Can the Iberian floristic diversity withstand near-future climate change?

We assess how effectively the current network of protected areas (PAs) across the Iberian Peninsula will conserve plant diversity under near-future (2020) climate change. We computed 3267 MAXENT environmental niche models (ENMs) at 1-km spatial resolution for known Iberian plant species under two climate scenarios (1950-2000 baseline & 2020). To predict near-future species distributions across the network of Iberian and Balearics PAs, we combined projections of species’ ENMs with simulations of propagule dispersal by using six scenarios of annual dispersal rates (no dispersal, 0.1 km, 0.5 km, 1 km, 2 km and unlimited). Mined PA grid cell values for each species were then analyzed. We forecast 3% overall floristic diversity richness loss by 2020. The habitat of regionally extant species will contract on average by 13.14%. Niche movement exceeds 1 km per annum for 30% of extant species. While the southerly range margin of northern plant species retracts northward at 8.9 km per decade, overall niche movement is more easterly and westerly than northerly. There is little expansion of the northern range margin of southern plant species even under unlimited dispersal. Regardless of propagule dispersal rate, altitudinal niche movement of +25 m per decade is strongest for northern species. Pyrenees flora is most vulnerable to near-future climate change with many northern plant species responding by shifting their range westerly and easterly rather than northerly. Northern humid habitats will be particularly vulnerable to near-future climate change. Andalusian National Parks will become important southern biodiversity refuges. With limited human intervention (particularly in the Pyrenees), we conclude that floristic diversity in Iberian PAs should withstand near-future climate change

Suha travišča južne Evrope: sintaksonomija, gospodarjenje in ohranjenje

The Mediterranean area is a natural biodiversity hotspot that has also been influenced by humans for millennia. Especially the grasslands of Southern Europe have long been known for their diversity and beauty. However, several gaps remain in our knowledge about these grasslands, e.g. for some regions such as the southern Balkans, or taxonomic groups such as cryptogams. Here we introduce a Special Issue with contributions from the 9th European Dry Grassland Group meeting held in Prespa, Greece, 2012. The topic of this meeting was “Dry grasslands of Europe: grazing and ecosystem services” with special focus on Southern European regions. The Special Issue, apart from this Editorial, consists of eight contributions arranged according to the three major topics: syntaxonomy (5 articles), management (2) and conservation (1). The classification papers include descriptions of four new associations and four subassociations. Data about management practices are provided as well. We conclude that dry grassland vegetation in Southern Europe exhibits transitions between different higher syntaxa and thus requires further studies at broader scales to allow better understanding at the supranational scale.Mediteran je naravna vroča točka biodiverzitete, na katero je človek tisočletja močno vplival. Po svoji raznolikosti in lepoti so še posebej že dolgo znana travišča južne Evrope, vendar so v poznavanju teh travišč prisotne številne vrzeli na območju južnega Balkana ali posameznih taksonomskih skupin, kot so kriptogami. Predstavljamo posebno številko s prispevki z 9. srečanja Evropske skupine za suha travišča (European Dry Grassland Group), ki je bilo leta 2012 v mestu Prespa (Grčija). Tema srečanja je bila “Suha travišča Evrope: paša in ekosistemske storitve” s posebnim poudarkom na območjih južne Evrope. Posebno številko poleg tega uvodnika sestavlja osem prispevkov, ki smo jih uredili v tri glavne teme: sintaksonomijo (5 člankov), gospodarjenje (2) in ohranjanje travišč (1). Članki o klasifikaciji vsebujejo opise štirih novih asociacij in štirih subasociacij. Prav tako vsebujejo podatke o načinu gospodarjenja. Zaključimo lahko, da kaže vegetacija suhih travišč v južni Evropi prehod med različnimi višjimi sintaksoni in zato so potrebne nadaljnje raziskave v večjem merilu, ki bodo omogočile boljše razumevanje v nadnacionalnem merilu

Minuartio valentinaeQuercetum pyrenaicae: una nueva serie de vegetación de los melojares de las montañas levantinas costeras y sus comunidades seriales

