Plant Assemblages Research Articles

Anatomically preserved early Cretaceous lycophyte shoots; enriching the paleontological record of Lycopodiales and Selaginellales

Anatomically preserved lycophytes of the Lycopodiales and Selaginellales have been discovered among a diverse assemblage of plants and fungi in carbonate marine concretions at the Apple Bay locality along the shore of Holbert Inlet near the northern end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Lycopodialean stems are plectostelic and actinostelic, branch dichotomously, and are similar to both Lycopodicaulis oellgaardii and Lycoxylon spp. The Selaginella specimens represent the first anatomically preserved Selaginellales with excellent internal cellular preservation in the fossil record, and are described as Selaginella quatsinoense Rothwell et Stockey sp. nov. Stems have three and five exarch, monarch stelar segments, each of which is surrounded by an aerenchymatous endodermis with trabeculae. The leaf base is indented on the adaxial surface, suggesting the position of a ligule. These fossils document that species with diagnostic internal anatomy of modern Lycopodiales and Selaginellales evolved no later than the Valanginian of the early Cretaceous.

New morphological and anatomical data derived from a rare Early Devonian French flora

The Pragian–Emsian interval was a period of remarkable morphological and anatomical diversification among various early land plant groups. Nonetheless, evidence documenting this crucial event remains limited, especially given the scarcity of permineralized material, such as in the Ardenno-Rhenish region located on the southeastern shelf of Laurussia. Here, we reinvestigate an Emsian flora from Matringhem (northern France), to both revise the originally described adpression assemblage and examine the permineralized content. Additionally, a newly sampled nearby locality (La Grande Pièce Quarry) yielded plant macrofossils, providing further material to document plant diversity in this area. The adpression assemblages demonstrated the predominance of basal euphyllophytes, with interestingly, isolated vegetative and fertile remains attributed to Psilophyton burnotense. This differs with the permineralized flora found to be entirely composed of axes with anatomical characteristics encountered among zosterophylls. A discrepancy between both types of fossil records is common in Early Devonian plant assemblages and might reflect a sampling/identification bias or divergent taphonomic pathways. Nevertheless, a comparison between several other permineralized floras showed that zosterophyll-dominated records are indeed more reminiscent of Pragian to early Emsian assemblages, in contrast to euphyllophyte-dominated middle to late Emsian floras, further suggesting an early Emsian age for these localities.

Exploring dynamics of floristic composition in Mediterranean grasslands: a case study from Sardinia, Italy

Mediterranean grasslands stand out as biodiversity hotspots due to their inclusion of diverse habitats that foster a remarkable range of biological diversity, characterized by inter-annual variability of floristic composition. This study aims to assess the inter-annual dynamics of the floristic composition in a grassland within a typical silvopastoral system in the Mediterranean basin, within the framework of rainfall variability. The study was performed on a farm representative of Mediterranean silvopastoral systems in Central-Western Sardinia (Italy). Vegetation surveys started in the spring of 2018 and concluded in the spring of 2022. They were conducted annually in the spring (S) and winter (W) seasons, using the point quadrat method along eight permanent transects. The dynamics of floristic composition were compared within and between years in terms of variability of specific percentage contribution (CSP) of each plant species. The results highlighted substantial differences in the composition of plant assemblages between the two seasons (W vs S) and between surveys within each season for all a posteriori comparisons. Anthemis arvensis, Lolium rigidum, Festuca ligustica and Medicago polymorpha were the main discriminating plant species between seasons. Considering the discriminant species between the four winter surveys, we found a positive effect of August rain on Cynodon dactylonCSP and a negative one on Trifolium subterraneumCSP. Considering the spring surveys, we found a positive effect of January rain on L. rigidum and a negative effect on Plantago lanceolata. The rain affected the inter-annual dynamics of floristic composition in the Mediterranean grasslands. Other factors, such as temperature, remain to be investigated. Moreover, a more extended data series may allow us to strengthen our results.

