The role of Natura 2000 network in protecting the orchid flora of East Macedonia (NE Greece)

East Macedonia (northeast Greece) is a relatively small part of Greece, where a considerable number of orchid taxa occurs. Some of these orchids can only be found there and this fact makes the specific area of Greece unique. In this study, an up-to date database of orchid records was used to assess the effectiveness of the existing Natura 2000 network. Specifically, the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network was evaluated by identifying the number of orchids whose distribution is overlapping to a lesser or greater extent with the network, which chorological categories are included/excluded from it, and whether the rare and threatened orchid taxa are adequately distributed within that. Out of the 73 orchid taxa recorded in East Macedonia so far, 14 taxa are exclusively distributed outside the Natura 2000 network. Specifically, the Natura 2000 network is not overlapped with a number of Balkan and Mediterranean orchid taxa, which are only sparsely found in East Macedonia. Moreover, most of the orchid taxa that have been classified in the threat categories of the IUCN are distributed within the Natura 2000 network of East Macedonia, and specifically, some of the most threatened ones are almost exclusively distributed within that network. Consequently, although the Natura 2000 network is not congruent with the distribution of a number of species of southern origin, which are widely distributed elsewhere in Greece, it can conserve important floristic elements of Greece, which are orchid taxa of northern or central European origin.

Endemic plants in the flora of Shutman (Sharri Mountain), Kosovo – an analysis of phytogeographical elements and life forms

This paper aims to present the diversity of endemic plants in the Shutman area and an analysis of chorological groups and life forms. The flora of Shutman comprises 31 endemic plant species. Among them, there are 20 Balkan endemics, 1 stenoendemic and 5 sub-endemic species. They belong to 20 genera and 13 families. The richest among the endemics are families Asteraceae and Caryophyllaceae, both with 4 species. All endemics are herbaceous perennials. Hemicryptophytes dominate among life forms, accounting for 58.06%. Most of the species are Balkan floristic elements (20 species or 64.52%), followed by Southeast European and South European floristic elements, both with 3 taxa (9.68%). A total of 27 species have national or international conservation status. Reporting of Ranunculus degenii Kümmerle & Jav. for the first time in Shutman makes this area the second distribution record of this plant in Kosovo.

New data on the ecological peculiarities and the distribution in Bulgaria of the vulnerable habitat F3.1d Balkan-Anatolian submontane genistoid scrub from the European Red List of Habitats

The study presents new data on the habitat dominated by the species complex of Genista lydia/G. rumelica in Bulgaria. It is based on 129 phytocoenological relevés and provides information on the chorology, ecology and floristic structure of these communities. This habitat type occupies substrates composed by different volcanic rocks. The floristic structure is very rich in species. The phytogeographical relationships with the East Mediterranean region are considerable, which is proved by the high occurrence of floristic elements with Mediterranean or sub-Mediterranean origin. The plant life-forms analysis demonstrates that the therophytes, geophytes and chamephytes prevail in their floristic structure, which is also typical for the shrub communities in this region. During the field study this vegetation type has been mapped and its total area of occupancy has been calculated. For a first time it is proposed this habitat to be divided into three habitat sub-types due to the established differences in the environmental factors. Some recommendations have been proposed on the conservation management and also complements on the habitat‘s descriptions in EUNIS habitat classification.

Origins and Assembly of Malesian Rainforests

Unraveling the origins of Malesia's once vast, hyperdiverse rainforests is a perennial challenge. Major contributions to rainforest assembly came from floristic elements carried on the Indian Plate and montane elementsfrom the Australian Plate (Sahul). The Sahul component is now understood to include substantial two-way exchanges with Sunda inclusive of lowland taxa. Evidence for the relative contributions of the great Asiatic floristic interchanges (GAFIs) with India and Sahul, respectively, to the flora of Malesia comes from contemporary lineage distributions, the fossil record, time-calibrated phylogenies, functional traits, and the spatial structure of genetic diversity. Functional-trait and biome conservatism are noted features of montane austral lineages from Sahul (e.g., diverse Podocarpaceae), whereas the abundance and diversity of lowland lineages, including Syzygium (Myrtaceae) and the Asian dipterocarps (Dipterocarpoideae), reflect a less well understood combination of dispersal, ecology, and adaptive radiations. Thus, Malesian rainforest assembly has been shaped by sharply contrasting evolutionary origins and biogeographic histories.

Floristic composition, biological spectrum and conservation status of a sacred grove from Jhargram district, West Bengal, India

Social practices play a crucial role in the conservation of the environment and biodiversity. The present study was carried out to explore the plant resources, their biological spectrum, leaf size spectra, conservation status and management of the existing vegetation of a sacred grove, namely Kalua Sarnd Than (KST) in the Jhargram district of West Bengal in India. Floristic elements of the study area revealed that the vegetation was diverse and composed of 150 species belonging to 141 genera distributed over 60 families under 31 orders according to APG IV classification. The study area being a sacred grove is fairly undisturbed and protection of germplasm in the grove is maintained through the traditional beliefs. The present study, thus, could be used as an inspiring example in India for other sacred groves for phytoclimatic study.

