Flora and Vegetation Characteristics of the Natural Habitat of the Endangered Plant Pterygopleurum neurophyllum

This study analyzed the flora, life form, and vegetation of the Nakdong River wetland. Vegetation analysis was performed on 37 plots using the phytosociological method of the Zürich-Montpellier School. PCA analysis was conducted by using the vegetation data (ground cover of class; 1~9) of 37 plots surveyed by phytosociological method. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) was used to statistically analyze the objectivity of the community classification and the character species. The traditional classification and mathematical statistic methods were used. A total of 82 taxa belonging to 28 families, 65 genera, 72 species, 2 subspecies, and 8 varieties were present in the vegetation of the survey area. The life form was analyzed to be the Th-R5-D4-e type. The communities were classified into seven communities: Miscanthus sacchariflorus community, Phragmites communis community, Phragmites communis–Carex dispalata community, Ulmus parvifolia community, Zizania latifolia community, Setaria viridis community, and Salix koriyanagi–Salix chaenomeloides community. As a result of PCA analysis, it was classified into seven communities. Seven communities were analyzed, where the most dominant species (M. sacchariflorus, P. communis, C. dispalata, U. parvifolia, Z. latifolia, S. viridis, S. koriyanagi, S. chaenomeloides) of each community were examined as character species. Another species is analyzed as Salix koreensis. Of the sixteen M. sacchariflorus communities, Pterygopleurum neurophyllum was present in six plots (A-2 group) but not in ten plots (A-1 group). These two groups showed differences in coverage and the number of occurring species. As for the relative net contribution degree (r-NCD) in the A-2 group, most species showed low r-NCD except for M. sacchariflorus, which showed an r-NCD of 100. The r-NCDs in the A-1 group were as follows: Miscanthus sacchariflorus (100), P. neurophyllum (21.74), and Persicaria perfoliata (10.14). Therefore, P. neurophyllum is difficult to grow in the A-1 group. As a result, it is thought that the high density of M. sacchariflorus affects the growth and distribution of P. neurophyllum. In order to expand and maintain P. neurophyllum, the habitat environment needs to be altered by adjusting the density of M. sacchariflorus.

Effect of dramatic alteration of landscape structure on the Orthoptera assemblages of Transcarpathian lowland meadows (West Ukraine)

Traditional and extensively used agricultural lands maintain and protect high levels of biological diversity. This diversity is in decline due to land use intensification and abandonment. Natural and semi-natural grasslands of the Carpathian lowlands have become endangered over the 19th century. However, some remains of former wetlands have survived land use change in the Bereg Region (North-eastern Hungary and Eastern Ukraine). We surveyed Orthopterans as sensitive indicators of habitat structure and microclimate in grasslands. We identified three different Orthoptera assemblages and their character species. Although rare and especially valuable species were not found in the studied sites, the species rich remains of wetlands still protected relics of former wildlife of wetlands. Understanding the quantitative character of the assemblages, ratios of life forms and particularly co-occurrences of their character species (Chorthippus dorsatus, Leptophyes albovittata, Tettigonia viridissima and Ruspolia nitidula) and use of Grasshopper Conservation Indexes (GCI) can help to identify remaining good quality patches with highest conservation value and monitoring. Implications for insect conservation The focused management of these habitats with reconsideration of the traditional water management can be effective practice for wetland management and Orthoptera conservation.

