EVALUATION OF QUALITY OF SEMI-NATURAL GRASSLANDS OF CENTRAL SERBIA UPON PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present a numeric-statistical model by which it is possible to evaluate the quality of the observed grassland upon floristic and vegetation assessment. Thanks to this new methodological approach, the impact of each individual plant species on overall quality of the grassland could be estimated. The main goal was to determine species which significantly determine the pastoral value of the grassland. The quality (pastoral value) of the grassland was calculated using the numerical values of quality index of each individual species of each relevé of the community. For testing this numerical method, the total of 11 relevés of 4 grassland communities of hilly-mountainous area of Mt. Kopaonik was used. Analyzed vegetation includes previously unpublished phytocenological relevés as result of our own field research. All analyzed relevés were obtained using the method of the Swiss-French phytocenological school. The results showed that the best and the worst quality were determined for the ass. Festuco-Brometum erectii, and the ass. Nardetum strictae, respectively. Species that highly contributed to good and bad quality of grassland were Arrhenatherum elatius, Festuca rubra, Dactylis glomerata, Trifolium repens, etc., and Carduus alpestris, Hieracium hoppeanum, Ornithogalum umbelatum, respectivel

NONTRIVIAL VARIATIONS OF MORPHO-ANATOMICAL LEAF TRAITS IN NATURAL SOUTH-EASTERN POPULATIONS OF VACCINIUM SPECIES FROM CENTRAL BALKANS

Morpho-anatomical characteristics of Vaccinium myrtillus, V. uliginosum and V. vitis-idaea leaves from several sites of the Central Balkans were examined. The aim of this study was to investigate for the first time morpho-anatomical leaf traits of these species in the studied populations and to identify traits that follow a specific trend along the gradients of climate factors. Leaf traits that discriminate Vaccinium species were as follows: Depth of the adaxial cuticule (AdC), thickness of the palisade tissue (PT), thickness of the spongy tissue (ST), height of the abaxial epidermal cells (AbE), height of the abaxial cuticule (AbC) and leaf thickness (LT). Populations of V. myrtillus were characterized by the smallest, and populations of V. vitis-idaea by the highest values for AdC, PT, ST, AbE and LT. Additionally, AbC was significantly larger for V. uliginosum in comparison to two other species. On the basis of morpho-anatomical traits, intraspecific variability of the studied species was explored by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Cluster Analysis (CA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). CA based on 10 morpho-anatomical traits showed that populations of V. myrtillus and V. uliginosum that grew at lower altitudes (characterized by higher mean annual temperature) are more similar to each other. Especially V. myrtillus was responsive to the elevational gradient and exhibited the highest plasticity in morpho-anatomical leaf traits. Populations of V. vitis-idaea had a different pattern of differentiation along the elevational gradient. CA showed that the populations at the lowest and at the highest altitudes were more similar according to the morpho-anatomical leaf traits, meaning that evergreen leaves were more resistant to environmental conditions. © Polish Academy of Sciences and Jagiellonian University, Cracow 2021

Of the importance of a leaf: the ethnobotany of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans

BACKGROUND: Sarma - cooked leaves rolled around a filling made from rice and/or minced meat, possibly vegetables and seasoning plants - represents one of the most widespread feasting dishes of the Middle Eastern and South-Eastern European cuisines. Although cabbage and grape vine sarma is well-known worldwide, the use of alternative plant leaves remains largely unexplored. The aim of this research was to document all of the botanical taxa whose leaves are used for preparing sarma in the folk cuisines of Turkey and the Balkans. Methods: Field studies were conducted during broader ethnobotanical surveys, as well as during ad-hoc investigations between the years 2011 and 2014 that included diverse rural communities in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Primary ethnobotanical and folkloric literatures in each country were also considered. Results: Eighty-seven botanical taxa, mainly wild, belonging to 50 genera and 27 families, were found to represent the bio-cultural heritage of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans. The greatest plant biodiversity in sarma was found in Turkey and, to less extent, in Bulgaria and Romania. The most commonly used leaves for preparing sarma were those of cabbage (both fresh and lacto-fermented), grape vine, beet, dock, sorrel, horseradish, lime tree, bean, and spinach. In a few cases, the leaves of endemic species (Centaurea haradjianii, Rumex gracilescens, and R. olympicus in Turkey) were recorded. Other uncommon sarma preparations were based on lightly toxic taxa, such as potato leaves in NE Albania, leaves of Arum, Convolvulus, and Smilax species in Turkey, of Phytolacca americana in Macedonia, and of Tussilago farfara in diverse countries. Moreover, the use of leaves of the introduced species Reynoutria japonica in Romania, Colocasia esculenta in Turkey, and Phytolacca americana in Macedonia shows the dynamic nature of folk cuisines. Conclusion: The rich ethnobotanical diversity of sarma confirms the urgent need to record folk culinary plant knowledge. The results presented here can be implemented into initiatives aimed at re-evaluating folk cuisines and niche food markets based on local neglected ingredients, and possibly also to foster trajectories of the avant-garde cuisines inspired by ethnobotanical knowledge

