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The paper presents a new classification and information about associations of the order Fagetalia sylvaticae on the territory of Ukraine. The order includes 9 alliances (Asperulo-Fagion, Cephalanthero- Fagion, Carpinion betuli, Tilio platyphylli-Acerion pseudoplatani, Dentario quinquefolii-Fagion, Paeonio dauricae-Quercion petraeae, Querco roboris-Tilion cordatae, Scillo sibericae-Quercion roboris, Alnion incanae) and 31 syntaxa of the level of association. The synoptic table contains data on constancy of species in all associations with constancy more than 10%. Maps of distribution of these associations in Ukraine are given.
We report on the activities of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) during the last year, namely the 8th European Dry Grassland Meeting in Uman', Ukraine in June 2011, the 3rd EDGG Research Expedition in Bulgaria in August 2011, the 4th EDGG Research Expedition in Sicily in April 2012, as well as the completed and forthcoming EDGG-coordinated special features in international journals. Then we provide a brief bibliometrical analysis of the Dry Grassland Special Features in Tuexenia since 2005. The 32 contributions of the years 2005–2011 constituted approx. 17% of the overall content of Tuexenia in this period. Including this 7th Dry Grassland Special Feature, sixty-one authors from 12 countries have contributed to these Special Features, guest-edited by yearly changing teams from a total of 16 guest editors. In the years with statistically reliable data, contributions in the Dry Grassland Special Features have been cited approximately four times as much as regular Tuexenia contributions. It is likely that this fact together with the internationality of the Special Features has contributed to the final inclusion of the journal in the Web of Science in 2011. Finally, we introduce the four research articles of this 7th Dry Grassland Special Feature. Two of them are focusing on vegetation change and restoration issues of cryptogam-rich sand dunes in the Netherlands and calcareous grasslands in Bavaria (Germany), respectively. The others, dealing with siliceous grasslands in Hesse (central Germany) and the results of EDGG Research Expedition 2009 to Transylvania (Romania), focus on syntaxonomy.
Auf der Basis von fast 500 eigenen Vegetationsaufnahmen haben wir die Pflanzengesellschaften grundwasserferner Säume in Nordostniedersachsen untersucht. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich davon mit den Gesellschaften der Klasse Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei (inkl. Melampyro-Holcetea: 246 Aufnahmen). Wir unterscheiden 16 Assoziationen (bzw. assoziationsgleiche Einheiten). Zu diesen führen wir die diagnostische Artenkombination an, charakterisieren sie floristisch und strukturell, beschreiben ihren Standort sowie ihre Verbreitung und Häufigkeit im Gebiet und diskutieren ihre syntaxonomische Fassung bei anderen Autoren. Die Aufnahmen sind durch Einzeltabellen sowie in einer synoptischen Stetigkeitstabelle dokumentiert.
Die Klassifikation erfolgte mittels einer in Axiomen gefassten Konkretisierung des Braun-Blanquet-Ansatzes. Parallel zur Bearbeitung des regionalen Datensatzes entwickelten wir ein europaweites Gliederungssystem, das auf insgesamt 246 Stetigkeitsspalten aus 15 Ländern beruht, die zusammen über 5.000 Aufnahmen umfassen. Das Ergebnis präsentieren wir in Form von zwei Stetigkeitstabellen (höhere Syntaxa der Trifolio-Geranietea, Assoziationen der Melamypro-Holcetalia mollis). Wir kommen zu dem Schluss, dass sämtliche Saumgesellschaften Europas von mageren Standorten in einer einzigen Klasse Trifolio-Geranietea zusammengefasst werden sollten, da diese floristisch besser charakterisiert ist als es die azidophytischen und basiphytischen Säume jeweils für sich genommen wären. Diese beiden Gruppen von Säumen, die von anderen Autoren als eigene Klassen gefasst werden, führen wir als Unterklassen, wobei die Melampyro pratensis-Holcenea mollis nur eine einzige Ordnung Melampyro- Holcetalia umfassen, während wir die Trifolio-Geranienea sanguinei in die beiden Ordnungen Origanetalia vulgaris s. str. (mesophytisch) und Antherico ramosi-Geranietalia sanguinei (xerophytisch) gliedern. Die Melampyro-Holcetalia umfassen vier Verbände, das Melampyrion pratensis (weit verbreitet: 3 Assoziationen im Gebiet), das Teucrion scorodoniae (atlantisch: 1 Assoziation), das Poion nemoralis all. nov. (steile, schattige Standorte: 2 Assoziationen: Aulacomnio androgynae-Polypodietum vulgaris ass. nov. und Veronica chamaedryos-Poetum nemoralis ass. nov.) und das Violo rivinianae-Stellarion holosteae (schwach saure, etwas nährstoffreichere Standorte: 2 Assoziationen). Die Origanetalia vulgaris sind im Gebiet nur mit dem Trifolion medii (6 Assoziationen) und die Antherico-Geranietalia nur mit dem Geranion sanguinei (2 Assoziationen, fragmentarisch) vertreten.
Wir unterziehen alle behandelten Syntaxa einer nomenklatorischen Revision, listen Synonyme und Typen auf und begründen vorgesehene Anträge an die Nomenklaturkommission. Das Agrimonio eupatoriae-Vicietum cassubicae Passarge 1967 nom. invers, propos, und das Geranio-Anemonetum sylvestris T. Müller 1962 werden neotypisiert. In einer abschließenden Diskussion beleuchten wir die überregionale Relevanz der von uns vorgeschlagenen syntaxonomischen Gliederung, diskutieren methodische Fragen und leiten aus unseren Erfahrungen generelle Empfehlungen für die pflanzensoziologische Arbeitsweise ab.
Ziel der Arbeit ist es, die nitrophytischen Saum- und Waldverlichtungsgesellschaften grundwasserferner Standorte in Nordostniedersachsen standörtlich, strukturell und floristisch zu charakterisieren, sie diesbezüglich untereinander und mit den in Teil I behandelten Säumen nährstoffarmer Standorte zu vergleichen und sie schließlich in eine überregional stimmige syntaxonomische Gliederung einzureihen. In Nordostniedersachsen konnten wir auf der Basis von 200 eigenen Vegetationsaufnahmen 16 Assoziationen (oder ranggleiche Einheiten) unterscheiden. Für das temperate Europa haben wir diese mit Aufnahmen und Stetigkeitslisten aus 63 weiteren Literaturquellen aus 16 Ländern zu einer synoptischen Tabelle aller ausdauernden Ruderal- und nitrophytischen Saumgesellschaften grundwasserferner Standorte zusammengestellt, die insgesamt auf 10.347 Einzelaufnahmen beruht.
Sowohl die nordostniedersächsischen als auch die europaweiten Daten sprechen dafür, alle diese Gesellschaften, und damit auch Teile der bisherigen Klassen Epilobietea angustifolii und Galio- Urticetea, in den Artemisietea vulgaris zusammenzufassen. Die nitrophytischen Säume gehören darin zu zwei der vier Unterklassen: Die azidophytischen „Schlagfluren“ (Senecioni sylvatici-Epilobienea angustifolii subcl. nov.) umfassen nach derzeitigem Kenntnisstand nur die Ordnung Galeopsio-Senecionetalia sylvatici mit dem einzigen Verband Epilobion angustifolii (2 Assoziationen in Nordostniedersachsen). Die übrigen nitrophytischen Säume gehören zu zwei Ordnungen innerhalb der Unterklasse Lamio albi-Urticenea dioicae. Die Circaeo-Stachyetalia umfassen das Atropion bellae-donnae (basiphytische „Schlagfluren“, 2 Assoziationen) und das Impatienti noli-tangere-Stachyion sylvaticae (staufeuchte Innensäume, 3 Assoziationen, darunter das Scutellario galericulatae-Circaeetum lutetianae ass. nov.), während die Galio-Alliarietalia aus Geo-Alliarion (frische Innensäume, 5 Assoziationen, darunter das Bromo sterilis-Chelidonietum majoris ass. nov.) und Aegopodion podagrariae (Außensäume, 4 Assoziationen) bestehen. Wir unterziehen alle im Untersuchungsgebiet vertretenen Syntaxa einer nomenklatorischen Revision, mit umfassender Auflistung von Synonymen, Typennachweis bzw. erforderlichenfalls Typisierung für alle gültigen Namen und Begründung vorgesehener Anträge an die Nomenklaturkommission.