A new approach for assessing winning and losing plant species facing climate change on the GLORIA alpine summits

Climate change in alpine habitats has a direct impact on vascular plant species, and is leading to changes in species abundance and distribution. Alpine plant communities are expected to experience a turnover of species over time, due to the loss of cold-adapted specialists and the upslope migration of more thermophilic taxa. Therefore, assessments of single species changes are important for research and conservation. Here, we propose a new analysis protocol for the GLORIA (GLobal Observation Research Initiative in Alpine environments) network, and potentially, for other monitoring programmes capable of defining winning and losing plant species. The proposed approach involves the non-parametric Cliff's ‘Delta’ measure of ‘effect size’, which provides a measure of the intensity of species abundance changes over time and is applicable for vegetation data collected using both re-visitation and long-term monitoring approaches. Compared to other methods, Cliff's ‘Delta’ was more conservative and efficient in detecting winning/losing taxa, as well as being suitable to analyse data of rare species with few records. To test the effectivity of the Cliff ‘Delta’ method, we analysed the vegetation data from three Italian GLORIA sites. We investigated 413 vascular plant species and found a total of 41 winning and 24 losing species. Moreover, we used Cliff ‘Delta’ to assess whether plant assemblages are responding differently among sites and plant growth forms. Our findings showed that alpine plant communities are changing faster on Apennines sites and that growth form types respond differently across the study sites.

Effects of Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Exclusion on Plant Assemblages in a Longleaf Pine Forest

Effects of Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Exclusion on Plant Assemblages in a Longleaf Pine Forest

Spider and vascular plant assemblages in subarctic peat bogs are complementary ecological indicators of variation in local and landscape factors

Despite their specific biodiversity and the ecosystem services they furnish, peat bogs remain poorly understood, especially in terms of their responses to changes at multiple spatial scales. Many subarctic peat systems face acute risks, due to current global change. In this study, using a multi-metric approach, we assessed the relative value of plants and spiders as ecological indicators in contrasted peat bogs of a French archipelago (St. Pierre-et-Miquelon), located in the North Atlantic. In 2021, pitfall trapping and suction sampling collected spiders while phytosociological relevés were used to document vascular plants. A total of 69 species of spiders and 38 species of vascular plants were identified, and both taxonomic (TD) and functional (FD, based on traits related to dispersal, size and ecosystem functioning) diversity were then estimated for three levels of species relative abundance (Hill numbers q = 0, 1 and 2) using the iNEXT 3D package for alpha diversity as well as iNEXT beta3D for beta diversity. As expected, patterns of TD and FD were highly correlated for each Hill number, but also between Hill numbers for spiders, indicating a surprisingly low effect of species abundance on (spider) diversity patterns. On the contrary, differences between sites were more visible for plants species when species coverage was considered (q = 1 and q = 2), for both TD and FD, and for alpha and beta diversity. RLQ and Fourth corner analyses indicated differences based on functional traits between sites which were significantly associated with relationships between dispersal modes and mostly local factors for plant assemblages. Finally, variance partitioning on assemblage composition showed the importance of an interaction between local and landscape factors for both plants and spiders, with a relatively high importance of local factors alone for plants. Our study thus revealed the high complementary of spider vs. plant assemblage-based metrics as indicators of changing local conditions in peat bogs, confirming these both experience rapid change in subarctic climates.

Changes in the leaf functional traits of mangrove plant assemblages along an intertidal gradient in typical mangrove wetlands in Hainan, China

The understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning linkages under environment change has been advanced immensely by the development and application of the functional trait theory. Intertidal zones, characterized by significant environmental gradient differences, are severely threatened by sea-level rises caused by global warming. The functional trait distribution pattern for mangrove communities along the intertidal gradient and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated differences in the leaf functional traits of mangrove plant assemblages among the high, middle, and low intertidal zones, and their relationships to sediment physicochemical properties, in Dongzhaigang and Qinglan Harbor reserves, Hainan, China. In both reserves, most sediment physicochemical properties (pH; salinity; total potassium, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur concentrations; organic carbon content; ammonium nitrogen and available phosphorus concentrations) differed significantly among gradient zones. The sediment pH, total phosphorus, and available potassium concentrations differed significantly between the dry and wet seasons. From the low to the high intertidal zone, the mangrove specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations increased significantly and the leaf thickness decreased significantly. The leaf tannin and lignin concentrations were significantly lower and the leaf phosphorus concentration, nitrogen concentration and hardness were significantly higher in the dry season than in the wet season. The sediment salinity, pH, and total sulfur and potassium contents were key factors affecting the distribution of mangrove leaf functional traits along the intertidal gradient. The changes in mangrove leaf functional traits reflect gradient-level responses to environmental stress and the sediment nutrient status. Our findings improve the understanding of the functional trait diversity and maintenance mechanisms of mangrove communities under environmental change and provide a new perspective for the prediction of how coastal mangroves will respond to future global warming.

