Abstract Books

Atti e Convegni

THE 60th IAVS ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM

Vegetation patterns in natural and cultural landscapes

Abstract books

edited by R. Guarino - G. Bazan - G. Barbera Local Organizing Committee Javier Loidi (Spain) Peter Minchin (Illinois, USA) Riccardo Guarino (Chair) Ladislav Mucina (Australia) Giuseppe Barbera Dave Roberts (Montana, USA) Giuseppe Bazan Wolfgang Willer (Austria) Salvatore Brullo Susan Wiser (New Zealand) Chiara Catalano Giannantonio Domina Organized by Lorenzo Gianguzzi Giampietro Giusso del Galdo Università degli studi di Vincenzo Ilardi Palermo Manfredi Leone Forum Plinianum Corrado Marcenò Società Italiana di Scienza della Pietro Minissale Vegetazione (SISV) Salvatore Pasta Rosario Schicchi The abstracts were evaluated Angelo Troìa by the international steering committee International Steering Committee http://iavs.org/2017-Annual- Alicia Acosta (Italy) Symposium/Home.aspx Elgene Box (Georgia, USA) Bruno E.L. Cerabolini (Italy) editorial composition and Alessandro Chiarucci (Italy) graphic: Palermo University Milan Chytry (Czech Republic) Press Sarah Cousins (Sweden) copyright: University of Palermo Martin Diekmann (Germany) ISBN (a stampa): 978-88-99934-43-9 Alessandra Fidelis (Brazil) ISBN (online): 978-88-99934-40-8 Kazue Fujiwara (Japan) Daniela Gigante (Italy) Riccardo Guarino (Italy) Monika Janisova (Slovak Republic) Jonathan Lenoir (France) “Italien ohne Sizilien macht gar kein Bild in der Seele: hier ist erst der Schlüssel zu allem.”

(J. W. Goethe)

Index

Introduction 9 Riccardo Guarino

Plenary Lectures: Invited Speakers 14

Thematic Sessions 31

Special Sessions 34

Abstracts of talks and posters (in alphabetical order by first author) 41

WELCOME TO PALERMO

THE 60th IAVS ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

It is my great honour and pleasure to invite you to the 60th An- nual Symposium of the International Association for Vegetation Sci- ence (IAVS). It will take place in Sicily, the largest and most central Mediterranean island. Over the centuries, Sicily has attracted many human cultures and civilizations, leaving behind a unique blend of natural and cultural heritages all over the island. Sicily has been Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Swabian, French and Spanish, just to name the origin of some of the most influential settlers of the island. The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

While Europe was shrouded in the darkness of the Middle Ages, Sicily was the shining land celebrated in The Book of Roger, published in 1154 by the Muslim geographer Idrīsī (Abū ‘Abd Allāh Mu- hammad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Idrīs al-Siqillī), at the court of king Roger II d’Hauteville, in Palermo. Sicily is a land of peoples and mountains, volcanoes, badlands, fields, salt works and mines. All around, the sea tells the history and poetry of this unique human heritage, created by countryless people. «Il mare non ha paese nemmeno lui, ed è di tutti quelli che lo stanno ad ascoltare, e, di qua e di là dove nasce e muore il sole» («the sea has no country, either, and belongs to whoever will pause to listen to it, here or there, wherever the sun dies or is born” quote from G. Verga, I Malavoglia).

Most of the Sicilian landscapes are protected landscapes. The first Italian law that placed landscapes and historical buildings under public control was implemented in 1922. At the time this was a significant achievement, but “landscape” emphasized essentially historical and aesthetic features, with no explicit reference to the natural components of landscapes and their ecological value. Today, all over the world, many protection policies and initiatives for landscape conservation are still biased by a “sectorial specialization”, and lack of clarity of the respective roles of ecologists, planners and managers of landscapes. The priority granted to historical and aesthetic values often de-emphasizes the complex relationship between natural vegetation, ecosystem dynamics and agricultural and urban assets. Vegetation science can inform the sustainable management of landscapes that preserve natural ecosystems and their associated services. Moving towards a shared and integrated strategy for sustainability requires a substantial revision of the general objectives of growth and development: conservation, innovation and new ideas on human habitats should jointly proceed, recognizing the natural vegetation as a readily available monitoring target. At the same time, some reflection would be necessary also for the role of vegetation science and vegetation scientists in promoting ideas of sustainability.

For all these reasons, any study linking biological and cultural diversity, or contributing to the multi-faceted theme of insular biodiversity, is highly welcome at the 60th IAVS annual symposium.

10 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

During the IAVS symposium 2017, the applications of vegetation science to a wide array of landscapes and land-use patterns will be explored and discussed, with specific thematic sessions on: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Green infrastructures and vegetation science Functional diversity along environmental gradients Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Invasive species: past, present and future trends Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Vegetation for conservation planning Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Vegetation diversity on islands Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns

After Rome (Frascati) in 1988 (theme: Spontaneous vegetation in settlements) and Naples in 2003 (theme: Water resources and vegetation), the annual symposium of the IAVS is returning to Italy for the third time, and I am pleased to organize it at the Botanical Garden of the University of Palermo (and nearby facilities). The University of Palermo was founded in 1806 Ferdinand III of Bourbon, by refurbishing, transforming and upgrading the local Jesuit Academy of Studies, established 1550. Today, the university consists of 20 departments, five schools, 1600 tenure-track professors and researchers and nearly 50.000 students. Palermo, the regional capital of Sicily, is a lively Mediterranean city, counting ca. 700,000 inhabitants. The result of its quilted history is evident today in the vast range of architectural styles, the intriguing fusion of ingredients in many local meals, and in many place names. There is an incredible number of interesting monuments in Palermo and in its envi- rons, including churches, museums, palaces, theatres, and gardens. Ita- ly is the country with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Since July 2015, a new Italian jewel has been placed on the list: the breath-taking complex of Arabic and Norman architectures of Palermo, along with the Cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalù.

11 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Palermo is also in the list of the “top ten cities for street food”. The uniqueness of street food from Palermo lies not only in its variety and goodness, but also in the ability that every dish has to tell a historical chapter of the Sicilian capital. In June, summer comes into the Palermo area in full force, with rapidly rising temperatures and long, sunny days. This month sees about 9.9 hours of sunshine each day, lots of time to be outside, exploring the area and skipping the IAVS symposium duties.

Riccardo Guarino

12 Award lectures and keynote talks The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Chapin F. S. Professor Emeritus of Ecology Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

My research addresses the effects of changes in climate and wildfire on Alaskan ecology and rural communities. I explore ways that communities and agencies can develop options that increase sustainability of ecosystems and human communities over the long term despite rapid climatic and social changes. Through projections of future climate, ecology, and subsistence resources, my research helps people make more informed choices about options for long-term sustainability. My research in earth stewardship explores ways that society can proactively shape changes toward a more sustainable future through actions that enhance ecosystem resilience and human well- being. I pursue this internationally through the Resilience Alliance, nationally through the Ecological Society of America, and in Alaska through a community partnership that links the sustainability visions of rural indigenous communities with university research expertise to implement those visions.

14 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Biogeography of social-ecological systems as a basis for predicting future change

Alexander von Humboldt sought to understand the regularities of patterns in the universe, including those of geology, climate, vegetation, culture and political economy. The patterns and principles that Humboldt discovered provide a foundation for our current understanding of social-ecological dynamics and their potential future changes. For example, the geographic distribution of the functional traits of dominant plants in an ecosystem reflects adaptation to a common climate, geology, and set of biotic conditions. As climate and other conditions change, so do the functional traits of vegetation. The biotic changes that have greatest ecological consequences are those that modify the ecological factors that directly control (and respond to) ecosystem processes. These interactive controls include the functional types of organisms present; the soil resources used by organisms to grow and reproduce; modulators such as microclimate that influence the activity of organisms; disturbance regime; and human activities. Plant traits related to size and growth rate are particularly important because they determine the productive capacity of vegetation, their tolerance of environmental and biotic stresses, and rates of decomposition and nitrogen mineralization. Plant traits also have landscape and regional effects through water and energy exchange and disturbance regime. When climate, human impacts or other factors change beyond the capacity of local vegetation to thrive, vegetation, and its impacts on local and regional biophysical and social environment will change. Analogously, people who have lived in a place for a long time often have detailed local knowledge of the ecosystems they occupy, derive their identity from these places, and interact with these places in ways that foster persistence of existing patterns of resource use. When patterns of local resource use change in response to new social, economic or political forces, these effects are likely to propagate through vegetation and landscape changes to alter the future structure and dynamics of social-ecological systems.

15 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nigel Dunnett University of Sheffield

Nigel Dunnett is Professor of Planting Design, Urban Horticulture, and Vegetation Technology at the University of Sheffield, UK, and is a leading voice on integrating of ecology, horticulture and landscape design to achieve low-input but high-impact landscapes that are dynamic, diverse, and tuned to nature. Nigel’s work is based on decades of detailed experimental work, and widespread application in practice. He has focused on the ecology and vegetation of green roofs, and is Director of The Green Roof Centre, University of Sheffield. As well as numerous academic papers on green roof vegetation he is author of Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls (Timber Press 2003) – the first English language book that considered the functioning, ecology and design of contemporary green roofs. In 2016 Nigel was appointed as an Ambassador for the Royal Horticultural Society to spearhead their ‘Greening Grey Britain’ campaign. He collaborates regularly in design projects, and has designed the green roof at Sharrow School (Sheffield) – the only purpose-designed green roof in the world to achieve government designated nature conservation status, and the extensive roof garden plantings at The Barbican Centre in London.

16 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Space for urban wildlife: designing green roofs as habitats

The ecological potential of green roofs, roof gardens and ‘landscapes above structure’

Green Roofs and Roof Gardens in cities are a unique habitat in that there is a complete disconnect between the substrate, and the underlying geology, soils and drainage. Combine this with the highly modified climate of cities, and the green roof situation poses considerable challenges to traditional ‘restoration ecology’ and site-specific approaches to nature conservation. Such ‘landscapes above structure’ are also a surprisingly common situation at ground level in high-density urban development, and in combination with actual roof-tops, this scenario represents a significant urban land-use. Moreover, roof-tops are relatively undisturbed and therefore offer much potential for supporting biodiversity in cities in ways that would not be possible on the ground. There is mounting evidence of the biodiversity value of green roofs in various climatic zones. As well as providing niche opportunities for plant species and plant communities, green roofs support mobile inver- tebrates and birds adapted to dry, disturbed, or open grassland habitats. As well as providing an overview of the biodiversity potential of green roofs, this presentation draws on the research and experience of the author in green roof vegetation design to make some broad recommendations and conclusions to urban designers, planners, developers and ecologists, with specific reference to habitat template concepts, green infrastructure and connectivity, and the use of ‘designed’ or ‘novel’ plant communities in these contexts. The authors’ work on long-term monitoring of green roof plant communities suggests that it is the regenerative characteristics or strategies of plant species that are of central importance in maintaining sustainable and ecologically-functioning green roof vegetations rather than ‘stress-tolerance’ alone. Finally, the author calls for an end to standard divisions between ‘extensive’ and ‘intensive’ green roofs, and a move towards a more holi- stic, ecologically-orientated approach to green roof design in general.

17 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Brigitta Erschbamer University of Innsbruck

Brigitta Erschbamer (born at Nova Ponente, South Tyrol, Italy) studied Botany at Innsbruck University and did her PhD in 1981. After several years as teacher, she returned at the university as assi- stant and became associate professor there in 1996. Since 2011 she is full professor at the Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck, leading the working group Population Biology and Vegetation Ecology. Her main research is focused on population and vegetation dynamics of high altitudes, including land use and climate change effects. She is involved in several long term studies such as LTER (Long Term Ecosystem Research) Austria, Platform Tyrolean Alps and GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments). In South Tyrol, Northern Italy, she has established two GLORIA sites, one in Dolomites in 2001 and one in the Nature Park Texelgruppe in 2003. Since more than 20 years she is working at the LTER site Obergurgl, where she established primary succession studies and a monitoring programme along the elevation gradient from the subalpine to the subnival zone. She acts as scientific director of the Alpine Research Centre Obergurgl, an outpost of Innsbruck University.

18 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Habitat monitoring is an essential tool to assess changes and predict consequences: experiences from the Alpine region

Wordwide, ecosystems are subjected to fundamental perturbations: land use - and climate changes being the most significant drivers of habitat divergence. Baseline data can only be obtained by experiments or by long term monitoring studies. Several international networks such as LTER (Long Term Ecosystem Research) and GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments) address these issues. I will present examples of these studies from the Alps: (i) grazing effects in high altitudes; (ii) colonization dynamics after glacier retreat; (iii) assessment of climate change effects in high altitudes. (i) Grazing exclusion effects were studied for 14 years in the Central Alps along elevation gradients from the subalpine to the upper alpine zone (1950 m – 2650 m a.s.l.). At subalpine grasslands, first deviations between exclosure and control plots occurred already after three years; at the upper alpine zone after four to five years. Competitive species increased significantly, whereas small/prostrate species decreased. (ii) Colonization dynamics: at a central alpine glacier foreland, species diversity and cover was investigated for 20 years to answer the following questions: How long do early colonizers persist? How fast does colonization of bare-ground plots occur? Does seed addition enhance community changes? The early colonizers decreased but still remained at the plots. Interestingly, this decrease was compensated by the increase of lichens. Seed limitation and drought were identified as main factors, slowing down primary succession at the glacier foreland. iii) Within the network GLORIA, 130 mountain regions worldwide are analysing diversity of single summits from the treeline to the subnival-nival ecotone. Effects of climate warming on species number and composition are recorded every 5-10 years. Results of the European GLORIA project (revisit after 8 years) and details of the sites in Northern Italy (revisit after 6, 8 and 14 years) will be presented.

19 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jiquan Chen Center for Global Change and Earth Observations (CGCEO)

A Professor at Michigan State, has authored >320 scientific articles, 11 books, 9 reviews, 11 special issues, and 54 other articles, with a citation totaling >18,000 since 1992 (Google Scholar). He is broadly interested in ecosystem science and landscape ecology. His research covers diverse frontiers, including edge effects in fragmented landscapes, three dimensional canopy structure, ecosystem carbon and water flux, energy balance, riparian zone management, fire ecology, hydrometeorology, coupled human and natural systems, dynamics of urban systems, interactive effects of global change on ecosystems and society, and the role of institution in shaping landscape-regions under the changing globe. Dr. Chen has made several fundamental contributions to science and knowledge, having pioneered microclimatic research across the open boundaries of forests in fragmented landscapes. In the early 1990s, he proposed a suite of new concepts and terminology defining edge effects, including depth-of-edge influences, significance-of-edge influences, direct and indirect edge effects, etc. Later, he expanded these principles to delineate which small streams would have for riparian zone management. Today, these concepts are widely used in landscape ecology. Dr. Chen’s research is also heavily focused on real world applications, including landscape and stream/river management, grazing impact on grasslands and wildfires on forests, invasive species, water/air pollution and the institutional regulations of urban systems. His research on edge effects and riparian zone management was directly used in the Forest Summit on Ecosystem Management. His current research aims to address the sustainability of solar and biofuel energy through a life cycle analysis. Dr. Chen has devoted time and effort to promote professional development among his students and colleagues. Since the late 1990s, he has been a key leader in the Landscape Ecology Working Party of IUFRO, which unites scholars in synergetic collaboration, where he also served as a chair in 2004-2013. In an additional leader- ship role in the International Committee of ESA, he proposed and established the Asian Ecology. In 2003, he established the US-China Consortium (USCCC) and bridged together the flux-net communities of the US . serves as the Editor-in-Chief for Ecological Processes (SpringerNature) and two book series: “Ecosystem Scien- ce and Applications (ESA)” by HEP and Gegruyter since 2010, and co-editor of “Landscape Series” by Springer since 2014.

20 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Vegetation in Anthropocene: A postcard from Mongo- lian Plateau

The Mongolian Plateau is very sensitive to the change in climate because of its high latitude and altitude. Nomadic herdsmen and their livestock roam across the wild Gobi desert, rolling prairies, and meadows-forest, all of which are often depicted in traditional sceneries described by historical naturalists. Today, some of these fantasy sceneries still remain, yet they have been rapidly replaced by the expansion of agricultural lands, skyscrapers, extensive highway networks, railroads, powerlines and pipelines, forest plantations, and other artificial structures. Motorcycles are replacing horses and Mongolian yurts are becoming more permanent, aggregating around city centers. Changes and consequences on nature appear to be mostly from human actions that continuously re-format the landscapes. The loss of vegetation due to these man-made infrastructures and societal changes is virtually unknown, however, due to lack of species-vegetation distribution information prior to the GPS era. For example, the vast lands of eastern Mongolia have become less populated and the desert-prairie transitional zones in the southeast have become largely shaped by the extensive popular plantations battling desertification. From a climatic perspective, the plateau has experienced higher-than-global average changes in temperature and precipitation, with significant mismatches in time and space, resulting in complex responses from plants and people. Yet, climatic effects on vegetation seem more pronounced in northern parts of the plateau, whereas human activities dominate the landscape and changes in the south. More importantly, the division between Inner Mongolia and Mongo- lia has produced profound differences between the two juristic systems since the 1920’s, including vegetation and associated species and functions. We have made some initial efforts to understand the roles and the (in)direct consequences of these institutional shifts in the past century, but a clear message regarding their quantitative influences cannot be drawn at this point of time.

21 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ulrich Deil University of Freiburg, Faculty of Biology, Dept. of Geobotany

After his studies in Biology, Chemistry and Geography at Erlangen University (Germany) and a PhD in 1983 at Bayreuth University (Germany) about Cedar Forests in Northern Morocco, Dr. Deil was Research Fellow at Bayreuth University from 1984 to 1995. After his habilitation in Biogeography in Bayreuth in 1996 he became Full Pro- fessor and chief of the Department of Geobotany at the University of Freiburg (Germany) from 1996 to 2013. Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Biology (2004-2012). Retirement in 2013. Research topics Ecological studies in Mediterranean and arid ecosystems with a special focus on cultural ecology and vegetation patterns in the landscape dimension Ecology and vegetation of seasonal wetlands in a global perspective Cliff and rock habitats as refugia for relict plants and ancient lineages Vicariance patterns and co-evolution in plant communities Regional experience: Central and Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Arabia, Chile Further activities 1998-2013 Editor-in-Chief of PHYTOCOENOLOGIA 1992-present Editorial Board of FLORA (Jena) 1997-present Editorial board of FEDDES REPERTORIUM (Berlin) and other geobotanical journals 2002-2014 Member of I.A.V.S. council

22 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Vegetation landscapes and their transformation under different human landuse - case studies from the SW Mediterranean

The effects of different human landuse on the plant cover arestu- died by comparing three regions in the SW Mediterranean: the Prerif Mountains on the Tangier Peninsula (Morocco), the Sierras del Cam- po de Gibraltar (Spain) and the Serra de Monchique (Portugal), The areas have almost identical physical conditions and a common flora (tingitano-gaditano-algarvian phytochorion), but are inhabited by societies of contrasting economic level and therefore managed differently. The vegetation was analysed at the habitat level by phytosociological relevés and in the catenal dimension by Geosigma-relevés. Landuse trends in the last decades were analysed by an interpretation of historical air photographs. Weed communities vary according to the agro-technological level. Traditional ploughing in self-sustaining agriculture (Morocco) creates agro-phytocoenoses with high alpha-diversity. Agro-industrial management, as it prevails in Spain, halves species number per field. The Serra de Monchique is in a mid, pre-industrial position, but rainfed agriculture has nearly disappeared there. The anthropogenic transformation of the weed communities has a similar tendency in the three countries, with a time lag of some decades in Morocco. In the landscape dimension, every technological level creates a specific vegetation mosaic. Character communities exist for Southern Eu- rope respectively Northern Africa. Culturally indifferent vegetation units are roadside verges and other ruderal communities. Vegetation patterns created by ethnic and cultural traditions are of minor importance, but do exist. The plant cover is part of the heritage, which makes cultural landscapes unique. Examples are sacred groves in Morocco and cañadas in Spain. “Modernisation” of vegetation landscapes results in a more trivial plant canopy and in mono-functional land units, following the segregation model of landuse. General trends in marginalized mountainous areas are the abandonment of shifting cultivation and of rainfed agriculture. At a finer regional scale, landscape evolution can be divergent, triggered by socio-economic factors such as ownership, infrastructure, accessibility, and productivity. This is demonstrated by two catchment areas in the Serra de Monchique. Land use types of post-industrial societies (tourism, nature conservation, wind park installations) lead to re-evaluations of land polygons. Finally, the processes in SW-Iberia and NW-Morocco are compared with other Mediterranean regions.

23 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

David Ward Art and Margaret Herrick Endowed Professor of Plant Biology

My research interests lie in the field of the ecology of plant species re- distributions. This includes studying both invasive and encroaching plant species. I am also interested in studying the natural process of succession. Most of my research involves trees. I also study the effects of herbivory by large mammals (including elephants) and insects on the population biology, community ecology and conservation of plant populations. While I have gained much from long-term studies using fixed-point and sequential aerial photographs, I firmly believe in the value of field experiments to allow us to gain a mechanistic understanding of the factors that create large-scale vegetation patterns.

24 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Title: The hidden invasive species: the multiple roles of native invasive plants

Plant species redistribution can be caused by invasion of species from other countries and also by encroachment or range expansion of native species (so-called ‘native invasives’). Frequently, it is the native invasives that are hard to detect because their range expansions occur on a timefra- me that exceeds a person’s lifetime. Moreover, range expansions by native invasives are often only noticed when these species cause a problem for agriculture, such as in the encroachment of unpalatable woody plants into rangelands. An effective strategy for studying native invasives is to use a number of approaches that include use of fixed-point photographs and sequential aerial photographs. However, such approaches need to be linked with an understanding of the mechanisms behind encroachment to have a solid understanding of the key factors promoting range expansions. I will demonstrate the use of a combination of these approaches, linking fixed-point and aerial photographs with a sound understanding of the mechanisms behind encroachment, based on field- and greenhouse studies. In some cases, grasses have proven to be important competitors in savannas and have excluded woody plants where natural grazing and fire regimes have been maintained. However, there are also cases where lack of disturbance can cause encroachment to occur. In humid environments, grass competition and shade may interact to exclude native invasives. In a global review of native invasives, we found that one of the oldest theories of native-invasive encroachment--Walter’s (1939) two-layer vertical root-niche partitioning hypothesis--works rea- sonably well in dry environments but less well in mesic and humid environments. It is also clear, from analysis of sequential aerial photographs, that global climate change plays an important role. The consequences of range expansion by native invasives for carbon sequestration can be tremendous, with accumulating evidence of a threshold of sequestration below a key precipitation value (which may differ among continents) and net loss of carbon above that threshold. Another consequence of range expansion by native invasives can affect conservation of native habitats through the natural process of succession. Given the ecological effects of native invasives, it is important to acknowledge and understand their impacts on natural communities.

25 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ladislav Mucina

Prof Mucina (Laco), born on in then Czechoslovakia (today Slovakia); he is currently citizen of Austria and holder of permanent residency in South Africa and Australia. He received his education and was awar- ded scientific degrees and pedagogical qualifications in Slovakia and at the Technical University Berlin (Germany). He served as professor at universities on so far four continents ― in Austria, Italy, Sweden, Kuwait and South Africa. In 2013 he was appointed the Iluka Chair in Vegetation Science and Biogeography at The University of Western Australia. In 2017 he was elected Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Laco served in number of universities on four continents, published more than almost 400 papers and 26 books, and served as editor of several international scientific journals. His scientific interests span de- scriptive vegetation science (especially vegetation surveys, classification and mapping), biosystematics, molecular phylogeny, population ecology, evolutionary biology, biogeography, biodiversity science, environmental management, plant community restoration, and conservation biology. His major scientific contributions include the three-volume opus on vegetation survey of Austria, book describing vegetation and vegetation map of mega-diverse South Africa, and syntaxonomic system for Europe. Along many homelands, IAVS is the Laco’s scientific home; he served IAVS as Editor, Vice-President, Secretary-General, and is known as an evergreen member of the Advisory Council.

26 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

How to be a ‘biome’

The term ‘biome’ is in all mouth and (still) at all spatial scales – it has been coined in lap of global ecological community, but has been embra- ced, strangely, also by microbiologists and human biologists alike. Since its humble roots dating back to Alexander von Humboldt and later Andre- as Schimper, it was given its name by another great ecologist – Frederick Clements, who used it as a synonym to biotic community. Biome has not, however, replaced the term ‘community’, but has been gradually adopted as tool of large-scale community ecology, a concept mediating between geography and a newly emerging vegetation science. The work of Heinrich Walter, one of the most prominent followers of Humboldtian-Schimperian tradition, put biome onto solid theoretical footing. His zonality/azonali- ty framework recognised the hierarchical role of ecological factor in driving vegetation (and biotic in fact) patterns at large scales (sub-continents upwards). The link between (macro)climate and physiognomy, later wisely translated into functional composition of biotic communities, allowed application of modelling to reconstruct the extent of biomes in the past, predict their distribution under current and most importantly, simulated anticipated conditions. Developing vegetation mapping of large regions made also its contribution towards maturing of the concept – a process involving role of ecological assembly at large scales. The power of the Walte- rian framework is not only in recognition of major ecological climatic un- derpinnings of biomes, but also offering a solution to ‘deviations’ from the climate-driven patterns, exemplified by azonal communities, biomes due to overriding role of ecological stressors such as extreme nutrient status of soils, high concentration of ‘toxic’ substances (heavy metals, salt), and water (prolonged water logging and flooding). New genomic hammers opened then new opportunities for the biome ecology. Biomes are biotic communities summarizing a long history of florogenesis, local and regional sorting of communities along ever changing ecological gradients, and indeed containing species assemblages which did not came together in chaotic manner. The new genomic tools allow asking question of the deep past, questions aimed at understanding evolutionary drivers of community assembly at all scales – including the biome scales too. The local and regional communities making up biomes are assembled from regional biota, in case of plant communities from regional floras that characterise biomes. Here the concepts of biome and phytochorion (unit of biogeographic spatial variability) converge. So what is then the ‘biome’ today: It is a biotic community occupying large geographic scales and hence uniting communities of

27 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 lower hierarchical order. Being of a large-scale nature, the major biome patterns are driven by macroclimate (in case of zonal biomes), and environmental stressors (in case of azonal biomes). These factors create conditions for large-scale natural disturbances (fire, megaher- bivore grazing) to shape the physiognomy of the biotic communities characterising biomes. The modifying effect of (natural) disturbance and local/regional importance of stressors have effect on the physiognomy (vegetation structure) of a biome. What matters, however, is the role of the major drivers underpinning the ecological functioning of the biome, and in effect the ecological services emanating with these functions. I shall document this issue using the ‘functioning’ of peinobiomes (azonal pedobiomes characterised by extremely nutrient-poor soils) and an example contrasting the ‘being’ of tropical forests and savanna biomes. Global challenges including climate change, desertification, deforestation, acidification, loss of biodiversity and the like have ever been in need of large-scale tools allowing the study of these threatening phenomena. And this is where the concepts such as biome and approaches such as biome modelling come really handy. The biome concept underwent several important developmental pathways: from scale-immanent to large-scale, from physiognomic to functional, from academic to applied. Biome became a useful and respected concept of modern science.

28 Sessions

The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Thematic sessions Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Plant species and vegetation are the best biological descriptors of landscapes. Approaches that integrate biological and cultural perspectives are probably best suited to understand and manage most of the biodiversity persisting in landscapes characterized by a long history of human influence. Green infrastructures and vegetation science Vegetation science can help in designing, establishing, managing and monitoring green infrastructures, from transnational ecological networks up to urban green roofs, seen here as stepping stones for biodiversity and metacommunity dynamics in urban districts. Functional diversity along environmental gradients Land uses and their associated disturbances influence species richness, functional diversity and ecosystem processes in a wide array of different ecosystems. However, there has been little testing of how field-based functional diversity measures vary across environmental gradients of disturbance and productivity. Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Scientific interest in valuing what was not yet named “ecosystem services” emerged in the late 1960’s both as a concern for ecologists and as a theoretical challenge for economists. Since that time, the definition of meaningful and operational indicators to valuate ecosystems services became a challenging topic. Maybe vegetation traits and/or plant functional types could also offer practical operating tools... Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Human activities can have a strong impact on the vegetation and the way it changes. These changes are known as human-induced successions, which are often unexpected, unforeseen, unconsidered but, sometimes, seriously detrimental to biodiversity and to the benefits that people derive from ecosystems. Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Grasslands include a wide range of ecosystem types, from humid prairies to arid steppes, up to the savanna biome. Their temporal stability is not ensured by a strong demographic inertia, particularly in

31 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 annual-rich communities. So, grasslands are very responsive ecosystems and the question is: how can we manage grassland biodiversity in the transition to new scenarios? Invasive species: past, present and future trends Non-native plant species that become invasive are a multi-faceted phenomenon of global change. The influence of local vegetation patterns, their configuration/fragmentation, historical legacy of land- use changes on biological invasions still need to be better understood. Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Habitat monitoring is important for assessing the threat and conservation status of species and protected areas. This can be done at global and regional scales, with the vegetation as a key component of habitat-based indicators. Vegetation for conservation planning Conservation planning is a major research area to ensure optimised strategies in the long term preservation of biodiversity. Vegetation is the major structural and functional component of most terrestrial ecosystems and also has important interactions with abiotic ecosystem functions, such as hydrological cycle. Therefore, the role of vegetation in conservation planning is dual, because it represent a target of conservation management in terms of species and habitat but also because its role of proxy or driver of other conservation targets (e.g., animals). Consequently, the role of vegetation science in conservation planning is fundamental. This session is devoted to discuss the present and future trends in using vegetation data for conservation planning, trying to establish new ideas and perspectives for vegetation science. Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology The aim of every classification is to move from a continuous system to a discrete system. It is a way to simplify a complex reality by creating entities (vegetation types), that are crucial for map-making, management and knowledge exchange, restoration ecology and legal purposes. Many possible classifications exist, according to the context and aims. Moreover, conservation is scale-dependent, from geographic and time perspectives. Therefore the choice of the right vegetation classification at the right scale is a key issue.

32 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Understanding of the factors driving plant diversity patterns are of great importance not only for scientific community but also for conservation. Do we have enough high-quality data to reveal the general biodiversity patterns and how they change in space and time? Vegetation diversity on islands Islands represent model ecosystem for investigating evolutionary, biogeographical and also ecological processes. Although representing a minor proportion of the planet area, islands host a significant amount of biodiversity. Plant communities growing on islands presents important features, such as the presence of endemic species, special gradients of diversity and peculiar functional characters. However the island biota have experienced major transformation because of anthropogenic pressure. The study of plant community ecology and its long dynamic on islands is therefore a major scientific issue in the near future, also in the light of understanding how the island vegetation diversity can be preserved on the long term. This session will make an up-to-date synthesis on the current trends in research on island vegetation. Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses The emerging availability of large quantities of species co-occurrence, site attribute, and taxon attribute data is transforming the study of ecological communities. At the same time large data sets of heterogeneous origin pose increasing challenges, both technical and scientific. Advances are rapidly being made in data exchange, overcoming barriers to integrating vegetation plot data (e.g. validating and stan- dardising geo-coordinates and plant names), developing remedies to overcome bias and uncertainty in existing data, and in the compilation of global and supranational vegetation plot databases. How best to motivate data sharing continues to be an important topic. This session is also open to appropriate software demonstrations. Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Spatial modelling is often used to relate sparse biological survey data to remotely derived environmental predictors. Outputs from vegetation modelling include predictive mapping of community types (locations with similar species composition), functional units (groups of species with similar functions), gradients of compositional variation and various macro-ecological properties.

33 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Special sessions Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Convened by Maria Rosário Fernandes & Francisca C. Aguiar Riparian and aquatic vegetation patches are physical ecosystem engineers in fluvial landforms and associated habitats that strongly react to natural and human pressures. Main causes of changes are related with longstanding effects of flow regulation, deforestation, urban and agricultural land use in floodplains. Common ecological responses to continuous disturbance include reduction of connectivity and diversity of woody vegetation, homogenization of riverine areas, loss of pioneers phases, encroachment, among others. Also, the effects of a drier/warmer and more unpredictable climate change may also contribute to shifts in species composition, such as potential increases in alien species and succession stages towards more dominant mature-forest and drought-tolerant stages. This Session aims to gather Information from studies using temporal analyses addressing the response of fluvial vegetation patterns to distinct natural or human-induced alterations.Diverse scales and distinct methodologies will be tackled, from the catchment-to-reach level, to the field-to-image analysis, bringing together diverse scientific approaches, such as the planform analysis in historical maps, patch dynamics development in process-based models and cause-effect relations in empirical analyses.

Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Convened by Jürgen Dengler, John Hunter & Scott Franklin Studies on global vegetation and biodiversity patterns as well as global change effects on vegetation and ecosystem service provision need a well-defined, meaningful set of main types of climax vegetation. Various such global systems of biomes, zonobiomes or ecozones have been proposed by geobotanists during the past century, based on expert knowledge and coarse in resolution. More recently biome systems with finer resolution have been developed for countries or

34 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 continents, however, typically not consistent with any of the previous global systems. In this session we thus welcome presentation of biome systems and their underlying methodology, conceptual contributions that aim at defining what a biome is and finally methodological proposals how a better world biome map could be derived on present-day GIS databases of climate and other factors, remote sensing products and large vegetation-plot databases.

Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Convened by Ducco Rocchini & Sebastian Schmidtlein Whatever the vegetation property being investigated, from the distribution of a certain species or group of species, traits and functional types to the variability in space and time, field sampling in- evitably presents a number of issues, such as the development of a robust sampling design, the definition of the statistical population being sampled, and the time and cost of performing sampling in the field. This is particularly true when considering spatially complex ecosystems. It is practically impossible to gather exhaustive information about the geometry of environmental and species variation over space at a certain time. However, remote sensing is a powerful tool for obtaining continuous information about these targets, since it guarantees whole spatial coverage in a short period of time. The aim of this session is to discuss the potential of remote sensing for vegetation science, especially under the light of plant species modelling and the prediction of biodiversity changes in space and time.

Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Convened by Péter Török & Aveliina Helm The involvement of ecological theory in habitat conservation and restoration has significantly increased in the past decade. However, despite the fact that the field of restoration ecology has grown aca- demically strong, there are still visible gaps between the advancing discipline of theoretical ecology and current approaches of habitat restoration. It is necessary to improve joint thinking by improving the inclusion of recent ecological theories to practical habitat conservation and restoration, as well as by introducing a practical-problem-driven

35 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 theoretical research. The session aims to (i) improve linkages between theoretical ecology, restoration and conservation strategies; and to (ii) summarise the practical needs of restoration and conservation that need further support from theoretical ecology.

Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Convened by Orsolya Valkó, Péter Török, Béla Tóthmérész, Alessandra Fidelis & Borja Jiménez- Alfaro The regeneration niche, seed dispersal in space and time (seed rain and seed banks), germination or dormancy, represent major but often unexplored factors of species assembly and functional diversity. The aim of this Session is to discuss the role of seed traits in vegetation patterns, the dynamic of plant communities and restoration practice. Studies introducing theoretical and practical aspects of trait- based approaches for understanding colonization and establishment of species in natural or semi-natural communities are welcome.

Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Convened by Farid Bensettiti, Frédéric Bioret, Jorge Capelo, Dan Gafta, Franco Pedrotti, Daniel Pablo de la Cruz Sanchez Mata Vegetation mosaics issuing from the interplay of multiscale succession and zonation processes have been formally described by Continental European phytosociologists ever since the early 70’s. Ve- getation mosaics were then defined as the object of Landscape Phyto- sociology. Within the scope of contemporary Vegetation Science, the subject has developed into a worldwide focus on beyond-community upper complexity levels. Geobotanical concepts corresponding to several types of succession and zonation phenomena, in relation to environmental determinants, to disturbance regimes (both natural and human-induced) and to ecological history have been thoroughly proposed. Fruitful contemporary and future research lines are those addressing the many instances of phytocoenosis, vegetation series and geoseries as reference models for manifold approaches in Vege- tation Science. Such conceptual synergies may range from geobotanical typology, as in itself, a dynamic habitat typology almost-readily

36 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 applicable to Nature management and ecosystem mapping to those envisaging complex approaches: - functional, evolutionary, macroecology – to those envisaging geobotanical typology, as in itself, a dynamic habitat typology almost-readily applicable to Nature management and ecosystem mapping. In this session, we wish to pursue such approach as new ideas are most welcome. Suggested topics: 1. Proposals on geobotanical models: conceptual stability, completeness, and systematics. 2. Specific methodological issues of field sampling, numerical treatment and databasing of symphytosociological data. 3. Biodiversity measures at different scales in relation to associations, vegetation series and geoseries. 4. Functional classifications of vegetation mosaics based on geobotanical models. 5. Vegetation landscape interpretation in several complexity-levels applications and symphytosociological vegetation mapping. Territorial case-studies in Landscape Phytosociology.

Oral presentation and posters

The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Aakala T.

Oral Presentation Structure and tree species composition of preindustrial Finnish forest landscapes Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Tuomas Aakala* and Timo Kuuluvainen

Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki *Presenting author: [email protected]

Changes in forest landscapes structures in northern Europe are generally attributed to the ubiquitous impact of industrial use of forests. In particular, forest management based on rotation of even-aged stands has led to considerable change in forest structure at multiple scales. However, the starting point for industrial forestry was not a pristine forest, but landscapes influenced to various degree by human activities in different ways for centuries. In this study, we mapped for the first time the locations of over 6000 sample plots measured in the first Finnish National Forest Inventory (1921-1924), for a spatially-explicit assessment of the state of forests and forested landscapes in the early 20th century. Combined with historical population and land-use data, we assessed the role of past land-use as determinants of these patterns, using boosted regression trees. Our results showed strong geographical gradients in tree age and size structures that were best explained by the population density in the 1920s, reflecting the pressure on forests for construction timber and fuelwood. In addition, the pattern of tree species composition and richness were associated with the slash-and-burn agriculture that was still practiced in parts of the region in the early 20th century. These results aid in understanding how the current forest and landscape structures have developed, and in bridging the gap between studies aimed at documenting the development of natural forests and the modern forest structures well quantified in forest inventories and remote sensing data.

41 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Acosta A. T. R.

Oral Presentation Coastal dune vegetation zonation in Italy: squeezed between environmental drivers and threats Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Alicia T.R. Acosta2 *

2Department of Sciences, University of Rome 3, Rome, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Occupying transition zones between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, coastal dune systems are characterized by strong environmental gradients which determine the coexistence of different plant communities in a relatively small area. The complex and compressed zonation of plant communities along the sea-inland gradient is one of the most interesting features of Mediterranean sandy shores. This work describes distribution patterns of major habitat types in coastal dune systems in Italy emphasizing the their ecological value in terms of biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity. De- spite the presence of numerous habitats which are considered priorities for international conservation goals, coastal dune ecosystems have undergone consistent transformations and are currently considered to be highly endangered. A synthesis of major threats is also presented. In particular, fragmentation and loss of natural coastal dune habitats has occurred together with the expansion of artificial areas, afforestation and the gain of new land for agricultural activities. The composition and structure of coastal landscapes have been drastically modified altering the ecological processes, thus limiting, or in the worse cases, eliminating the ecosystem services they provide. Coupled with these phenomena, the spread of alien plants has been claimed to produce a wide range of impacts, including changes in species diversity, community structure as well as alterations of ecosystem processes. A remarkable abundance of few aliens in specific sectors of the vegetation zonation was registered. Dune grasslands appear most affected by invasion processes, related in most cases to the frequent and widespread Carpobrotus sp. Last but not least, sandy shores could be also considered important sinks for marine litter. The presence of this litter may represent a further serious threat to biotic communities and dune integrity mostly due to cleaning activities. In the hope of preserving the functionality and uniqueness of coastal dune ecosystems, understanding of these threats is crucial step to develop effective management strategies to safeguard coastal dune biodiversity.

42 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Addicot E.

Oral Presentation When rare species are unimportant but height is: linking plot-based classifications to mapped plant communities in a tropical savanna, Australia Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Eda Addicott1,2,4 *, Susan Laurance2, Mitchell Lyons3, Don Butler4 and John Neldner4 1Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia; 2Centre for Tropical Environmental & Sustainability Science (TESS) and College of Marine & Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia; 3Centre for Ecosystems Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Scien- ces, UNSW Australia, NSW 2052, Australia; 4Queensland Herbarium, Mt. Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Department of Science, Infor- mation Technology and Innovations, Queensland Government, QLD 4066, Australia *Presenting author: [email protected]

Question(s): Plant communities in extensive landscapes are often mapped remotely using detectable patterns based on canopy species and vegetation structure, and are necessarily at a landscape scale. A plot-based classification which includes species with low canopy cover, and does not consider vegetation structure may result in communities not readily reconcilable with those recognised in mapping. Hence we ask the following questions: What are the effects on classification outcomes if we (1) remove rare species based on canopy cover, and (2) weight species’ cover by different measures of vegetation height to incorporate vegetation structure? Methods: Using a dataset comprising floristic and structural inventories from 101 sites of savanna and woodland communities we investigated first, the effect of removing rare species using four cover thresholds (1, 5, 8 and 10% contribution to total cover) and second, weighting species by four height measures (Height, LogHeight, RankHeight, NoHeight). Vegetation communities were classified using agglomerative hierarchical clustering. We compared how different data subsets and height-measures influenced patterns of site similarity, clustering, species richness and evenness, and characteristic species. Using generalised linear models we estimated the ability of each classification to predict species cover. Results: Importantly, removing rare pecies at any cover threshold produced characteristic species appearing to correspond to landscape scale changes. It also better predicted species cover in grasslands and shrublands, while in woodlands it made no difference. Different height-measures changed the vegetation layer driving classification. Using actual vegetation layer

43 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 height maintained vegetation structure, classified communities emphasising canopy then sub-canopy species and predicted species cover better than the other height-measures tested. Conclusions: Incorporating vegetation height, and removing species based on contribution to total canopy cover, allowed us to define plant communities from fine-scale plot data using the same primary vegetation attributes used to define mapped communities. In these savanna communities, this facilitated a quantitative classification able to test and refine mapped communities based on structure and canopy species.

44 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Agrillo E.

Poster nr. 127 Large vegetation databases, a tool to support the implementation of Nature Conservation Policy in Italy: cases from northern Italy Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Laura Casella2, Emiliano Agrillo1 *, Nicola Alessi3, Pierangela Angelini2, Bru- no E.L. Cerabolini5, Alessandro Chiarucci4, Michele de Sanctis1, Marco Massi- mi1, Camilla Wellstein3 and Stefan Zerbe3 1Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Roma, P.le A.Moro,5 00185 Roma, Italy.; 2 Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Bran- cati, 60 00144 Roma, Italy.; 3 Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, P.zza Uni- versità 5, - 39100 Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.; 4BIGEA, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy and 5Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

A standardized approach for habitat description, monitoring, and assessing is crucial for legal and applied implications related to nature conservation. Vegeta- tion community types are largely recognized as a proxy for habitats, this implies that large georeferenced archives of vegetation data can be considered a valuable tool for enhancing the development of reliable habitat conservation actions. Two crucial points can be here stressed in order to achieve reliable and scientific sound standards for land management, environmental planning and nature conservancy: (1) the need for proper vegetation surveys and (2) the lack of a formalized unique language for habitat monitoring and assessment. The availability of more and more powerful archives and computer capacity makes it necessary to re-elaborate the data collection, storage and management protocols and leads to overcome the expert-based habitat characterization and assessment. In Europe, the CORINE Biotopes, the revision of Palaearctic and EUNIS classification, and nomenclatures derived from them, in particular the habitats of Annex 1 of the Habitats Directive, provide a pan-European reference set of units to set management practices and networks for biodiversity conservation and many countries rely on this nomenclature for the definition of habitats to be preserved on national territories, but a need to use large database to make descriptions more consistent

45 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 has emerged (Report EEA/NSV/14/006). In this direction, Europe is setting up a review of EUNIS nomenclature in order to make it more consistent with both the territorial reality and the methodology innovations. Moreover, global initiatives for the organization of large databases (GIVD, GBIF and, in Europe, European Vegetation Archive) received institutional recognition entering as processing tools also in legal framework. In Italy, the National Plan for Habitat Monitoring relies upon protocols for a standardized monitoring and assessing approach based on large environmental archives, in order to build a core of reliable data upon which a consistent conservation policy can be enhanced. Here some cases from Northern Italy are presented to be considered as pilot studies for conservation plans.

46 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Aguiar F.

Oral Presentation Stressed riverscapes: riparian vegetation history in time and space Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Francisca C. Aguiar*, Maria João Martins, Pedro C. Silva, Maria Rosário Fer- nandes and Maria Teresa Ferreira Centro de Estudos Florestais (CEF), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa *Presenting author: [email protected]

Rivers and humans concur for space, water and energy in the stressed Ibe- rian riverscapes, Southern Europe. Unravel the relationship of altered stream flows by dams and land-use and land cover (LULC) change in the riparian vegetation is a complex challenge. We analysed riverscapes downstream of three dams and hypothesized that different dam types (storage reservoirs and run-of- river) in rivers with diverse history of LULC change have significant differences of riparian cover at diverse biogeomorphic units (banks, riverbanks, islands) and on species composition and functional guilds. We performed a temporal comparison using pre-dam (1965) and post-dam (2013) high-resolution airborne imagery. A new approach was devised to correct the spatial offset between historical and contemporary imagery. Riparian vegetation and LULC (200 m-buffer) were mapped. Five landscape metrics, measures of shape complexity, area and edge effect of riparian patches, were computed. We used field data - riparian woody composition from near-natural rivers and downstream of dams - to assess trait syndromes of riparian vegetation in response to hydrology and LULC. We found support for the hypothesis of highly altered riverscapes in the post-dam period. Riparian vegetation occupies more area in hydropower rivers than in the preceding free-flowing rivers, but riparian patches have a significantly smaller spatial heterogeneity and complexity. Distinct growth trajectories of riparian vegetation were observed: (i) the reservoir rivers experienced mostly vegetation encroachment towards the active channel by colonization of banks (in-stream) and un-forested portions of riverbanks; the abundance of obligate riparian guild (e.g. black alders, grey willow) decreases and water-stress tolerant guilds (e.g. elmleaf blackberry) increase. (ii) in the run-of-river case, riparian vegetation mostly expanded outwards by enlarging the riparian ecotone towards the floodplain; obligate riparian and deciduous competitor guilds (e.g. ash, European black elderberry) decrease and water-stress tolerant and Mediterranean evergreen species (e.g. myrtle,

47 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 strawberry tree) increase their cover. LULC (especially agricultural lands and forests) and hydrology together explain riparian changes. The increase in vegetation cover observed in these stressed riverscapes does not entail higher biodiversity values or more well-preserved riverscapes, and require diverse management options to be implemented with respect to the streamflow alterations and the LULC context.

48 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ahlborn J.

Oral Presentation Functional diversity along a climate and land-use gradients in Mongolia Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Julian Ahlborn1 *, Birgit Lang2, Karsten Wesche3,4,5, Munkhzul Oyunbileg6, Christine Römermann2,4, Batlai Oyuntsetseg7 and Henrik von Wehrden1 1Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lueneburg;2Institute of Systematic Botany, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena;3Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, Goerlitz;- 4German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig;5In- ternational Institute Zittau, TU Dresden;6Institute of General and Experimental Biol- ogy, Mongolian Academy of Science, Ulaanbaatar and 7Department of Botany, School of Biology and Biotechnology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar *Presenting author: [email protected]

Grassland ecosystems are threatened globally by land use change. Their ecosystem dynamics often depend on grazing, which can amount to degradation under high intensity. Interactions between grazing impact and local climatic conditions within drylands are, however, not well understood, and the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors for ecosystem functioning still is debated. In Mongolia, we designed a study along a 600km long transect with 15 study sites, corresponding to 100 to 250 mm mean annual precipitation. At each site, we sampled comprehensive information about plant communities, environmental constraints and plant functional traits along gradients of 5 grazing intensities. In order to investigate the impact of land-use effects on ecosystem functions in dry rangelands, our first analysis targeted species richness, vegetation cover and biomass. Results revealed interactive effects between climate and land-use on species richness and biomass, yet we also recognized high variation of all three variables in the intermediate part of our climate gradient, where grazing pressure has increased in recent years. Our results support the notion that abiotically controlled non-equilibrium dynamics can override land-use effects in dry and variable rangelands, while grazing effects are especially strong in the transition zone to moister and relatively stable environments. Subsequently, we used a dataset consisting of 17 traits to investigate how plant performance responds to grazing, climate and their interactions. The dataset represents 95% of the biomass and approximately 50% of all species occurring on our study sites. Initial analyses of the community weighted means of the categorical traits showed that the vegetation communities responded differently along both

49 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 gradients. The next step of our analysis includes the exploration of interactive effects of climate and land-use on functional diversity calculated from measured plant functional traits. In this session, we will briefly present the main results of our first study and focus on the multifaceted aspects of functional diversity along a climate and land-use gradients in Mongolia.

50 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Aleksanyan A.

Oral Presentation Problems and solutions for rehabilitation of degraded by overgrazing lands in mountainous countries (case study of Armenia) Special Session: Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Alla Aleksanyan1 *, George Fayvush1, Michael Huber2 and Hanns Kirchmeir2 1Institute of Botany of NAS Armenia and 2E.C.O. Institute of Ecology *Presenting author: [email protected]

The biodiversity of Armenia is rich and has a global importance, but many species and the proper functioning of the ecosystems are under the threat. There is considerable pressure on them from the exploitation of natural resources. Pastures in Armenia are in different altitudinal belts – from semi-desert to alpine meadows. Livestock grazing and overgrazing, have tangible effects on soil and vegetation. As result of long time of unsustainable using the most part of pastures are tram- pled, eroded down, has low productivity (40-70%). In a place of fodder plants with high productivity, we have lots of invasive, inedible plants with low nutrition value, which interfere others growth and promote erosion processes. In a frame of programs “Sustainable Management of Biodiversity, South Caucasus” and “Integrated Erosion Control in Mountainous Areas, South Caucasus” (implemented by the GIZ GmbH on behalf of BMZ with co-fun- ding from ADC) vegetation monitoring in fenced territories in 6 villages of 2 regions of Armenia was carried out. In total data from 96 permanent plots was collected for describing current conditions and status of ecosystems and make visible changes after fencing and prohibition of grazing. To exclude external factors the methodology (developed by Etzold & Neudert (2013) and Tovmasyan et al. (2015)) includes monitoring inside and outside of the fence, to compare the development of vegetation under the same conditions, the fence being the only changing parameter. The monitoring took place in July 2016 in order to assess changes regarding signs for ongoing erosion, composition of vegetation cover and floristic diversity. The results of the data analysis show that even after a short period of exclusion from grazing vegetation cover increased up to 50% and an increase of species numbers of up to 35% on selected sites (with a max 40 different species) and a linear relation between species number and vegetation cover (although R² is quite low with 0,15). Irrespective of site conditions, results indicate a high regenerative potential of overgrazed sites and a rather quick promotion of grazing sensitive species and a rapid shift of species composition. The results show that low to medium overgrazed areas have a certain ability to regenerate within a rather short period of time. For future restoration and enhancement of fodder quality should be done special detailed research of species composition of pastures.

