environmental-Economic Accounting-Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework, we assessed the ability of trees in removing PM10 and PM2.5, applying an accounting model based on remote sensing data. We also analyzed the impact of a devastating hurricane in 2017, assessing the destroyed forest area and the related ability lost to remove air pollutants after the hurricane crossing. The results will boost the scientific knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by forests while encouraging policymakers to develop strategies to preserve such ecosystems.

ABSTRACT. Semi-natural grassland habitats have been formed through millennia of pastoral activities. They have allowed the development of a wide range of ecological niches, with the capacity of hosting a high biodiversity. However, on-going land-use changes trigger modification in the floristic composition of such habitats, resulting in a decline of species richness. The aim of this study is to explore changes in plant community composition (α-β diversity) in relation to changes in agro-pastoral activities. Taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional trait diversity metrics are used to analyse the data under different grazing pressures and time since grazing ceased. The preliminary results show how taxonomic (SR) and phylogenetic diversity (PD’ Faith) are higher in grazed sites. However, intensive grazing causes a reduction of diversity similar to abandoned pastures. NRI analysis shows how, in intensively grazed and recently abandoned sites (<10 years), community composition is shaped by grazing, which acts as a filter. On the other hand, in extensively grazed and older abandoned sites (>10 years), plant community composition is more driven by species competition dynamics. PhyloSor community dissimilarity matrix showed differences mainly among heavily grazed sites and all the other site conditions. The nestedness and turnover analyses revealed that the main driver of community changes in composition is linked to species replacement. In particular, different successional stages in abandoned sites are associated with significant events of species turnover. This study has stimulated us to examine the role of environmental and intra-specific relationships in community composition in this study system. To this end, a pool of traits reflecting disturbance responses of species has been selected to clarify the factors affecting community dynamics.

ABSTRACT. Lichens are important indicators of forest ecosystem health. Monitoring lichen diversity can provide valuable insights into the forest habitats degree of conservation. One of the commonest approaches to monitoring lichen diversity is to use the Lichen Biodiversity Index (LBI), that considers lichens species richness and abundance (ANPA 2001). To understand the relationship between lichen diversity and forest structure, we surveyed and measured habitat variables in addition to lichens. Habitat monitoring including canopy cover, understory vegetation, and tree species composition (Angelini et al. 2016, Carli et al. 2023). These variables can directly, or indirectly, affect lichen diversity and abundance, as different lichen species have different ecological requirements, including habitat fragmentation (Potenza et al. 2022). In this context, considering differences in the LBI in relation to structural and ecological aspects of a forest ecosystems we obtained a more comprehensive insight of the conservation status of forest ecosystems. Since the LBI monitoring network is homogenously distributed on the Italian peninsula, we suggest using it for assessing forest habitat types conservation status, forest management practices impacts, and ensure the long-term health and sustainability of forests.

Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the ARPA Basilicata [Agreement between ARPA Basilicata and ISPRA on Ecosystems Monitoring by innovative indicators development (30/11/2021)

ABSTRACT. In a changing world with increasing pressure on natural resources, land cover maps and monitoring have substantial importance. The most visible impact of the climate change is observed in the Arctic regions. In the same time, mapping and monitoring of arctic habitats is extremely difficult due to large amount of remote areas. Therefore, variable remote sensing approaches are necessary in such regions. The NaturaSat software integrates various image processing techniques together with vegetation data, into one multipurpose tool that is already in use in Europe, allowing extraction of the habitat borders with pixel accuracy of the Sentinel-2 optical data, classification of plant communities in segmented areas by satellite image characteristics and monitoring their area and quality dynamic changes. The first application of the software in Arctic region was done in the Toolik Lake region, Alaska. Toolik Lake Area Vegetation map (Walker & Maier 2008) originally consists of 14 vegetation units, distributed in 1448 polygons. Considering the character of Sentinel-2 data, and the fact that only optical data were used (without any supplementary data as geological or pedological maps), habitat types were connected into following groups: Barrens, Erect shrubs, Prostrate shrubs, Moist graminoid tundra, Wet graminoid tundra and water bodies. Simplified version of the Vegetation map was imported into the NaturaSat software. Polygons larger than 2000 m2 were included into the analyses. Since the map was published in 2008, recently some of vegetation unit borders have changed due to the shrubification or succession. To obtain “core area” of habitats, polygons were processed by Adjust function that allows automatic movement of habitat border into real borders identified in satellite data by edge detector. For final dataset, spectral characteristics of all bands were computed and compared to verify the possibilities of automatic recognition of arctic tundra habitats.

