No abstract

We present PADAPT 1.0, the Pannonian Database of Plant Traits which relies on regional data sources and integrates existing data and new measurements on a wide range of traits and attributes of the plant species of the Pannonian Biogeographical Region and makes it freely accessible at www.padapt.eu. The current version covers the species of the region occurring in Hungary (cc. 90% of the region's flora) and consists of 126,337 records on 2745 taxa. There are 53 plant attributes in PADAPT 1.0 organised in six major groups: (i) Habitus and strategy, (ii) Reproduction, (iii) Kariology, (iv) Distribution and conservation, (v) Ecological indicator values, and (vi) Leaf traits. By including species of the eastern part of Europe not covered by other databases, PADAPT can facilitate studying the flora and vegetation of the eastern part of the continent. Data collection will continue in the future and the PADAPT team welcomes researchers interested in contributing with data. The main task before an updated version of the database is to include species of the Pannonian region not covered by the current version. In conclusion, although data coverage is far from complete, PADAPT meets the longstanding need for a regional database of the Pannonian flora.

Civilisations including ancient ones, have shaped the global ecosystems in many ways through a co-evolution of landscapes and humans. However, the cultural legacies of ancient and lost civilisations are seldom considered in conservation. Here using a continental-scale dataset containing over 1,000 data records on the localities, land cover, protection status and cultural values related to ancient steppic burial mounds (so-called kurgans), we evaluated how these iconic and widespread landmarks can contribute to grassland conservation in the Eurasian steppes, which is one of the most endangered biomes on Earth. By using Bayesian logistic generalized regressions and proportional odds logistic regressions, we aimed to reveal the potential of mounds in preserving grasslands considering landscapes with different levels of land use transformation. We also compared the conservation potential of mounds situated inside and outside protected areas and assessed whether the presence of cultural, historical or spiritual values support the maintenance of grasslands on them. We revealed that kurgans have enormous importance in preserving grasslands in transformed landscapes outside protected areas, where they can act as habitat islands, and provide an additional pillar for conservation by contributing to habitat conservation and improvement of habitat connectivity. We found that besides their steep slopes hindering ploughing, the existence of cultural, historical or religious values could almost double the chance for grassland occurrence on kurgans due to the related extensive land use and the respect of local communities. As the estimated number of steppic mounds is about 600,000 and also similar historical features exist in all continents, our results can be upscaled to a global level. Our results also suggest that an integrative socio-ecological approach in conservation might support the positive synergistic effects of conservational, landscape and cultural values.

Loess grasslands are among the most important vegetation types of the Great Hungarian Plain. This paper compares the composition of vegetation situated on three types of man-made landforms (burial mounds, Devil's dykes and river dikes) which were built in different historical times. I studied the similarities and differences in their vegetation, focusing on the rare species and plant associations. I studied six burial mounds, two Devil's dykes and four river dikes. All of the studied landforms were covered by loess steppes, loess cliffs or Artemisia salt steppes. Devil's dykes had the most valuable vegetation and they preserve a very diverse flora in the landscape.Összefoglalás -Az Alföld flórájának kutatásában kiemelt szerepet kap a lösznövényzet megmaradt állományainak tanulmányozása. Munkám során azon mesterséges felszínformák növényzetét vizsgáltam, melyeken az antropogén hatások ellenére fennmaradhattak, vagy amelyekre betelepülhettek a hajdani löszvegetáció képviselői. A vizsgálatok során arra kerestem a választ, hogy milyen hasonlóságok, illetve különbségek figyelhetőek meg ezen építmények növényzete között, mivel azok különböző korokban épültek. Minden építményt löszgyep (Salvio nemorosae-Festucetum rupicolae) vagy löszfalnövényzet (Agropyro cristati-Kochietum prostratae), esetleg ezek mozaikja borította. Megfigyelhetőek voltak továbbá a környező területekről feltelepülő ürmös szikespuszták (Artemisio santonici-Festucetum pseudovinae) fajai is. A vizsgált összehasonlítási szempontok (szociális magatartás típusok, Shannon diverzitás, DCA ordináció, cönoszisztematikai rendszer) alapján megállapítható, hogy a Nagykunság és a Nagy-Sárrét vidékén a mesterséges felszíniformák közül az ókori sáncok őrizték meg leginkább a löszgyepek jellegzetességeit.

A vasúti pályaszakaszok (vonalas létesítmények) mentén létrejövő pionír élőhelyek kiváló terjedési lehetőséget biztosítanak egyes fajok számára. A dolgozatban olyan, a vasúti töltéseken fellelt fajok új előfordulásait mutatom be, mint az Equisetum ×moorei, Equisetum ramosissimum, Lycopsis arvensis, Euphorbia maculata, Lepidium densiflorum, Tragus racemosus és a Vulpia myuros. Kiemelendő adat a Galium humifusum újrafelfedezése az országban. A dolgozatban összegyűjtött adatok alapján elmondható, hogy egyes adventív, illetve nem tájhonos (homokgyepi) fajok ezen vasúti töltések homokalapzatait képesek kolonizálni, így azokat ökológiai folyosóként használni. Ezáltal a vasútmenti pionír élőhelyek jelentős szerepet játszanak az adventív fajok terjeszkedésében, ugyanakkor az orszá­gosan ritka, őshonos pionír fajok megtelepedésére is lehetőséget adnak.

Civilizations, including ancient ones, have shaped the global ecosystems in many ways through a co‐evolution of landscapes and humans. However, the cultural legacies of ancient and lost civilizations are rarely considered in the conservation of the Eurasian steppe biome. Here using a dataset containing more than 1,000 data records on localities, land cover, protection status, and cultural values related to ancient steppic burial mounds (so‐called ‘kurgans’), we evaluated how these iconic and widespread landmarks can contribute to grassland conservation in the Eurasian steppes, which is one of the most endangered biomes on Earth. Using Bayesian logistic generalized regressions and proportional odds logistic regressions, we aimed to reveal the potential of mounds in preserving grasslands considering landscapes with different levels of land use transformation. We also compared the conservation potential of mounds located inside and outside protected areas and assessed whether the presence of cultural values supports the maintenance of grasslands on them. We revealed that kurgans are of great importance in preserving grasslands in transformed landscapes outside protected areas, where they can act as habitat islands that contribute to habitat conservation and improve habitat connectivity. We found that in addition to the steep slopes that hinder ploughing, the existence of cultural values could almost double the chance of grassland occurrence on kurgans due to the extensive land use related, and the respect of local communities. As the estimated number of steppic mounds is about 600,000 and similar historical features exist in all continents, our results can be upscaled to a global level. Our results also suggest that an integrative socio‐ecological approach in conservation might support the positive synergistic effects of conservational, landscape, and cultural values.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved