The optimization of typical species inventory of habitat types of a NATURA 2000 site using a phytosociological approach

Abstract

The definition of typical species inventories of the 92/43/EEC Directive habitat types is a valuable information for the optimization of the conservation status assessment. Habitat-specific assessment protocols and predefined local inventories of typical species provide a method for a relatively fast and accurate assessment of the criterion “structures and functions”. Habitat types are often defined and described on the basis of a phytosociological description of vegetation units, mainly at the syntaxonomical level of alliance. Therefore, the definition of typical species inventories can be based on phytosociological approaches. Within this concept we surveyed the vegetation of a NATURA 2000 Special Area of Conservation in northern Greece in order to optimize and downscale the existing region-wide inventories of typical species. In total, we sampled 164 relevés in beech and in thermophilous deciduous broadleaved forests. The relevés were assigned to vegetation units and habitat types using numerical approaches and their differential and constant taxa were defined. We used these taxa to draw up the optimized, site-specific inventories of typical species for seven habitat types of community interest and one habitat type of national interest.

Forest habitats on the territory of the National Park “Central Balkan” Bulgaria

“…The additional indicator species for the habitats are also indicated. The identification of habitats in Greece is based on Braun-Blanquet's approach by phytocenological relevés and identification of syntaxa and diagnostic species (Sarika et al, 2015(Sarika et al, , 2018Xystrakis et al, 2022). Xystrakis et al (2022) note that numerous crosswalks aiming in matching habitat types to one (or more) vegetation types and vice versa exist.…”

“…The identification of habitats in Greece is based on Braun-Blanquet's approach by phytocenological relevés and identification of syntaxa and diagnostic species (Sarika et al, 2015(Sarika et al, , 2018Xystrakis et al, 2022). Xystrakis et al (2022) note that numerous crosswalks aiming in matching habitat types to one (or more) vegetation types and vice versa exist. Moreover, this method allows for the compilation of typical species inventories for habitat types that are not included in the Habitats Directive.…”

Vegetation Cover of the Coastal Strip in the Neftchala District of Azerbaijan

“…Nowadays, vegetation studies are fundamental to understand the structure and evolution of the landscape and are used as a basis for habitat monitoring [Musarella et al, 2020;Xystrakis et al, 2022]. Phytosociological method is the most useful tool to investigate vegetation structure and composition of species [Rivas Martínez 2005;Blasi et al, 2011;Cano Carmona et al, 2022].…”