In einer vergleichenden Betrachtung (meist auf Verbandsniveau) arbeiten wir abschließend Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede aller nordostniedersächsischen Saumgesellschaften hinsichtlich Standortbedingungen, Vegetationsstruktur und Phytodiversität heraus. Die Säume weisen, verglichen mit anderen Gesellschaften der Region, durchschnittlich eine höhere Artendichte auf. Dabei sind die Syntaxa basenreicher Standorte im Allgemeinen artenreicher als jene saurer Standorte. Unter anderem aufgrund ihres großes Längen-Breiten-Verhältnisses beherbergen Säume entlang von Gehölzen in ihrer Gesamtheit auf sehr kleiner Fläche einen erheblichen Teil des regionalen Arteninventars an Gefäßpflanzen und besitzen so einen bedeutenden Naturschutzwert.
Die Saumgesellschaften im Osten Österreichs sind bisher nur sehr unzureichend dokumentiert. Ziel dieser Arbeit war die möglichst vollständige Erfassung der floristisch und standörtlichen Variationsbreite der Säume auf magerern Standorten im Biosphärenpark Wienerwald. Der Wienerwald ist eines der größten naturnahen Laubwaldgebiete der collinen bis submontanen Stufe in Mitteleuropa. Er liegt am Übergang vom subatlantisch bestimmten mitteleuropäischen zum pannonischen Klima. Auf der Basis von 132 neu erhobenen Vegetationsaufnahmen wurde eine TWINSPAN-Klassifikation durchgeführt. Die Korrelation der standörtlichen Parameter mit der Artenzusammensetzung wurde in einer kanonischen Korrespondenzanalyse (CCA) analysiert. Zur syntaxonomischen Interpretation wurden auch Aufnahmen aus der Literatur hinzugefügt. - Im Gebiet am weitesten verbreitet ist der Verband Trifolion medii. Gesellschaften des Verbandes Geranion sanguinei sind im Vergleich dazu seltener und bevorzugen die warmen Randlagen des Wienerwaldes. Es werden einige Probleme in der syntaxonomischen Gliederung der beiden Verbände diskutiert.
We present the data of the 2nd research expedition of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG), which was conducted in 2010 in Central Podolia, Ukraine. The aim was to collect plot data to compare Ukrainian dry grasslands with those of other parts of Europe in terms of syntaxonomy and biodiversity. We sampled 21 nested-plot series (0.0001–100 m2) and 184 normal plots (10 m2) covering the full variety of dry grassland types occurring in the study region. For all plots, we recorded species composi-tion of terrestrial vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens, while for the 226 10-m2 plots we estimated and measured percentage cover of all species, structural, topographic, soil and landuse parameters. The 10-m² plots were used for phytosociological classification based on iteratively refined TWINSPAN classification as well as for DCA ordination. Differences between the derived vegetation types with respect to environmental conditions and species richness were assessed with ANOVAs. We assigned our plots to nine association-level units but refrained from placing them into formal associations with two exceptions. In the study area, dry grasslands of the Festuco-Brometea were far more common than those of the Koelerio-Corynephoretea. Among the Festuco-Brometea, xeric Festucetalia valesiacae grasslands were more frequent and represented by the Festucion valesiacae (2 associations, including the Allio taurici-Dichanthietum ischaemi ass. nova) and the Stipion lessingianae (1) compared to the Brachypodietalia pinnati with the Agrostio vinealis-Avenulion schellianae (3). The Koelerio-Corynephoretea were represented by three associations, each from a different order and alliance: basiphilous outcrops (Alysso alyssoidis-Sedetalia: Alysso alyssoidis-Sedion?), acidophilous outcrops (Sedo-Scleranthetalia: Veronico dillenii-Sedion albi?) and mesoxeric sandy grasslands (Trifolio arvensis-Festucetalia ovinae: Agrostion vinealis). We discuss the issue of the mesoxeric order Galietalia veri placed within the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea by Ukrainian authors and conclude that the content of that order would probably be better placed in the mesoxeric orders of the Koelerio-Corynephoretea and Festuco-Brometea. Other syntaxonomic questions could not be solved with our geographically limited dataset and await a supraregional analysis, e.g. whether the Ukrainian outcrop communities should be assigned to the same alliances as known from Central Europe or rather represent new vicariant units. The analysis of the biodiversity patterns showed that at a grain size of 10 m2, Podolian Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities were overall richer than Festuco-Brometea communities (46.4 vs. 40.6 species). This difference was due to the Koelerio-Corynephoretea containing twice as many bryophytes and nine times more lichens, while vascular plant species richness did not differ significantly between classes. The orders within the classes showed no real differences in species richness. The richness patterns observed in Podolia were almost the opposite of those usually found in dry grasslands, where Brachypodietalia pinnati are richer than Festucetalia valesiacae, and these richer than stands of the Koelerio-Corynpehoretea – and we do not have a good explanation for these idiosyncrasies. In conclusion, Podolian dry grasslands behave quite unexpectedly regarding biodiversity, and their syntaxonomy is still poorly understood. These knowledge gaps can only be addressed with supranational analyses based on comprehensive datasets.