The Hettangian-Bajocian flora of the Shemshak group, Kerman, Iran

Numerous examples of macro plant fossils can be found in the Kerman region’s Early and Middle Jurassic successions. The Ab-e-Haji, Badamu, and Hojedk formations were among these patterns. One of the suitable regions for paleobotanical study is the Chatroud section. In this region, the Lower-Middle Jurassic is approximately 210 meters thick. 18 species of macro plant fossils from 14 genera, including Nilssonia polymorpha, Pterophyllum nathorsti, Podozamites distans, Elatocladus zamioides, Elatides thomasii, Nilssonia feriziensis, Nilssonia herriesi, and Beania sp., which are identified and described in this study, along with Pterophyllum schenki, Anomozamites marginatus, and Klukia exilis. In this region, there are two plant assemblage zones known as Anomozamites marginatus-Pterophyllum schenki Zone and Klukia exilis Zone. The Hettangian-Bajocian age is preserved at the Chatroud section.

Understory plant assemblage variations at different spatial scales: The case of Nothofagus forests in Tierra del Fuego

Understory vegetation is essential to forest functioning, integrity and provision of ecosystem services, but forest management often overlook understory conservation. As species distribution depends on many drivers, and diversity indicators varied with scales, it is difficult to define appropriate strategies for conservation, even in a single forest type. Moreover, many understory plant species occurred at both forests and non-forest ecosystems, and the assemblage could vary at sub-regional scales. Then, forest specialist species may not be similarly threatened in different ecosystem types or sub-regions. Therefore, we wonder if the variation of the understory plant assemblage of a single forest type at a sub-regional scale occurs in different forest types; how do vary the understory species assemblages compared to non-forest ecosystems at each sub-region; and how do vary the management effects on different forest types in a local scale within different sub-regions. For this, we studied understory vegetation richness and cover in three Nothofagus forest types and three non-forest ecosystems across four sub-regions of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. We evaluated correlations, nestedness, relational patterns (by Non-metrical multidimensional scaling-NMS and Multi-response permutational procedure-MRPP) and Indicator Species Analysis-ISA, for 229 vascular plants distributed in 554 plots. Regarding local scale, we asssesed two main productive managements: timber harvesting in N. pumilio and livestock use in N. antarctica forests. Understory assemblages varied within each single forest type among different sub-regions (p < 0.033 for all MRPP), and different indicator plant species occurred at different geographic zones for two forest types (e.g., Adenocaulon chilensis in SE for N. pumilio forests, and Cotula scariosa in NW for N. antarctica forests), but not in forests with a nested understory distribution pattern (N. betuloides). Ecosystem types shared a high quantity of species (>40 %), except in SE zone. However, all ecosystem types significantly differed in every zone (p < 0.025), except grasslands and shrublands in NW (p = 0.165). Grasslands stand out as the species richest ecosystem in NW, SW and SE zones (between 62 and 123 spp.), highlighting their importance for conservation. Landscape heterogeneity emerged as an important mechanisms enriching species richness from neighbouring habitats, while in managed stands, resource availability seemed the main driver. Regarding the local scale, higher impacted by harvested condition in N. pumilio forests showed differences with less impacted conditions despite the zone, with some common indicator species (e.g., Taraxacum officinale). However, differences between aggregate retention and primary forests depends on the locality. Concerning N. antarctica forests, livestock homogeneizes the assemblages between zones, although indicator species remains different across zones, with dominance of exotics introduced for forage in NE (e.g., Poa pratensis). The presence of the same species in forests and non-forest ecosystems reduce the local extinction hazards in Tierra del Fuego. However, conservation strategies should be implemented at every sub-region. New natural reserves could be an alternative for conservation in zones without natural reserves, but complemented with land-sharing in managed forests. The consideration of potential differences among geographic zones could bring a more clear alternative to improve conservation at sub-regional scales where the same forest type cover large regions.

