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Aims : Understand and illustrate differences and common methods in surveys of arable weed vegetation from the two scientific disciplines Vegetation science and Weed science ; analyse the relationship between study aims and the employed methodology; assess in how much detail methodologies are reported and whether this changed over time. Study area : Europe. Methods : Literature review, classification of studies according to their reported aims and according to the journal scope. Results : Survey methods were reported in greater detail in studies aiming to describe management effects on weed vegetation compared to phytosociological studies. Methods employed in vegetation science and weed science differ in plot sizes, surveyed field parts and the seasonal timing of the survey. Conclusions : We recommend for future weed surveys to record and report on plot size and position relative to field limits, recording date, abundance scale, as well as the crop grown in a field. This information should also be retained when digitising published data and compiling large databases. A data standard should be developed in an interdisciplinary process.

Cities represent enviroment for most of Europe's human population. Spatial pattern of cities' environmental as well as socioeconomic features affect plant biodiversity. We analysed a floristic mapping dataset of the city of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and asked what affects the spatial differences in the presence of different categories of species: species according to residence time and endangered and thermophilic species. To explain the proportions of these species groups in grid cells, using Generalized Additive Models, we tested the effects of three categories of predictors: i) urban structure, represented by the distance from the city centre, population density, soil sealing, and quality of residential environment index, ii) habitat predictors, represented by habitat diversity and geologic diversity, and iii) environmental conditions, represented by urban heat island (UHI). Species richness decreases with the distance from the city centre and is highest in the cells with intermediate habitat diversity. Number of species is highest within city parts of highest quality of residential environment index and lowest in parts with UHI effect. Proportion of native species is positively related to habitat and geologic diversity. The proportion of archaeophytes is higher where habitats are more diverse and increases with the distance from the city centre. Grid cells with highest proportion of neophytes are located in the most built-up areas and in the city centre, which is positively associated with soil sealing, but negatively with UHI. Thermophilic species are positively associated with soil sealing. Endangered species have uniform distribution pattern and their proportion is negatively associated with distance from the city centre and soil sealing. A grid cell with the highest proportion of endangered species includes two protected areas with wetland habitats. Calculated ecological indicator values show correlation with soil sealing and habitat diversity. Some of the results are in line with well-established patterns from other cities, while others reflect certain specific features of Ljubljana, e.g. forested hills close to the city centre. The identified hotspots of city's plant species richness can serve in the argumentation of future urbanistic planning.

Trampling is one of the human activities that are harmful for plant species and communities of sand dune ecosystems. The aim of this study was to compare the vegetation of embryonic and shifting Ammophila sand dunes with and without fencing to limit trampling. Fenced sand dunes appeared to be richer in species but differences were more prominent in embryonic sand dunes. Some species (Cakile maritima, Pancratium maritimum) were missing on trampled embryonic dunes. The positive impact of trampling exclusion on embryonic sand dunes was indicated by a lowered slope in a Whittaker graph as well as by rarefaction curves that showed higher species richness on the lower slope. Changes in the vegetation of more stabilised shifting Ammophila sand dunes due to trampling are not evident, although species composition is also impoverished. Fencing of parts of sand dunes proved to be an effective measure for vegetation conservation. In addition to physical exclusion of visitors, fences can also have symbolic value for raising public awareness.

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.