The digital database of aquatic and semiaquatic vegetation in Serbia

Abstract

Despite the absence of a centralized national phytocoenological database of Serbia, over 16,000 relev?s of all vegetation types have been gathered and stored in the database ?Phytocoenosis of Serbia? as a result of the Project ?Habitats of Serbia?. However, as the data on aquatic and semiaquatic vegetation comprise only 5% of the collected relev?s, the aim of this paper is to expand on this, complete the database and present the data on these vegetation types in Serbia. The work included the expansion of the existing database with the addition of relevant sources, their digitalization, using Flora and Turboveg programs, and their subsequent georeferencing, using OziExplorer and DIVAGIS softwares. Consequently, the phytocoenological database on aquatic and semiaquatic vegetation in Serbia now stores 1,720 relev?s from 243 phytocoenological tables, collected and published by 24 authors during the period of 70 years (1940-2010), with the majority of the relev?s collected over the last decade (56.40%). Phragmito-Magno-Caricetea Klika in Klika et Nov?k 1941 (Syn: Phragmitetea communis R. Tx. et Prsg. 1942), Potametea Klika in Klika et Nov?k 1941 (Syn: Potametea R. Tx. et Preising 1942) and Lemnetea de Bol?s et Masclans 1955 (Syn: Lemnetea minoris W. Koch et R. Tx. 1955) have proven to be the most represented classes, while Scirpo-Phragmitetum W. Koch 1926 (nomen ambiguum) and Salvinio natantis-Spirodeletum polyrrhizae Slavnic 1956 are associations with the highest number of relev?s in the database. Accordingly, the most common species (>500 relev?s) are Ceratophyllum demersum L. subsp. demersum, Lemna minor L. and Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden.