Etnobotanično izročilo v slovenskih ljudskih ljubezenskih pesmih

Odnos med človekom in rastlinami lahko raziskujemo na različne načine, med drugim ga lahko zaznamo tudi skozi proučevanje ustnega in pisnega izročila naših prednikov, na primer pripovedi ali ljudskih pesmi. V okviru raziskave smo želeli izvedeti, kako pogosto so v slovenskih ljubezenskih ljudskih pesmih zastopane rastlinske vrste, katere vrste se pojavljajo in kakšna je njihova vloga ter njihov simbolni pomen. V ta namen smo analizirali 3722 slo- venskih ljudskih pesmi, zapisanih do začetka 20. stoletja. Analiza je pokazala, da so rastline omenjene v 410 pesmih, skupno pa smo v pesmih zabeležili 63 različnih rastlinskih taksonov. Najpogosteje so omenjeni rožmarin, nagelj, ja- blana oz. jabolko in pšenica, sledijo jim nemški rožmarin, javor, lilija, trta, vrtnica, lipa in druge. Večina omemb rastlin v ljudskih ljubezenskih pesmih je povezanih z izkazovanjem ljubezni, z lepoto ter z žalostjo ali smrtjo

Akebia quinata (Houtt.) Dcne., new species for slovenian flora, and contribution to the knowledge of the neophytic flora of Primorska region

The article discusses Akebia quinata, a new alien species for the Slovenian flora. The authors provide a description of the species and its locality, and discuss its invasive potential, as in 2008, the species was recognized by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization as emerging invader in Europe. The authors also discuss the occurrence of several other neophytes in the Primorska region (Slovenia): Amaranthus deflexus, Artemisia annua, Aster squamatus, Bidens pilosa, Bidens subalternans, Broussonetia papyrifera, Pistia stratiotes and Senecio inaequidens

Utjecaj ispaše, sukcesije i košnje na proljetnu faunu danjih leptira (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) na suhim krškim livadama i pašnjacima

Karst meadows belonging to the class Festuco-Brometea are regarded as species-rich habitats of national and European importance. Biodiversity in these areas is relatively high, but unlike most other semi-natural habitat types, it is highly influenced and facilitated by human activities. In the present study we document the presence and estimate abundance of butterfly species from three sampling plots in Kraški rob (SW Slovenia): two dry karst meadows and one pasture, which also includes an overgrown area. Over 16-day sampling occasions in May and June 2012, 63 species (including species complexes) were recorded. Nearly all of the species were recorded from dry karst meadows (60 ssp., 95%), while pasture (34 spp., 54%) and the overgrown site (28 spp., 44%) were less diverse. The abundance of butterflies was the lowest on the overgrown area. Although both grazing and overgrowth result in a decline in the number and abundance of species, we believe that traditional land use positively affects butterfly diversity, as it maintains open grasslands, a habitat that is preferred by most butterfly species to the later phases of succession. We therefore recommend the maintenance of a mosaic landscape structure, as it supports a wide range of butterfly fauna.Krške livade razreda Festuco-Brometea su vrstama bogata staništa od nacionalne i europske važnosti. Bioraznolikost na tim područjima je relativno visoka, no u suprotnosti s nekim drugim poluprirodnim staništima, njihova bioraznolikost je pod velikim utjecajem ljudske aktivnosti. U ovom istraživanju smo zabilježili prisutnost i procijenili brojnost danjih leptira na tri uzorkovane plohe na Kraškom rubu (jugozapadna Slovenija): dvije krške livade i jednom pašnjaku koji je uključivao i zarasla područja. Tijekom 16-dnevnog terenskog istraživanja u svibnju i lipnju 2012., zabilježili smo 63 vrste leptira (uključujući i komplekse vrsta). Gotovo sve vrste su bile zabilježene na suhim krškim livadama (60 vrsta, 95%), dok je na pašnjaku (34 vrste, 54%) i na zaraslom području (28 vrsta, 44%) raznolikost bila manja. Brojnost leptira je bila najmanja na zaraslim površinama. Iako i zaraštanje i ispaša imaju za posljedicu opadanje u broju vrsta i brojnosti, smatramo da tradicionalno korištenje zemlje pozitivno utječe na raznolikost leptira. Razlog za to je prije svega sprječavanje zaraštanja livada, koje leptiri preferiraju više od staništa u kasnijim fazama sukcesije. Zato predlažemo održavanje mozaične strukture krajolika, jer će na taj način on biti primjeren za veći broj vrsta leptira

Utjecaj ispaše, sukcesije i košnje na proljetnu faunu danjih leptira (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) na suhim krškim livadama i pašnjacima

