Plant Species In Central Europe Research Articles

Bioindication for Ecosystem Regeneration towards Natural conditions: the BERN data base and BERN model

The primary task of the BERN database is to document reference data on typical site parameters for the occurrence of plant communities in which their diagnostic species are in competitive equilibrium with each other and in homeostatic equilibrium with the site factors. Common approaches for the creation of a site-plant database such as ordination or bioindication based on individual species like PROPS or MultiMOVE model are of limited use because it is not possible to determine the potential occurrence of a plant species on the basis of site factors, since the competitive influences cannot be determined in advance according to current knowledge. Therefore, the BERN database takes into account the structure of plant communities with the abundance and dominance of species in the competitive equilibrium of plant communities as a reference for determining anthropogenically induced changes. Qualitative knowledge on the relationship between site types and vegetation communities is widely available, as can be seen from the extensive phytosociological publications. For this purpose, synoptic tables and their location descriptions of around 50,000 relevés were evaluated. The BERN database includes currently 887 central European plant communities and links to their diagnostically defining species composition. The database defines the niche of 2210 central European plant species for the soil properties pH, base saturation, carbon to nitrogen ratio, and wetness index and the climatic properties continentality, length of vegetation period, solar radiation and climatic water balance. The BERN model recombines the realised species niches that mainly form the competitively homeostatic structure of a plant community in order to determine the fundamental multifactorial niche of this community. The BERN database contains mainly historical recordings of more or less undisturbed sites. The BERN model (Bioindication for Ecosystem Regeneration towards Natural conditions) as an application module of the BERN database was developed to integrate ecological cause-effect relationships into studies on environmental status assessment and forecasting. The BERN database now has been published for the first time. The methodology of creating the BERN database and the BERN model are documented and applications are demonstrated with examples. The freely available database should invite you to supplement and modify it.

Diversity decrease due to loss of tidal influence at the Dove Elbe River between 1951 and 2016

Anthropogenic influence on riverine ecosystems has caused a drastic decline of natural floodplain ecosystems. Estuarine floodplains with their tidal influence are highly dynamic and harbour many rare and threatened plant species in Central Europe. This study focuses on the Dove Elbe River, which is an anabranch of the Elbe Estuary in Northwest Germany. In 1951, a sluice was built to disconnect the Dove Elbe River from the tidal influence of the Elbe River. This study aims to analyse changes in vegetation and environmental variables from 1951 to 2016. Therefore, 98 plots with vegetation records from 1951 along the Dove Elbe River were reassessed in 2016. 45 of the original plots were inventoried again, as 53 of the original plots were under water or majorly transformed, e.g. used as arable fields. Changes in vegetation type, diversity measures, species composition, and Ellenberg Indicator Values (EIV) for moisture and nutrition were analysed. The most remarkable outcome was the almost complete loss of wet pioneer vegetation types. While willows and other woody species were established on several plots with the former reed, Angelica archangelica community or Phalaris arundinacea community vegetation type, the intensification of agricultural land use caused a strong decline in species richness on grasslands. Overall, species richness per plot also decreased, and some threatened species were lost. The weighted average EIV for moisture clearly declined on all plots, which indicates drier conditions today compared to the mid-20th century. Our results reinforce the argument to restore the tidal influence along the Dove Elbe River.

The intensity of intraspecific plant-soil feedbacks in alien Impatiens species depends on the environment

Plant-soil feedback, i.e. the relationship in which a plant affects the composition of the soil and such modified soil affects plant growth, is becoming an important concept for explaining plant invasiveness. Impatiens parviflora is one of the most widespread invasive plant species in Central Europe, but it is unknown whether this species exhibits any form of plant–soil feedback, previously seen in other invasive species. In this study, we examined intraspecific plant-soil feedback of I. parviflora and compared it to feedbacks of other three alien, but non-invasive, Impatiens species growing in Central Europe. Moreover, we studied the effect of environmental conditions on this feedback.The four species were studied in a two-phase feedback experiment. In the first phase, soil was conditioned by a species or left unconditioned (control). During the second phase, plants were grown in soil conditioned by the same species and in control, not cultivated soil, under four different environmental conditions (two levels of watering × two levels of shading).All the studied species showed positive plant-soil feedback in some types of environment indicating they can potentially become invasive. The feedbacks for total biomass and for root-shoot ratio were significantly affected by environmental conditions. Individual species and studied performance measures responded differently to individual treatments. In most cases, the feedback was changing from positive in optimal treatment to neutral and in I. balsamina to negative under some suboptimal treatments. No effect of the environmental conditions on the feedback for germination was observed.These results indicate that environmental conditions play an important role in plant-soil feedbacks. We show that some feedbacks detected in highly controlled experiments using just one type of environmental conditions might not exist in the field, and similarly some existing feedbacks might remain undetected. We therefore recommend using multiple environmental conditions or conditions closely resembling conditions in natural sites to increase the realism of the results.

Philip Grime's fourth corner: are there plant species adapted to high disturbance and low productivity?

Grime's CSR species life‐strategy theory (competition–stress–ruderality) provides a conceptual framework to classify species into competitive (growing under high productivity, low disturbance), stress‐tolerant (low productivity, low disturbance) and ruderal (high productivity, high disturbance). Importantly, this classification is based on the assumption that the niche space of disturbance and productivity is filled unevenly: while in productive habitats species can adapt to different disturbance regimes, species of low‐productivity and disturbed habitats do not exist, resulting in a triangular distribution of species optima along axes of disturbance and productivity. This assumption has often been criticised, but it has not yet been put under a rigorous test.Here we use existing data on niche positions of central European plant species to test this hypothesis, namely its prediction that species adapted to jointly stressed (low‐productive) and disturbed habitats do not exist. We use Ellenberg indicator values and newly developed indicator values for disturbance as proxies of species positions in the space of productivity and disturbance.We found that positions of species optima along the gradients of productivity and disturbance severity are not independent of each other, with very few species adapted to low‐productive and severely disturbed habitats. In contrast, there is no relationship between productivity and disturbance frequency; a number of species occur in low‐productive and frequently disturbed habitats. The relationship between productivity and disturbance severity can be either due to tradeoffs between life history traits responsible for response to disturbance and productivity (as originally assumed by Grime) or due to historical rarity of severely disturbed habitats in unproductive conditions and consequent absence of evolution of species adapted to them. Our data are based on one specific flora, shaped by glaciations and early introduction of agriculture, but the question of what causes this pattern can be resolved by future analyses of floras with different evolutionary and ecological histories.

Introduction to special issue on the ecology of clonal plants

Clonality is one of the defining features of the whole plant kingdom. It underlies a number of functions that plant species have, from reproduction and competition to disturbance responses. Although clonality is present in the majority of plant species in Central Europe (53%), the importance of clonality in affecting colonization, persistence, abundance or interactions with other species has not been a focus of plant functional ecology. The international conference on clonality that began almost 30 years ago with a small meeting in the Netherlands has since provided an important platform for exchange of ideas and research among ecologists interested in clonality in plants. The most recent conference, CLONE 2015, held in Třeboň, Czech Republic provided the motivation for this special issue. Research on the biology of clonal plants has progressed substantially since the first conference, both by articulating well established topics and by adding new ones. Still, a number of topics relevant to understanding the wide-spread occurrence of clonality in plants have received little attention. In the collection of papers included in this special issue on the ecology of clonal plants, we have included several papers that explore new ideas that, we hope, will inspire further research into the role of clonality in plant ecological strategies.

Climatic niche of Selinum alatum (Apiaceae, Selineae), a new invasive plant species in Central Europe and its alterations according to the climate change scenarios: Are the European mountains threatened by invasion?

In recent years, a few established populations of Selinum alatum have been found in the Eastern Carpathians outside its native range that is the Caucasus and the Armenian Highlands. The species is spreading predominantly in Poland where it can outcompete native plants in certain cases. This study addresses a potential climatic niche of the plant with the special aims to illuminate future spreading and indicate areas suitable for invasion. Our results show that the extent of the favourable habitat of the species is broader than currently known. This suggests that the plant has the ability to become a potential new element in some semi-natural or disturbed ecosystems associated with mountainous areas, especially in Central and Southern Europe. Future (2070) models mostly rendered similar suitability maps, but showed slight differences over particular areas and a contraction of suitable habitats, mainly in the northern part of the non-native range.

Invasive Impatiens parviflora has negative impact on native vegetation in oak-hornbeam forests

Impatiens parviflora (Balsaminaceae) is one of the most widespread invasive plant species in Central Europe. Nevertheless, both mechanisms and consequences of its invasion are still poorly understood. In this study we attempt to understand the impact of this species on native vegetation.The impact of I. parviflora on native vegetation was studied using removal experiment on permanent plots in oak-hornbeam forests in central Bohemia, Czech Republic. Nine pairs of plots were established in invaded vegetation, one plot in each pair stayed invaded and the other served as removal plot and all I. parviflora individuals were repeatedly removed from the plot. Species composition in 4 subsequent years was recorded in the plots. Species response to I. parviflora removal was correlated to plant traits to reveal trait characteristics of species suppressed by the invasion.Significant increase in both numbers and cover of native species was observed in removal plots in comparison with invaded plots during the experiment, with the greatest change in first two years after invader removal. Species composition also significantly differed between invaded and removal plots. Species with high affinity to removal plots, i.e. species that are most restricted by I. parviflora invasion, were mostly species with small releasing height and early start of flowering.Our results indicate that I. parviflora has negative impact on native vegetation but that the vegetation can recover within few years after the invader removal. Due to its extensive distribution and high turnover, removal of the species from larger plots is, however, not realistic in practice.

