Aims To create a comprehensive, consistent and unequivocal phytosociological classification of European marsh vegetation of the class Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea. Location Europe. Methods We applied the Cocktail method to a European data set of 249,800 vegetation plots. We identified the main purposes and attributes on which to base the classification, defined assignment rules for vegetation plots, and prepared formal definitions for all the associations, alliances and orders of the class Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea using formal logic. Each formula consists of the combination of “functional species groups”, cover values of individual species, and in the case of high‐rank syntaxa also of “discriminating species groups” created using the Group Improvement (GRIMP) method. Results The European Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea vegetation was classified into 92 associations grouped in 11 alliances and six orders. New syntaxa (previously invalidly published according to the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature) were introduced: Bolboschoeno maritimi‐Schoenoplection tabernaemontani, Glycerio maximae‐Sietum latifolii, Glycerio notatae‐Veronicetum beccabungae, Schoenoplectetum corymbosi and Thelypterido palustris‐Caricetum elongatae. Based on a critical revision, some other syntaxa were rejected or excluded from the class Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea. Conclusions This work provides the first consistent classification of the class Phragmito‐Magnocaricetea at the European scale, which is an important tool for nature conservation. Our classification largely respects previously existing concepts of syntaxa, but it also proposes modifications to the recently published EuroVegChecklist. This work also provides a protocol that can be used for extending the current classification to new syntaxa and geographical regions.
WetVegEurope is a research project (http://www.sci.muni.cz/botany/vegsci/wetveg) whose goal is to provide a synthesized formalized classification of the aquatic and marsh vegetation across Europe at the level of phytosociological associations. In order to achieve the project objective, a WetVegEurope database has been created (GIVD ID: EU-00-020, http://www.givd.info/ID/EU-00-020), which currently contains 375,212 vegetation plots of aquatic, marsh and wet vegetation types from 33 European countries. The WetVegEurope database includes datasets from pre-existing national and thematic databases and also 10,616 plots previously not digitalized or even unpublished. This database offers an extensive source of data for future studies on aquatic and marsh plant species and vegetation types at the European scale.
Natural and historical reasons, mechanisms of expansion as well as ecological and coenotic peculiarities of model alien aquatic macrophytes such as Azolla cristata, A. filiculoides, Elodea canadensis, E. nuttallii, Vallisneria spiralis, Egeria densa, Pistia stratiotes, Phragmites altissimus and Zizania latifolia in Ukraine's reservoirs are discussed. It is established that at present Pistia stratiotes and Egeria densa are the most dangerous for hydrotopes. The mentioned species have wide ecological ranges and high invasive potential. The increasing human impact on reservoirs combined with climate condition changes will promote their expansion in the reservoirs of Ukraine and disturbance of hydroregime and, consequently, degradation of native vegetation. Nature component influence of phytoinvasive species at the specific, coenotic and ecosystem levels has been revealed. Within the European strategy and necessity of warning and control of invasive alien species (European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species, 2004), a special integral program on threat assessment of phytoinvasive species impact on phytodiversity of Ukraine's reservoirs has been drafted. The preventive measures of counteraction and priority directions for its pursuance have been also suggested. As for abidance of ecological safety rules under growing of higher aquatic plants in aquarium and pool culture, caution must be taken.
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