Vascular Plant Species Diversity Research Articles

Floristic diversity of vascular plants in the Mimouna Forest (north-western Algeria)

In arid and semi-arid areas, wild vegetation is a very important natural resource and provides various ecosystem services, such as environmental adjustment functions. It is therefore important to manage and protect plant diversity in these areas. We investigated the Mimouna Forest in the Algerian Saida Province, characterized by a Mediterranean-type climate with maximum average monthly temperature of 27.1°C, minimum of 8.3°C and annual rainfall of 345 mm. We described and analysed the species diversity of vascular plants in this area. The floristic inventory was carried out using a subjective sampling method. This allowed us to identify 93 species belonging to 80 genera and 33 botanical families. The major families were the Asteraceae (16%) and Poaceae (14%). The analysis of plant life-forms showed the dominance of therophytes (36%) and hemicryptophytes (28%). On the phytogeographic level, the prevailing chorological elements were of Mediterranean affinity (54% in total). Endemic taxa accounted for 9% of the flora. The Shannon index was moderately high (3.62) and 13% of the recorded species were rare, including 5 protected by Algerian law.

Vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen biodiversity of Agguttinni Territorial Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada: an annotated species checklist of a new Arctic protected area

Agguttinni Territorial Park is a large, newly established park on the east-central coast of Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. Previous knowledge of the plant and lichen biodiversity was limited and based mostly on collections made during the 1950 Baffin Island Expedition. We conducted a floristic inventory of the park in 2021 and re-examined previous collections. We recorded 141 species of vascular plants belonging to 25 families, 69 species of bryophytes in 27 families, and 93 species of lichens in 23 families. Most of the vascular plant and bryophyte species are new records for the park area, and some vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens are newly reported for Baffin Island, Nunavut, or the Canadian Arctic or represent significant range extensions. Vascular plant species diversity varied greatly among localities, with inland valleys at the heads of fiords showing highest diversity and interior rocky barrens showing the lowest.

A multitaxonomic assessment of Natura 2000 effectiveness across European biogeographic regions.

The Natura 2000 (N2K) protected area (PA) network is a crucial tool to limit biodiversity loss in Europe. Despite covering 18% of EU's land area, its effectiveness at conserving biodiversity across taxa and biogeographic regions remains uncertain. Testing this effectiveness is, however, difficult as it requires considering the non-random location of PAs, and many possible confounding factors. Here, we used propensity score matching accounting for the confounding effects of biogeographic regions, terrain ruggedness, and land cover, when assessing the effectiveness of N2K PAs on the distribution of 1,769 priority species from EU's Birds and Habitats Directives, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, arthropods, fishes, molluscs, vascular and non-vascular plants. We compared alpha, beta, and gamma diversity between matched selections of protected and non-protected areas across EU's biogeographic regions using generalized linear models, generalized mixed models, and non-parametric tests for paired samples, respectively, for each taxonomic group and for the entire set of species. While we found N2K PAs to host significantly more priority species than non-protected land, this difference was not consistent across biogeographic regions and taxa. Total alpha diversity as well as alpha diversity of amphibians, arthropods, birds, mammals, and vascular plants were significantly higher inside PAs than outside, except in the Boreal region. Beta diversity was in general significantly higher inside N2K PAs than outside. Similarly, gamma diversity showed the highest values within N2K PAs, with some exceptions in Boreal and Atlantic regions. The planned expansion of the N2K network, as dictated by the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, should therefore target areas in the southern part of the Boreal region, areas with high species diversity of amphibians, arthropods, birds, mammals, and vascular plants, which are currently underrepresented in the N2K network. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Vascular plant communities and biocrusts act as controlling factors in mitigating soil erosion on the Great Wall in a semi-humid area of Northwestern China