Invasive goldenrods affect abundance and diversity of grassland ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Goldenrods (Solidago sp.) are currently one of the most invasive plant species in Central Europe. They threaten abandoned semi-natural wet grasslands which are extremely vulnerable to plant succession and invasions. We assessed whether Solidago invasion affects ants, keystone organisms essential to proper ecosystem functioning and to the existence of myrmecophilous Phengaris butterflies. Ten meadows containing 60 plots with and without goldenrods were studied. We found a strong, negative dependence between the presence of goldenrod cover and the number of ant nests (more than 50 % reduction compared to control) as well as the number of species, and changes in species composition. Myrmica ants, essential hosts for Phengaris larvae, were among the most affected species by goldenrod invasion. Immediate action should be undertaken for restoration and maintenance of biodiversity hotspots affected by goldenrod invasion.

Know your limits – The need for better data on species responses to soil variables

Species distribution modelling has largely focused on larger spatial scales and the significance of climatic variables for future species ranges. In this study, we argue that more attention should be paid to local processes and the responses of species along soil gradients, as habitat destruction and change in terms of an altered edaphic environment are the main factors behind the decline of many plant species in Central Europe. Examples from deciduous forests and calcareous dry grasslands show that response optima and especially response limits relative to soil pH and phosphorus availability are more closely related to the range sizes and threat levels of species than the traditionally applied Ellenberg indicator values, and that species assumed to have similar preferences show considerable, ecologically relevant differences in their thresholds. There is an urgent need for collecting more and better soil data and for analyzing the relationships between the spatial distribution of plant species and edaphic variables on regional and local scales, in order to identify optimal and marginal habitats of species as a pre-requisite for their successful conservation.

Content of total phenolics and antioxidant capacity of plant species Aremonia agrimonoides (L.) DC (Rosaceae)

Aremonia agrimonoides (L.) DC is native plant species in central Europe. The examined material was picked up in May 2006 in the surroundings of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, dried in thin layer and pulverized immediately before the experiment. Radical scavenging capacity of plant water extracts against stabile radical DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate) was determined spectrophotometrically according to the method described by Yen and Duh (1). We have also examined the antioxidant capacity of water extract, after treatment with ethyl acetate (for removing soluble condensed tannins). The content of total phenolic compounds was determined by Prussian blue method (2) and procyanidins with acid butanol method in water extract (3). Antioxidant capacity: herb 90.91%, rhizome with root 86.36% and after removing soluble condensed tannins with ethyl acetate the results were: herb 88.58%, rhizome with root 82.64%. Total phenolics results: herb 15.50%, rhizome with root 16.36%. Procyanidins in extracts: herb 7.43%, rhizome with root 20.47%. On the basis of the antioxidant capacity found in extracts, it can not be presumed that the main antioxidant capacity in herb as well as rhizome with root was from phenolic compounds.

Chloroplast DNA variation of Betula humilis Schrk. in Poland and Belarus

Betula humilis is an endangered plant species in Central Europe. In order to protect this species, it is necessary to document its genetic diversity in this region and to identify areas for conservation prioritisation. As molecular investigations conducted throughout the ranges of many plant species have shown that the highest genetic diversities are found within former glacial refugia and/or within the contact zones of different phylogenetic lineages, we investigated the reasons underlying the considerable genetic variation of B. humilis in northeastern Poland revealed previously using nuclear microsatellites. We analysed 365 individuals of B. humilis from 19 populations and 67 specimens of Betula pendula and Betula pubescens sampled in four geographical regions in Poland and Belarus for polymorphism in chloroplast PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism markers. Genetic data strongly suggested that B. humilis could have survived the Last Glacial Maximum at higher latitudes, but the hypothesis of a refugium in southeastern Poland was rejected. Chloroplast DNA analysis confirmed high genetic diversity in some populations in northeastern Poland. This phenomenon can likely be explained in terms of a suture zone, as the high haplotypic richness was followed by h T ≤ v T. Similar patterns of haplotype distributions in the birches under study and high introgression ratio (IG = 0.71) among B. humilis and congeneric trees suggested that postglacial recolonisation of the shrub birch was complicated by haplotype sharing with other birches.