We first report from the 5th Dry Grassland Meeting held from 28th to 30st of August 2008 in Kiel, Germany. Then we take stock of the achievements of the German Arbeitsgruppe Trockenrasen and the international Working Group on Dry Grasslands in the Nordic and Baltic Region towards establishment of vegetation databases of dry grasslands in these study regions. At the conference, the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) was founded as an international platform of dry grassland researchers and conservationists. As networking tools it provides a homepage on the internet, publishes a quarterly electronical bulletin, and will organise the future European Dry Grassland Meetings. In the last part of this contribution, we give a short introduction to the five articles of this Special Feature. Four of them make a major contribution to supra-national classification of Koelerio-Corynephoretea and Festuco- Brometea communities, respectively, by providing syntaxonomic overviews based on comprehensive data from eastern European countries for which only few data have been available until now. The other major focus of the Feature papers is on degradation and restoration of various types of dry grasslands.
Dry grasslands of NW Bulgarian mountains : first insights into diversity, ecology and syntaxonomy
(2013)
We present the data of the 3rd research expedition of the European Dry Grasslands Group (EDGG), which was conducted in 2011 in two contrasting areas in NW Bulgarian mountains. The aim was to collect plot data for comparing Bulgarian dry grasslands with those of other parts of Europe in terms of syntaxonomy and biodiversity. We sampled 15 nested-plot series (0.0001–100 m²) and 68 normal plots (10 m²) covering the full variety of dry grassland types occurring in the Vratsa area (Balkan Mts.) and the Koprivshtitsa area (Sredna Gora Mt.). In the plots all vascular plants, terricolous non-vascular plants and a set of soil and other environmental parameters were determined. By applying modified TWIN-SPAN, we distinguished 10 floristically well characterised vegetation types at the association level. After comparison with the regional and European literature, we propose to place them within three classes and five orders: Festuco-Brometea with the orders Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis (xerophilous dry grasslands of base-rich rocks; alliance Saturejion montanae), Brachypodietalia pinnati (meso-xeric, basiphilous grasslands; alliances Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnati and Chyrsopogono grylli-Danthonion calycinae), Calluno-Ulicetea with the order Nardetalia stricae (lowland to montane Nar-dus swards; alliance Violion caninae), and Koelerio-Corynephoretea with the orders Sedo-Scleranthetalia (open communities of skeleton-rich, acidic soils; alliance unclear) and Trifolio arvensis-Festucetalia ovinae (closed, meso-xeric, acidophilous grasslands; alliance Armerio rumelicae-Potentillion). The Violion caninae with the association Festuco rubrae-Genistelletum sagittalis is reported from Bulgaria for the first time, while the two occurring Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities are described as new associations (Cetrario aculeatae-Plantaginetum radicatae, Plantagini radicatae-Agrostietum capillaris). According to DCA the main floristic gradient was largely determined by soil conditions, differentiating the Festuco-Brometea communities on soils with high pH and high humus content from the Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities on acidic, humus-poor soils, while the Calluno-Ulicetea stands are the connecting link. At 10 m2 Festuco-Brometea and Calluno-Ulicetea stands were richer in species across all investigated taxa and in vascular plants than Koelerio-Corynephoretea stands; the latter were richest in lichen species, while bryophyte richness did not differ significantly among syntaxa. Among the Bulgarian classes, the species-area relationships tended to be steepest in the Festuco-Brometea (i.e. highest beta diversity), but both alpha and beta diversity clearly fell behind the Festuco-Brometea communities in the Transylvanian Plateau, Romania, located less than 500 km north of the study region. Overall, our study contributes to a more adequate placement of the Bulgarian dry grasslands in the European syntaxonomic system and provides valuable data for large-scale analyses of biodiversity patterns.
