Erwin Bergmeier

Geobotanical survey of wood-pasture habitats in Europe: diversity, threats and conservation

Agro-silvopastoral land-use has a long tradition throughout Europe. Depending on the region, wood-pasture occurs as vanishing relic of historical land-use, or still more or less widespread as multiple-use rangeland. A new development is that former intensively managed land is being left to evolve towards wood-pasture as an economically and ecologically favourable alternative. In a review of European wood-pasture habitats we distinguish 24 types based on the geobotanical criteria of region, structure, land-use and tree species composition. The European wood-pasture types may be classified as hemiboreal and boreal (4 types), nemoral old-growth (7), nemoral scrub and coppice (5), meridional old-growth (2), meridional scrub and coppice (4), and grazed orchards (2). Wood-pasture forms part of the cultural heritage of Europe, and may add significantly to the preservation of regional biodiversity. The role of wood-pasture in ecological restoration planning and the possibilities of maintaining or enhancing features of wood-pasture deserve more recognition. Many wood-pastures suffer from regeneration failure and are over-mature. Other threats to wood-pasture include abandonment, intensification, oak disease, overgrazing and clearance. In the European Union Habitats Directive, wood-pasture habitats are represented but rather inconsistently. We suggest neglected wood-pasture habitat types to be considered for inclusion. Wood-pasture may form an important element for the economic integrity of rural areas aiming to improve ecological quality‚ provided they are managed sustainably.

Diversity and use of ethno-medicinal plants in the region of Swat, North Pakistan

BackgroundDue to its diverse geographical and habitat conditions, northern Pakistan harbors a wealth of medicinal plants. The plants and their traditional use are part of the natural and cultural heritage of the region. This study was carried out to document which medicinal plant species and which plant parts are used in the region of Swat, which syndrome categories are particularly concerned, and which habitat spectrum is frequented by collectors. Finally, we assessed to which extent medicinal plants are vulnerable due to collection and habitat destruction.MethodsAn ethnobotanical survey was undertaken in the Miandam area of Swat, North Pakistan. Data were collected through field assessment as well as from traditional healers and locals by means of personal interviews and semi-structured questionnaires.ResultsA total of 106 ethno-medicinal plant species belonging to 54 plant families were recorded. The most common growth forms were perennial (43%) and short-lived herbs (23%), shrubs (16%), and trees (15%). Most frequently used plant parts were leaves (24%), fruits (18%) and subterranean parts (15%). A considerable proportion of the ethno-medicinal plant species and remedies concerns gastro-intestinal disorders. The remedies were mostly prepared in the form of decoction or powder and were mainly taken orally. Eighty out of 106 ethno-medicinal plants were indigenous. Almost 50% of the plants occurred in synanthropic vegetation while slightly more than 50% were found in semi-natural, though extensively grazed, woodland and grassland vegetation. Three species (Aconitum violaceum, Colchicum luteum, Jasminum humile) must be considered vulnerable due to excessive collection. Woodlands are the main source for non-synanthropic indigenous medicinal plants. The latter include many range-restricted taxa and plants of which rhizomes and other subterranean parts are dug out for further processing as medicine.ConclusionMedicinal plants are still widely used for treatment in the area of Swat. Some species of woodlands seem to be adapted to wood-pasture, but vulnerable to overcollecting, and in particular to deforestation. It is suggested to implement local small-scaled agroforestry systems to cultivate vulnerable and commercially valuable ethno-medicinal woodland plants under local self-government responsibility.

Seed bank composition and above-ground vegetation in response to grazing in sub-Mediterranean oak forests (NW Greece)

We investigate the persistent soil seed bank composition and its relation to the above-ground flora of grazed and non-grazed sub-Mediterranean deciduous oak forests of NW Greece. Twenty-eight taxa were recorded in the soil seed bank and 83 taxa (70 taxa in plots of seed bank sampling) in the above-ground vegetation. The dominant tree species and many woodland species found in the above-ground vegetation were absent from the soil seed bank. Similarity between the soil seed bank and the above-ground vegetation decreased with grazing, and grazing led to a decrease of species richness in above-ground vegetation and soil seed bank. Beta diversity of vegetation among grazed and among non-grazed plots did not differ, but was significantly higher between grazed and non-grazed areas. Beta diversity of the soil seed bank declined with grazing. When applying classification tree and logistic regression analyses, non-grazed forest sites are clearly differentiated by the presence of Phillyrea latifolia, Euphorbia amygdaloides and Brachypodium sylvaticum. PCA ordination of above-ground species composition reflected a gradient from sites grazed by ruminants to non-grazed sites, but no clear structure was detected in the seed bank.