Karst meadows belonging to the class Festuco-Brometea are regarded as species-rich habitats of national and European importance. Biodiversity in these areas is relatively high, but unlike most other semi-natural habitat types, it is highly influenced and facilitated by human activities. In the present study we document the presence and estimate abundance of butterfly species from three sampling plots in Kraški rob (SW Slovenia): two dry karst meadows and one pasture, which also includes an overgrown area. Over 16-day sampling occasions in May and June 2012, 63 species (including species complexes) were recorded. Nearly all of the species were recorded from dry karst meadows (60 ssp., 95%), while pasture (34 spp., 54%) and the overgrown site (28 spp., 44%) were less diverse. The abundance of butterflies was the lowest on the overgrown area. Although both grazing and overgrowth result in a decline in the number and abundance of species, we believe that traditional land use positively affects butterfly diversity, as it maintains open grasslands, a habitat that is preferred by most butterfly species to the later phases of succession. We therefore recommend the maintenance of a mosaic landscape structure, as it supports a wide range of butterfly fauna.Krške livade razreda Festuco-Brometea su vrstama bogata staništa od nacionalne i europske važnosti. Bioraznolikost na tim područjima je relativno visoka, no u suprotnosti s nekim drugim poluprirodnim staništima, njihova bioraznolikost je pod velikim utjecajem ljudske aktivnosti. U ovom istraživanju smo zabilježili prisutnost i procijenili brojnost danjih leptira na tri uzorkovane plohe na Kraškom rubu (jugozapadna Slovenija): dvije krške livade i jednom pašnjaku koji je uključivao i zarasla područja. Tijekom 16-dnevnog terenskog istraživanja u svibnju i lipnju 2012., zabilježili smo 63 vrste leptira (uključujući i komplekse vrsta). Gotovo sve vrste su bile zabilježene na suhim krškim livadama (60 vrsta, 95%), dok je na pašnjaku (34 vrste, 54%) i na zaraslom području (28 vrsta, 44%) raznolikost bila manja. Brojnost leptira je bila najmanja na zaraslim površinama. Iako i zaraštanje i ispaša imaju za posljedicu opadanje u broju vrsta i brojnosti, smatramo da tradicionalno korištenje zemlje pozitivno utječe na raznolikost leptira. Razlog za to je prije svega sprječavanje zaraštanja livada, koje leptiri preferiraju više od staništa u kasnijim fazama sukcesije. Zato predlažemo održavanje mozaične strukture krajolika, jer će na taj način on biti primjeren za veći broj vrsta leptira

ConservePlants: An integrated approach to conservation of threatened plants for the 21st Century

Even though plants represent an essential part of our lives offering exploitational, supporting and cultural services, we know very little about the biology of the rarest and most threatened plant species, and even less about their conservation status. Rapid changes in the environment and climate, today more pronounced than ever, affect their fitness and distribution causing rapid species declines, sometimes even before they had been discovered. Despite the high goals set by conservationists to protect native plants from further degradation and extinction, the initiatives for the conservation of threatened species in Europe are scattered and have not yielded the desired results. The main aim of this Action is to improve plant conservation in Europe through the establishment of a network of scientists and other stakeholders who deal with different aspects of plant conservation, from plant taxonomy, ecology, conservation genetics, conservation, physiology and reproductive biology to protected area's managers, not forgetting social scientists, who are crucial when dealing with the general public.Non peer reviewe

Assessing the national red lists of European vascular plants: Disparities and implications

The diversity of vascular plant taxa in Europe is threatened. National red lists are valuable biodiversity conservation tools that provide us with information on the proximity of a taxon to extinction. However, there are still differences in the methods and implementation of these assessments across European countries, indicating gaps in conservation efforts at national and regional levels. To address these disparities, we conducted a study in which we compiled data from the most recent national red lists of vascular plants in European countries, including some countries from the eastern part of the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. Our results confirm concerns that the conservation status of European vascular flora is not fully mapped. We also found that this knowledge is not evenly distributed across European regions. There were differences in the availability of red lists, the regularity of updates, and the implementation of assessment methods. Countries that assessed their entire flora had a higher proportion of threatened taxa than countries that assessed only a portion of the flora. This highlights the risk of overlooking the conservation status of less known taxa when assessments are limited to specific taxa. Financial capacity was found to be a critical factor influencing the extent of these shortcomings. Our study has shown that countries that assess their entire flora have, on average, higher national spending on environmental protection within their overall economies. This information is critical for developing effective biodiversity conservation strategies across Europe and for addressing the threats faced by vascular plants in the region

Identifying bottlenecks in the life cycle of plants living on cliffs and rocky slopes : lack of knowledge hinders conservation actions

Long term survival of plant populations relies on successful reproductive cycle to obtain generation turnover. Focusing on plant species of conservation concern, we brought together a group of plant conservationists from different countries to assess whether the already available information on plant reproductive biology and autecology is adequate for identifying which phases of single species life cycle might act as bottleneck. We compiled a list of 80 plant species of conservation concern living on European cliffs and rocky slopes, for which biological and autecological information was collected from scientific literature, technical reports, and expert knowledge. Results have shown that the available information on species reproductive biology and autecology is inadequate to identify bottlenecks in the life cycle of many species and to provide insights for the practical conservation of many more. Available knowledge is mainly referred to the flowering phase, less on seed production and much less on seedling establishment and on cloning. Meanwhile and noteworthy, flowering resulted to be the less critical phase for the fulfilment of the species life cycle. Overall, with this perspective article we aim to encourage a constructive debate among the scientific community members and policymakers to set up novel concerted strategies for the conservation of plant species of conservation concern. The challenge of the discussion is the implementation of the current approach with new biological and ecological information to be exclusively targeted at identifying the constraints that limit the generation turnover and furnishing specific indications for active management.peer-reviewe