The Great Wall, a World Heritage Site and a vertical wall habitat, is under threat of soil erosion. The role of vascular plants and biocrust in controlling soil erosion has attracted attention, yet our knowledge of the underlying mechanism is limited, and there is a lack of systematic strategies for erosion prevention and control. In this study, we quantified the vascular plant community functional composition (including species diversity, functional diversity, and community-weighted mean), biocrust coverage, and soil erosion levels associated with seven different zones (lower, middle, and upper zones on East and West faces, plus wall crest) of the Great Wall. We then employed a combination of linear regression analysis, random forest model, and structural equation model to evaluate the individual and combined effects, as well as the direction and relative importance of these factors in reducing soil erosion. The results indicated that the vascular plant species richness, species diversity, functional richness, community-weighted mean, and moss crust coverage decreased significantly from the crest to the lower zone of the Great Wall (P < 0.05), and were negatively correlated with the soil erosion area and depth on both sides of the Great Wall (P < 0.05). This suggests that higher zones on the wall favored the colonization and growth of biocrusts and vascular plants and that biocrusts and vascular plants reduced soil erosion on the wall. Based on these findings, we propose a “restoration framework” for managing soil erosion on walls, based on biocrust and vascular plant communities (namely target species selection, plant community construction, biocrust inoculation, and maintenance of community stability), which aims to address the urgent need for more effective soil erosion prevention and control strategies on the Great Wall and provide practical methods that practitioners can utilize.

The drivers of dark diversity in the Scandinavian mountains are metric‐dependent

AbstractQuestionDark diversity refers to the set of species that are not observed in an area but could potentially occur based on suitable local environmental conditions. In this paper, we applied both niche‐based and co‐occurrence‐based methods to estimate the dark diversity of vascular plant species in the subarctic mountains. We then aimed to unravel the drivers explaining (a) why some locations were missing relatively more suitable species than others, and (b) why certain plant species were more often absent from suitable locations than others.LocationThe Scandinavian mountains around Abisko, northern Sweden.MethodsWe calculated the dark diversity in 107 plots spread out across four mountain trails using four different methods: two co‐occurrence‐based (Beals’ index and the hypergeometric method) and two niche‐based (the climatic niche model and climatic niche model followed by species‐specific threshold). We then applied multiple Generalized Linear Mixed‐Effects Models and General Linear Models to determine which habitat characteristics and species traits contributed the most to dark diversity.ResultsThe study showed a notable divergence in the predicted drivers of dark diversity depending on the method used. Nevertheless, we can conclude that plot‐level dark diversity was generally 17% higher in areas at low elevations and 31% higher in areas with a low species richness.ConclusionOur findings call for caution when interpreting statistical findings of dark‐diversity estimates. Even so, all analyses point toward an important role for natural processes such as competitive dominance as the main driver of the spatial patterns found in dark diversity in the northern Scandes.

Mapping wild vascular plant species diversity in urban areas in California using crowdsourcing data by regression kriging: Examining socioeconomic disparities

Biodiversity is crucial for human health, but previous methods of measuring biodiversity require intensive resources and have other limitations. Crowdsourced datasets from citizen scientists offer a cost-effective solution for characterizing biodiversity on a large spatial scale. This study has two aims: 1) to generate fine-resolution plant species diversity maps in California urban areas using crowdsourced data and extrapolation methods; and 2) to examine their associations with sociodemographic factors and identify subpopulations with low biodiversity exposure. We used iNaturalist observations from 2019 to 2022 to calculate species diversity metrics by exploring the sampling completeness in a 5 × 5-km2 grid and then computing species diversity metrics for grid cells with at least 80 % sample completeness (841 out of 4755 grid cells). A generalized additive model with ordinary kriging (GAM OK) provided moderately reliable estimates, with correlations of 0.64–0.66 between observed and extrapolated metrics, relative mean absolute errors of 21 %–23 %, and relative root mean squared errors of 27 %–30 % for grid cells with ≥80 % sample completeness from 10-fold cross-validation. GAM OK was further applied to extrapolate species diversity metrics from saturated grid cells (N = 841) to the remaining grid cells with <80 % sample completeness (N = 3914) and generate diversity maps that cover the grid. Further, generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the associations between species diversity and sociodemographic indicators at census tract level. The wild vascular plant species diversity metrics were inversely associated with neighborhood socioeconomic status (i.e., unemployment, linguistic isolation, educational attainment, and poverty rate). Minority populations (i.e., African American, Asian American, and Hispanic) and children had significantly lower diversity exposure in their neighborhoods. Crowdsourcing data offers a cost-effective solution for characterizing large-scale biodiversity in urban areas.

