Contribution to the alien flora of Montenegro and Supplementum to the Preliminary list of plant invaders

This contribution is based on the field observations from 2011 to 2013. Besides new data about distribution of some known plant invaders, one new alien species for the flora of Montenegro is reported- Solidago gigantea. This plant was recorded in 2011, on two distinct localities near the road side in peri-urban area of Nikšić and Mojkovac, in the vicinity of gardens, were it has been grown as ornamental. In 2012 survey, species was again reported for Mojkovac, but it disappeared from Nikšić, due to environmental changes caused by road construction. Remaining locality is placed near the Tara river bank, so considering ecological preferences (roadsides, disturbed river banks and moist soils), this species might become more frequent in the area. It is included into the EPPO list of invasive alien plants. In addition, alien plant Tagetes minuta is added to the preliminary list of plant invaders in Montenegro

Composition and antimicrobial studies of essential oil of Thymus vulgaris from Montenegro

Chemical composition of the hydrodistilled essential oil of Thymus vulgaris L. (thyme) from Montenegro was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated against 10 microorganisms, including reference and clinically isolated strains. T. vulgaris essential oil yield was 0.42% (v/w, based on the dry leaves weight) whereas the analysis showed that major components, amongst 22 identified in the oil, were geraniol (25.66%), geranyl-acetate (20.34%), linalool (10.89%) and caryophyllene oxide (9.89%). The results of the antimicrobial activity tests revealed that the essential oil of T .vulgaris from Montenegro has rather strong antimicrobial activity, especially against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These results confirm the potential use of T. vulgaris essential oil in food products the as well as for therapeutic applications

Distribution of alien species along sand dune plant communities zonation

© 2017, Croatian Society of Natural Sciences. All rights reserved. Background and purpose: For a fairly long period, Velika plaža in Ulcinj, Montenegro has been considered to be one of the best-preserved sites with psammophilous vegetation along the Adriatic coast. In recent years, however, this area has been significantly transformed as a result of various human disturbances (e.g., a non-sustainable approach to touristic development, illegal dumping, sand exploitation etc.), and has become prone to alien plant invasions. We made a transect survey to assess the presence of alien species in the psammophilous communities. Materials and methods: In order to make a survey of the present state of plant life on Velika plaža, its floristic composition and zonation of plant communities, 20 transects were set perpendicular to the coast, regularly every 500 m. Quadrats (2 x 2 m) were laid contiguously in the form of a belt transect starting from the area with the first colonizing plants towards the end of the sand dune system with forest vegetation. This resulted in a matrix of 1124 plots and 196 species (15 alien and 181 native), on which multivariate analysis was performed. Results: Nine plant communities were detected, arranged in zonation from sea to inland. All of them were characterised by the presence of alien species. The least affected was the plant community dominated by Cladium mariscus, while the most affected ones were dominated by Scirpoides holoschoenus and Tripidium ravennae. Psammophilous vegetation is less affected by alien species than wetland communities. Foredunes are dominated by Xanthium orientale ssp. italicum, while Oenothera species are predominant on stable dunes. Conclusions: Sand dunes are a highly invaded ecosystem, with changed plant communities, so conservation measures should be considered

Synecology of Cutandia maritima (L.) Barbey, a rare psammophytic species along the Montenegrin Coast (East Adriatic Coast)

© by Danijela Stešević 2017. Cutandia maritima is a circum-Mediterranean species that inhabits sandy dunes along the coast line. It is fairly frequent on the western Adriatic coast but fairly rare and possibly even non-native in the east. In Croatia, it was discovered in 1990 in Crnika Bay on the island of Rab, which was considered until 2005 to be the only site on the eastern Adriatic coast from the Gulf of Trieste in the north to Corfu in the south. In 2009, the species was briefly reported for Velika plaža (Long Beach) in Ulcinj (Montenegro) but without details about the habitat type and synecology. The aim of this paper is thus to provide a deeper insight into the ecology and synecology of C. maritima in the eastern Adriatic part of the distribution area. On Velika plaža in Ulcinj, the species was found along the whole sea-inland gradient of sand dunes, in various types of vegetation: [1210] - annual vegetation of drift lines, [2110] - embryonic shifting dunes, [2120] - shifting dunes with Ammophila arenaria (white dunes), [2220] - dunes with Euphorbia terracina, [2130∗] - fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes), and also [2190] - humid dune slacks

Genetic Diversity and Demographic History of Wild and Cultivated/Naturalised Plant Populations: Evidence from Dalmatian Sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae)

Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is a well-known aromatic and medicinal Mediterranean plant that is native in coastal regions of the western Balkan and southern Apennine Peninsulas and is commonly cultivated worldwide. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Knowledge of its genetic diversity and spatiotemporal patterns is important for plant breeding programmes and conservation. We used eight microsatellite markers to investigate evolutionary history of indigenous populations as well as genetic diversity and structure within and among indigenous and cultivated/naturalised populations distributed across the Balkan Peninsula. The results showed a clear separation between the indigenous and cultivated/naturalised groups, with the cultivated material originating from one restricted geographical area. Most of the genetic diversity in both groups was attributable to differences among individuals within populations, although spatial genetic analysis of indigenous populations indicated the existence of isolation by distance. Geographical structuring of indigenous populations was found using clustering analysis, with three sub-clusters of indigenous populations. The highest level of gene diversity and the greatest number of private alleles were found in the central part of the eastern Adriatic coast, while decreases in gene diversity and number of private alleles were evident towards the northwestern Adriatic coast and southern and eastern regions of the Balkan Peninsula. The results of Ecological Niche Modelling during Last Glacial Maximum and Approximate Bayesian Computation suggested two plausible evolutionary trajectories: 1) the species survived in the glacial refugium in southern Adriatic coastal region with subsequent colonization events towards northern, eastern and southern Balkan Peninsula; 2) species survived in several refugia exhibiting concurrent divergence into three genetic groups. The insight into genetic diversity and structure also provide the baseline data for conservation of S. officinalis genetic resources valuable for future breeding programmes