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Grassland vegetation of the M olinio‐ A rrhenatheretea class in the NW B alkan P eninsula
Author(s) -
Šilc Urban,
Aćić Svetlana,
Škvorc Željko,
Krstonošić Daniel,
Franjić Jozo,
Dajić Stevanović Zora
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
applied vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.096
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1654-109X
pISSN - 1402-2001
DOI - 10.1111/avsc.12094
Subject(s) - floristics , vegetation (pathology) , grassland , ordination , altitude (triangle) , ecology , geography , mesophyte , precipitation , species richness , biology , habitat , mathematics , medicine , geometry , pathology , meteorology
Abstract Questions How does the floristic composition of plant species of meadows and mesic pastures vary along a broad geographical gradient in the NW B alkans? How does the current phytosociological classification of the M olinio‐ A rrhenatheretea vegetation differ among the NW B alkan countries? Location NW B alkans ( S lovenia, C roatia, B osnia and H erzegovina, S erbia). Methods 3635 relevés originally assigned to the class M olinio‐ A rrhenatheretea were classified with a beta flexible method, and the crispness of classification was checked. DCA ordination with P ignatti indicator values and climate data were applied to show the influence of site conditions on species composition. Results The classification was best interpreted at the level of 13 clusters, but could also be interpreted at the level of three groups of clusters. The first division was according to geography and climate: the first and third groups were concentrated in the NW part, while the second was restricted to the eastern part of the study area. The most important variable was site moisture, followed by nutrients and altitude, which corresponded with a west–east direction. The first group was very diverse and included communities on the wettest and most nutrient‐rich sites ( P otentillion anserinae , C ynosurion cristati , C althion palustris , M olinion caeruleae , Molinio‐Hordeion ). The second group comprised mesophilous continental grasslands ( T rifolio‐Ranunculion pedati , T rifolion pallidi , T rifolion resupinati ), while the third group consisted of grasslands from regions with abundant precipitation ( A rrhenatherion elatioris , D eschampsion cespitosae , P ancicion serbicae , T riseto flavescentis‐ P olygonion bistortae ). Conclusions Our analysis can be used to unify different phytosociological classifications in different countries, also showing the transitional forms of well‐known C entral E uropean vegetation types that have a different floristic composition and ecology in the B alkans. This knowledge will enable classification of the same vegetation types in neighbouring Balkan countries that are less studied.