Spatial patterns of phylogenetic and species diversity of Fennoscandian vascular plants in protected areas

Protected areas are one of the main strategic means for conserving biodiversity. Yet, the design of protected areas usually neglects phylogenetic diversity, an important diversity measure. In this paper we assess the phylogenetic diversity and species richness of vascular plants in Fennoscandian protected areas. We evaluate how much species richness and phylogenetic diversity is found within and outside protected areas, and the differences in plant diversity between different categories of protected areas. We also assess the differences in the diversity-area relationship of the different protected area categories in terms of both species richness and phylogenetic diversity. We build a multi-locus phylogeny of 1,519 native vascular plants of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. We estimate the phylogenetic diversity and species richness by combining the phylogeny with publicly available occurrence data and the currently protected area system of Fennoscandia. Our results indicate that protected areas in Fennoscandia hold more plant diversity when larger, and that phylogenetic diversity increases faster with area than species richness. We found evidence for more plant diversity outside of protected areas of the different countries of Fennoscandia than inside of protected areas, but no evidence for plant diversity differences between areas with different protection status. Hence, our results indicate that the current protected area system in Fennoscandia is no more effective in conserving phylogenetic diversity and species richness of vascular plants than a random selection of localities. Our results also indicate that planning conservation strategies around phylogenetic diversity, rather than species richness, might be a first step to protect vascular plant diversity more effectively.

Plant diversity on islands in the Anthropocene: Integrating the effects of the theory of island biogeography and human activities

Understanding how the complexities of biodiversity are maintained on islands has long been one of the central issues studied in conservation biology. With the global onset of anthropogenically driven biodiversity changes, the influence of anthropogenic activities challenges the applicability of the widely accepted Equilibrium Theory of Island Biogeography (ETIB). This study aimed to test how island area, isolation (MD: distance to the mainland, and ND: distance to the nearest island), and human activities (habitat heterogeneity, and proportion of road area relative to island area to refer to the human impact on island) separately and jointly affect the species diversity of vascular plants. The number of plant species with different growth forms (woody plants, herbs, and lianas) was calculated on 35 islands in Sanyang Wetland, which is a human-dominated wetland near the highly populated city of Wenzhou, China. We also evaluated the relative importance of these variables on the number of species using a random forest analysis. The number of species increased with increasing island area and habitat heterogeneity and decreased with increasing isolation for different growth forms. A significant, positive relationship was observed between the number of species and the proportion of road area for herbs, but not for woody plants and lianas. Habitat heterogeneity was the most important predictor for all plants, the proportion of road area was the most important predictor for herbs, and MD was the most important predictor for woody plants and lianas. These results indicate that ETIB remains relevant in the context of human disturbance, but the relative importance of ecological processes on species diversity differs significantly among plant growth forms. Therefore, we should consider plant functional groups when testing multifactorial effects on species diversity on human-dominated islands.