ABSTRACT. Rock outcrops are a unique habitat type, connecting the abiotic conditions features with specific plant cover. The ferns play a valuable role in such biotopes. Unlike most plants, they are adapted and tolerate extremal conditions. The ferns vanish first due to the anthropic transformation of the habitats. Therefore, they need individual attention and protection. In the plain part of Ukraine, rock outcrops are represented in within the Ukrainian Crystalline Massif (UCM) – a blocky uplift of the crystalline foundation of the East European platform. We studied the species diversity of the ferns in the rock habitats of the UCM. We analyzed 182 relevés made within UCM. We used the Expert System for automatic vegetation classification of the plots to EUNIS habitat types (Chytry et al. 2020) run in the JUICE software (Tichý, 2002). We identified 3 habitat types: R12, R16, and U33. The last one (U33 Temperate, lowland to the montane siliceous inland cliff) is characterized by the biggest number of fern species – 8 species. Generally in Ukraine, more than 30 fern species (Vasheka & Bezsmertna 2012) occur in rocky habitats, but within UCM, this number counts 13 species. For that territories, the most typical species are Asplenium trichomanes, Cystopteris fragilis, and Polypodium vulgare. The unique finds relate to 2 species of the Woodsia genera in the UCM. For instance, In Ukraine, there are only 4 localities of W. alpina (Bezsmertna et al., 2022). Perhaps, some localities can be lost because they are situated close to the war frontline (Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions).

ABSTRACT. Understanding the relationships between soil features and grassland vegetation have significant importance for agriculture and nature conservation. The aim of this study was to analyse the soil physical and chemical characteristics influencing plant species composition and species richness of grassland vegetation developed on the consolidated limestone in the eastern Serbia. The analyses have been carried out on 22 phytosociological relevés, corresponding mixed soil samples (0-10 cm depth) and 8 soil profiles. The collected soils samples were classified according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (2015). Numerical classification distinguished two grassland vegetation types: Balkan endemic steppe alliance Saturejion montanae and steppe fescue grasslands on deep calcareous soils, alliance Festucion valesiacae. The grasslands of both vegetation types are developed on Leptosols and Phaeozems. According to the results of the Detrended Correspondence Analysis, the most important soil parameters affecting the species composition of steppe grasslands were humus, soil exchange capacity, the content of calcium, total acidity, base saturation, altitude, soil depth and pH.

ABSTRACT. The Vegetation Database of Montenegro (GIVD ID EU-ME-001) is national database established in 2019 at Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (University of Montenegro) in Podgorica. A digitized collection of vegetation relevés comprises different vegetation types which have been sampled on the territory of the Montenegro. So far, 3293 published (50.9%) and unpublished (49.1%) vegetation plots are stored in Vegetation Database of Montenegro. In total, it contains 2733 taxa (vascular plants, mosses, lichens, algae), while 2612 taxa is referred to vascular plants. The largest amount of vegetation data in the field was collected during two periods: from 1960 to 1969 and after the year 2020. The oldest relevé dates from đ1940 (Muravjov, the vegetation of Bjelasica mountain). The majority of vegetation plots (63.4%) have precise date of sampling. All plots are georeferenced; for most of the relevés coordinates are determined a-posteriori, because only 35% relevés have originally published coordinates. Range of the plots size is from 0.12 m2 to 7000 m2 , while most of the relevés have plot size from 26 to 100 m2. For 8.7% of relevés the data on plot size is missing. More than half of vegetation plots was sampled in sub-montane and montane areas. Highest number of relevés was originally classified to forest vegetation types (classes Quercetea pubescentis and Carpino-Fagetea sylvaticae) and grasslands (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea and Festuco-Brometea). The database is part of the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and has a semi-restricted access mode.

ABSTRACT. Macedonian oak (Quercus trojana Webb) is a medium-sized, semi-evergreen tree whose forests are distributed in southeastern Europe (Balkan and Apennine peninsulas) and southwestern Asia (Asia Minor). Quercus trojana forests are also classified in Natura 2000 habitat type 9250 Quercus trojana woods. We collected all available relevés (mostly unpublished) from Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia and Greece (280 relevés) and performed a numerical analysis (classification and ordination) of the resampled dataset. There are four associations of Macedonian oak: two from the Balkan Peninsula: Quercetum trojanae (with four new subassociations - typicum (MK, AL, GR, MNE), chrysopogonetosum grylii (GR), festucetosum callieri (GR), and seslerietosum autumnalis (MNE)), and Ruto graveolens-Quercetum trojanae (Kosovo), and two already known associations from the Apennines: Teucrio siculi-Quercetum trojanae and Euphorbio apii-Quercetum trojanae. With an exception of Ruto graveolens-Quercetum trojanae which is classified to the Fraxino orni-Ostryion, other associations are assigned to the Carpinion orientalis alliance. Conservation status of Quercus trojana forests differs between the countries. In Greece, it is considered as favourable (FV), while in Italy as unfavourable-inadequate (U1). In Croatia these forests are not included in the Natura 2000 Habitat list, while other non-EU countries do not report their conservation status yet. In Montenegro, these forests are listed in the Field guide for identification of habitats of European interest. According to our observations, major part of the stands are under zoo-anthropogenic pressure, which significantly reduced their representativeness.

ABSTRACT. Four species of Arbutus (A. unedo, A. andrachne, A. canariensis, and A. pavarii) are currently recorded in the Mediterranean Basin, along the Atlantic coast of Europe and in Macaronesia, being an important representative of the Mediterranean broadleaved evergreen element. By combining current occurrence data, fossil records, and Species Distribution Models (SDMs), we inferred the postglacial dynamics of Arbutus and the bioclimatic constraints that shaped its demographic history. We applied an ensemble-modelling approach (BIOMOD2) to obtain current and past predicted distributions for the four species of Arbutus. The SDMs were based on double-checked occurrence records from the literature and bioclimatic variables retrieved from the CHELSA database. The bioclimatic variables were analysed through Spearman correlation selecting three subsets with moderate/low correlation (|r|<0.7) for model development. Past distribution maps (last 30 ka at 1000-year intervals) were obtained from >1300 chronologically controlled pollen and macrofossil records, further used to calibrate model projections for each period using the downscaled PaleoClim database. Results show excellent model performance for the two dominant species (TSS>0.91 for A. unedo and >0.93 for A. andrachne). Temperature and precipitation seasonality are the drivers that better explain the current distribution of A. unedo and A. andrachne. Both species show an asymmetric distribution, mostly driven by annual rainfall, with A. unedo showing high climatic affinity for Atlantic regions, while A. andrachne exhibits a preference for inland areas. Our work indicates that the combination of fossil records and modelling techniques is an effective tool to depict the Quaternary demographic history of tree taxa, to explain the modern biogeography of the Mediterranean evergreen ecosystems, to anticipate potential range shifts in relation to the ongoing climate change, and to raise hypotheses to inform phylogeographic research.

ABSTRACT. An ongoing spread of evergreen broad-leaved species has been reported in the Southern European forests. Global changes have been indicated as drivers of this environmental transformation. This joint Italy-Austria project aims to understand the spatio-temporal magnitude of this phenomenon, as well as its effects on diversity. We will set out a latitudinal study including evergreen woody species-rich and -poor protected areas in Mediterranean and Temperate forest vegetation. The main project goal is to study the spread of evergreen species by combining vegetation data collected in the field with satellite time series (Landsat, Sentinel 2) by implementing machine-learning procedures. Here, we present the hierarchical structure of the vegetation sampling schema which will be conducted in a selection of protected areas representative in terms of broad-leaved forest cover along a latitudinal gradient of the Italian Peninsula. For each area, a defined number of cells (1 km of resolution) will be selected to consider the landscape complexity based on informative strata such as forest cover, elevation, observed or predicted forest diversity. In each cell, two random sites (30 m of resolution) will be accounted for to consider local scale complexity based on a fine-scale elevational gradient and patterns of forest distribution. An additional preferential site will be selected to consider rare species aggregations based on field observations and surveys. Within each site, we will systematically select four plots (10 m of resolution) where we will collect vegetation data and information about the cover of broad-leaved evergreen woody species, including information about the vertical layers. To track back the possible future changes in forest composition, we will arrange a data set to test machine-learning procedures combining historical and newly collected data. The final aim is to obtain a robust approach to be transferred to central European forests, beyond national borders.