New and validated high-rank syntaxa from Europe

In the course of the compilation of a checklist of the high-rank syntaxa of Europe, it turned out that for several syntaxa no valid and legitimate names were available. With this contribution, we aim to solve some of the problems by publishing or validating seven syntaxon names (1 order, 5 alliances, 1 association) and by proposing a nomen novum for one illegitimate alliance name. The validations concern the Artemisio albi -Brometalia erecti ( Festuco-Brometea ; xerophytic basiphilous grasslands in subatlantic-submediterranean Europe), Dictamno albi-Ferulagion galbaniferae ( Antherico ramosi-Geranietalia sanguinei, Trifolio-Geranietea sanguinei ; xerophytic basiphilous forest-edge communities of the Balkans and the SE Alps), Euphorbio taurinensis-Geranion lucidi ( Geranio - Cardaminetalia hirsutae, Stellarietea mediae; short-lived nitrophilous forest edge communities of Macedonia), and Gentianello amarellae-Helictotrichion pratensis ( Brometalia erecti, Festuco-Brometea ; meso-xerophytic basiphilous grasslands of NW Europe). A new alliance, the Alkanno baeticae-Pinion halepensis ( Quercetalia ilicis, Quercetea ilicis ; pine forests on ultramafic soils on the island of Euboea), is described to replace the nomen dubium Alyssion euboei . The Alkanno baeticae-Pinetum halepensis is described as a new association to serve as the type of the Alkanno-Pinion . Finally, within the Poterietalia spinosi ( Cisto-Micromerietea julianae ), the Helichryso barrelieri-Phagnalion graeci (phrygana communities on noncalcareous substrates in the south Aegean region) is described as new to science, and the nomen novum Hyperico olympici-Cistion cretici (phrygana communities on non-calcareous substrates in northern Greece) is proposed to replace the illegitimate Cistion orientale .

Plant communities on metalliferous soils in northern Greece

We studied dry stony habitats with metalliferous soils (with various amounts of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) at low to moderate altitudes in 22 localities in northern Greece using 193 original phytosociological releves with vascular species composition, species abundance and topographical data. Soil samples were collected in 86 plots and analysed for acidity, heavy metal content and other parameters. The aims of the study were to classify the releves, describe the plant communities, assign species and communities to syntaxa, relate environment, distribution and species composition, and to compare the relative importance of soil metal content and the other environmental variables for species composition. We found 16 vegetation clusters and assigned them to 12 associations and corresponding plant communities. Each community is defi ned with respect to species composition and richness, ecology and distribution. The range of communities is heterogeneous and comprises 8 vegetation alliances belonging to the orders Alysso alyssoidis-Sedetalia, Astragalo-Potentilletalia, Hyparrhenio-Brachypodietalia ramosi, Sedo -Scleranthetalia, Thero-Brometalia and Tuberarietalia guttati. Two alliances and fi ve associations are described as new syntaxa, and several more syntaxa, including some orders, have not been recorded from Greece and the southern Balkans before. Soil acidity and, secondly, the degree of substrate consolidation and vegetation development were identifi ed as most important environmental factors explaining the chief fl oristic gradients in the data set. Heavy metal content turned out to be of secondary explanatory value, relevant in partial data sets of acidic base-poor soils or calcareous/ultramafi c soils. Most species found on metalliferous soils are therefore facultative metallophytes, while obligate metallophytes are few and characteristic of ophiolithic substrates (serpentinophytes).

European Red List of Habitats : Part 2. Terrestrial and freshwater habitats

The first ever European Red List of Habitats reviews the current status of all natural and semi-natural terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats and highlights the pressures they face. Using a modified version of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria, it covers the EU28, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the Balkan countries and their neighbouring seas. Over 230 terrestrial and freshwater habitats were assessed. The European Red List of Habitats provides an entirely new and all embracing tool to review commitments for environmental protection and restoration within the EU2020 Biodiversity Strategy. In addition to the assessment of threat, a unique set of information underlies the Red List for every habitat: from a full description to distribution maps, images, links to other classification systems, details of occurrence and trends in each country and lists of threats with information on restoration potential. All of this is publicly available in PDF and database format (see links below), so the Red List can be used for a wide range of analysis. The Red List complements the data collected on Annex I habitat types through Article 17 reporting as it covers a much wider set of habitats than those legally protected under the Habitats Directive.

Approaching the serpentine factor at a local scale—a study in an ultramafic area in northern Greece

We explore factors responsible for vegetation differentiation in a small-scale serpentine area, and attempt to provide new insights in the complexity of the serpentine factor at community level. We sampled 49 quadrats. From each quadrat physical and chemical soil parameters were measured and species composition, altitude, inclination, aspect and coordinates were recorded. Quadrats were classified and ordination analyses were used to explore the environmental gradients and to estimate the explanatory power of the variables. Generalized linear models were used to investigate the response of species to environmental factors. Variance partitioning was applied to calculate the proportion of variance attributed to different groups of explanatory variables. The gradients revealed were related to soil texture, nutrient contents, calcium deficiency, chromium content, climatic parameters and grazing and disturbance intensity. Variance partitioning showed that the highest proportions of variance were attributed to the nutrients and physiographic (including soil texture) variables, while smaller but notable proportions of variance were attributed to geographical coordinates and to metal contents. Our study shows that vegetation differentiation at a local scale is determined by a complex factor of soil properties and climatic parameters, together with variation in disturbance and succession.

Flora and phytogeographical significance of the islands Chrisi, Koufonisi and nearby islets (S Aegean, Greece)

Abstract Bergmeier, E., Kypriotakis, Z., Jahn, R., Böhling, N., Dimopoulos, P., Raus, Th. & Tzanoudakis, D.: Flora and phytogeographical significance of the islands Chrisi, Koufonisi and nearby islets (S Aegean, Greece). — Willdenowia 31: 329–356. 2001. — ISSN 0511-9618. An annotated floristic catalogue is provided for the islands Chrisi (Gaidouronisi), Koufonisi and the nearby islets Mikronisi, Strongili, Makrouli and Trachilos, all off SE Kriti. Critical use is made of literature data, and hitherto unpublished records, mostly from 1997 through 2000, add substantially to the first full vascular plant inventory of the islands. The total numbers of vascular plant taxa currently known from each island are as follows (accepted taxon records from literature, if extant, in brackets): Chrisi 275 (162), Mikronisi 71 (21), Koufonisi 273 (71), Strongili 110, Makrouli 115, Trachilos 96. Most noteworthy are Suaeda palaestina and Ononis vaginalis (currently with their single localities in Europe); Allium brachyspathum, Astragalus boeticus, A. peregrinus, Galium recurvum, Hippocrepis unisiliquosa, Lagurus ovatus subsp. nanus, Ononis diffusa, Orobanche grisebachii, Schoenoplectus litoralis (new records or confirmations for the Cretan area as a whole, or for the territory of Kriti proper including offshore islands); and Chlamydophora tridentata, Frankenia corymbosa and Hymenolobus procumbens (new regional records for the E part of Kriti and its offshore islands). The N African, pronouncedly thermophilous phytogeographical element is fairly well represented in the investigated area, thence Koufonisi in particular must be considered the driest and hottest SE European island. The principal habitats encountered in each of the islands are outlined and the present conditions for nature conservation discussed.

The diversity of woodland vegetation in Central Albania along an altitudinal gradient of 1300 m

Abstract The woodland vegetation of Central Albania is studied and discussed along an altitudinal gradient in the Dajti National Park (DNP). The plant species combinations recorded in 168 plots were classified and subjected to indirect gradient analysis using environmental variables of geology, soil, topography, disturbance and grazing impact. The transect over more than 1300 m reflects the biogeographically intermediate paramediterranean vegetation zonation and the relatively humid Mediterranean “hygric series” at its eastern margins. It reveals the total range of woodland types known to occur in Central Albania, thus stressing the representativity of the area regarding biodiversity and biogeography, and its importance for nature conservation. Along the elevation gradient, we found three plant communities of the mesomediterranean Quercetalia ilicis, five of the supramediterranean Quercetalia pubescentis and five of the montane or oromediterranean Fagetalia sylvaticae.

Vascular plants of Greece: An annotated checklist. Supplement

Abstract: Supplementary information on taxonomy, nomenclature, distribution within Greece, total range, life form and ecological traits of vascular plants known to occur in Greece is presented and the revised data are quantitatively analysed. Floristic discrepancies between Vascular plants of Greece: An annotated checklist (Dimopoulos & al. 2013) and relevant influential datasets (Flora europaea, Med-Checklist, Euro+Med PlantBase, etc.) are explained and clarified. An additional quantity of synonyms and misapplied names used in previous Greek floristic literature is presented. Taxonomic and floristic novelties published after 31 October 2013 are not considered. Citation: Dimopoulos P., Raus Th., Bergmeier E., Constantinidis Th., Iatrou G., Kokkini S., Strid A. & Tzanoudakis D. 2016: Vascular plants of Greece: An annotated checklist. Supplement. — Willdenowia 46: 301–347. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3372/wi.46.46303 Version of record first published online on 26 October 2016 ahead of inclusion in December 2016 issue.