Aims Vegetation classification consistent with the Braun‐Blanquet approach is widely used in Europe for applied vegetation science, conservation planning and land management. During the long history of syntaxonomy, many concepts and names of vegetation units have been proposed, but there has been no single classification system integrating these units. Here we (1) present a comprehensive, hierarchical, syntaxonomic system of alliances, orders and classes of Braun‐Blanquet syntaxonomy for vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen, and algal communities of Europe; (2) briefly characterize in ecological and geographic terms accepted syntaxonomic concepts; (3) link available synonyms to these accepted concepts; and (4) provide a list of diagnostic species for all classes. Location European mainland, Greenland, Arctic archipelagos (including Iceland, Svalbard, Novaya Zemlya), Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Caucasus, Cyprus. Methods We evaluated approximately 10 000 bibliographic sources to create a comprehensive list of previously proposed syntaxonomic units. These units were evaluated by experts for their floristic and ecological distinctness, clarity of geographic distribution and compliance with the nomenclature code. Accepted units were compiled into three systems of classes, orders and alliances (EuroVegChecklist, EVC) for communities dominated by vascular plants (EVC1), bryophytes and lichens (EVC2) and algae (EVC3). Results EVC1 includes 109 classes, 300 orders and 1108 alliances; EVC2 includes 27 classes, 53 orders and 137 alliances, and EVC3 includes 13 classes, 24 orders and 53 alliances. In total 13 448 taxa were assigned as indicator species to classes of EVC1, 2087 to classes of EVC2 and 368 to classes of EVC3. Accepted syntaxonomic concepts are summarized in a series of appendices, and detailed information on each is accessible through the software tool EuroVegBrowser. Conclusions This paper features the first comprehensive and critical account of European syntaxa and synthesizes more than 100 yr of classification effort by European phytosociologists. It aims to document and stabilize the concepts and nomenclature of syntaxa for practical uses, such as calibration of habitat classification used by the European Union, standardization of terminology for environmental assessment, management and conservation of nature areas, landscape planning and education. The presented classification systems provide a baseline for future development and revision of European syntaxonomy.
Summary. Hyperaccumulation of metals in the shoot system of plants is uncommon, yet taxonomically and geographically widespread. It may have a variety of functions, including defense against herbivores. This study investigated the effects of hyperaccumulation on metal concentrations across trophic levels. We collected plant material, soil, and invertebrates from Portuguese serpentine outcrops whose vegetation is dominated by the nickel hyperaccumulator Alyssum pintodasilvae. Samples were analyzed for nickel, chromium, and cobalt. Grasshoppers, spiders, and other invertebrates collected from sites where A. pintodasilvae was common had significantly elevated concentrations of nickel, compared to nearby sites where this hyperaccumulator was not found. Chromium and cobalt, occurring in high concentrations in the serpentine soil but not accumulated by A. pintodasilvae, were not elevated in the invertebrates. Therefore, it appears likely that a flux of nickel to herbivore and carnivore trophic levels is specifically facilitated by the presence of plants that hyperaccumulate this metal. The results may be relevant to the development of phytoremediation and phytomining technologies, which use plants to extract metals from the soil.
Abstract. An attempt to obtain a consistent spatial model of natural potential vegetation (NPV) for the mainland Portuguese territory is reported. Spatial modeling procedures performed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, aimed to operationalize phytosociological expert-knowledge about the putative distribution of potential zona1 forest communities dominam in the Portuguese continental territories. The paradigm for NPV assumed was that of RIVAS-MARTINEZ (1976) and RIVAS-MARTINEZ et al. (1999), which presupposes, for a given territory, a univocal correspondence between a uniform combination of bioclimatic stage and lithology iven a biogeographical context, and a ' g unique successional sequence leading to a single climax community (i. e. a vegetation series (VS)). Information issued from both literature and a team of phytosociologists possessing detailed knowledge about Portuguese vegetation, namely about forests and its seria1 vegetation, was acknowledged as a starting point for the construction of such a habitat-vegetation correspondence model. First, a bioclimatic map concerning the "Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System" (WBCS) of RIVAS-MARTINEZ (1981-2004, obtained by multivariate grostatistical interpolation issuing from the work of MESQUITA (2005), was set. Severa1 partia1 matrices, one for each biogeographical Province, combined such habitat statements to VS. Initial incoherence due to vagueness of statements led to an important amount of both superimposition of VS and habitat gaps in the matrices. Further rearrangement of the table according to known field distribution of VS by experts allowed setting an approximate univocal correspondence VS-habitat. Finally, an intersection of bioclimatic, lithology and biogeographic maps yielded over a thousand habitat combinations to be associated each to a single VS through implementation of the matrices as a set of rules. Again, inconsistencies were solved likewise, but this time by direct observation of the map by experts. Keeping of phytosociological consistency and fidelity to information on actual vegetation field distribution was always mandatory during the process.
Agricultural abandonment is a major driver of change in rural landscapes. Assumed to provide beneficial results to the environment and the conservation of biota, rural abandonment triggers landscape and biotic homogenization and loss of valuable species and habitats. This article focuses on the ecological effects and conservation challenges of shifts in extensive grazing regimes on marginal pastureland of Mediterranean mountains. We conceptualize a navigated socioecological transition toward conservation‐oriented management after the collapse of historical land systems. The article provides examples from the LIFE+ project “Higro,” developed in mountainous protected areas in Portugal, of how management for conservation could sustain disturbance‐dependent habitats. We argue that actively and regularly managing large habitat areas should be envisaged as a short‐term approach to limit the immediate effects of rural abandonment. A gradual integration of conservation targets with other activities in changing rural economies is necessary to foster long‐term conservation of species and habitats, building on the link between conservation‐oriented habitat management and ecosystem services in rural landscapes. Conservation goals should run alongside recovery of social systems and innovation applied to traditional sources of income. This parallel development would contribute to building up social‐ecological resilience by maintaining a diversity of social and ecological capital in rural areas.
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