European Vegetation Archive (EVA): An integrated database of European vegetation plots

© 2016 International Association for Vegetation Science. The European Vegetation Archive (EVA) is a centralized database of European vegetation plots developed by the IAVS Working Group European Vegetation Survey. It has been in development since 2012 and first made available for use in research projects in 2014. It stores copies of national and regional vegetation- plot databases on a single software platform. Data storage in EVA does not affect on-going independent development of the contributing databases, which remain the property of the data contributors. EVA uses a prototype of the database management software TURBOVEG 3 developed for joint management of multiple databases that use different species lists. This is facilitated by the SynBioSys Taxon Database, a system of taxon names and concepts used in the individual European databases and their corresponding names on a unified list of European flora. TURBOVEG 3 also includes procedures for handling data requests, selections and provisions according to the approved EVA Data Property and Governance Rules. By 30 June 2015, 61 databases from all European regions have joined EVA, contributing in total 1 027 376 vegetation plots, 82% of them with geographic coordinates, from 57 countries. EVA provides a unique data source for large-scale analyses of European vegetation diversity both for fundamental research and nature conservation applications. Updated information on EVA is available online at http://euroveg.org/eva-database

Long term grassland vegetation changes: Case study Nature Park Stara Planina (Serbia)

Changes in grassland flora and vegetation caused by inadequate management, primarily under-grazing and grasslands abandonment were studied in the south-east region of Serbia — Mt. Stara Planina, the largest mountain massif of the country. This mountain is one of the major centres of tertiary and endemic-relict plant species that remains in ravines, and glacial relics and mountain endemic species. The paper presents an analysis and comparison of previous (about 30 years ago) and current biodiversity of the most common grasslands, such as: ass. Festuco-Agrostietum vulgaris, Agrostio-Asphodeletum albae, Koelerietum montanae, Agrostietum vulgaris, Festucetum spadiceae, Nardetum strictae, Poetum molinerii-Plantaginetum carinatae, Poetum violaceae and Seslerietum coerulantis . Both environmental and human impacts on grassland vegetation were discussed and a proposal of sustainable grassland use and management is given

European Vegetation Archive (EVA): An integrated database of European vegetation plots

© 2016 International Association for Vegetation Science. The European Vegetation Archive (EVA) is a centralized database of European vegetation plots developed by the IAVS Working Group European Vegetation Survey. It has been in development since 2012 and first made available for use in research projects in 2014. It stores copies of national and regional vegetation- plot databases on a single software platform. Data storage in EVA does not affect on-going independent development of the contributing databases, which remain the property of the data contributors. EVA uses a prototype of the database management software TURBOVEG 3 developed for joint management of multiple databases that use different species lists. This is facilitated by the SynBioSys Taxon Database, a system of taxon names and concepts used in the individual European databases and their corresponding names on a unified list of European flora. TURBOVEG 3 also includes procedures for handling data requests, selections and provisions according to the approved EVA Data Property and Governance Rules. By 30 June 2015, 61 databases from all European regions have joined EVA, contributing in total 1 027 376 vegetation plots, 82% of them with geographic coordinates, from 57 countries. EVA provides a unique data source for large-scale analyses of European vegetation diversity both for fundamental research and nature conservation applications. Updated information on EVA is available online at http://euroveg.org/eva-database