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We studied species turnover and changes of ecological conditions and plant strategies on forest gaps created by natural disturbances (sleet, windthrow). We studied five forest gaps and a control plot within in the Dinaric silver fir-beech forest in the southern part of Slovenia. Forest gaps varied in age and size. The total number of recorded species in gaps was 184, with the highest number (106) at the largest forest gap and with the 58 species at the control locality in a juvenile beech forest. Forest gaps were predominantly colonised mostly by species of understory, forest margins, and forest clearings. The species presented in all forest gaps are representatives of the understory of beech forests. Species colonising forest gaps prefer habitats with more sunlight, medium wet to dry soil, and are tolerant to high daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations. In gaps, the community of plant species has a competitive strategy, which is also complemented with a stress-tolerator strategy. We determined that a forest gap represents a significant habitat patch, especially for those plant species which were not present there before.

In this research, we analyzed functional plant traits and life forms of plant species growing on five forest gaps in the Dinaric fir–beech forest in Slovenia. The forest gaps were created as a result of natural disturbances. We selected 18 functional plant traits, whose values were obtained from the BiolFlor database. With the help of the JUICE program, we calculated the frequency of occurrence in individual forest gaps for each functional plant trait. Then, we calculated Spearman’s correlation coefficient at p < 0.05 between the occurrence of individual functional plant traits and each forest gap. Individual locations differed statistically in 87 categories of plant functional traits. The forest gap Nad Drago differed statistically from the other forest gaps in 16 functional plant traits. Forest gaps are mainly colonized by perennials and herbaceous perennials and chamaephytes. These are plant species that begin to flower in June and July, bloom for two or three months, and are pollinated by insects, mainly hover flies and wild bees. This colonizing plant species reproduce via seeds or spores and vegetatively. Furthermore, birds and forest mammals are the vectors of fruit and seed dispersal.

Karstic dolines are unique geomorphological and ecological features of limestone landscapes, characterised by strong microclimatic and edaphic gradients. These concave landforms form natural microrefugia that harbour a variety of plant species. In this study, dolines in the northern Dinarides on the Kras Plateau were investigated to assess the horticultural potential of their flora. Vegetation surveys along edge-to-bottom transects revealed a pronounced species turnover and differentiation of functional traits. Shade-tolerant geophytes and early-flowering perennials dominate the bottoms of the dolines, while the edges harbour drought-tolerant aromatic herbs. Not only do dolines serve biodiversity conservation by acting as microrefugia, but they also preserve cultural heritage through ethnobotanical species and provide a species pool for the selection of plants with horticultural potential. We selected horticultural important plants (HPs) and analysed them within the dolines. Depending on their morphology and seasonal occurrence, they can be divided into woody species, early and late spring flowering species, orchids, and structural species. By linking biodiversity conservation with applied horticulture, this study emphasises the multifunctional role of dolines as small natural features of disproportionate ecological and horticultural importance. We suggest that integrating doline species into horticultural utilisation could improve sustainability, diversify plantings, and strengthen climate adaptation strategies.

Kambach S., Sabatini F.M., Attorre F., Biurrun I., Boenisch G., Bonari G., Čarni A., Carranza M.L., Chiarucci A., Chytrý M., Dengler J., Garbolino E., Golub V., Güler B., Jandt U., Jansen J., Jašková A., Jiménez-Alfaro B., Karger D.N., Kattge J., Knollová I., Midolo G., Moeslund J.E., Pielech R., Rašomavičius V., Rūsiņa S., Šibík J., Stančić Z., Stanisci A., Svenning J.-C., Yamalov S., Zimmermann N.E., Bruelheide H.

