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Aims : The Vinschgau is the driest inner-alpine valley in the Eastern Alps and harbours a unique steppe vegetation. We studied these dry grassland communities and aimed to answer the following questions: Which plant communities can be found currently? Do the syntaxa described by Braun-Blanquet in the 1960s still prevail in the area? Has there been any change in species composition over the last 40–50 years?  Study area : Along an approximately 40 km transect, the south-facing slopes of the Vinschgau valley (South Tyrol, Italy) from Mals to Plaus were investigated.  Methods : For the classification, 92 relevés were sampled in 2019 and compared with 76 relevés from the 1960s and ´70s by means of vegetation tables and ordinations (Detrended Correspondence Analysis).  Results : Based on our investigation, the majority of dry grassland communities can be classified as  Festuco-Caricetum supinae . Three subassociations were defined by the dominant species  Stipa capillata ,  Bothriochloa ischaemum  and  Stipa pennata  agg . The comparison of new and old relevés shows an increase in species from the class  Sedo-Scleranthetea  (e.g.  Trifolium arvense ,  Erodium cicutarium ) and the association  Artemisieto-Agropyretum . In addition, ruderal elements (e.g.  Erigeron annuus ,  Convolvulus arvensis ) have also migrated into dry grasslands. A shift in the dominance over time can be recognized as well. In particular,  Festuca rupicola  and to some extent also  Stipa capillata , have increased in abundance and frequency.  Conclusions : We suggest to include the investigated closed dry grasslands in the alliance  Festucion valesiacae . The rank of the character species at association, alliance and order level should be re-analysed. In order to obtain a better syntaxonomic overview of western and eastern alpine dry grassland communities in relation to Eastern European dry grasslands, a comprehensive study is absolutely necessary. Furthermore, long-term vegetation dynamics and vegetation change need to be studied in more detailed future studies.Taxonomic reference :  Fischer et al. (2008) .Syntaxonomic references :  Mucina et al. (2016)  for syntaxa from alliance to class level;  Braun-Blanquet (1961)  for associations.Abbreviations :  agg.  = aggregate;  cf.  = confer (means ‘compare’);  DCA  = Detrended Correspondence Analysis; s. lat. = sensu lato; s. str. = sensu stricto

vegetation classification and survey

﻿Long term changes of the inner-alpine steppe vegetation: the dry grassland communities of the Vinschgau (South Tyrol, Italy) 40–50 years after the first vegetation mapping

﻿Long term changes of the inner-alpine steppe vegetation: the dry grassland communities of the Vinschgau (South Tyrol, Italy) 40–50 years after the first vegetation mapping

Long term changes of the inner-alpine steppe vegetation: the dry grassland communities of the Vinschgau (South Tyrol, Italy) 40–50 years after the first vegetation mapping