ABSTRACT. The lake “Pantano di Pignola” Basilicata Region, (Southern Italy) is part of “Natura 2000” network, one of the Italian sites of the Ramsar Convention, an Important Bird Area and it is also protected as Regional Nature Reserve. Despite its importance at regional scale for wetlands conservation, information regarding flora and vegetation of the lake is scarce, fragmented and not updated. Starting from a specific monitoring of the macrophytic vegetation carried out during the period 2015-2022, we tried to reconstruct the vicissitudes of this biotope over the last 100 years. The accurate work of O. Gavioli describes the state of flora and vegetation of this area before reclamation. In the 1970s the lake reappeared as an artificial basin serving the nearby, in development, industrial site. However, the artificial reservoir was never brought to full capacity and underwent a process of renaturalization, with the formation of a wetland area of conservation concern, declared as of Regional interest in the 1980. Lastly, in the 1990s, in an attempt to reconcile naturalistic needs and the use of the water resource for industrial purposes. After the restoration of the reservoir, many of the coenoses described by Gavioli in the 1930s quickly reformed but, the depth of the lake decreased from 5 to 2 m, some macrophytes became locally extinct (e.g Aldrovanda vesciculosa) and some habitats disappeared (e.g. Magnocaricion); after the 1990s, were rapidly invaded by helophytes and hygrophilous shrubs and trees, resulting in a consistent decrease in free water surface; macrophytes vegetation experencied strong changes, with the disappearance of communities with Potamogeton lucens and Stuckenia pectinate, documented by the 1987 surveys, and the absolute prevalence, in the more recent data. of communities dominated by Potamogeton natans, Ceratophyllum demersum and Persicaria amphibia.

ABSTRACT. Lyubov Felbaba-Klushyna Uzhgorod National University, Department of Botany, Uzhgorod, Ukraine lyubov.felbaba-klushyna@uzhnu.edu.ua High mountain lakes are excellent objects for studying the consequences of anthropogenic influence and climate change. The largest number of lakes are located on the Svydovets and Chornogora massifs, which are the hotspots of biodiversity. They are placed between 1460-1597 m above sea level. Some of them suffer from the excessive influence of tourists (Gereshaska, Dragobratske, Ivor), while others remain outside the limits of such influence due to their inaccessibility (Apshynets, Vorozheska). In anthropogenically altered lakes, the process of their overgrowth with the formation of oligotrophic swamps has been disturbed, the communities of the Potametea class have disappeared, communities of Carex rostrata dominate (Felbaba-Klushyna et al., 2023). On undisturbed lakes, oligotrophic swamps are formed and all series of communities are present, starting from very rare communities of the class Potametea to communities of the class Oxycocco-Sphagnetea. Changes in the temperature regime in the highlands are not reflected on them. Considering the vulnerability of these objects, their extremely important hydrological role and the ineffectiveness of existing protection methods, it is necessary to give these lakes the status of Ramsar sites and to include the Svidovets massif in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.

