New syntaxon names for the Italian Quercus cerris woods

Based on the results of a previous nomenclatural revision of the Italian Quercus cerris forests, 31 syntaxon names are here validated or described as new and 5 lectotypes are designated.

Aromatic and medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in the region of Tiaret, North West of Algeria

Herbal medicine is gaining an increasing importance in the management of various ailments, but little is known about traditional practices in Algeria. This ethnopharmacological study aims to document medicinal and aromatic plants used in traditional medicine in the region of Tiaret (northwest of Algeria) in order to contribute to safeguard the local pharmacopoeia as cultural heritage, and to provide a scientific basis for developing novel strategies for such practices which can help for drugs discovery. Semi-structured interviews with 64 traditional healers and herbalists were realized in the region of Tiaret (Algeria) throughout field studies achieved from December 2018 to May 2020. Interviews covered sociodemographic information, popular and vernacular names of the medicinal plants, mode of use and toxicity among other data. Results reveal the use of 107 plant species belonging to 45 families and 97 genera for the treatment of various ailments. Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented families. The most frequently cited species were Senna alexandrina Mill. (FC=27), Atriplex halimus L. and Bunium incrassatum Amo (FC=23 each), Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (FC=22), and Matricaria chamomilla L. (FC=21). However, the higher use values were reported for Nigella sativa L. (UV=1.5), Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (UV=1.38), Thymus serpyllum L. (UV=1.2), Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. (UV=1.14), Urtica dioica L. (1.13), and Senna alexandrina Mill. (UV=0.52) respectively. Interestingly, Bunium incrassatum Amo, Echinops spinosissimus Turra, Cucurbita moschata Duchesne, Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br and Malus domestica Borkh. were reported for the first time as medicinal plants in the north Africa and Algeria. Moreover, 246 new therapeutic uses were described. It should be noted that Pistacia atlantica Desf., Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast., Oudneya africana R. Br., Euphorbia guyoniana Boiss. & Reut, Teucrium polium L. and Marrubium deserti (Noë) Coss. are endemic to North Africa-Algeria, Northern and Central Sahara. Furthermore, Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Anacyclus pyrethrum (L.) Lag., Cuminum cyminum L., Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch., Boswellia sacra Flueck. and Pistacia atlantica Desf. are considered threatened, rare or endangered species. Our findings are relevant not only for the future studies and experiments in the search for novel compounds, but also for the safeguard of traditional knowledge and biodiversity.

Checklist of the vascular plants of the Cantabrian Mountains

We present the first standardized list of the vascular flora of the Cantabrian Mountains, a transitional zone between the Eurosiberian and Mediterranean biogeographic regions in northwestern Spain. The study area comprises 15000 km2 divided in UTM grid cells of 10 km x 10 km, for which we revised occurrence data reported in the Spanish Plant Information System (Anthos) and the online database of Iberian and Macaronesian Vegetation (SIVIM). We used a semi-automatic procedure to standardize taxonomic concepts into a single list of names, which was further updated by expert-based revision with the support of national and regional literature. In the current version, the checklist of the Cantabrian Mountains contains 2338 native species and subspecies, from which 56 are endemic to the study area. The nomenclature of the checklist follows Euro+Med in 97% of taxa, including annotations when other criteria has been used and for taxa with uncertain status. We also provide a list of 492 non-native taxa that were erroneously reported in the study area, a list of local apomictic taxa, a phylogenetic tree linked to The Plant List, a standardized calculation of Ellenberg Ecological Indicator Values for 80% of the flora, and information about life forms, IUCN threat categories and legal protection status. Our review demonstrates how the Cantabrian mountains represent a key floristic region in southern Europe and a relevant phytogeographical hub in south-western Europe. The checklist and all related information are freely accessible in a digital repository for further uses in basic and applied research

Patterns of ecosystem functioning as tool for biological regionalization: the case of the Mediterranean-desert-tropical transition of Baja California