Functional diversity and spatial association analyses at different spatial scales reveal no changes in community assembly processes along an aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert

The structuring of plant assemblages along environmental gradients is typically explained by shifts from competition (limiting similarity) to environmental filtering as the environment becomes more stressful. However, facilitation, weaker-competitor exclusion, environmental heterogeneity, and the colonization-competition tradeoff can also structure plant assemblages along gradients. These assembly processes act on different plant traits and organs, and their prevalence varies with respect to the spatial scale. Using patterns of functional diversity, coupled with patterns of species association at two spatial scales, here we discern the assembly processes that structure shrub communities in four localities along an aridity gradient of the Atacama Desert. At each site, we calculated functional dispersion indexes for above- and below-ground traits, and patterns of species association at a patch and neighborhood scale. Our results revealed that at the patch scale in intermediate levels of aridity, the dominant assembly process was within-site environmental heterogeneity. At the neighborhood scale, communities are assembled mainly through random processes. Nonetheless, in some communities, the dominant assembly process was competition via limiting similarity or exclusion of the weaker competitor, and these did not change along the gradient. Together, these results reveal that environmental heterogeneity and competition are the main drivers of plant community assembly in a hyper-arid environment.

Lacustrine and palustrine carbonates in a Brigantian (late Dinantian) intrashelf basin in the Derbyshire carbonate platform

The Brigantian (late Dinantian) Headstone Laminite provides a record of freshwater carbonate deposition in an intrashelf basin when the surrounding Derbyshire carbonate platform was emergent. The laminated grainstone/carbonate mudstone facies contains calcified plant material, peloids, ostracods and lenses of calcite tufa deposited in a lake margin and sublittoral part of a freshwater lake in a humid palaeoclimate. Precipitation of tufa may have taken place along water courses or resurgences fed by meteoric run‐off and seepage from the karsted carbonate platform. The fenestral carbonate mudstone with calcrete and fenestrae represent deposition in well‐drained parts of the lake margin. A shift to more arid conditions is represented by the laminated dolomudstone facies with an allochem assemblage of calcified plants and micropeloidal dolomicrospar grains and occasional alginite in restricted a lake basin setting. Gypsum crystals and desiccation curls are also present in evaporitic lake margin settings. A return to more humid conditions is indicated by deposition of the laminated grainstone/carbonate mudstone facies with organic‐rich mudstone with thin coal seams and carbonized roots deposited in a poorly drained lake margin setting. This may be a reflection of a gradual transgression after emergence. The eastern margin of the intrashelf basin may have been formed by the Edensor Anticline; however, it is not known if a further complex of lacustrine, palustrine and lagoonal facies was present to the east. Deposition of graded beds containing lithoclasts derived from lacustrine facies were associated with slumping generated by reactivation of structures controlling the intrashelf basin margins.

Employment of Intelligent Predictive Maintenance on Thermal Power Plant Component Parts Taking Condenser Vacuum as a Case Study

This work proposes deployment of machine learning in the maintenance of individual constituent parts of steam power plant assemblages. With the condenser vacuum of a steam turbine (in a six-turbine plant assemblage) taken as a case study, information on the past operating parameters of the selected plant component was used to forecast its future working condition. Based on Exponential Gaussian Process of Regression, a model was developed, trained using the diachronic operational data, and employed in determining the future. A quantitative evaluation was employed to provide the distribution of the test values of the data about the lines of regression, as well as to measure the prediction accuracy of the model. The results show MAE and RMSE values are 6.1602 and 7.9286 respectively during the training; while for the prediction, the values are 92.6544 and 92.7235 respectively. It is concluded that modern power plants with myriads of instrumentation and data acquisition mechanisms can leverage on the approach of this study to model and plan the maintenance scheme that best suits and fits individual component units of power plants, since understanding of the anticipatory values of operational parameters helps to determine the likelihood of components failures.

A lower labile C input relieves the negative effects of N enrichment on plant assemblages in a semi-arid grassland

A lower labile C input relieves the negative effects of N enrichment on plant assemblages in a semi-arid grassland

Macroflora from Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian) of Hicks Creek, southern Talkeetna Mountains, south‐central Alaska

AbstractA recently discovered Early Jurassic locality at Hicks Creek, Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska, yielded a macrofossil plant assemblage comprising predominantly bennettitaleans and ferns, accompanied by horsetails, seed ferns, cycads and conifers. Single species from different plant groups dominate the assemblage (e.g. Cladophlebis alata, Otozamites pterophylloides; less frequent Rhaphidopteris sp. and Pagiophyllum falcatum; sporadic Thallites sp., Klukia sp., Todites williamsonii, Coniopteris bella, Sagenopteris sp., Zamites sp., Nilssoniopteris pristis, Pseudoctenis sp., Eretmophyllum sp. and Elatides sp.). We also encountered a new foliage of cycadophyte type, Hanophyllum varioserratum gen. et sp. nov. Hicks Creek is one of four Alaskan areas with fossil Mesozoic plants that have been investigated. Along with rocks of Puale Bay and the East Fork of Boulder Creek exposures, this locality is of Early Jurassic age, while Cape Lisburne is Early Cretaceous (Albian). Based on a comparison of the floral composition of Hicks Creek with some other localities (Alaska and beyond), environmental conditions for the Peninsular terrane are inferred. Floristic differences between localities are explained by the varied topography, interpreted as disturbed coastal–lagoonal or as undisturbed, moist and warm inland. Some taxa (Todites williamsonii, Coniopteris bella, Nilssoniopteris pristis, Otozamites tenuatus, O. mimetes, Brachyphyllum crucis) common to the Alaska Peninsula and Middle Jurassic of Yorkshire may suggest a possible pathway of plant migration during the movement of the Peninsular terrane. The occurrence of Cladophlebis alata in the Lower Jurassic of south‐central Alaska and the Lower Cretaceous of northwestern Alaska may also shed light on the posited spread of this species.

Suitability of the shrub-steppe habitat of Eastern Washington for Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has spread throughout most of Washington (WA) State since its detection in 2012. While it has emerged as a major agricultural and nuisance pest in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) west of the Cascade Mountains, pest pressure in the major tree fruit-growing areas in semi-arid northern and central WA State remains low. The reasons for this are unclear, although both biotic and abiotic conditions may be contributing factors. We evaluated the suitability of a common shrub-steppe/riparian corridor plant assemblage for supporting H. halys development from egg to adult in summer and fall through controlled feeding studies. Nymphs successfully completed development on this diet of PNW native plants, though it generally resulted in lower survivorship and adult weight and longer developmental times than a modified colony diet or a diet of known hosts from the eastern United States. These developmental data were used to parameterize stage-structured matrix models to predict the impact of diet and extreme heat events on H. halys population growth. The predicted net reproductive rate (R0) of H. halys was consistently and substantially reduced by a diet of PNW native plants, and heat shock imposed further severe reductions in R0. Our results suggest that the combined population effects of suboptimal plant host quality and regional heat waves may explain the lack of landscape-level H. halys pest pressure in semi-arid regions of the PNW.