ABSTRACT. The object of research were characteristic karstic features: dolines. They range from a few meters to about several hundred meters in diameter, their depth generally varies from a few meters to a few tens of meters. Different forest types appear here, because ecological conditions are influenced by terrain concavity. They are small, so it is not possible to sample relevés in the sense of Braun-Blanquet school, which should be at least 100 m2. Nevertheless, we tried to establish which forest types appear in these small geomorphological features. We used the transect method to study and analyze the pattern of forest types at the microscale level. For the analysis of the microscale pattern, we used microplots sampled in transects made in the herb layer. The size of the plots was 2 m x 2 m. Besides, we collected all available relevés of forest communities from the Kras plateau (233 relevés) and established forest types. We found out that there are 16 forest types present in the region. Then we constructed an expert system for classification of forest types in the region. We used this expert system for classification of microplot matrix (286 microplots x 124 species). 129 microplots were classified within one of forest types, the rest of plots were unclassified or classified within two or more forest types. Six forest types were established in doline. Then we used unsupervised k-means clustering and use 6 established forest types as a priori groups. After classification we got 7 clusters, presenting the ecological gradient in dolines, as Asaro-Carpinetum betuli in the bottom, Seslerio-Quercetum petraeae on gentle slopes, Paeonio-Tilietum platyphylli on ravines on lower slope, Frangulo rupestris-Prunetum mahalebis and Qstryo-Quercetum pubescentis on upper slopes and tops and Seslerio-Quercetum cerridis on deeper soil, most often on the top. We found also the seventh cluster, representing the chasmophytic communities appearing on extreme steep slopes and rocks.

ABSTRACT. Phytosociological research of grassland communities was carried out in the Veľká Fatra Mountains in central Slovakia between 1980 and 2005. We resurveyed a total of 78 grassland relevés between 2018 and 2020 to describe changes in species composition and the structure of grasslands. A temporary shift in species composition was assessed in the context of main gradients in species composition, obtained by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) with passively plotted average ecological indicator values. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to analyse the relationship between grassland species composition and time. Paired t-test was utilised to compare differences in species richness between re-sampled and historical plots and to identify increases or decreases in the number of specific species groups (herbs, graminoids, trees, Red List species, species with selected biological traits and ecological strategies). Wilcoxon matched-pair test was used to explore differences in ecological indicator values. Changes in management intensity throughout the past few decades have caused transformative changes in the species composition of grasslands. Direct gradient analysis revealed that time had a significant influence on species composition. Statistical comparison of ecological indicator values revealed noticeable differences in light and nutrients, expressed in a higher representation of nutrient-demanding and shade-tolerant species in re-sampled relevés. The abandonment or reduction of grazing/mowing intensity resulted in a significantly higher number and coverage of tree and shrub species and a higher number of graminoids. Additionally, species richness significantly increased in re-sampled relevés, likely due to the penetration of woody plants and nutrient-demanding species in the early successional stages. Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency VEGA no. 2/0132/21

ABSTRACT. Specific form of the state level protection form – microreserve, was established in 2008 to protect Spreading Pasqueflower finding within 8.4 ha of total area. Very high vitality of Pasqueflower individuals is explained due to local hurricane on 2001. After the storm target area was open and sandy, so Pasqueflowers could spread rapidly with seeds among young and small Scots pine Pinus sylvestris trees. Within next years after the storm, this finding was one of the most vital in all the State. Target habitat and microreserve surroundings are rich also in another Latvia and European Union protected vascular plant species: Fastigiate gypsophila Gypsophila fastigiata and one subspecies of Sand pink Dianthus arenarius ssp. borrusicus. All those species are ecologically connected to light, sunlit forests and are so called regular disturbance dependant species. Accordingly, in shaded areas these plant species have mainly low vitality, weak flowering, occur mainly in vegetative stage. Lack of necessary ecological disturbances since 2001 caused decrease in amount and vitality of Pasqueflowers in the microreserve. Habitat is covered by 23 years old Scots pine young generation stand. Canopies of pine trees make more shade to ground cover vegetation causing spread and competition of herbaceous plants, shrubs and mosses. Step by step, rare and protected disturbance dependant plants decrease. Detailed field surveys since 2012 is made in the site to monitor Pasqueflower amount and vitality. Since 2012 to 2021 flowering plants of Pasqueflowers decrease in 72 %, thus target habitat becomes less suitable for Pasqueflower existence and development. Thus, explains need for active management which imitates necessary natural disturbances. Management of Pasqueflower habitat takes place since January of 2022. Implemented activities will support development of Spreading Pasqueflower with seeds and favourable conservation status of target habitat which is object of regular surveillance.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study is to analyze the response of herbaceous vegetation to gap opening in "Cansiglio Orientale" Natural Reserve (IT3310006).The study is carried on in the context of a LIFE Natura Project (LIFE SPAN-Saproxylic habitat Network - LIFE19 NATIT000104). The project proposes management solutions inspired to the concept of “Îlots de sénescence” (Mason et al., 2016) which envisages, among other things, to open gaps in a productive forest matrix (25 gaps about 4 ha). In ex ante survey (2021-22) 25 phytosociological relevés (250m2) were made in the center of each future gap. Cluster analysis on matrix (25 relevés x 63 species) shows three clusters whose Ellenberg Indicator Value results significantly different for light (L) and soil reaction (R) (ANOVA p<0.01, Tukey’s Test letter for significance between groups p <0.05). The clusters show the following values: L=3.5a R=5.1a in cluster I (pure Fagus sylvatica), L=3,5a R=4.7ab in cluster II (F.sylvatica, Abies alba and, occasionally Picea abies mixed stand) and L=4b R=2.8b in cluster III (P.abies dominant). Slightly different in terms of soil reaction, the first facies spreads on the upper belt and the second ones on the north-west slope (1100-1500 m a.s.l.). The cluster III, significantly associated to P.abies, Phegopteris connectilis, Ranunculus lanuginosus, Senecio ovatus showed more open canopy and acidic soil reaction: these are the P.abies forest of the Cansiglio plane (900-1000 m a.s.l.). In order to protect the gaps from grazing, 18 of them will be protected by electric fences, 7 with wooden fences. In addition every spring-summer in the gaps will be monitored flying insects, birds and bats. The ex post survey will be carried out in 2026. Change in herbaceous species, difference between electric and wooden fences and relations between plants and animals species responses will be investigated.

