The Vegetation of the Buna River Protected Landscape (Albania)

Abstract

The vegetation of Buna River Protected Landscape is described. The area comprises both the alluvial plain of the lower course of the Buna river that marks the boundary between Montenegro and Albania, and a carbonatic range. The vegetation is characterized by a high β-diversity (27 alliances and 46 associations), especially in wetlands and dry grasslands. In the area it is possible to distinguish 1 dunal and 4 hygro-sequences in the alluvial plain and 3 xeroseries in the carbonatic range. Associations Clematido viticellae-Punicetum granati and Periploco graecae-Alnetum glutinosae are described as new.

Distribution of alien species along sand dune plant communities zonation

“…On Velika plaža, shrub vegetation was never present at the distant end of the sand dunes from the sea, and zonation ends with wetland or riparian vegetation (80). A similar situation is found in the neighbouring beach of Velipoje in Albania (81). Further south in Albania, shrub communities are present in sand dune zonation but with few alien species (64).…”

Synecology of Cutandia maritima (L.) Barbey, a rare psammophytic species along the Montenegrin Coast (East Adriatic Coast)

“…Its late record was probably explained by misidentification and confusion with robust individuals of Scleropoa rigida (Trinajstić 1997), although a well conducted study of psammophytic vegetation of Rab island from the 1930s (Horvat 1939) explicitly rejected the presence of the mentioned species, despite the fact that it could be expected in that type of vegetation. In the case of Montenegro, it is important to note that the species has not been found in Albanian coastal dunes, which are a natural prolongation of Velika plaža (Fanelli et al 2015). It is thus possible that the species has colonized Velika plaža recently, as a result of touristic impact.…”

Figure 4 from: Fanelli G, Hoda P, Mersinllari M, Mahmutaj E, Attorre F, Farcomeni A, Cambria VE, De Sanctis M (2020) Phytosociological overview of the Fagus and Corylus forests in Albania. Vegetation Classification and Survey 1: 175-189. https://doi.org/10.3897/VCS/2020/54942

“…The relevés of this cluster represent a stage of degradation, as indicated by the great number of grassland species and the limited number of nemoral species. Among the nemoral species the most remarkable are Anemone ranunculoides, Carpinus orientalis and Primula vulgaris, which point to an affinity with forests of the Carpinion orientalis (Fanelli et al 2015;Mucina et al 2016).…”