Effects of single tree selection cutting on vascular plant species diversity components in temperate forests of Hyrcanian region

Temperate forests in northern Iran are one of the most important natural ecosystems with the highest economic value and a key role in the conservation of forest biodiversity in Iran. We studied vascular plant species diversity components (alpha, beta and gamma) of herb and tree layers on 120 plots at six sites in forests managed by single tree selection and forests that have been left unmanaged for more than 30 years in the Hyrcanian forest zone in northern Iran. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to analyse the effect of management on stand properties, tree and herb layer local diversity and soil characteristics. Despite the differences in herb layer local α-diversity, forest management did affect neither community composition of the herb layer nor regional γ-diversity. Also, species richness as well as α- and γ-diversity of the tree layer was significantly higher in managed forests, while β-diversity showed no directional response across herb and tree layers. According to constrained ordination analysis, main drivers for explaining variance in plant species composition were soil organic matter, total nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, pH and forest structural variables (basal area, number of trees per hectare and canopy cover) in herb and tree layers. We found that in Hyrcanian forests single tree selection management promotes environmental conditions that effectively contribute to increased diversity of the herb and tree layers at the local and regional scale compared to unmanaged forests. The higher diversity of herb and tree layers is likely being driven by higher within-stand heterogeneity, improved light availability in managed forests due to lower stocking density and larger canopy gaps, or also results from topsoil disturbances through wood extraction. This study indicated that single tree selection system has the potential to be used in order to improve biodiversity conservation, and these results can be useful for development of management guidelines and decision-making processes.Because it may not be specific enough to dismiss or prioritize forest management regimes, based only on their impact on plant diversity, further assessments of forest management effects on other crucial factors (such as fauna diversity, structural diversity and forest ecosystems services) are needed.

CHANGES IN FLORA SPECIES COMPOSITION AND SOIL ENZYME ACTIVITY IN COMMUNITIES OF ACER NEGUNDO IN THE KEMEROVO REGION

The article presents the study results of the species composition of vascular plants and soil activity in communities dominated by Acer negundo . The studies were carried out on accounting sites located in the mountain-taiga and forest-steppe zones of Kuzbass. The selection of trial plots was made taking into account the horizontal differentiation of space into under-crown (registration plots) and external zones (control) of phytogenic fields. Floristic descriptions and analysis of the soil by the level of activity of enzymes (invertase, protease, phosphatase) were carried out using standard methods. The species diversity of vascular plants in the areas under study constituted 64 species. The dominant plant species in the ash-leaved maple communities were identified. Under the canopy of A. negundo , ruderal species - Cirsium setosum, Elytrigia repens, Lamium album, Urtica dioica, and Taraxacum officinale - dominate, while in the outer zones, the proportion of meadow species increases - Achillea millefolium, Dactylis glomerata, and Festuca pratensis . It has been established that the floristic composition of communities does not affect significantly the level of activity of soil enzymes. In the undercrown space of A. negundo , an increase in the activity of hydrolytic enzymes by an average of 11% was noted, compared with the outer zones.

Floristic research at the Forest Research Institute of the Karelian Research Centre RAS: traditions of studying the species diversity of plants and fungi

Employees of the Forest Research Institute (FRI) KarRC RAS have contributed greatly to the study of the biodiversity of vascular plants, aphyllophoroid, sac and basidial fungi and lichens of the Republic of Karelia. Studies of vascular plants and various groups of fungi have been carried out since the FRI foundation in 1957 and are continuing successfully at present, with new tasks being set and the geographic range of interests expanding to cover the entire Northwest Russia. The lichenofloristic research component appeared at FRI later (in 1985) and is also developing. Prominent scientists such as V. I. Krutov, M. L. Ramenskaya, and V. I. Shubin, Doctors of Biological Sciences who worked at the FRI, made a huge contribution to the study of the biodiversity of Karelia, Eastern Fennoscandia, and the forest zone of European Russia as a whole. The role of these scientists and their students or successors is great not only in advancing the knowledge of the species diversity of Karelia and adjacent regions, but also in treating various issues of nature protection and sustainable use of natural resources, especially forest resources. The Institute’s employees have played a leading role in building the system of protected areas (PAs) in Karelia, especially considering that the republic’s first PA, Kivach Strict Nature Reserve, used to be a FRI unit for quite long. Botanists and mycologists from FRI participated in compiling the inventory of the flora and mycobiota and in preparing scientific substantiation papers for many planned PAs. Research continues in the PAs after their designation. Employees of the FRI prepared the first (unofficial) edition of the regional Red Data Book and then participated as leading authors in the preparation of three official editions of the Red Data Book. At present, many direct students (postgraduates) or successors of the pioneers in the study of the species diversity of vascular plants and fungi V. I. Krutov, M. L. Ramenskaya, and V. I. Shubin continue to work productively at the Institute.