ABSTRACT. The Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs) are a growing threat to biodiversity, causing significant ecological losses, especially in Mediterranean mountain regions where it is a poorly known issue. In this context, in summer season 2022, the first monitoring site of the MIREN project (Haider et al, 2022) was established in Italy. The main objective is to investigate on the occurrence and the distribution of IAPs along the altitudinal gradient in the Central Apennines. Vegetation was sampled along a road extending from 500 m a.s.l. to 2000 m a.s.l. in Gran Sasso massif (Italy), in 20 plots placed every 100 m of altitude. In each plot the cover of all vascular plant species was recorded. In addition, each vegetation plot was assigned to an EUNIS Habitat code, based on the species composition and cover (Chytry et al., 2020). Lastly, 10 sensors (iButton) were installed to measure soil temperature (Lembrechts et al., 2020). Results highlighted that Gran Sasso massif is already affected by the processes of introduction and dispersion of IAPs, that currently were found until the beginning of the mountain beech forest. In particular, Ailanthus altissima reaches 1190 m a.s.l. and Robinia pseudoacacia 1144 m a.s.l., according with it was observed in other Mediterranean mountains (Vitasović-Kosić et al., 2020, Lapiedra et al., 2015). EUNIS habitats most affected by the IAPs spread were: "Carpinus and Quercus mesic deciduous forest" (EUNIS T1E) and "Deciduous self-sown forest of non-site-native trees" (EUNIS T1J). This last habitat showed wider temperature range with high maximum temperatures during summer season 2022, in comparison with the other EUNIS forest habitats with native trees. This research established a new set of permanent plots for a long-term ecological monitoring of IAPs invasiveness in Mediterranean mountain habitats.

