Plant species diversity of the wet meadows under natural and anthropogenic interventions: The case of the Lakes Amvrakia and Ozeros (W. Greece)

The Lakes Amvrakia and Ozeros (W. Greece) belong to the western chain of Greek wetlands running along the coast of the Ionian Sea. They are both natural lakes belonging to the Natura 2000, Site of Community Importance (pSCI) and are characterized by high ecological value. Wet meadows are typical habitat types of these wetland ecosystems which are in contact with rural ecosystems which they interact with. Due to the high conservation value of these habitat types, in the framework of this study the flora of the wet meadows was recorded and a floristic analysis concerning chorology, life forms and habitat preferences was made. A total number of 152 taxa was found in the wet meadows of both lakes from which only 47 taxa were common. The families with the greatest number of species were Fabaceae (22 taxa), Asteraceae (14 taxa) and Poaceae (9 taxa) for the wet meadow vegetation of the Lake Amvrakia and Fabaceae, Poaceae (17 and 13 taxa, respectively) for the Lake Ozeros. In both lakes the prevalence of the Therophytes is evident, while the life forms of Chamephytes and Aquatics were absent from the Lake Amvrakia. From the results of the canonical correspondence analysis among species, sampling plots and selected environmental variables, a clear separation between species and sampling plots was found, presenting strong correlation with specific edaphic parameters (pH, CaCO3, EC, , Total N, SOC and ). These edaphic properties, as a result of natural and anthropogenic interventions, seem to play an important role in the wet meadows plant species distribution pattern.

Vertical and seasonal changes in soil carbon pools to vegetation degradation in a wet meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Wet meadows provide opportunities to decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) released into the atmosphere by increasing the soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in wetland systems. Although wet meadows serve as the most important and stable C sinks, there has been very few investigations on the seasonal distributions of SOC fractions in high-altitude wet meadows. Here, we studied the effects of four vegetation degradation levels, non-degraded (ND), lightly degraded (LD), moderately degraded (MD), and heavily degraded (HD), on the measured vertical and seasonal changes of SOC and its different fractions. Among these vegetation degradation levels, 0–10 and 10–20 cm soil depths in ND plots had significantly higher SOC contents than the other degradation levels had throughout the year. This is attributed to the relatively greater inputs of aboveground plant litter and richer fine-root biomass in ND plots. Particulate organic carbon (POC) and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) showed similar vertical and seasonal variations in autumn, reaching a minimum. Moreover, microbial biomass (MBC) and easily oxidizable organic carbon (EOC) contents were highest in summer and the smallest in winter, while dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content was highest in spring and lowest in summer, and were mainly concentrated in the 0–20 cm layer. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that soil properties and aboveground biomass were significantly related to different SOC fractions. The results indicate that vegetation degradation reduces the accumulation of total SOC and its different fractions, which may reduce carbon sink capacity and soil quality of alpine wet meadows, and increase atmospheric environmental pressure. In addition, vegetation biomass and soil characteristics play a key role in the formation and transformation of soil carbon. These results strengthen our understanding of soil C dynamics, specifically related to the different C fractions as affected by vegetation degradation levels and soil depth, in wet meadow systems.

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea) of the Moldo-Too Range (Inner Tien-Shan): faunistic analysis and vertical distribution

Data on the fauna and vertical distribution of butterflies of the Moldo-Too Mountain Range (Inner Tien Shan) are presented. The material for research was collected during 12 summer seasons at 9 points of the ridge. The fauna of this mountainous region includes 118 species of Rhopalocera: 9 species of Hesperiidae, 7 species of Papilionidae, 15 species of Pieridae, 21 species of Nymphalidae, 23 species of Satyridae, 1 species of Riodinidae and 42 species of Lycaenidae. The vertical distribution of this fauna on the Moldo-Too Range is as follows: 79 species in low mountains,100 species in middle mountains, 60 species in high mountains and 31 species in ultrahigh mountains. The distribution of this fauna on the key habitats is as follows: 91 species in steppes, 105 species in dry meadows, 57 species in wet meadows, 14 species in screes, 23 species in rocks and rocky places and 18 species in the bushes. It is shown that the faunas of the low and middle mountains, high and ultrahigh mountains are similar, and that the faunas of two of the six key biotopes (steppes and dry meadows) are similar; possible causes of this similarity are discussed.