Dry grasslands of NW Bulgarian mountains: first insights into diversity, ecology and syntaxonomy

Pedashenko, Hristo; Apostolova, Iva; Boch, Steffen; Ganeva, Anna; Janišová, Monika; Sopotlieva, Desislava; Todorova, Salza; Ünal, Aslan; Vassilev, Kiril; Velev, Nikolay; Dengler, Jürgen (2013). Dry grasslands of NW Bulgarian mountains: first insights into diversity, ecology and syntaxonomy. Tuexenia, 33, pp. 309-346. Göttingen: Floristisch-soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. (FlorSoz)

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We present the data of the 3rdresearch expedition of the European Dry Grasslands Group (EDGG), which was conducted in 2011 in two contrasting areas in NW Bulgarian mountains. The aim was to collect plot data for comparing Bulgarian dry grasslands with those of other parts of Europe in terms of syntaxonomy and biodiversity. We sampled 15 nested-plot series (0.0001–100 m²) and 68 normal plots(10 m²) covering the full variety of dry grassland types occurring in the Vratsa area (Balkan Mts.) and the Koprivshtitsa area (Sredna Gora Mt.). In the plots all vascular plants, terricolous non-vascular plants and a set of soil and other environmental parameters were determined. By applying modified TWIN-SPAN, we distinguished 10 floristically well characterised vegetation types at the association level. After comparison with the regional and European literature, we propose to place them within three classes and five orders: Festuco-Brometea with the orders Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis (xerophilous dry grasslands of base-rich rocks; alliance Saturejion montanae), Brachypodietalia pinnate (meso-xeric, basiphilous grasslands; alliances Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnate and Chyrsopogono grylli-Danthonion calycinae),Calluno-Ulicetea with the order Nardetalia stricae (lowland to montane Nardus swards; alliance Violion caninae), and Koelerio-Corynephoretea with the orders Sedo-Scleranthetalia (open communities of skeleton-rich, acidic soils; alliance unclear) and Trifolioarvensis-Festucetalia ovinae(closed, meso-xeric, acidophilous grasslands; alliance Armerio rumelicae-Potentillion). The Violion caninae with the association Festuco rubrae-Genistelletum sagittalisis reported from Bulgaria for the first time, while the two occurring Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities are described as new associations (Cetrario aculeatae-Plantaginetum radicatae, Plantagini radicatae-Agrostietum capillaris). According to DCA the main floristic gradient was largely determined by soil conditions, differentiating the Festuco-Brometea communities on soils with high pH and high humus content from the Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities on acidic, humus-poor soils, while the Calluno-Ulicetea stands are the connecting link. At 10 m² Festuco-Brometea and Calluno-Ulicetea stands were richer in species across all investigated taxa and in vascular plants than Koelerio-Corynephoretea stands; the latter were richest in lichen species, while bryophyte richness did not differ significantly among syntaxa. Among the Bulgarian classes, the species-area relationships tended to be steepest in the Festuco-Brometea (i.e. highest beta diversity), but both alpha and beta diversity clearly fell behind the Festuco-Brometea communities in the Transylvanian Plateau, Romania, located less than 500 km north of the study region. Overall, our study contributes to a more adequate placement of the Bulgarian dry grasslands in the European syntaxonomic system and provides valuable data for large-scale analyses of biodiversity patterns

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Plant Ecology

UniBE Contributor:

Boch, Steffen

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

0722-494X

Publisher:

Floristisch-soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. (FlorSoz)

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

31 Oct 2013 23:51

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:26

Related URLs:

Uncontrolled Keywords:

bryophyte, Calluno-Ulicetea, conservation, European Dry Grassland Group (EDGG), Festuco-Brometea, high nature value grassland, Koelerio-Corynephoretea, lichen, nomenclatural revision, species richness, vascular plant, vegetation classification

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.38710

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/38710

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