Tall Herb Fringe Vegetation on Banks of Montenegrin Rivers as a Habitat Type of European Importance

River valleys are known to be of high natural value; however, they are exposed to a strong human influence. Anthropogenic changes are evident in the structure and species composition of plant assemblages; therefore, vegetation is a very good indicator of the state of the environment. Convolvuletalia sepium tall herb communities are a natural component of riverside vegetation; they are protected in the EU (habitat 6430), yet have been very poorly studied, especially in SE Europe. Information regarding the geographical distribution of these communities, and their floristic composition and threats, along with effective conservation and restoration strategies, remains insufficient; therefore, this study was aimed at a comprehensive investigation of tall herbs. The paper presents results of the first detailed study of this group of communities in Montenegro. Classification of 70 vegetation samples (relevés) using the UPGMA produced six clusters corresponding to plant communities which were included in the Dorycnio recti-Rumicion conglomerati. Two of them were ranked as associations: Mentho longifolii-Pulicarietum dysentericae and Rubo sancti-Eupatorietum cannabini, the latter new to science. Others (communities of Rubus caesius, Rubus caesius-Eupatorium cannabinum, Helianthus ×laetiflorus, and Helianthus tuberosus) were left without a syntaxonomic rank. The ordination analysis with the CANOCO software confirmed the authors’ hypothesis that the variability of the vegetation patches studied was related to the land use type and river size. Relevés taken in watercourses flowing through built-up areas were dominated by invasive alien species (IAS). Vegetation samples taken in heavily flooded areas, along the Zeta, one of the largest rivers surveyed, had a simplified species composition. Studies in Montenegro should be continued. Moreover, comparative studies of the Convolvuletalia sepium communities described in the Mediterranean region are also necessary. Attention is drawn to the overly narrow interpretation of habitat 6430 in the lowlands, as it lacks a representation of Mediterranean tall herbs.

Future changes in key plant traits across Central Europe vary with biogeographical status, woodiness, and habitat type

Many plant traits covary with environmental gradients, reflecting shifts in adaptive strategies and thus informing about potential consequences of future environmental change for vegetation and ecosystem functioning. Yet, the evidence of trait–environment relationships (TERs) remains too heterogeneous for reliable predictions, partially due to insufficient consideration of trait syndromes specific to certain growth forms and habitats. Moreover, it is still unclear whether non-native and native plants' traits align similarly along environmental gradients, limiting our ability to assess the impacts of future plant invasions. Using a Bayesian multilevel modelling framework, we assess TERs for native and non-native woody and herbaceous plants across six broad habitat types in Central Europe at a resolution of c. 130 km2 and use them to project trait change under future environmental change scenarios until 2081–2100. We model TERs between three key plant traits (maximum height, Hmax; specific leaf area, SLA; seed mass, SM) and individual environmental factors (7 climate variables and % urban land cover) and estimate trait change summed across all environmental effects. We also quantify the change in the average trait difference between native and non-native plants. Our models depict multiple TERs, with important differences attributed to biogeographical status and woodiness within and across habitat types. The overall magnitude of trait change is projected to be greater for non-native than native taxa and to increase under more extreme scenarios. Native woody plant assemblages may generally experience a future increase across all three traits, whereas woody non-natives may decline in Hmax and increase in SLA and SM. Herbaceous Hmax is estimated to increase and SLA to decrease in most habitats. The obtained trait projections highlight conditions of competitive advantage of non-native plants over natives and vice versa and can serve as starting points for projecting future changes in ecosystem functions and services.

Legume-cereal intercropping as a strategy of regenerative agriculture supporting reverse of biodiversity loss - relevance of microbiome-based research