[EN] The study of Quercus pyrenaica forests in eastern areas of the Iberian Peninsula has differentiated a set of relevés from Castellón. They are located in subhumid sites in the upper mesomediterranean to low supramediterranean thermotype territories of Sierra de Espadán, in the Valenciano-Tarraconense biogeographical sector. A new forest Minuartio valentinaeQuercetum pyrenaicae is therefore described here, together with its main seral communities.[ES] El estudio de los bosques de Quercus pyrenaica del centro y este ibérico ha discriminado un conjunto de inventarios procedentes de Castellón. Están situados en emplazamientos de termotipos mesomediterráneo superior-supramediterráneo inferior y ombrotipo subhúmedo de la Sierra de Espadán, incluidos en el sector biogeográfico Valenciano-Tarraconense. Así, se describe la nueva asociación de melojares Minuartio valentinae-Quercetum pyrenaicae y las comunidades seriales que forman una nueva serie de vegetación para la Península Ibérica.We want to thank Pru Brooke-Turner the English revision and also to anonymous reviewers for the comments to the manuscript. This paper has been financed by the Madrid Autonomous Government through the research project REMEDINAL2 (S2009/AMB-1783).Vilches De La Serna, B.; Merle Farinós, HB.; Ferriol Molina, M.; Sánchez Mata, D.; Gavilán, RG. (2013). Minuartio valentinae-Quercetum pyrenaicae: a new Iberian broad-leaved oak forest in the eastern coastal mountains and their seral plant communities. Lazaroa. 34:209-217. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_LAZA.2013.v34.nl.43578S2092173

Post-glacial determinants of regional species pools in alpine grasslands

[Aim] Alpine habitats support unique biodiversity confined to high-elevation areas in the current interglacial. Plant diversity in these habitats may respond to area, environment, connectivity and isolation, yet these factors have been rarely evaluated in concert. Here we investigate major determinants of regional species pools in alpine grasslands, and the responses of their constituent species groups.[Location] European mountains below 50° N.[Time period] Between 1928 and 2019.[Major taxa studied] Vascular plants.[Methods] We compiled species pools from alpine grasslands in 23 regions, including 794 alpine species and 2,094 non-alpines. We used species–area relationships to test the influence of the extent of alpine areas on regional richness, and mixed-effects models to compare the effects of 12 spatial and environmental predictors. Variation in species composition was addressed by generalized dissimilarity models and by a coefficient of dispersal direction to assess historical links among regions.[Results] Pool sizes were partially explained by current alpine areas, but the other predictors largely contributed to regional differences. The number of alpine species was influenced by area, calcareous bedrock, topographic heterogeneity and regional isolation, while non-alpines responded better to connectivity and climate. Regional dissimilarity of alpine species was explained by isolation and precipitation, but non-alpines only responded to isolation. Past dispersal routes were correlated with latitude, with alpine species showing stronger connections among regions.[Main conclusions] Besides area effects, edaphic, topographic and spatio-temporal determinants are important to understand the organization of regional species pools in alpine habitats. The number of alpine species is especially linked to refugia and isolation, but their composition is explained by past dispersal and post-glacial environmental filtering, while non-alpines are generally influenced by regional floras. New research on the dynamics of alpine biodiversity should contextualize the determinants of regional species pools and the responses of species with different ecological profiles.The authors thank Daniela Gaspar for support in GIS analyses. B.J.-A. thanks the Marie Curie Clarín-COFUND program of the Principality of Asturias-EU (ACB17-26), the regional grant IDI/2018/000151, and the Spanish Research Agency grant AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033. J.V.R.-D. was supported by the ACA17-02FP7 Marie Curie COFUND-Clarín grant. G.P.M. was funded by US National Science Foundation award 1853665. C.M. was funded by grant no. 19-28491 of the Czech Science Foundation.Peer reviewe

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

<scp>ReSurveyEurope</scp>: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

AbstractAimsWe introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions.ResultsReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun‐Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020.ConclusionsReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine‐scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well‐established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.</jats:sec

Syntaxonomical update on the relict groves of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. iberica) and Spanish black pine (Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii) in the Gredos range (central Spain)

Pure and mixed high-mountain pine forest vegetation of the Gredos range (central Spain) was studied using 57 relevés and multivariate analyses (hierarchical cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis). Classification of the relevés resulted in 7 vegetation units, 3 of which were ranked as associations and only one as subassociation. DCA diagrams of relevés and taxa indicated that floristic differentiation was attributed mainly to factors such as altitude. Differential taxa of vegetation units were chosen based on their phi coefficient values. The statistic discrimination of some of these vegetation units has allowed us to propose a new association and a new subassociation of other community described in a previous paper.Peer reviewe