We investigated vegetation in ravine habitats of Serbia, in order to classify hop hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.) forests in syntaxonomic terms, assess the effects of environmental factors on their floristic differentiation, and detect the biodiversity components of the analyzed communities. Both K-means clustering and Bayesian classification revealed five ecologically interpretable groups of forests that belong to the alliances Ostryo carpinifoliae-Fagion sylvaticae, Ostryo carpinifoliae-Tilion platyphylli, Fraxino orni-Ostryion carpinifoliae, Pseudofumario albae-Ostryion carpinifoliae, and Achilleo ageratifoliae-Ostryion carpinifoliae. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that these alliances are clearly differentiated along a combined light–moisture gradient (from shade and mesic to sunny and xeric variants). The alpha diversity increases from xeric to mesic alliances. A lower alpha diversity in xeric forests may be explained by the stress conditions that prevent mesic species from colonizing the saxatile habitats. Extremely high—almost the greatest possible—values of both the species turnover and beta diversity were detected in all variants of the analyzed forests. Such high diversity may be the result of the strong environmental gradients in ravine habitats. The investigated forests represent an important pool of rare, paleo-endemic species that survived Quaternary glaciations in ravine refugia.
The main aim of the conducted research was to determine the presence of allochthonous plants in the area of the protected natural reserve - The Great War Island. The research was conducted during the vegetation season of 2020. Thirty four allochthonous plant species were recorded and classified into 19 families. Asteraceae (8 species), Fabaceae Poaceae and Sapindaceae (3 species each) had the highest species diversity. Phytogeographic analysis of their primary distribution areas has shown that most belong to the category of floral elements of the "adventitious" areal type. The chorological spectrum is dominated by species of North American origin (58.8%), while in the biological spectrum the most common are therophytes (38.2%). Chronological spectrum analysis has shown the highest prevalence of neophytes (64.7%). Seventeen species have the status of invasive, 16 naturalized, while one species (Morus alba) is characterized as ephemerophyte. The most frequent neophytes on the Great War Island are Acer negundo, Ailanthus altissima, Amorpha fruticosa, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, while among neotophytes, Echinocystis lobata and Symphyotrichum lanceolatus stand out in terms of frequency of occurrence. The geographical position of the Great War Island, due to which it is exposed to periodic floods, high levels of groundwater, strong influence of anthropogenic factors and the biological characteristics of allochthonous species are the main factors enabling them to inhabit this area. Results of this research should be the basis for the development of a strategy for monitoring the condition and planning control measures for the unwanted plant species, in order to protect the indigenous flora. Only careful and responsible management of landscapes of outstanding features such as The Great War Island and taking appropriate preventive measures can prevent the settlement, domestification and further spread of allochthonous plants.
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