Rapid response of vascular plants and insects to restoration of montane grasslands

IntroductionIndustrialization has ushered in massive changes in agriculture. Particularly in low mountain ranges, large-scale afforestation with Norway spruce on traditionally managed, semi-natural grasslands has caused a severe decline in biodiversity. Tree removal, hay transfer and resumption of grazing or mowing are typical measures to re-create species-rich grasslands. The aim of this study was to use vascular plants and three insect taxa (leafhoppers, true bugs, and grasshoppers) as bioindicators to evaluate the success of montane grassland restoration on former spruce forests in Central Europe. In addition, we intended to identify the drivers of species richness within the studied grasslands in order to derive suitable recommendations for habitat management.MethodsWe analyzed two different treatments: (i) grazed restoration sites where trees had been cut and species-rich green hay had been applied (N = 9) and (ii) target sites with a long continuity of low-intensity grazing (N = 9).Results and DiscussionOur study revealed that all studied taxa responded rapidly to the restoration measures. After a development period of 3 to 5 years, we found no differences in species richness and diversity of leafhoppers, true bugs and grasshoppers (all, target and threatened species). In addition, non-metric multidimensional scaling showed a large overlap in species composition between restoration and target grasslands. Among target and threatened species, vascular plants displayed the same pattern as insects and reached similar values when comparing the two treatments. However, total species richness and diversity of vascular plants were still higher on the target sites and species composition overlapped only partially. Grazing intensity was the predictor with the highest explanatory power in multivariable (Generalized) Linear Mixed-effects Models, being negatively related to species richness of leafhoppers and true bugs. We conclude that the measures implemented were effective in re-establishing target communities of different taxa. The transfer of seed-containing hay enabled or accelerated the development of the vegetation. Insects, on the other hand, were able to recolonize the restored grasslands on their own, given that these sites were embedded in a network of species-rich grasslands. With regard to insects (e.g., leafhoppers and true bugs), it should be ensured that grazing is applied at low intensity.

Early response of herbaceous vegetation to Rhododendron ponticum subsp. baeticum invasion in European Atlantic forests

AbstractQuestionsRhododendron ponticum subsp. baeticum is an invasive shrub of growing concern in continental Europe, but little is known about its impact on native plant communities. Here we ask: do environmental conditions differ between forest stands invaded by it and uninvaded stands? Do these differences correlate with R. ponticum's cover? Are these differences associated with differences in taxonomic and functional diversity of vascular plant species of the herb layer? Can these vegetation changes be explained by the sorting of certain life‐history traits by R. ponticum‐induced environmental changes?LocationSeveral forests invaded by R. ponticum in the French Atlantic domain.MethodsWe recorded vegetation composition and a number of environmental variables in 400‐m2 plots that were established in 64 paired forest stands (32 invaded vs 32 uninvaded). We compiled traits from existing databases. We computed several metrics of taxonomic and functional diversity. We compared environmental variables and diversity metrics between invaded and uninvaded stands. We used correlation and regression analyses to relate them with R. ponticum's cover. We ran RLQ and fourth‐corner analyses to explore the relationships between R. ponticum invasion, environmental variables, species traits, and vegetation composition.ResultsIndependent of its abundance, R. ponticum invasion was associated with lower light arrival at the forest floor and increased litter thickness. Concomitantly, species richness and diversity and trait diversity were reduced. The major driver of species assemblages was soil pH, which strongly interacted with the invasion gradient. R. ponticum did not sort species according to traits associated with shade tolerance and thick‐litter tolerance. However, tree and shrub saplings were more abundant in invaded than uninvaded stands, at the expense of graminoid and fern species.ConclusionsAs R. ponticum becomes the dominant shrub, it exerts new selection forces on life‐history traits of extant species, mostly via reduced light availability, increased litter thickness, and physical competition, thereby reducing taxonomic and functional diversity of the herb layer, without impeding tree and shrub self‐regeneration, at least in the short term.