ABSTRACT. Italian coastal environments and dune habitats modifications have been described by several authors (e.g. Del Vecchio et al., 2016; Pirone et al. 2014; Stanisci et al. 2014; de Francesco et al. 2022), specifically Adriatic coast is one of the most urbanized areas of the Mediterranean (Romano and Zullo 2014). At the end of the 1800s, the construction of the Adriatic railway changed the coastal landscape, causing the disappearance of numerous wooded areas and dune areas (Cianfraglione, 2014). Afterwards, as a result of the explosion of tourism, an intense soil consumption began to take place and is still going on (Munafò, 2022). Aim of this work is to identify a set of sites along the Abruzzo coast, inside and outside the Natura 2000 network and regional protected areas, where vegetation was analyzed and will be periodically monitored to analyze the ecological effects of land use and climate change, alien species invasion and coastal erosion. The data collected will also be useful for actions implemented in the context of LIFE CALLIOPE project. By aerial-photo interpretation, residual coastal vegetation patches were mapped and verified by vegetation sampling. The cover was recorded in 20 plots (2x2m) and after a cluster analysis we classified the vegetation. Then the ecological characteristics of each coastal dune habitat type were tested by comparing some ecological groups and Ellenberg bio-indicator values. Statistical analyses were performed in the R statistical computing program (R Core Team 2020). Results highlighted that the residual shifting and transition dune plant communities host several ruderal and alien species, but when the perennial beach-grasses occur the diagnostic species cover is higher. We also registered high Ellenberg nutrients values in transition and grey dunes vegetation, likely related to human trampling. The study provided useful insights for an array of actions to preserve the biodiversity of the Adriatic coastal dunes.

ABSTRACT. In the context of the PNRR National Biodiversity Future Centre project, a research task is oriented to increment knowledge on urban biodiversity in some Italian large and small cities, and to provide useful insights to protect and increase space for nature in cities. This will provide the increase of biodiversity connectivity, the mitigation of heatwaves stormwater in flood events and as well as vital recreational space to support the mental, physical and social wellbeing of local residents (van den Bosch et al. 2017). The present work explores the potential of the “Carta della Natura” approach, an official document of knowledge and territorial planning in Italy which gives particular attention to the conservation and enhancement of the natural heritage (Cardillo et al., 2017), as a support for biodiversity monitoring and planning in urban areas. We choose as a case study the city of Campobasso, a representative example of small cities widely widespread in Italian and European inner areas. We specifically developed a detailed habitat map (with a scale range of 1:5.000/1:10000) of the functional urban area of Campobasso municipality (Dijkstra et al., 2019), classified according to the new Carta della Natura scheme. The habitat map was created using as a baseline the Carta della Natura of Molise region (made at a coarser scale, 1:25.000), through interpretation of aerial and satellite imagery, supported by field data and literature review (Ceralli, Laureti, 2021, Paura et al., 2010). The minimum mapping unit is of 3.000 square meters, whit a minimum width of 10 meters.

We present preliminary results stressing the usefulness of the Carta della Natura project on urban contexts and show some examples evidencing the high potential of detailed mapping of habitat as a baseline for the assessment of urban biodiversity that can be implemented on several cities in Italy and Europe

ABSTRACT. Interpreting the functional diversity of plant communities and ecosystem functioning reflects the filtering role of abiotic and biotic factors. Therefore, functional types spectrum provides a powerful tool in ecosystem convergence studies. Our study aimed to identify plant functional types (PFTs) of Mediterranean temporary ponds (MTPs) and understand their relationship with the underlying environmental gradients, along the annual dynamics of MTPs. We asked: i) are diagnostic PFTs distinct from those of more terrestrial vegetation? ii) are diagnostic PFTs specific of different hydrological phases and vegetation belts of MTPs? iii) Which are the environmental drivers underpinning PFTs and the zonation of plant communities within MTPs? The study was conducted in the coastal plain of southwest Portugal between 2006 and 2008. Plant surveys were carried out in 9 well-preserved MTPs during early and late spring. Ten plant traits easily measurable at the individual plant scale were registered, allowing for a rapid and cost-effective evaluation. Traits were characteristic of phenological states and presumably adaptive to habitat stress. We also quantified four plant attributes to complete the characterization of the functional groups: flowering time, position/relative depth, syntaxonomic status, and geographic affinity. Data were analysed using multivariate statistical methods. Results allowed identifying eight PFTs associated with different vegetation belts and hydrological phases of MTPs, clearly reflecting ecosystem functioning. The most significant plant traits were: hydrophylly, plant size, persistence, seed size, carbohydrate storage capacity, and presence of aerenchyma. Moreover, the environmental factor that drives plant communities in MTPs and its spectrum of PFTs is hydroperiod. These results represent an important contribution for standardizing PFTs in different Mediterranean regions, with applications on the conservation status assessment of MTPs.