Orthoptera assemblages of the relict meadows of the Szernye marsh area (West Ukraine: Transcarpathia)

Orthoptera assemblages were sampled between 2012 and 2014 on six grasslands in marginal part of the former Szernye Marsh (Bereg Lowland, Transcarpathia, West Ukraine). 24 species in 1306 individuals were observed which is about the half of the Orthoptera species known from the Bereg Lowland. The bulk of the assemblages is formed by generalist chortobiont species (62.5%), while thamnobionts, connected with tall forb and/or shrubby vegetation, also reach a relatively high frequency (29.1%). According to the biogeographical composition, the Euro-Siberian species were predominating (58.3%), combined with only scarce presence of West Palearctic and Mediterranean species. The multivariate analysis did not show any clear subdivision according to the a priori vegetation types with the exception of the xeric habitats. This assemblage type were characterised by a low species number (7–12) and very high frequency of one or at least two dominant species which were common in all types of studied habitats. Although their subdominant species differed from the other two assemlage types but they could not be referred as true character species. Thus the studied xeric habitats are not such true xeric grasslands as the sandy and saline grasslands of the Pannonian lowland. The main natural value of the area is preseved by semi-natural humide and transitional habitat types, which can be conserved by yearly alternating mowing and preserving the mosaic structure with some corridors among them.

What is an alliance?

The alliance is the basic unit of the EuroVegChecklist, and it often serves as the lowest rank in broad-scale vegetation surveys. However, there is hardly any literature about the concept and definition of this syntaxonomic rank, leading to uncertainty in its application. Here, I explore the original association concept of Braun-Blanquet, which was based on absolute character species, and I show that this concept is more or less identical with the units that we now call alliances. By also incorporating the concept of central syntaxa, I propose the following definition: “An alliance is a moderately broad vegetation unit that either has one or several absolute character taxa or that can be interpreted as the central alliance of an order.” The one-to-one relationship between character taxa and vegetation units gives the latter a clear biogeographical and evolutionary meaning. Restrictions to the validity of character taxa – either to certain geographical areas or to physiognomic types – cause theoretical and practical problems and should be avoided. Possible exceptions are species with similar frequency in two formations or species introduced to other continents. Taxonomic reference: Euro+Med PlantBase (http://ww2.bgbm.org/EuroPlusMed/) [accessed 1 July 2020].

What are the "characteristic species" of the habitats directive? A new statistics-driven approach connecting species, habitats and key habitat characteristics

A new understanding of ”characteristic species“ according to the Habitats Directive is presented, including a suggested definition from a scientific point of view and practical implementation. The Habitats Directive includes the mandatory evaluation criterion “characteristic species”. Although obligatory, it has largely been neglected and applied inconsistently. Reasons are the undefined character of the term and very different attempts for its interpretation. In several cases, particularly from the field of carabidology, maximum fidelity of the species has been suggested as the best criterion for defining characteristic species. In other words, the species must not occur in any other habitat type, but should be restricted intirely to the habitat it is characteristic for. As a result, for many habitats there are no, or at best very few characteristic species if this definition is strictly applied, and in many cases no characteristic species could be found even in very well-devolped and large-enough sites where the habitat occurs. Here, a completely different definiton is presented. Exclusive fidelity is decidedly not required, since this criterion aims at defining character species, which by definition serve a different purpose, which is defining a habitat, not characterizing its conservation status. The set of characteristic species of a habitat should be defined based on their statistically confirmed affinity to the habitat and an affinity or fidelity to at least one key habitat factor of the habitat type concerned. Such a key factor could be wetness in the case of wetlands, or peaty soil for bog habitats, or scree for ravines, etc. The application of characteristic species in practice, like in the mandatory assessment of projects and plans under article 6 of the habitats directive should primarily focus on the effects of the plan or purpose to be assessed. Out of the pool of characteristic species of a given habitat, those species which depend on the relevant key factors of the habitat which are possibly altered by the project or plan to be assessed can be selected and their well-being evaluated or monitored. In a second application, which is that for management of a site (also under article 6), the degree of completeness of the pool of characteristic species allows the evaluation of the conservation status. Important conclusions as to which key factors might be lacking or are in an insufficient stage can be drawn from the characteristic species missing at a given site. This can be a property related to habitat tradition, size of the habitat, isolation or certain traits of the soil or the stand types to be evaluated, depending on the particular species and their statistically proven requirements.

