Distribution patterns of ruderal plant diversity in Greece

Panitsa, Maria; Iliadou, Eleni; Kokkoris, Ioannis; Kallimanis, Athanasios S.; Patelodimou, Constantia; Strid, Arne; Raus, Thomas; Bergmeier, Erwin; Dimopoulos, Panayotis

doi:10.1007/s10531-019-01915-4

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…To calculate Criterion A under this approach, we used the CORINE land cover (CLC) data v.20 ( (accessed on 3 September 2020)). CLC layers 1 (artificial areas) and 2 (agricultural areas—apart from 223 (olive groves) and 243–244 (land principally occupied by agriculture, with significant areas of natural vegetation and agro-forestry areas, respectively)) are directly linked to the main threats on Mediterranean and Greek endemic taxa [ 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ]. Olive groves were not included in the CLC threat layers, as they represent (semi-)natural ecosystems not directly linked to the main threats on Greek endemics [ 60 , 63 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora

Kougioumoutzis

Kokkoris

Panitsa

et al. 2021

Biology

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Human-induced biodiversity decline has been on the rise for the past 250 years, due to various causes. What is equally troubling, is that we are unaware which plants are threatened and where they occur. Thus, we are far from reaching Aichi Biodiversity Target 2, i.e., assessing the extinction risk of most species. To that end, based on an extensive occurrence dataset, we performed an extinction risk assessment according to the IUCN Criteria A and B for all the endemic plant taxa occurring in Greece, one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe, in a phylogenetically-informed framework and identified the areas needing conservation prioritization. Several of the Greek endemics are threatened with extinction and fourteen endemics need to be prioritized, as they are evolutionary distinct and globally endangered. Mt. Gramos is identified as the most important conservation hotspot in Greece. However, a significant portion of the identified conservation hotspots is not included in any designated Greek protected area, meaning that the Greek protected areas network might need to be at least partially redesigned. In the Anthropocene era, where climate and land-use change are projected to alter biodiversity patterns and may force many species to extinction, our assessment provides the baseline for future conservation research, ecosystem services maintenance, and might prove crucial for the timely, systematic and effective aversion of plant extinctions in Greece.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora

Kougioumoutzis

Kokkoris

Panitsa

et al. 2021

Biology

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“…This phenomenon of biotic homogenization could be greatly deteriorated in Crete, if more widespread, more abundant and with different life-strategy taxa (e.g., native non-endemics and aliens) are included in the analyses, as there is mounting evidence of widespread biotic homogenization [ 147 , 148 ], at the taxonomic and phylogenetic scale [ 149 , 150 ]. Alien and invasive species, such as Agave americana , Solanum elaeagnifolium and Oxalis pes - caprae , are already occupying vast areas in Crete [ 151 , 152 ], especially in lower to mid-elevation areas, thus already placing immense pressure on (at least some of) the SIE distribution. This phenomenon seems to be affecting more the neo-endemic species, as they usually occur in lower altitudes, as well as those paleo-endemics occurring in the lowland areas of Crete.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Phylogenetics, Biogeographical Patterns and Conservation Implications of the Endemic Flora of Crete (Aegean, Greece) under Climate Change Scenarios

Kougioumoutzis

Kokkoris

Panitsa

et al. 2020

Biology

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Human-induced biodiversity loss has been accelerating since the industrial revolution. The climate change impacts will severely alter the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns at all scales, leading to biotic homogenization. Due to underfunding, a climate smart, conservation-prioritization scheme is needed to optimize species protection. Spatial phylogenetics enable the identification of endemism centers and provide valuable insights regarding the eco-evolutionary and conservation value, as well as the biogeographical origin of a given area. Many studies exist regarding the conservation prioritization of mainland areas, yet none has assessed how climate change might alter the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns of an island biodiversity hotspot. Thus, we conducted a phylogenetically informed, conservation prioritization study dealing with the effects of climate change on Crete’s plant diversity and biogeographical patterns. Using several macroecological analyses, we identified the current and future endemism centers and assessed the impact of climate change on the biogeographical patterns in Crete. The highlands of Cretan mountains have served as both diversity cradles and museums, due to their stable climate and high topographical heterogeneity, providing important ecosystem services. Historical processes seem to have driven diversification and endemic species distribution in Crete. Due to the changing climate and the subsequent biotic homogenization, Crete’s unique bioregionalization, which strongly reminiscent the spatial configuration of the Pliocene/Pleistocene Cretan paleo-islands, will drastically change. The emergence of the ‘Anthropocene’ era calls for the prioritization of biodiversity-rich areas, serving as mixed-endemism centers, with high overlaps among protected areas and climatic refugia.

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“…Sarmati et al [108] reported that in coastal dune habitats, where the anthropogenic disturbance is high, an impoverished species pool is likely to occur, which is reflected in the increase of non-typical species, such as alien and ruderal plants. Furthermore, Panitsa et al [109] registered a higher number of ruderals near urban, suburban, cultivated and coastal areas in Greece.…”

Section: Environmental Driversmentioning

confidence: 98%

Vegetation Characteristics and Recent Successional Trends of Sand Dune Habitats at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Valcheva

Sopotlieva

Apostolova

et al. 2021

Coasts

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Coastal dunes are valuable and vulnerable habitats that require scientific exploration and understanding of their natural processes; therefore, the aims of this study were to determine the current vegetation characteristics of dune habitats along the Bulgarian Coast in terms of species richness and cover of typical psammophytes and different non-psammophytic plant groups, and to analyze how they respond to certain environmental drivers. Data were collected from 12 dune systems. The research was focused on embryonic, white and grey dunes. The field work was conducted throughout July and August 2017. The vegetation was sampled at 154 phytosociological plots (5 m × 5 m). To understand how the vegetation responds to different drivers, we tested the correlation of defined species group richness and cover in relation to (1) the soil pH and EC values, (2) the distance from inland to the sea and (3) the range of different categories of land cover in the surrounding area. In order to track temporal vegetation changes, we compared the cover of defined species groups between 2003 and 2017. We registered a total number of 269 vascular plants, 12 bryophytes and 5 lichens. The strongest presence in all dune types, both in species richness and cover, was the group of grass- and shrubland plants. Weeds and ruderal plants had significant coverage in grey dunes, while the richness and cover of forest and alien plants were negligible among the studied dune habitats. The comparison of data between 2003 and 2017 revealed a substantial decline in the cover of psammophytes. We observed a clear pattern regarding the share of species richness of psammophytes and non-psammophytes among different locations. We detected that grey dunes were the most affected by the penetration of non-psammophytes.

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Distribution patterns of ruderal plant diversity in Greece

Cited by 18 publications

References 73 publications

Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora

Extinction Risk Assessment of the Greek Endemic Flora

Spatial Phylogenetics, Biogeographical Patterns and Conservation Implications of the Endemic Flora of Crete (Aegean, Greece) under Climate Change Scenarios

Vegetation Characteristics and Recent Successional Trends of Sand Dune Habitats at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

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