Phytosociology a Humid Forest of the Chapada of Araripe, Crato, CE, Brazil

The Chapada of Araripe is an exceptional landscape in the Caatinga, a seasonally dry tropical forest of northeastern Brazil, as it shelters several vegetation types, such as Carrasco, Cerrado, Cerradão and Humid Forest, different from the biome in which it is inserted. The first three phytophysiognomies mentioned above are already relatively well documented. However, studies of the Humid Forest of the Chapada of Araripe are still incipient. In this context, the objective of this work was to contribute to the knowledge of the composition and structural organization of the flora of a wetland area of the Chapada of Araripe, Crato-CE. The research was developed from April 2014 to February 2016 and all individuals with CAP ≥ 15 cm were sampled. The botanical material was collected in 100 plots (100 m × 10 m), between coordinates 7º14′36″S, 7º15′23.5″S and 39º28′50″W, 39º29′30.8″W at an elevation between 904 m and 963 m, at the top of the Chapada of Araripe, Crato-CE. The testimonial material was deposited in the Herbarium Caririense Dárdano de Andrade-Lima of the Regional University of Cariri. We sampled 3,067 individuals distributed in 59 species. The total basal area was 43,278 m2 and the density was 3,067 per hectare. The families Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Rubiaceae, Lauraceae and Chrysobalanceae presented greater specific richness. The species Ocotea nitida (Meisn.) Rower, Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) Marchand, Licania sp. and Cordiera myrciiflora (K. Schum.) C. H. Press. & Delprete were the most important to the community due to the high IVI for the sampled area. The first occurrence of the genus Helicostylis for Ceará was recorded. The Humid Forest of Chapada of Araripe presents floristic elements from the Amazon Region, Cerrado and species of Atlantic Forest Domain.

Dispersal traits in the hyper-arid hot desert of the United Arab Emirates

Background and aims – This study describes the dispersal traits of 302 species in five Afro-Arabian habitats from the hyper-arid hot desert of United Arabian Emirates (UAE).Methods – Diaspore size (diaspora length) was studied in relation to growth forms, dispersal modes, presence of structures for long distance dispersal, APG IV groups, phytogeography and dispersal phenology using ANOVA and Pearson χ2 test-statistical analyses.Results – Small diaspores were predominant (six orders of magnitude from 10-4 to 102). The major diaspores were found in Fabids phylogenetic APG IV group (1.80±0.41 cm) mainly trees and the minor in Commelinids (0.30±0.08 cm). The most dominant dispersal mode was semachory (43.7% of the total and 67.5% of the herbaceous species), followed by anemo-meteochory (28.8%) and barochory (23.8%). Semachores/barochores (67.5%) formed the largest groups from the Fabaceae, Poaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae and Amaranthaceae families. Savanna trees such as Acacia, Prosopis, Ziziphus sp. and Indigofera sp. produced large diaspores secondarily dispersed by vertebrates. Anemo-meteochoric species with small diaspores were predominantly semi-shrubs such as Haloxylon sp. Graminoids such as Stipa sp. and Stipagrostis sp., without structures for long-distance dispersal had diaspore appendages acted as “active drills” in soil cracks. Dryness (dry season) favours the efficient dispersion by the wind for the small shrub species with haired capsule (e.g. Aerva javanica), winged calyx (e.g. Astragalus squarrosus) or wings (e.g. Tribulus qatarensis). Most of the species studied (64.2%) dispersed in the dry season according to what was found in other arid region from the world. The longer dispersal phenology corresponded to Saharo-Arabian and Sudano-Decanian species which is related to the floristic richness of the study area. Species dispersal throughout the year indicates an important seed resource e.g. barochoric species with fleshy fruits or pods with nutrient structures (e.g. Senna italica and Indigofera sp.).Conclusions – In the hyper-arid hot desert of UAE, the dispersal spectra are close to those recorded in other arid environments but with particularities due to the presence of African floristic elements.

Pollen metabarcoding as a tool for tracking long-distance insect migrations

Insects account for the main fraction of Earth’s biodiversity and are key players for ecosystems, notably as pollinators. While insect migration is suspected to represent a natural phenomenon of major importance, remarkably little is known about it, except for a few flagship species. The reason for this situation is mainly due to technical limitations in the study of insect movement. Here we propose using metabarcoding of pollen carried by insects as a method for tracking their migrations. We developed a flexible and simple protocol allowing high multiplexing and not requiring DNA extraction, one of the most time consuming part of metabarcoding protocols, and apply this method to the study of the longdistance migration of the butterfly Vanessa cardui, an emerging model for insect migration. We collected 47 butterfly samples along the Mediterranean coast of Spain in spring and performed metabarcoding of pollen collected from their bodies to test for potential arrivals from the African continent. In total, we detected 157 plant species from 23 orders, most of which (82.8%) were insect-pollinated. African or African-Arabian endemic taxa contributed 21.0% of our dataset, strongly supporting the hypothesis that migratory butterflies colonize southern Europe from Africa in spring. Moreover, our data suggest that a northwards trans-Saharan migration in spring is plausible for early arrivals (February) into Europe, as shown by the presence of Saharan floristic elements. Our results demonstrate the possibility of regular insect-mediated transcontinental pollination, with potential implications for ecosystem functioning, agriculture and plant phylogeography. Despite current limitations, mostly regarding the availability of plant reference sequences and distribution data, the method proved to be useful and demonstrates great potential as plant genetic libraries and distribution datasets improve.