Adverse environmental impacts connceted with high chemicals and fertilizers use is one of the causes of biodiversity loss. Therefore, there is a need to looking for more natural and non-hazardous alternative approaches to make agriculture more sustain. The legume-cereal intercropping is currently one of the „hot topics” in the area of sustainable and regenerative agriculture. These intercropping practices are increasingly gaining attention as a way for enhancing soil ecosystem services and reversal biodiversity loss, as well as as a strategy of harnesing plant yield quality and soil health. Legume-cereal systems are the most common intercropping combinations used in sustainable agriculture models because of their noncompeting niche requirements and atmospheric nitrogen fixation which improve a balance of this nutrient in soil and plant and decrease the amount of mineral fertilizers use. However, conventional crop rotations in the EU are largely dominated by cereals while legume cultivation has declined in recent years. The idea of the LEGUMINOSE project includes that multi-species assemblages of plants deliver rhizosphere functions that are greater than the sum of the functions delivered by the rhizospheres of individual plants growing alone as a monoculture. We hypotheses that the higher plant diversity in intercropping will increase plant health, improve soil biodiversity and reduce the use of pesticides in agroecosystems. However ther is a knowledge gap concerning plant-soil-microbe interactions under root exudation from single and diverse plant assemblage and role of soil microbiomes in soil ecosystem functionality and plant production. Therefore we will focus on understanding these interactions by the microbiome research of soil and plant niches, including bulk soil, rhisozphere, roots and shoots of cereal and legume plants in order to assess the percentage of microbiota transfered between them within monocropping and intercropping fields and understand relationships of that microbiomes in plant health improvement. This project will design and implement sustainable environmental practices based on legume-cereal intercropping systems that account for the nature, impacting to global biogeosphere changes. Research funded in the frame of Horizon Europe Programme, agreement no. Project 101082289 — LEGUMINOSE.

Predynastic and Early Dynastic plant economy in the Nile Delta: archaeobotanical evidence from Tell el-Iswid

The large-scale excavation at the prehistoric site of Tell el-Iswid made it possible to undertake a systematic archaeobotanical study of different structures covering the Predynastic and Early Dynastic period (Lower Egyptian Cultures, i.e. Buto II (3500−3300 bc) to Naqada III Culture (3300−2900 bc)). Here we present the results of the analysis of carpological remains preserved mostly in a charred state and coming from 62 samples processed by manual flotation, with total volume of 615 L and containing a total of 9,672 identifiable and quantifiable items. A further ca. 650 wood fragments (or woody vegetative remains) were subject to anthracological analysis. Besides the aim of overall characterisation and exploration of the plant economy of the site, the macrobotanical assemblages were also considered in relation to the structures from which they were uncovered. The study revealed that the agricultural economy of both studied periods relied on emmer, barley, lentils, and pea, but from Early Dynastic times onwards barley and pulses gained more importance, along with flax (Linum usitatissimum) and condiments (like Anethum graveolens and cf. Origanum sp.), which occur first during this period at the site. Together with the cultivated fields, the surrounding wetlands were also an important part of the plant resources utilized at the site. The stems of Phragmites are the most common among the anthracological remains, together with a small proportion of Tamarix and Acacia charcoal fragments. The overall composition of the plant assemblages (charred and mineralised chaff, small weed or wild growing seeds capable of passing herbivore digestion, dung fragments, awns) suggest that the major source of the retrieved plant remains was dung fuel.

Regional sets of diverse, specialized ground beetle and plant assemblages recolonise China’s restored temperate forest landscapes

Following the historic destruction of China’s forests, large protected forest landscapes have been reestablishment across the country in recent decades. Currently, the species assemblages inhabiting these landscapes remain widely unknown. Here, we aim to establish whether the new temperate forest landscapes in Eastern China, composed of plantation, secondary and remnant mature forest patches, are dominated by widely distributed habitat generalists, widely distributed habitat specialists, or by sets of highly localized forest habitat specialist species, using vascular plants and ground beetles as case studies. We sampled plants and ground beetles on 159 plots representing different forest types distributed across ten study regions. The Chord-normalized expected species shared (CNESS) dissimilarity for beetles and Jaccard dissimilarity for plants were calculated to establish species’ turnover patterns, while we used structural equation and multiple regression models for dissimilarity matrices to establish the relative importance of location, elevation and biotic interactions in explaining large-scale distribution patterns of species assemblages. Both taxa showed highly regionalized recruitment, with plant communities responding strongly to latitude, and to geographic location in general, while the composition of ground beetle communities appeared strongly governed by both the composition of the vegetation and study plot location. Both assemblages showed a distinct lack of widespread habitat generalists. Our results demonstrate for the first time that local assemblages of forest specialist species appear to have survived last century’s deforestation in unknown refugia before successfully re-colonizing China’s restored forest ecosystems. We argue that restored forest landscapes can play a significant role in the conservation of temperate China’s biodiversity at both local and regional scales.