Diversity of chasmophytes in the vascular flora of Greece: floristic analysis and phytogeographical patterns

Cliffs are among the environments with the most adverse conditions for living organisms because of the limited availability of soil, moisture, and nutrients, and owing to the harsh conditions of exposure. They constitute shelters for rare, endemic, and range-restricted plant taxa. A main database has been prepared which includes vascular plant taxa that are obligate or facultative chasmophytes and also contains information about their life form, chorology, protection status, occurrence in more than 135 places such as cliffs, gorges, or open rocky habitats, and their geographical distribution in the 13 phytogeographical regions of Greece based on available floristic, vegetation, and phytosociological literature and on the authors' own collections and observations. The paper presents an analysis of the total diversity of cliff plant species, as well as the diversity of obligate chasmophytic plant species, endemics, and range-restricted taxa, in addition to the results of studying the distribution patterns of different subsets of plant taxa in the different phytogeographical regions of Greece. Hemicryptophytes and chamaephytes are the dominant life forms of the chasmophytic taxa. Among 935 species and subspecies registered, 476 are obligate chasmophytes, of which the majority are Greek endemics. Hierarchical cluster analysis of different subsets of plant taxa revealed affinities of the cliff flora of different phytogeographical regions. Additionally, 15 chasmophytic taxa mentioned in Annexes II, IV, and V of EEC Directive 92/43 belong to the cliff flora, of which 10 are obligate chasmophytes and nine have a priority for protection. Eighteen taxa are included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, of which four are critically endangered (CR), seven are vulnerable (VU), and three are endangered (EN). The distinct correlation between endemism and chasmophytic ecology is emphasized, since a detailed understanding of the local distribution and specific habitats of rare plants provides an opportunity for local conservation efforts that can influence biodiversity conservation on a larger scale

Linking Taxonomic, Phylogenetic and Functional Plant Diversity with Ecosystem Services of Cliffs and Screes in Greece

Sparsely vegetated habitats of cliffs and screes act as refugia for many regional and local endemic specialized plant taxa most of which have evolved precisely for that type of habitat. The interplay between taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional plant diversity on rock and scree habitats of extreme environmental conditions, enlightens the relations of plant communities and ecosystems and facilitates management planning for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The identification of biodiversity patterns and hotspots (taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional) contributes to the integration of the ecosystem services (ES) approach for the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services (MAES) implementation in Greece and the creation of thematic maps based on the MAES reporting format. The overlap among the protected areas’ network revealed that almost all areas of cliffs and screes of medium, high, and very high taxonomic and phylogenetic plant endemism are included in the Natura 2000 area network. The results of this study provide the baseline information for ES assessments at sparsely vegetated land of cliffs and screes. Our results contribute to the implementation of certain indicators of the national set of MAES indicators in Greece such as (a) floristic diversity and (b) microrefugia of endemic diversity and support of decision-making