In our contribution, we report on the 6th European Dry Grassland Meeting held from 31 August to 1 September 2009 in Halle (Saale), Germany. The meeting was attended by 40 participants, who gave 15 oral and 17 poster presentations. The rapid positive development of the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG), the organiser of this conference, is mentioned: the inclusion of the EDGG in the International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) as a working group, the establishment of two new subgroups focussing on Mediterranean and South-East European dry grasslands, respectively, and the organisation of the first EDGG research expedition in 2010 belong to the most important events. In the last part of our contribution, we give a short introduction to the six articles of this Special Feature. Two of them deal with phytosociological classification of semi-natural grassland communities, one with vegetation- environment relationships. Two papers are concerned with conservational topics, one focussing on the population structure of endangered Pulsatilla patens, the other dealing with conservation of xeric grasslands in Transylvania. The last paper examines temporal changes in calcareous grasslands with regard to species diversity.
The Transylvanian Plateau in Romania is well known to host large areas of a variety of dry grassland types, still traditionally managed by low-intensity mowing or grazing. While this natural heritage is now under threat from changes in agricultural practices, the diversity of Transylvanian dry grasslands is still little understood. There is a lack of both field data sampled with standardised methods and a syntaxonomic treatment with modern statistical methods and supra-regional perspective. Therefore, the European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) carried out its first international Research Expedition in Transylvania 2009 to study syntaxonomy, vegetation-environment relationships, and biodiversity patterns of these communities. In various locations across Transylvania, we sampled 10-m² vegetation plots (n = 82) and nested-plot series from 0.0001 m² to 100 m² (n = 20), including all vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen species, as well as structural and soil data. The vegetation classification was carried out with modified TWINSPAN, followed by determination of diagnostic species with phi values and a small-scale re-assignment of relevés with the aim of crispness maximisation. Both TWINSPAN and ordination revealed three major groups of syntaxa, which were matched to three orders from the class of basiphilous dry grasslands, Festuco-Brometea, represented by one alliance each: rocky dry grasslands (Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis: Seslerion rigidae); xeric grasslands on deep soils (Festucetalia valesiacae: Stipion lessingianae) and meso-xeric grasslands on deep soils (Brachypodietalia pinnati: Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnati). We accepted nine association-level units plus two that potentially merit association status but were only represented by one relevé each. Most of the units could be identified with one or several previously described associations. To support nomenclatural stability, we provide a nomenclatural revision and designate nomenclatural types where previously there were none. Further, we used DCA ordination and analysis of variance to determine the main environmental drivers of floristic differentiation and to determine ecological and structural differences between the vegetation types. The strongest differentiation occurred along the aridity gradient with the dense, particularly diverse stands on more or less level sites on the one hand (Brachypodietalia pinnati) and the more open, less diverse stands on steep south-facing slopes on the other end of the gradient (Stipo pulcherrimae- Festucetalia pallentis, Festucetalia valesiacae). The two xeric orders were then separated along the second DCA axis, with the Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis inhabiting the stone-rich sites at higher altitudes while the Festucetalia valesiacae occur on soft, deep substrata at lower altitudes. The analysed dry grassland communities have extraordinarily high -diversity at all spatial scales for all plants and for vascular plants, but are relatively poor in bryophytes and lichens. Some formerly mown stands of the Festuco sulcatae-Brachypodietum pinnati (Brachypodietalia pinnati) are even richer in vascular plant species than any other recorded vegetation type worldwide on the spatial scales of 0.1 m² (43) and 10 m² (98); the respective relevés are documented here for the first time. Also, the b-diversity of the grasslands was unexpectedly high, with a mean z-value of 0.275. Despite its limited extent, the methodological thoroughness of this study allows us to shed new light on the syntaxonomy of dry grasslands in Romania and to raise the awareness that Transylvania still hosts High Nature Value grasslands that are bio - diversity hotspots at a global scale but at the same time are highly endangered through changes in agricultural practices.