51 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Alessi N.

Poster nr. 035 Functional and phytocoenological approaches to the ecology of Laurus nobilis L. in Italy Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Nicola Alessi1 *, Camilla Wellstein1, Francesco Spada2,3 and Stefan Zerbe1 1Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Uni- versità 5, I – 39100 Bozen-Bolzano, Italy;2Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Roma, L.go Cristina di Svezia, 24 00165 Roma, Italy and 3Department of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University, Evolutionary Bi- ology Centre, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden *Presenting author: [email protected]

Laurus nobilis L. (Laurel) is considered one of the most emblematic epi- gones of the late Tertiary Eurasian broad-leaved evergreen forest biome, persisting within the Mediterranean vegetation until today. A comprehensive outline of its present ecology and coenology is crucial for the understanding of its biogeographical history as well as for the assessment of a consistent practice of restoration of the extant broadleaved evergreen forest in the Me- diterranean districts of the Italian peninsula. The recent availability of large vegetation databases can elucidate significant aspects of this peculiar- per sistence, using phytocoenological records with functional and climate data. We investigated the coenology of L. nobilis in Italy using a national dataset of 804 phytosociological relevés in which it is recorded. We used Flexible-Beta clustering method to assess the ecological amplitude of the species along geographical and topographical gradients in Italy. In order to understand the pattern of within-range variability of its abundance, we used a regression tree, taking into account a selection of parameters, i.e. climate factors extracted from BIOCLIM, species indicator values according to Ellenberg’s approach, modified for Italy, and functional traits obtained from large databases, literature and own sources. Our results show a wide ecological amplitude of Laurus, growing within a wide range of distinct plant communities such as zonal evergreen forests, extrazonal mesophilous forests, and azonal riparian forests. The distribution pattern of its abundance was mainly associated with the precipitation regime suggesting a dualistic behavior of the species. In fact, it occurs on sites both with a pronounced summer aridity as well as with abundant precipitation and low seasonality. The former group of sites showed a positive relation with high quantity of soil nutrients and persisting soil moisture buffering the lack of summer precipitation. The latter group is identified by high amount of fle- shy-fruited species in the plots. Since this trait is considered adaptation to a warm-wet climate, the global pattern might confirm the relict status of Laurus, adapted to a zonal macroclimate envelope no longer existing in the region.

52 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ali H.

Oral Presentation Drivers of multi-scale plant community structure in agricultural field margins in South Korea Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Hamada E. Ali1,2 *, Björn Reineking3,2 and Tamara Münkemüller4,5 1Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt;2Biogeographical modelling, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmen- tal Research BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany;3Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR EMGR, 2, rue de la Pa- peterie-BP 76, F-38402 St-Martin-d’Hères Cedex, France.;4Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Laboratoire d’Écologie Alpine (LECA), F-38000 Grenoble, France. and 5CNRS, Lab- oratoire d’Écologie Alpine (LECA), F-38000 Grenoble, France *Presenting author: [email protected]

Management of field margins in agricultural landscapes is important for the conservation of biodiversity and resulting ecosystem functions and services. Here we use a multi-scale approach to study effects of land management on plant diversity in field margins in the Haean-myun catchment in South Korea. We quantified the effects of local-scale management (recently managed vs. unmanaged field margins) and landscape-scale land-use (percentage of non-farmed habitats) on plant community structure at the meta-community level (β- and γ-diversities), the community level (α-diversity), and the species level (species rarity, growth form and dispersal). We collected data on species richness, species cover and species abundance in 300 sub-plots located in 100 plots randomly distributed in 100 different field margins. We found that recent local-scale management of field margins resulted in lower α-diversity but contributed to increased β-and γ-diversity of plant communities, indicating that different plant species were affected in different plots. However, trait analyses showed that negative effects of local-scale management were not entirely random but specifically applied to the rarer perennial and/or abiotically dispersed species. At the landscape scale, higher percentages of surrounding non-farmed habitats increased α-diversity of managed field margins and thus buffered negative local-scale management effects. However, this positive effect was highest for the more abundant annual species, independent of their dispersal mode, and thus did not benefit the most threatened perennial species. Our study demonstrates the strong effect of both local and landscape scale land management on plant community structure. Even so the negative effects of local management can be partly counteracted by landscape-scale land abandonment, species from some functional groups (perennials) won’t be able to benefit from this. Results highlight, that only a multi-scale approach supported a full and coherent portrayal of biodiversity responses to land management in our study system.

53 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Alvarado Romero S. T.

Oral Presentation Tracking vegetation recovery after fire on Brazilian savannas using timelapse cameras Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Swanni T. Alvarado1,2,5 *, Bruna Alberton2, Jurandy Almeida3, Ricardo Torres4, Thiago Sanna Freire Silva1 and Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato2 1Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Rio Claro, Brazil;2Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Rio Claro, Brazil,;3Institute of Science and Technology, UNIFESP Universidade Fed- eral de São Paulo, São José dos Campos, Brazil;4Institute of Computing, UNICAMP Universidade de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil5 *Presenting author: [email protected]

Fire is a natural disturbance that determines the physiognomy and the structure of vegetation in the Cerrado savannas, including campos rupestres, in tropical mountain environments. Understanding post-fire vegetation recovery is important to determine the resilience of plant communities and to predict vegetation responses to different fire regimes. To reach this goal, we have installed six cameras to monitor leaf phenology in different physiognomies of Cerrado and campos rupestres at Serra do Cipo. The cameras were installed immediately after a very large fire burned 16% of the Serra do Cipó National Park and surrounding protected area. We evaluated post-fire vegetation recovery using repeat photography time-series to answer the following questions: 1) How does the time of vegetation recovery varies after fire, according to vegetation type? 2) What are the main drivers of vegetation recovery? We analyzed all images recorded between October 2014 to 2016, including the first growing season after fire. We selected Regions of Interest (ROIs) representing the landscape physiognomies on each image site to extract the red, green and blue (RGB) color channels information over the timespan after fire. The Excess Green index (ExG) was calculated to track vegetative phenology. We used the Normali- zed Regeneration Index (NRI) as a measure of the recovery after fire. To define the drivers that determine recovery time, we will consider vegetation type, patch size, monthly precipitation, and percent of rock cover. Our preliminary results show different ExG curves for each vegetation type, which represent temporal changes in vegetation greening after fire. Peat bog, the wettest vegetation type, had the faster postfire recovery, reaching a peak of green signal on the 33rd day after fire, followed by wet grasslands (35th, 40th and 51st for threedifferent ROIs), and altitudinal grasslands (49th day). Stony grasslands were the last to reach peak green-up after fire (62nd, 78th and 79th days post fire, for different ROIs). Our preliminary results suggest that campos rupestres have a high burning resilience in terms of vegetation recovery. Future approaches will compare the lag response of each vegetation type, and the impact of fires in biomass recovery of these fire-prone plant communities.

54 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Alves R. J. V.