Rocky coastal vegetation of the class Crithmo-Staticetea in the south-east of Italy

In the south-east of Italy, rocky coasts are almost entirely concentrated in the Apulia region. Several phytosociological papers have already dealt with the rocky coastal vegetation of the class Crithmo-Staticetea in some parts of the Apulian coast. However, there is still no overall revision carried out by using modern statistical treatments of phytosociological data. This paper aims to revise the syntaxonomy and nomenclature of the class Crithmo-Staticetea in the south-east of Italy. The revision is based on a data set of 225 relevés consisting of new and original phytosociological relevés (66) and others already published. The data matrix was classified with the use of flexible beta clustering. Indicator species analysis was employed to identify the indicator species of the main clusters of relevés. Results were interpreted from a syntaxonomic point of view. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination was performed in order to visualize the floristic relationships among associations. Rocky coastal vegetation of the Crithmo-Staticetea class in the south-east of Italy is represented by two orders, Crithmo maritimi-Staticetalia and Helichrysetalia italici. The first one includes two alliances, Crithmo-Staticion and Limonion anfracti-cancellati, with four associations and one, respectively. However, since they rely on very few character species, the floristic and syntaxonomic relationships between these two alliances need to be deepened by further investigations, involving a larger data set and investigation area. The second order, Helichrysetalia italici, includes two associations, well differentiated by their ecology, structure and floristic composition. For this reason, they were classified within two different alliances, Anthyllidion barbae-jovis and Helichrysion litorei. The Helichrysion litorei is here validated.

Laufkäfer in der Aare-Aue Rupperswil, Kanton Aargau, in den ersten fünf Jahren nach der Renaturierung (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Ground beetles of the alluvial area Rupperswil, Canton Aargau, Switzerland, during the five years after its restoration (Coleoptera, Carabidae) The Rupperswil floodplain (Canton Aargau) was restored in the years 2010–2011. From 2012 to 2016, annual surveys of ground beetles were conducted. Over the five years, a total of 116 species were collected. From these species, 12 are classified as threatened, near threatened, or rare according to the Red List of Switzerland. Moreover, considerable numbers of Bembidion atrocaeruleum, B. prasinum, and Harpalus progrediens were found in the Rupperswil floodplain, for which the Canton Aargau has a particularly high responsibility for conservation. Additionally, 37 of the recorded species are character species for floodplains. Thus, the restoration can be considered very successful for ground beetles. Non-restored areas, characterized by river training measures, harbor generally half as many species at best. The number of species recorded per year varied between 68 and 82. Species turnover rate was between 28 and 45%. This reflects the change in habitats and hydrology over the five years. Open gravel/sand surfaces and annual ruderal habitats were reduced to one-third of their original area, while reed canary grass stands and perennial ruderal habitats tripled in size. On the other hand, the turnover is certainly also due to the low detection probability of rare species. Despite the strong decline in individual ground beetle species which typically occur on open gravel surfaces, it would be premature to initiate interventions to rebuild such areas. During the last year of the study, all typical gravel species observed in the previous years within the study area were found again. If anything, it would be more beneficial to build ponds with flat banks of fine sand within the forested sections of the floodplain or clear some patches to create more ruderal areas. RÉSUMÉ La zone alluviale de Rupperswil (canton d’Argovie) a été renaturée dans les années 2010-2011. De 2012 à 2016, les carabes ont été recensés annuellement. Au total, 116 espèces ont pu être identifiées. Parmi celles-ci, 12 espèces sont considérées comme en danger, potentiellement en danger ou rare selon la Liste Rouge. 37 espèces sont des espèces indicatrices pour les zones alluviales. Ainsi, la renaturation peut être considérée comme très réussie pour les carabes. Dans les surfaces non renaturées avec une dynamique alluviale réduite, causé par des mesures de construction fluviales, la moitié des espèces peuvent au mieux être trouvées. En comparaison de la Suisse dans son ensemble, la responsabilité de l’Argovie est très élevée pour le maintien en particulier de Bembidion atrocaeruleum, très fréquent, de B. prasinum et de Harpalus progrediens nombreux à Rupperswil. Pour un même effort d’échantillonnage, le nombre d’espèces trouvées a varié entre 68 et 82 pour les deux années. Le degré de turnover d’une année à l’autre s’est situé entre 28 et 45%. Ceci reflète d’une part le changement des biotopes et une hydrologie variable sur les cinq ans. Les alluvions sans végétation et les surfaces rudérales annuelles ont diminué d’environ un tiers alors que les Phalaridions et les surfaces rudérales pluriannuelles ont triplé. D’autre part, le turnover doit aussi être attribué à la probabilité réduite de trouver les espèces rares. Malgré un fort recul de certaines espèces particulières qui apparaissent typiquement dans les gravières ouvertes, il serait prématuré de créer de nouveau de telles surfaces par des interventions. Toutes les espèces de gravière ont encore pu être trouvées dans la région la dernière année d’étude. Le cas échéant, l’installation d’étangs dans la forêt de la zone alluviale avec des surfaces à sédiments fins provenant des berges de même qu’un nouvel écorchement de surfaces partielles pour la création de couloirs rudéraux seraient favorables. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Die Aue Rupperswil (Kanton Aargau) wurde in den Jahren 2010-2011 renaturiert. Von 2012 bis 2016 wurden jährlich die Laufkäfer untersucht. Insgesamt konnten 116 Arten nachgewiesen werden. Davon sind 12 Arten gemäss Roter Liste gefährdet, potenziell gefährdet oder selten. 37 Arten sind Auenkennarten. Damit kann die Renaturierung bezüglich der Laufkäfer als sehr erfolgreich bezeichnet werden. In Gebieten, wo die Auendynamik durch flussbauliche Massnahmen stark reduziert ist, findet man bestenfalls halb so viele Arten. Im gesamtschweizerischen Vergleich ist die Verantwortung des Kanton Aargau für die Erhaltung insbesondere von Bembidion atrocaeruleum, in Rupperswil sehr häufig, B. prasinum, sowie Harpalus progrediens, beide zahlreich, sehr hoch. Die Anzahl der in den einzelnen Jahren bei gleichem Sammelaufwand gefundenen Arten variierte zwischen 68 und 82. Die Turnover-Rate der Arten in den Folgejahren betrug zwischen 28 und 45%. Dies widerspiegelt einerseits die Veränderung der Lebensräume sowie die unterschiedliche Hydrologie in den fünf Jahren. Offene Kies-Sandflächen und einjährige Ruderalfluren sind auf ca. einen Drittel geschrumpft während sich Rohrglanzgrasbestände und mehrjährige Ruderalfluren verdreifacht haben. Andererseits ist der Turnover sicher auch auf die geringe Auffindwahrscheinlichkeit selten vorkommender Arten zurückzuführen. Trotz starken Rückgängen einzelner Laufkäferarten, die typischerweise auf offenen Kiesflächen vorkommen, wäre es verfrüht, solche Flächen durch Eingriffe wieder zu schaffen. Es konnten auch im letzten Untersuchungsjahr noch alle typischen Kiesbank-Arten im Gebiet nachgewiesen werden. Allenfalls förderlich wären die Anlage von Tümpeln mit flachen aus Feinsedimenten bestehenden Uferpartien im Waldgebiet der Aue sowie das erneute Abschürfen einzelner Teilflächen zur Schaffung von Ruderalfluren.

Communities of the class Koelerio-Corynephoretea Klika in Klika et Novák 1941 in the Bryansk region of Russia

Only few publications on the classification of vegetation of Koelerio–Corynephoretea canescentis Klika in Klika et Novák1941 class, that unites pioneer communities on sandy soils, dunes or an exposed sands, is known for Bryansk region of Russia (Bulokhov, 2001; Bulokhov, Kharin, 2008). This region is located in the western part of the East European plain, on the watershed of two large river (Dnieper and Volga) systems, occupying the central part of the Desna river pool and the woody watershed between Desna and Oka. The territory (34.9 thousand кm2) is extended from the west to the east on 270 km (between 31°10′ and 35°20′ E) and from the north to the south — on 190 km (between 54°05′ and 52°10′ N). The main item of this paper is to submit the results of the classification carried out upon thebasis of 57 releves made in 2003–2016 in Bryansk region and to characterize the composition, distribution and syntaxonomical position of thepioneer vege­tation of sandy and shallow soils communities within it. Three new associations are described according to Braun-Blanquet floristic classification. The syntaxon nomenclature of the higher ranks follows Mucina et al. (2016) The ass. Thymo serpylli–Koelerietum glaucae ass. nov. hoc loco, with synecological optimum on dry poor sandy soils, is diagnosed by character species Artemisia campestris, Koeleria glauca, Thymus serpyl­lum. Its communities occur on fringes of the lichen pine forests, sandy river terraces and outwash plains. Two subassociations are distinguished within the association: T. s.–K. g. typicum (with var. typica and Corynephorus canescens) and agrostietosum vinealis subass. nov. hoc loco (with var. typica and Calluna vulgaris) with Agrostis vinealis, Dianthus arenarius, Cladonia arbuscula as differential species. The ass. Koelerio glaucae–Plantaginetum arena­riae ass. nov. hoc loco, with synecological optimum on dry poor sandy soils or exposed sands, is diagnosed by Plantago arenaria and Koeleria glauca. Its communities occuron the exposed sands, fringes of lichen pine forests and not flooded sandy river crests. The ass. Diantho borbasii–Festucetum polesicae ass. nov. hoc loco with synecological optimum on dry, weekly acidic, poor of mineral nitrogen, sandy soils or the exposed sands, is diagnosed by Festuca pole­sica, Astragalus arenarius, Jurinea cyanoides, Otites parviflora. Communities occur on the exposed sands, fringes of lichen pine forests. Two variants are distinguished within association: Sempervivum ruthenicum (on dunes with dry, poor, weekly developed soils) and typica. These three associations are the early stages of the progressive succession of oligotrophic lichen pine fo­rests on the river terraces or of the heath meadows in flood river plains.

A Harkány-Nagynyárádi-sík zárt lösztölgyesei (Pulmonario mollis-Quercetum roboris Kevey 2008)

The study deal with the phytosociological charac-teristics of oak forests growing on the loess-covered hills on the Harkány-Nagynyárád plain, where the author found rep-resentative stands of a recently described community, the closed pedunculate oak forest on loess (Pulmonario mollis-Quercetum roboris). This community occupies xero-mesic habitats between the more xeric habitat of the open steppe woodland (Aceri tatarici-Quercetum roboris) and the mesic habitats of the closed oak-hornbeam forest (Corydali cavae-Carpinetum). In terms of its ecological role, this community is the ecological equivalent of the closed pedunculate oak forest on calcareous sand (Convallario-Quercetum roboris). In the closed pedunculate oak forest, character species of dry grasslands (Festuco-Brometea, Festucetalia valesia-cae, Festucion rupicolae, etc.) play a subordinate role as opposed to the open steppe woodland, in which these spe-cies are prevalent. Unlike the open steppe woodland, the community harbors a number of mesic species (Querco-Fagetea, Fagetalia, Carpinenion) in the understorey, owing to the xero-mesic character of its habitat. It is separated from the often adjoining stands of closed oak-hornbeam forest, which grows at the bottom of the valleys, by the oc-currence of species characteristic of dry oak woods (Quer-cetea pubescentis-petraeae, Quercetalia cerridis, Aceri tatarici-Quercion), and the absence of several mesic spe-cies (Querco-Fagetea, Fagetalia, Carpinenion) typical in the oak-hornbeam forest. This community is thus classified as a member of the Polygonato latifolio-Quercenion roboris Kevey 2008 suballiance.