Large-scale ecological variations across Earth have important consequences for biodiversity and, therefore, forbiological conservation. Despite the widespread use of ecological maps in conservation schemes, they have been based mainly on structural and compositional features but scarcely on functional dimensions of life. Incorporating functional variables complements and improves the descriptions of regionalizations and offers a new understanding of biodiversity patterns. The development of remote sensing measurement allows for the description of the functional patterns of ecosystems through Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs), opening new opportunities to analyze the geography of life. This article aims to examine the relationships between ecological regionalization based on components and structure and patterns of ecosystem functioning. As proof of case, we chose the Baja California peninsula, whose singularity has generated a rich variety of ecological and biogeographical interpretations, mainly based on ecosystem components and structure. We hypothesize that patterns in ecosystem functioning reflect ecoregionalization based on composition and structure features. We identified Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs), from three descriptors of the seasonal curves of MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) from 2001 to 2017. We characterized each ecoregion in terms of ecosystem functioning and we carried out a correspondence analysis between the EFTs classification and the ecoregions. At a large scale, EFTs showed a pattern with three general regions from northwest to south, capturing the north-south transition of climatic regimes shown in the ecoregions map, from the northwestern Mediterranean area to the southern tropical zone, with a desert transition area between them. However, differences between the functional characterization and some ecoregions were detected in ecoregions identified as discrepancy areas between authors. In particular, some ecoregions considered Mediterranean showed a Desert character in its functioning, and others considered as Desert were Tropical functionally. EFTs remotely sensed measured at regional scales provide the basis for a more comprehensive regionalization of geographical patterns of life and, therefore, an improvement for future conservation purposes.

Unveiling the conservation status of the sessile oak forest for their protection and management in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula

The sessile oak forests found on the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula are ascribed to the Lathyro-Quercetumpetraeae association and play a key role in understanding the ecology of this habitat, as this region represents its xeric limit. For this reason, we analysed the biodiversity patterns and current conservation status of the sessile oak forests in the region. To do so, we collected Braun-Blanquet inventories of 34 plots randomly distributed throughout the sessile oak forests. The results showed a relationship between the climatic conditions and the biodiversity variables. While the richness of the community increased with decreasing temperatures, the characteristic species found within the community decreased at these same temperatures. This result was due to the presence of most companion species in the cool zones at high elevations.Sessile oaks are found close to other communities, such as silver birches and Scot pine forests.On the other hand, in the warm areas at low elevations, the sessile oak community was more established, with plants typical of this type of forest. These slightly warmer zones with sessile oaks are very important in terms of conservation and more vulnerable to climate change and the thermophilization of the community, as has been studied. As such, protecting and managing these forests is key to conserving this community. Nevertheless, as current protection measures do not safeguard most of these forests, it is essential to define a conservation strategy to preserve them. Using the conservation status, we have established criteria to improve the conservation strategy for sessile oak forest on the NE Iberian Peninsula.

Validation of associations, alliances and orders of the Algerian forest and scrub vegetation

This paper presents description protocols of 13 new associations, 12 alliances, and 1 order of the Algerian forest and forest-associated vegetation of the classes Quercetea ilicis, Junipero-Pinetea sylvestris, Quercetea pubescentis, Alno glutinosae-Populetea albae, Alnetea glutinosae, Franguletea and Nerio-Tamaricetea.

Numerical classification of French vegetation of Carici caryophylleae – Genistetea lobelii J.-C. Klein 1972

Carici-Genistetea lobelii Klein 1972 corresponds to cyrno-sardinian oromediterranean cushion scrub and related grasslands. In France, this class is only present in Corsica and the syntaxonomic scheme is debated among phytosociologists. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main plant associations of Carici-Genistetea lobelii Klein 1972 and to define the diagnostic species for each phytosociological unit. We compiled 519 vegetation plots and we applied EuropeanVegetationChecklist expert system for the classes of European vegetation to retain only vegetation plots belonging to Carici-Genistetea lobelii. We obtained a dataset with 189 vegetation plots and we classified them with Modified TWINSPAN classification. Our analyses recognized 6 plant associations and 3 sub-associations already described in the literature; and to describe a new alliance corresponding to the supra-mediterranean vegetations (Genistion salzmannii), a new association (Brimeuro fastigiatae-Juniperetum nanae) and its sub-association (alnetosum suaveolentis). For each of them, we identified diagnostic, constant and dominant species and produced their distribution map. Formal definitions were then written for each phytosociological unit (from subassociation to class) and grouped in an expert system to automatically classify the vegetations of Carici-Genistetea lobelii.