Central European plant species from more productive habitats are more invasive at a global scale

ABSTRACTAim Accumulating evidence indicates that species may be pre‐adapted for invasion success in new ranges. In the light of increasing global nutrient accumulation, an important candidate pre‐adaptation for invasiveness is the ability to grow in nutrient‐rich habitats. Therefore we tested whether globally invasive species originating from Central Europe have come from more productive rather than less productive habitats. A further important candidate pre‐adaptation for invasiveness is large niche width. Therefore, we also tested whether species able to grow across habitats with a wider range of productivity are more invasive.Location Global with respect to invasiveness, and Central European with respect to origin of study species.Methods We examined whether average habitat productivity and its width across habitats are significant predictors of the success of Central European species as aliens and as weeds elsewhere in the world based on data in the Global Compendium of Weeds. The two habitat productivity measures were derived from nutrient indicator values (after Ellenberg) of accompanying species present in vegetation records of the comprehensive Czech National Phytosociological Database. In the analyses, we accounted for phylogenetic relatedness among species and for size of the native distribution ranges.Results Species from more productive habitats and with a wider native habitat‐productivity niche in Central Europe have higher alien success elsewhere in the world. Weediness of species increased with mean habitat productivity. Niche width was also an important determinant of weediness for species with their main occurrence in nutrient‐poor habitats, but not for those from nutrient‐rich habitats.Main conclusions Our results indicate that Central European plant species from productive habitats and those species from nutrient‐poor habitat with wide productivity‐niche are pre‐adapted to become invasive. These results suggest that the world‐wide invasion success of many Central European species is likely to have been promoted by the global increase of resource‐rich habitats.

Risk analysis of potential invasive plants in Spain

Once non-native species become established in a new region, they are extremely difficult to eradicate or control, suggesting an urgent need for the development of early warning systems to determine the probability of a given species becoming invasive. Risk assessment schemes are valuable tools to diminish the risk of invasion and to concentrate resources on preventing the entrance and spread of those species with higher risk of invasion. For many European countries, plant species not yet introduced to the country and with high invasive potential have not been identified. The present study aims to identify and rank non-native plant species that could potentially become invasive in Spain if introduced. As a first step, a plant data set was pre-selected for screening, containing invasive plants in neighbouring countries and in other Mediterranean regions of the world but not present in Spain. A preliminary list of 80 species was obtained, Leguminosae being the most represented family (15%) and gardening (62%) the most common pathway of introduction. As for the potential European Nature Information System (EUNIS) habitats to invade, heath land and scrubland habitats types (F; 19%), followed by constructed, industrial and artificial habitats (J; 14%) and woodland and forest habitats (G; 13%) seem to be the habitats most at risk despite F and G habitats currently being the least invaded in Spain. We ranked these potential invasive species using the Australian Weed Risk Assessment system and a Risk Assessment for Central Europe developed by Weber & Gut (2004) [Weber, E., & Gut, D. (2004). Assessing the risk of potentially invasive plant species in central Europe. Journal for Nature Conservation , 12, 171–179]. Most species received intermediate values in both tests. The species with higher scores were mainly aquatic plants and should be prohibited or kept out of trade. Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) obtained the highest score in both tests and therefore is the species with the highest risk to become invasive in Spain if introduced.

Genetic variation of Eryngium campestre L. (Apiaceae) in Central Europe

In Germany, Eryngium campestre is restricted to dry habitats along the rivers Rhine and Elbe and to a few areas in Central Germany. This distribution pattern is usually regarded as a typical pattern of postglacial immigration. In the present study, we investigated whether these two geographically distinct distribution areas are genetically differentiated and whether conclusions can be drawn regarding colonization history. To analyse the phylogeographic structure of E. campestre in Central Europe, 278 individuals from 29 populations within Germany and from further reference populations within Europe were analysed. We applied amplified fragment length polymorphisms to examine their genetic relatedness. Our analyses revealed three groups: a Mediterranean group additionally including two Rhine populations; a Rhine-Main group which further includes the westernmost population from the central German dry area; and one group which includes all eastern populations. Our results show that the two geographically distinct areas are genetically differentiated. As genetic diversity within the Elbe populations is very low, we conclude that this area, which was strongly affected through the late glacial maximum, was colonized relatively recently. High genetic diversity in the Rhine populations indicates a contact zone where lineages of different origin met. This would imply that today's patterns of genetic variation were caused through glacial range contractions and expansions. The present study is one of the first studies that deal with the postglacial distribution pattern of a dry grassland plant species in Central Europe and the results suggest that a survival of E. campestre at least during the Dryas cold stage might be possible.

Assessing the risk of potentially invasive plant species in central Europe

A risk assessment system was developed to assess the invasion potential of new environmental weeds in central Europe. A pre-evaluation step excludes species that are officially controlled, widespread, or intended for use in protected cultures only. Species eligible for risk assessment are classified into three categories (high risk, further observation required, low risk) by rating them according to various biogeographical and ecological aspects. The rating system was validated by testing 47 well-known invasive plant species of temperate Europe and 193 exotic plants which have failed to establish themselves in Switzerland. The overall accuracy was 65%. Accuracy of correctly predicting invasive species was 77%, while accuracy of correctly predicting non-invasive species was 62%. The proposed risk assessment protocol should be understood as a first attempt for a European country and needs modifications. These can only be achieved by applying the system in practice.

Assessment of the effects of ozone exposure and plant competition on the reproductive ability of three therophytic clover species from Iberian pastures

Abstract Ozone (O3) phytototoxicity has been reported on a wide range of crops and wild Central European plant species, however no information has been provided regarding the sensitivity of plant species from dehesa Mediterranean therophytic grasslands in spite of their great plant species richness and the high O3 levels that are recorded in this area. A study was carried out in open-top chambers (OTCs) to assess the effects of O3 and competition on the reproductive ability of three clover species: Trifolium cherleri, Trifolium subterraneum and Trifolium striatum. A phytometer approach was followed, therefore plants of these species were grown in mesoscosms composed of monocultures of four plants of each species, of three plants of each species competing against a Briza maxima individual or of a single plant of each clover species competing with three B. maxima plants. Three O3 treatments were adopted: charcoal filtered air (CFA), non-filtered air (NFA) and non-filtered air supplemented with 40 nl l−1 of O3 (NFA+). The different mesocosms were exposed to the different O3 treatments for 45 days and then they remained in the open. Ozone exposure caused reductions in the flower biomass of the three clover species assessed. In the case of T. cherleri and T. subterraneum this effect was found following their exposure to the different O3 treatments during their vegetative period. An attenuation of these effects was found when the plants remained in the open. Ozone-induced detrimental effects on the seed output of T. striatum were also observed. The flower biomass of the clover plants grown in monocultures was greater than when competing with one or three B. maxima individuals. An increased flower biomass was found in the CFA monoculture mesocosms of T. cherleri when compared with the remaining mesocosms, once the plants were exposed in the open for 60 days. The implications of these effects on the performance of dehesa acid grasslands and for the definition of O3 critical levels is discussed.

Regional and local patterns in plant species richness with respect to resource availability

The hump‐shaped relationship between plant species richness and productivity is a well‐established and important paradigm. While plot‐based species richness patterns on local scales have received much attention, little is currently known about species‐based patterns on a regional scale. Using Ellenberg's indicator values for 1802 plant species in central Europe, we assess the patterns in regional species richness with respect to light, water, and mineral nutrient availability – three variables that strongly influence productivity. The results of this analysis are compared to those of published studies on smaller scales leading to the following conclusions:On a regional scale in central Europe there is a hump‐shaped relationship between soil nutrient supply and plant species richness within a given biome.The peak in species richness for grasslands and wetlands occurs on nutrient‐poor soils, while the peak for forests is on nutrient‐rich soils.Gradients in plant productivity controlled by different variables (i.e. water, nutrients, or disturbance) have dissimilar effects on plant species richness.

Growth forms of biennial and pluriennial vascular plants in central Europe

The growth forms of bi- and pluriennial central European plant species were analyzed and summarized systematically by means of a dichotomous key. Ten growth forms are distinguished according to vegetative morphological characters of the plants: holoparasitic erosulate, (simple) erosulate, floating semirosette, succulent semirosette, tufted semirosette, (simple) semirosette, storage root semirosette, tuber semirosette, storage root rosette, and (simple) rosette bi- or pluriennial plants. Only very few species are strictly biennial or pluriennial. Each individual plant can be assigned to only one growth form system according to the life span (the system of bi-and pluriennials in the present case). However, several species include individuals that behave as annuals as well as biennials/pluriennials and/or periennials. The term “hapaxanthic” is discussed concerning to its reference level in relation to the plant organism. Three types of hapaxanthy can be distinguished in this context: Genet hapaxanthy with and without vegetative reproduction and ramet hapaxanthy.