Relationships between environmental factors and plant species-richness as well as the composition of plant species in wet grasslands from the order Molinietalia caeruleae were studied with a view to quantifying the relative contribution of different abiotic factors, such as soil chemical parameters, climatic conditions and human impact to diversity of vascular plants and floristic composition. Data and soil samples were collected from 88 plots across Slovenia from regions at the eastern edge of the Po plain, karstic and pre-Alpine mountain regions and the western part of the Pannonian plain, which are classified to sub-Mediterranean, Dinnaric, pre-Alpine and sub-Pannonian phytogeographic areas. Plant diversity was positively correlated with the content of exchangeable Ca 2+ in soil and the amount of annual precipitation, while significant negative correlation was calculated in case of the plant-available phosphorous content and altitude. Moreover, plant species richness was also negatively correlated with altitude. Among the groups of environmental factors the group of soil factors revealed the strongest correlation with species richness, followed by climatic and topographic group. The order of these groups was the same in the explanation of species composition. Variance of plant species composition was best explained with altitude, soil pH, geographical gradient, frequency of flooding, mean annual temperature, date of mowing, humidity, annual amount of precipitation as well as with the content of plant-available phosphorous, total nitrogen, exchangeable Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ in the soil.

The mesic grasslands of the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea Tx. 1937 in Vojvodina could play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, but also in local economies, providing essential ecosystem services, such as habitats for diverse species and resources for agricultural and pastoral activities. However, they face growing threats from unsustainable land use, urbanization and climate change. In this study, a database comprising 716 relevés and 636 plant species was created. All meadow plots were classified into seven habitat types and evaluated for their sustainable use potential using the index developed in this study, based on economically notable species, their status of protection and total cover. Through this index, moist or wet mesotrophic to eutrophic pasture demonstrates the highest potential, whereas temperate and boreal moist or wet oligotrophic grassland shows the lowest. This index offers a decision-support tool, optimizing economic benefits while minimizing environmental impact and offering guidelines for sustainable grassland management and policy recommendations tailored to local conditions. It also serves as a framework for other regions facing similar challenges, contributing to the advancement of grassland ecosystem service valuation and its preservation.

Aims Vegetation classification consistent with the Braun‐Blanquet approach is widely used in Europe for applied vegetation science, conservation planning and land management. During the long history of syntaxonomy, many concepts and names of vegetation units have been proposed, but there has been no single classification system integrating these units. Here we (1) present a comprehensive, hierarchical, syntaxonomic system of alliances, orders and classes of Braun‐Blanquet syntaxonomy for vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen, and algal communities of Europe; (2) briefly characterize in ecological and geographic terms accepted syntaxonomic concepts; (3) link available synonyms to these accepted concepts; and (4) provide a list of diagnostic species for all classes. Location European mainland, Greenland, Arctic archipelagos (including Iceland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya), Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Caucasus, Cyprus. Methods We evaluated approximately 10 000 bibliographic sources to create a comprehensive list of previously proposed syntaxonomic units. These units were evaluated by experts for their floristic and ecological distinctness, clarity of geographic distribution and compliance with the nomenclature code. Accepted units were compiled into three systems of classes, orders and alliances (EuroVegChecklist, EVC) for communities dominated by vascular plants (EVC1), bryophytes and lichens (EVC2) and algae (EVC3). Results EVC1 includes 109 classes, 300 orders and 1108 alliances; EVC2 includes 27 classes, 53 orders and 137 alliances, and EVC3 includes 13 classes, 24 orders and 53 alliances. In total 13 448 taxa were assigned as indicator species to classes of EVC1, 2087 to classes of EVC2 and 368 to classes of EVC3. Accepted syntaxonomic concepts are summarized in a series of appendices, and detailed information on each is accessible through the software tool EuroVegBrowser. Conclusions This paper features the first comprehensive and critical account of European syntaxa and synthesizes more than 100 yr of classification effort by European phytosociologists. It aims to document and stabilize the concepts and nomenclature of syntaxa for practical uses, such as calibration of habitat classification used by the European Union, standardization of terminology for environmental assessment, management and conservation of nature areas, landscape planning and education. The presented classification systems provide a baseline for future development and revision of European syntaxonomy. This is the first comprehensive and critical account of the hierarchical syntaxonomic system of communities of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and algae in Europe, synthesizing more than 100 years of research in classification of vegetation. It aims at documenting standardization of concepts and terminology of syntaxa and informing calibration of habitat classifications for environmental assessment, nature management, conservation, landscape planning, and education.