First report on the pollination of Neotinea maculata (Orchidaceae) by minor worker ants of the Temnothorax exilis group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Ants commonly visit flowers seeking for food resources such as nectar. However, only eight species of orchids are known for having an effective pollinaria removal by ants. In this study, the visit of the orchid Neotinea maculata (Desf.) Stearn by ants is described in one of the three known populations from the province of Valladolid (Spain). Through direct observation, six minor worker ants of Temnothorax exilis (Emery, 1869) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) group were found visiting flowers of six plants of N. maculata, and four of them were carrying pollinaria on their heads. Other insects were not observed with pollinaria or visiting the flowers. Overall, we found that 33.3% of all the flowers had no pollinaria (96 flowers without pollinaria in a total of 288 flowers). Nevertheless, despite ants observed in the field only promoted cross-pollination between flowers of the same individual (geitonogamy), there is a possibility that the ant will visit another plant’s inflorescence. Thus, ants could be considered not only as visitors but also as true pollinators of N. maculata.

Evaluating the post-fire natural regeneration of Mediterranean-type scrublands in Central Spain

We performed a five-year assessment of the natural vegetation restoration capacity following the 2012 fires in Valdemaqueda (Madrid, Spain) via the characterization of the post-fire and residual vegetation and the analysis of soil physico-chemical characteristics. Six pilot-plots were established in the affected site. Forest species, representative of the potential natural vegetation of the area (Juniperus oxycedrus subsp. lagunae and Quercus rotundifolia woodlands) and broom shrubs (Cytisus scoparius, Retama sphaerocarpa) were planted to assess the relationship among the stages of ecological succession, competition, and soil restoration processes following devastating fire events. The fire-driven alteration of the soil’s physico-chemical properties was evident, given the increased pH and reduced C/N ratio in the first years of the study. However, we observed an increased soil enrichment in the last years of study, accompanied by the propagation of herbaceous species, su[1]pporting our seed bank findings, showing a clear difference in the sprouting rate between burnt and control plots (80% vs. 20%, respectively). The establishment of robust, pyrophyte shrub species (Cistus ladanifer, C. laurifolius, Rosmarinus officinalis) rather than natural succession evidenced the clear conversion of the vegetation in burnt areas. These findings in the pilot-plots allowed evidencing the high vulnerability of the natural vegetation to the settling of pyrophytes, given their low survival rate under the strong competitive pressure of these pyrophytic species. The proliferation of these pyrophytes could translate into changes in soil macro- and microbiota, nutrient dynamics, species diversity, and interaction, added to the alteration of fire regimes in the area. Overall, these results highlight the risk for soil impoverishment and possible erosion of the fire-affected sites. Moreover, they underline the importance of the establishment and regeneration of Genisteae species to outcompete pioneer pyrophytic species, favoring the restoration of the area’s potential natural vegetation

Looking for a successful translocation: the case of Astragalus edulis

Astragalus edulis (Fabaceae) is an endangered annual plant species from the western Mediterranean region. It occurs in the Iberian Peninsula (SE), Morocco (two main locations in the NE and SW), and the easternmost Canary Islands (Lanzarote and Fuerteventura). After a thorough study assessing genetic diversity and phylogeographic patterns, and a proposal of a management plan to preserve the genetic diversity across the entire area of the species, it is about time to go further in the species conservation. It is necessary to recognize genetically impoverished populations to be able to successfully reinforce populations and find realistic places for translocations. For this, Nei’s genetic diversity values were calculated for the three geographic areas and for their populations. Diversity values were further evaluated to calculate the optimal contribution for the populations within each area to maximize the genetic pool. To evaluate whether the optimum habitat for the species is expected to grow or decrease under a climate change scenario, the optimal model of current climatic suitability of A. edulis was projected into the IPCC (2070_RCP8.5) future scenario. The different geographical areas showed similar genetic diversity values. The populations that contribute to maximize the genetic pool in each geographic area were similar, but not equal, to those proposed in previous studies. The future potential habitat for the species shows a significant range decline, which will affect translocation efforts.