The Distribution of Phytoecdysteroids among Terrestrial Vascular Plants: A Comparison of Two Databases and Discussion of the Implications for Plant/Insect Interactions and Plant Protection

Phytoecdysteroids are a class of plant secondary compounds which are present in a wide diversity of vascular plant species, where they contribute to a reduction in invertebrate predation. Over the past 55 years, a significant body of heterogeneous literature on the presence, identities and/or quantities of ecdysteroids in plant species has accumulated, resulting in the compilation of a first database, the Ecdybase Literature Survey (ELS; 4908 entries, covering 2842 species). A second extensive database on the distribution of ecdysteroids in vascular plants is available as the Exeter Survey (ES; 4540 entries, covering 4155 species), which used standardised extraction and analysis methods to survey seeds/spores. We compare the usefulness of these two databases to provide information on the occurrence of phytoecdysteroids at the order/family levels in relation to the recent molecular classifications of gymnosperms, pteridophytes/lycophytes and angiosperms. The study, in conjunction with the other published literature, provides insights into the distribution of phytoecdysteroids in the plant world, their role in plant protection in nature and their potential future contribution to crop protection. Furthermore, it will assist future investigations in the chemotaxonomy of phytoecdysteroids and other classes of plant secondary compounds.

Flora of the former Kolokolnikov estate (Tyumen)

The article presents for the first time data on the species diversity of vascular plants growing on the territory of the former estate of the Kolokolnikovs, which has a history of formation for a century and a half and is today a place of rest for the citizens of Tyumen. In 2021, most of the study area was classified as a natural monument of regional significance «Lesopark (Parkland) Zatyumensky». For the spring-summer period 2021, 182 species of vascular plants belonging to 136 genera, 56 families were identified. Among the leading families: Asteraceae (22 species), Rosaceae (21), Poaceae (19), Fabaceae (14), Brassicaceae (9), Salicaceae (8), Caryophyllaceae (7), Apiaceae (6), Ranunculaceae (5), which accounted for 61 %. The arboreal layer is dominated by Betula pendula and Tilia cordata, and the grass-shrub layer is dominated by Aegopodium podagraria, Centaurea scabiosa, Geranium sibiricum, Glechoma hederacea, and Poa pratensis. On the territory there are species listed in the Red Book of the Tyumen region: Tilia cordata and Cerasus fruticosa (Prunus fruticosa). In a comparative analysis with herbarium funds, 33 plant species were not identified in the modern flora of the study area. According to the biomorphological analysis according to the system of life forms of K. Raunkier, most plants belong to hemicryptophytes (40.7 %), I. G. Serebryakova - long-rhizomatous polycarpics (21.5 %), O. V. Smirnova et al. - mono-centric type (52.2 %).

Interactive effects of precipitation and above canopy nitrogen deposition on understorey vascular plants in a jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forest in northern Alberta, Canada

Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition in the bituminous sands region of northern Alberta, Canada is localized but expected to increase over time. Here we seek to determine the effects of above canopy N deposition on understorey vascular plants in a jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stand in a five-year experimental study. Aqueous N (ammonium nitrate) was applied four times annually (May through October) via helicopter above the canopy between 2011 and 2015 across a narrow but environmentally relevant N deposition gradient (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 kg N ha−1 yr−1). Changes in vascular plant species richness, diversity and total vascular cover were best explained by throughfall water flux, but the positive responses to precipitation decreased with increasing N application. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Maianthemum canadense showed positive cover increases in wet years; however, the positive cover expansion at ≥5 kg N ha−1 yr−1 treatments was suppressed relative to controls. Total cover expansion was muted in low precipitation years in treatments ≥10 kg N ha−1 yr−1. In contrast, Vaccinium vitis-idaea cover changes ≥10 kg N ha−1 yr−1 were consistently negative. There were no differences in soil net N mineralization rates, plant foliar N or NO3− leaching among treatments. We conjecture the extensive moss/lichen layer of the forest floor that accumulates most of incoming N in throughfall allows them to outcompete vascular plants for water during higher precipitation years, effectively reducing vascular cover expansion relative to controls. This work suggests the response of vascular plants in xeric jack pine ecosystems may interact with climate and these interactions should be considered in risk assessment studies.

Phytosozological study of natural monuments to determine the ecological status of specially protected natural areas

The article gives a phytosozological assessment of natural monuments of regional importance in the Penza region, based on a number of phytosozological criteria that characterize the vegetation cover and their ecological state. The assessment is based on such criteria as the degree of study of the vegetation cover of the territory, the demonstration (reference) value, the area occupied, the anthropotolerance of the vegetation cover, the coenotic diversity of the territory, the total number of species diversity of vascular plants, the number of species listed in the Federal and regional Red Books, the degree transformation and recovery potential. The assessment used is of interest as a test express system that allows you to quickly assess the dynamics of the main qualitative and quantitative indicators of natural complexes. On the territory of the Penza region, located mostly on the western slope of the Volga Upland, and geobotanically located within the forest-steppe zone, in order to preserve biological and landscape diversity, 90 natural monuments of regional significance were identified on an area of 627.4 km2, which is 1.44% from the territory of the region. The highest concentration of natural monuments is noted in the north-east of the region, the most elevated and wooded part of the region. The largest area of more than 40 thousand hectares was noted in the Vyshe-Moksha botanical-geographical region. The largest number of monuments, of which 70% are botanical, are noted in the Prisursky botanical-geographical region with an average rating score of 62.2. The maximum score was noted at the natural monument Ardymsky Shikhan. The largest number of hydrological monuments of nature are located in the Zasursky and Prisursky botanical and geographical regions, which is associated with the location of the Sura River basin in these regions. The largest number of zoological monuments is located on the territory of the Vyshe-Moksha botanical-geographical region. The results obtained are necessary to determine the dynamics and directions of the processes of conservation and restoration of the composition of the flora and fauna of unique communities of regional natural monuments, as well as to increase the level of representativeness and ecological status, which in the future will allow monitoring changes in ecosystems.

The Effect of the Distance from a Path on Abiotic Conditions and Vascular Plant Species in the Undergrowth of Urban Forests and Parks.

Urban forests and parks are essential for the maintenance of biodiversity as well as human health and well-being. Residents and tourists commonly use urban forests and parks for recreational and sport purposes, contributing to changes in vegetation. This study aimed to assess the effect of distance from formal paths on the abiotic conditions, vegetation cover, as well as ecological diversity of vascular plant species in the undergrowth of urban forests and parks. The investigations were carried out in 2021 in 10 urban forests and 10 urban parks located in Kraków (southern Poland), using a total of 400 plots (1 × 1 m) situated in close (CL) and further (FU) vicinity of formal paths. We found a positive effect of the distance from the path on the depth of the compact soil layer, vegetation cover and height of the tallest shoot in the undergrowth of urban forests and parks. On the other hand, the distance from the path had a negative effect on the number of vascular plant species in the undergrowth in both forests and parks. Forests and parks differed significantly from each other in light intensity, the content of P in soil, depth of compact soil layer, number of species, as well as in cover-abundance of species representing different life forms, dispersal types, habitat affiliations and origins. Trampling leads to low plant cover and height of the undergrowth, as well as contributing to shallow localization of the compact soil layer near paths. Human movement on paths (walking, running, biking) with accompanying pets contributes to the successful dispersal of plants, resulting in high species richness. High light intensity in urban parks enhances the total number of species, cover-abundance of meadow and grassland plants, as well as cover-abundance of hemicryptophytes. The number of alien species was higher in parks than in forests, but the cover-abundance of alien plants was higher in forests than in parks. Urban forests are more suitable for the growth and biomass production of some alien herbs than urban parks, as mowing commonly used in parks appears to be an important factor in reducing their cover abundance. Regular fertilization and irrigation contribute to the high content of phosphorus in the soil, as well as to the high cover-abundance of meadow and grassland plants in urban parks. Urban forests enhance cover abundance of plants with dispersal mechanisms of the Bidens and Lycopodium types, whereas urban parks promote cover abundance of plants with the dispersal of the Allium type. Further study is needed to confirm the role of urban forests and parks in the preservation of ancient forest species, as well as to develop an appropriate design of paths that will allow the protection of vegetation and soil in urban forests and parks.