We analyzed plants and their traits in dolines, which are characteristic enclosed terrain depressions on carbonate (karst) plateaus. These landforms range from a few meters to over 100 m in diameter, their depth generally varying from a few meters to a few tens of meters. A pronounced ecological gradient can be found from the bottom to the top, starting from humid, cool and shaded bottoms to sunny, dry and warm slopes and tops. We sampled dolines of various depths and analyzed the distribution of plant species on the gradient and how this distribution is reflected in plant traits: chorotypes, life forms, plant architecture and strategies. We used the transect method and sampled the floristic composition from the doline bottom to the top. We collected information about plant traits from various literature sources. The results show life forms and plant architecture explain this gradient well and, to a lesser extent, also chorotypes, but functional strategies have a low explanatory power. Life forms and plant architecture are the result of adaptation of species to the environment, and chorotypes are defined as species with an overlapping geographical distribution pattern due to their distribution and environmental histories. Functional strategies, which have evolved to enable plants to succeed in various environments, unexpectedly have a low explanatory power.

Understanding drivers of success for alien species can inform on potential future invasions. Recent conceptual advances highlight that species may achieve invasiveness via performance along at least three distinct dimensions: 1) local abundance, 2) geographic range size, and 3) habitat breadth in naturalized distributions. Associations among these dimensions and the factors that determine success in each have yet to be assessed at large geographic scales. Here, we combine data from over one million vegetation plots covering the extent of Europe and its habitat diversity with databases on species’ distributions, traits, and historical origins to provide a comprehensive assessment of invasiveness dimensions for the European alien seed plant flora. Invasiveness dimensions are linked in alien distributions, leading to a continuum from overall poor invaders to super invaders—abundant, widespread aliens that invade diverse habitats. This pattern echoes relationships among analogous dimensions measured for native European species. Success along invasiveness dimensions was associated with details of alien species’ introduction histories: earlier introduction dates were positively associated with all three dimensions, and consistent with theory-based expectations, species originating from other continents, particularly acquisitive growth strategists, were among the most successful invaders in Europe. Despite general correlations among invasiveness dimensions, we identified habitats and traits associated with atypical patterns of success in only one or two dimensions—for example, the role of disturbed habitats in facilitating widespread specialists. We conclude that considering invasiveness within a multidimensional framework can provide insights into invasion processes while also informing general understanding of the dynamics of species distributions.

In Eastern Europe, near-natural forest patches are decreasing and are gradually replaced by non-native plantations. Tree plantations are commonly thought to be simple ecosystems with low conservation value, although this conclusion is mainly based on simple taxonomic diversity indices, which ignore functional and phylogenetic diversity. In this study, our objective was to compare species composition, diagnostic species, taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity, as well as naturalness status between two near-natural forest types (Quercus-Tilia and Populus alba) and two common plantation types (non-native Pinus sylvestris and non-native Robinia pseudoacacia) in the Deliblato Sands, Serbia. Our results showed that the species composition significantly differed in the four habitats. Each habitat had some species that were significantly concentrated in them. Most of the diagnostic species in the Quercus-Tilia forests were forest specialist plant species, while those in Populus alba forests were species associated with warmer and drier habitats, whereas the plantations hosted diagnostic species with broader ecological tolerances. Native species richness, total species diversity, and functional and phylogenetic diversity were similar in the four studied habitats, which can be explained by the combined effects of light regime and naturalness. We assessed low naturalness (i.e. high degradation) in plantations, which can be expected to reduce diversity. However, higher light availability was probably able to compensate for this effect. Non-native plantations, especially Robinia pseudoacaciaplantations, were the most degraded and hosted the highest non-native species richness, implying that they are ecologically undesirable. In light of our results, we suggest that near-natural forest stands should be protected and efforts to restore these forests should be given high priority. Furthermore, it is advisable to continue with a forestry strategy that involves replacing non-native plantations with native ones, such as Tilia tomentosa, in the Deliblato Sands.