A study of the effect of habitat fragmentation on the population status of Iris pumila L. in Ukraine
The goal of the study was to investigate the effect of isolation on populations of Iris pumila L., a typical Ukrainian steppe xerophyte which habitat has been split into a multitude of small fragments. Most of the studied populations clearly demonstrate prevalence of adult flowering plants. Seedlings are rare, which can be explained by drought during major parts of the vegetative seasons, the substantial matting of local soil, and human impacts, such as burning. Population success appears to depend on the size of the steppe fragment and the total human impact. In this preliminary genetic study of a relatively large Iris pumila populations no signs of gene pool depletion ware detected. Further research will hopefully reveal whether the genetic indices that have been estimated are also useful tools for other populations of the species – fragments of a previously continuous habitat. Meanwhile, due to the increasingly endangered status of the habitat and the practical absence of any population status monitoring, it makes sense to include this species into the Ukrainian Red
List.
Heavy metal transfer to forage material in amended soils in the area of Ptolemais – Greece
A study of Selenium (Se), Cadmium (Cd), Nikelium (Ni) and Chromium (Cr) uptake by plants, conducted in the reclaimed mine soils of the Ptolemais basin, in North Greece, is reported in this paper. The aim was to estimate the influence of various soil parameters on the concentration of these elements in two plant categories, namely winter cereals and forage species. The results of elemental analysis indicated that the values of Cd, Ni and Cr were much higher than those present in regular soils. The values of bio-available Se in soils were low (< 7.9 ppb), well within the range of regular soils, while they were significantly higher in both plant categories (55-117.5 ppb). Results of multiple and stepwise regression analysis were used to develop models with high R2 (0.82) of predicting Se uptake by plants using easily measured soil parameters such as pH, CEC, EC, clay percentage or Manganium (Mg). These results can be utilized by various local users and land managers, and also to optimize management of grazing livestock and improve their nutrition.
Plant traits as predictors of species response to succession in Mediterranean rangelands
The objective of this paper was to identify plant traits that can predict plant response to succession in Mediterranean rangelands. Research was done in the Lagadas county of Thessaloniki, N. Greece. Four different vegetation states, with four replicates each, were studied: abandoned arable field, grassland, open shrubland and dense shrubland, representing various stages of secondary succession following grazing extensification. Seventeen plant traits (leaf, stem and whole plant traits) were measured or collected from the literature for the most abundant species of each plot. Species frequency was also measured on the herbaceous layer in order to quantify species response to vegetation succession. Vegetative plant height, life cycle and the life form of therophytes were the traits with the highest predictive capacity over species response to succession as single predictors, but their coefficients of determination were low. When more traits were combined their predictive capacity was increased. The combination of vegetative plant height, life cycle, leaf dry matter content, pollination mode and specific leaf area provided the best prediction for species response to succession. It is concluded that plant traits can capture species response to vegetation succession after grazing extensification in Mediterranean rangelands.
Bat diversity and activity at subalpine grasslands of Varnous and Triklarion Mountains (NW Greece)
Habitat use by bats at high altitudes and particularly subalpine grasslands, is poorly known. Many bats are killed through collision with wind turbines installed on or near mountain tops, showing the need for bat diversity and activity surveys in high altitude areas, especially where wind farms are installed. We studied bat use of subalpine grasslands and beech forests near the tree line, in and near Prespa National Park, NW Greece, mostly at sites where large-scale wind farms have been, or are planned to be, constructed. We applied acoustic transects, point sampling and mist-netting in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in four areas. Both bat diversity and activity were high; we recorded 14 species: Tadarida teniotis, Miniopterus schreibersii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. nathusii, P. kuhlii, Hypsugo savii, Nyctalus noctula, N. leisleri, Myotis mystacinus, M. nattererii, M. blythii, Rhinolophus hipposideros, R. ferrumequinum and R. blasii. These include species at high risk of collision with wind turbines. More species may be present. Two of the sites are heavily used by commuting and foraging bats in summer; in autumn there is still some activity even on cold nights. Our results show that high altitude areas may support important bat fauna, and suggest that the establishment of wind farms may increase bat mortality, as elsewhere in Europe. To reduce potential impacts on bats, long-term pre and post-construction monitoring surveys are of fundamental importance at sites where wind farms are planned or established. The importance of subalpine grasslands for bats should be further assessed through long-term research studies.
Effects of species diversity and fungicides on organic matter and available soil phosphorus (P)
The objective of this study was to determine whether the availability of soil P and soil organic matter were affected by the plant species richness and the restriction of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The research took place in Northern Greece. Availability of soil nitrogen and P was deficient for plant growth. Six C3 grasses, three legumes and four forbs native and relatively abundant in the study area, were used. These plants were sown as monocultures and in randomly selected mixtures of 2-3-4-7-10 and 13 species. These species were planted in containers containing 30kg of soil deficient in N and P for plant growth. To restrict the AMF colonization, the fungicide benomyl at first and the combination of fungicides thiophanate methyl and carbeplus after, were applied at half of the replications. At the end of the growth season soil samples were taken to determine organic matter content and soil P concentration. The results showed that both soil characteristics were not affected by the species richness in the mixtures.. The monocultures of grasses, legumes and forbs produced the same results. However the fungicide application reduced the organic matter content and the soil P availability. These effects of fungicides are probably due to the N that they contain.