Effects of stand structure and ungulates on understory vegetation in managed and unmanaged forests.

Conventional conservation policies in Europe notably rely on the passive restoration of natural forest dynamics by setting aside forest areas to preserve forest biodiversity. However, since forest reserves cover only a small proportion of the territory, conservation policies also require complementary conservation efforts in managed forests in order to achieve the biodiversity targets set up in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Conservation measures also raise the question of large herbivore management in and around set-asides, particularly regarding their impact on understory vegetation. Although many studies have separately analyzed the effects of forest management, management abandonment, and ungulate pressure on forest biodiversity, their joint effects have rarely been studied in a correlative framework. We studied 212 plots located in 15 strict forest reserves paired with adjacent managed forests in European France. We applied structural equation models to test the effects of management abandonment, stand structure, and ungulate pressure on the abundance, species richness, and diversity of herbaceous vascular plants and terricolous bryophytes. We showed that stand structure indices and plot-level browsing pressure had direct and opposite effects on herbaceous vascular plant species diversity; these effects were linked with the light tolerance of the different species groups. Increasing canopy cover had an overall negative effect on herbaceous vascular plant abundance and species diversity. The effect was two to three times greater in magnitude than the positive effects of browsing pressure on herbaceous plants diversity. On the other hand, a high stand density index had a positive effect on the species richness and diversity of bryophytes, while browsing had no effect. Forest management abandonment had few direct effects on understory plant communities, and mainly indirectly affected herbaceous vascular plant and bryophyte abundance and species richness and diversity through changes in vertical stand structure. Our results show that conservation biologists should rely on foresters and hunters to lead the preservation of understory vegetation communities in managed forests since, respectively, they manipulate stand structure and regulate ungulate pressure. Their management actions should be adapted to the taxa at stake, since bryophytes and vascular plants respond differently to stand and ungulate factors.

Areas of species diversity and endemicity of Nepal

AbstractIn this study, we analyzed the distribution and the spatial pattern of species diversity of vascular plants in Nepal. The aim was to identify and evaluate the occurrence and status of species‐rich areas in Nepal using ecological and environmental drivers. We used 52,973 georeferenced herbarium specimen records, representing 2650 species collected from Nepal. Altogether, 41 environmental variables were used for model development and validation. We used MaxEnt to predict the distribution pattern. All the significant species distribution predictions were then used to develop a species richness and endemism pattern in Nepal. The High Mountain and Himalaya, particularly east and central Nepal, were found to be species diverse and endemically rich areas, whereas western Nepal had lower species richness. We observed that isothermality, slope, rugosity, potential evapotranspiration, precipitation of humid months, temperature annual range, mean diurnal range, and normalized difference in vegetation index of humid months were the most influential environmental and climatic variables. We observed that about 60% of the areas, which had highest richness and endemism values, are still not included in protected areas in Nepal. We quantitatively analyzed the species richness and endemicity patterns of Nepal and were able to identify 19 areas of high species diversity and endemicity, six of which are newly identified.