THE HISTORICAL OF BOTANICAL RESEARCHES REALIZED IN NEAGRA BROSTENILOR RIVER BASIN

Having a relative small area of approximately 350 Km², the Neagra Brostenilor river basin has been studied from the botanical point of view by numerous romanian and foreign botanists. This paper contains an enumeration of the botanical studies realized in this teritory in the period between 1788-first floristical mention and the 2005 years, and a short physical-geographical caracterization of this area

VEGETAL ASSOCIATIONS EDIFIED BY PINUS SYLVESTRIS L. IN NEAGRA BROŞTENILOR HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN

The diversity of the natural habitats specific to Neagra Broşteni hydrographical basin have favoured installation of two different types of pine phytocoenoses. Although both of these plants communities are characteristic to acid substrata, one is specific to oligotrophic peat - bogs (Oxycocco – Sphagnetea) and the other to mountain versants presenting acidophilous soils and accentuated slopes (Vaccinio – Piceetea). These vegetal associations are presented in phytosociological tables and analysed in this paper from the bioforms, floristic elements and ecological requests perspectives

ASPECTS OF THE FLORISTIC DIVERSITY IN NEAGRA BROŞTENILOR RIVER BASIN (EASTERN CARPATHIANS) (II)

The paper presents aspects of the floristic diversity (Cormobionta) from Neagra Broştenilor river basin including species from Aceraceae to Lemnaceae botanic families

SOME ASPECTS REGARDING THE CULTIVATION OF SPECIES WITH DECORATIVE VALUE ACONITUM DEGENII Gáyer

Ex situ conservation is the most important way through a Botanic Garden contributes to biodiversity conservation. One of the multiple directions of ex situ conservation is the diversification of the collections with spontaneous cormophytes presenting decorative value. Aconitum degenii Gáyer is an herbaceous, perennial and toxic species with the areal in Alps and Carpathian Mountains, sporadically met at forest’s margins. This species has been studied in 2009-2011 period in order to observe its behavior in the environmental conditions characteristic to the Botanic Garden of Iasi. To accomplish this aim seeds, rhizomes and individuals have been collected from the wild and introduced in experimental fields. Comparisons between flowering periods, qualitative (color of the flowers) and quantitative (number of the flowers, leaves and ramifications, plants height, rhizomes length) decorative characters of both cultivated and spontaneous individuals have been realized. It was observed that Aconitum degenii Gáyer individuals are keeping (almost the same quantitative characteristics) and even improve (longer flowering period) their decorative characteristics without being deteriorated or diminished. From the morpho – anatomical perspective none significant differences have been observed

EUNIS Habitat Classification: Expert system, characteristic species combinations and distribution maps of European habitats

Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation‐plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation‐plot database, and compile statistically‐derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location: Europe. Methods: We developed the classification expert system EUNIS‐ESy, which contains definitions of individual EUNIS habitats based on their species composition and geographic location. Each habitat was formally defined as a formula in a computer language combining algebraic and set‐theoretic concepts with formal logical operators. We applied this expert system to classify 1,261,373 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and other databases. Then we determined diagnostic, constant and dominant species for each habitat by calculating species‐to‐habitat fidelity and constancy (occurrence frequency) in the classified data set. Finally, we mapped the plot locations for each habitat. Results: Formal definitions were developed for 199 habitats at Level 3 of the EUNIS hierarchy, including 25 coastal, 18 wetland, 55 grassland, 43 shrubland, 46 forest and 12 man‐made habitats. The expert system classified 1,125,121 vegetation plots to these habitat groups and 73,188 to other habitats, while 63,064 plots remained unclassified or were classified to more than one habitat. Data on each habitat were summarized in factsheets containing habitat description, distribution map, corresponding syntaxa and characteristic species combination. Conclusions: EUNIS habitats were characterized for the first time in terms of their species composition and distribution, based on a classification of a European database of vegetation plots using the newly developed electronic expert system EUNIS‐ESy. The data provided and the expert system have considerable potential for future use in European nature conservation planning, monitoring and assessment

GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database " sPlot". Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY OF FORESTS VEGETATION FROM THE SUPERIOR MOUNTAIN LEVEL OF HĂŞMAŞUL MARE MASSIF (EASTERN CARPATHIANS)

The ecological conditions specific to the researched territory have favoured installation of a wooden vegetation represented by mountain beech forests, beech and resinous mixed forests and pure spruce-fir forests. Locally, on limited areas and superficial soils, relict pine phytocoenosis have been identified. Two plant communities from Vaccinio – Piceetea Br.-Bl. 1939 and Erico – Pinetea Horv. 1959 classes are presented and analysed in this paper from the bioforms, floristic elements and ecological requests perspectives

CONTRIBUTIONS TO AQUATIC VEGETATION OF ISAC-UZLINA COMPLEX KNOWLEDGE

Aquatic vegetation represents an important natural filter for the impurities charge of the Danube river water, constituting a barrier which hinds the polluants entrance in the Black Sea. It is important to mention that the conventional industrial installations, to obtain the treatment objectives of waste waters, use the same physical , chemical and biological principles as that which acts in a natural wet zone. The Isac – Uzlina aquatic complex (Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve) was studied and a number of 13 aquatic associations was identified. For every of these, the floristic structure, composition and specific features are also given out. 40 releves of aquatic vegetation from 40 points were used to characterize this aquatic complex