Poster nr. 101 Dynamics in tree fern forests on Trindade Island, South Atlantic, Brazil, before and after feral goat eradication. Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Ruy J. V. Alves* and Nílber G. da Silva Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Departamento de Botânica *Presenting author: [email protected]

Trindade is an isolated volcanic island in the South Atlantic located 1,140 km from the coast of Espírito Santo (Brazil). Trindade was covered by lush forests until 1700, when goats and pigs were introduced, followed by sheep. The forests which once covered 80% of the island dwindled to <5% and several plant and animal species became extinct. The goat population reached nearly 1,000 and kept the island’s vegetation from regenerating. Cyathea copelandii probably became dominant while other trees dwindled due to the peculiar caudex morphology which deterred goat predation. The goats were still numerous in 1994 when the first author mapped the vegetation in 1994 and started a goat eradication programme concluded in 2005. Floristic inventories, Braun-Blanquet relevés, field mapping and satellite images were used to survey the vegetation between 1994-1995 (with many goats present) through 2013 (eight years after goat eradication). Currently forests on Trinda- de are restricted to the highest peaks and valleys, dominated by C. copelandii. In all 4.440 m2 of the area sampled by relevés had species in the tree layer with a Br.-Bl. index >1. Mean cover values of the tree and shrub layers increased only slightly (respectively 33%→38%; 13%→16%). Even though the herb layer cover changed little (62%→61%), the number of species increased (8→29 species, eleven being endemic). The medium richness in the herb layer increased from 3(5) to 5(10). Five rare endemic species expanded their populations. In the plots, 556 individuals of C. copelandii were registered at a density of 0,56 ind./m2, (4.5x more than the continental sister-species C. delgadii). Even though most plant species on the island are exotic, regeneration of the vegetation is being protagonized by native, mostly endemic and a few naturalized species. C. copelandii density grew significantly due to high recruitment after goat eradication (goats could browse fronds of juvenile individuals in the past). The most notorious process observed on Trindade is the rapid expansion of endemic species compared to exotics.

55 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Andrade B. O.

Poster nr. 048 Endemic species distribution patterns in the Pastizales del Río de la Plata region Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Bianca O. Andrade1 *, Eduardo Marchesi3, Ilsi I. Boldrini1, Heinrich Hasenack2, Felipe Lezama3, Santiago Baeza3, Alice Altesor4, Susana Perelman5, Valério DP Pillar2 and Gerhard E. Overbeck1 1Department of Botany, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;2De- partment of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;3Faculty of Agronomy, Universidad de la República, Uruguay;4Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Uruguay and 5Institute for Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecolo- gy, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina *Presenting author: [email protected]

Effective conservation of endemic species requires a detailed knowledge of their spatio-temporal distributions. A considerable amount of floristic knowledge about the Pastizales del Río de la Plata, the extended grassland region in southeastern South America (northeastern Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil), was gathered in the last decades. However, studies are scattered and no efforts to integrate data from the entire region has been conducted so far, preventing us to have a broader perspective of overall patterns. The main objectives of the study, conducted within the international collaboration project TRANSCAMPOS, were to (1) compile a floristic list of the Pastizales del Río de la Plata, (2) identify the endemic species for the region, and (3) locate the hotspots of endemism, allowing us to discuss conservation strategies for the entire region. We used openly available data from species online databases and taxonomic reviews to compile our data based. The geographic coordinates of each species occurrences were plotted on maps of land use change and geology in order to better understand species distribution patterns and conservation needs. The list to- talized 4985 species of which 294 (5.8%) are endemic to the region. These species belong mainly to Asteraceae, Iridaceae, Cactaceae and Poaceae families, and the genera Parodia, Cypella, Dyckia, Mimosa and Nothoscordum. A latitudinal gradient of endemic species richness is evident, as well as its association to the oldest geologic areas in the region (the granitic shield in Southern Brazil and Northeastern Uruguay, dominated by Paleoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic rocks). Areas of rugged topography also seem to be centers of endemism. Up to 27 endemic species could be found within a single 50 km2 grid cell. Likely, the co-occurrence of tropical and temperate of flora elements is responsible for the overall higher species richness in northernmost part of our study region. We conclude that the existing protected area network does not effectively conserve the Pastizales del Río de la Plata unique biodiversity and suggest measures by which its effectiveness might be increased.

56 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Arcela V.

Poster nr. 039 What makes a tree a good phorophyte? Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Vicente Arcela*, Rodolfo de Paula Oliveira and Luisa G. Carvalheiro Department of Ecology, Biological Sciences Institute, University of Brasília, Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected]

Epiphytes sustain high levels of invertebrate diversity in tropical ecosystems, and play an important role on ecosystem functioning. However, little is known about the factors that regulate their distribution, and more specifically the commensalistic relationships between vascular epiphytes and their host trees (phorophytes). Riparian forests are vegetal formations which frequently show soil moisture gradients and these sites with high humidity are suitable to epiphyte development. The aim of this study was to evaluate if tree morphological traits (circumference, height, canopy area and bark texture) can influence the probability of an individual tree to be a phorophyte. The study was conducted in two floodable and two non-floodable riparian forests of Brazilian savannas (Cerrado), a biodiversity hotspot with a highly diverse epiphyte community. For that, in each of the four study sites, we made surveys along 5 randomly placed transects (500 m2 each). All trees with diameter at breast height higher than 5 cm (DBH ≥ 5cm) were sampled and the number and identification of all epiphytes was registered. Data were analyzed using generalized mixed models. While tree abundance was higher in floodable habitats (1,010 individuals) than in non-floodable (656), the proportions of individuals used as phorophytes was similar (~ 30%) in both habitats. On the other hand, non-floodable habitats showed higher tree richness, where we found 105 spp while 61 spp in floodable habitat, but again, the proportion of species used as phorophyte was the same in both habitats (~ 60%). Tree circumference is the size trait which showed the highest effect on the probability of a tree to be phorophyte, plus this effect was significantly more pronounced in non-floodable habitats. Tree age might also affect this probability and tree circumference can be a proxy of this time period. Bark texture did not show the expected relevant effects. Further analyses focusing on the importance of tree species traits to explain diversity and interaction network patterns are currently being run.

57 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Asadi H.

Oral Presentation The assignment of relevés to pre-existing vegetation units: A comparison of approaches using species fidelity Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Hamed Asadi2,1 *, Omid Esmailzadeh2, Seyed Mohsen Hosseini2 and Miquel De Cáceres3,4 1Department of forestry, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Iran;2Department of Forestry, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran;3CTFC-CEMFOR (Forest Sciences Center of Catalonia), Solsona, Spain and 4CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

Questions: What is the relative value of different statistical fidelity measures for the reassignment of relevés to existing vegetation units? To which degree reassignments allow reproducing the original classification? In which cases reassignments improve the quality of the original classification? Location: Hyrcanian Box tree (Buxus hyrcana Pojark.) forests of Iran. Methods: We took the classifications produced by three commonly used unsupervised classification methodsand all relevés were reassigned to the closest vegetation unit according to the Total Fidelity Value Index (TFVI), where fidelity had been calculated using one of eight different statistical measures, and according to the Frequency-Positive Fidelity Index (FPFI). Classifications obtained after relevé reassignment were compared to the initial ones using the Adjusted Rand Index. The quality of all classification solutions, including the initial ones, was evaluated using with six different evaluator statistics. Results and conclusions: The TFVI framework based on group-equalized fidelity indices produced better results than other assignment rules. Further- more, IndValgind and rgø were to be preferred among group-equalized indices. We conclude that TFVI based onIndValgind not only can be used for the assignment of new relevés to existing vegetation units but also it can improve quality of classification results after reassignment.

58 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Atashgahi Z.

Oral Presentation Does Indicator species concept improving the gradient analysis results of plant communities? Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Zohreh Atashgahi1 *, Hamid Ejtehadi1, Mansoor Mesdaghi2, Fereshteh Ghase- mzadeh1 And Omid Esmailzadeh3 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mash- had;2Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad and 3Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources & Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor *Presenting author: [email protected]

In this study, vegetation of cushion-form steppes and Juniper woodlands in Heydari Wildlife Refuge (NE of Iran) were classified in order to describe if Indicator species concept improves the gradient analysis results of plant communities? A total of 215 sample plots with an area 100 m2 were randomly collected from 1400 to 2900 m a.s.l. This data set was classified using modified TWINSPAN and the numerical classifications were subjected as 8 plant communities. Indicator species of these communities were determined by correlation and indicator value analysis as two common indices of association between a species and a group of sites by two status of group size (group equalized and non-equalized) as well as two types (presence-absence and abundance) of floristically data. Based on the octal list of indicator species and initial data set, 8 new dataset which are contained only indicator species were achieved. Floristic differences among plant communities were evaluated with detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) followed by multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) based on initial dataset (total species were included) and only indicator species datasets. Phi coefficient (presence/absence) of association showed best Classification strength and maximum distances between groups in DCA-vectors according to MRPP test. The choice of appropriate algorithm or “data set specific fidelity” and recognition of indicator species can improve results of classification and ordination. In this case study the correlation approach is probably more useful than the indicator value approaches.

59 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Aune S.

Oral Presentation Loss of semi-natural grasslands in the boreal region - A case study from Norway Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Sigrun Aune1 *, Anders Bryn2,1 and Knut Anders Hovstad1 1Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research and 2Geo-Ecology Research Group, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo *Presenting author: [email protected]

The agricultural landscape in the boreal zone are facing the same challenges arising from/caused by changes in agricultural management as other Eu- ropean regions. High biodiversity habitats in this region include semi-natural grasslands, formed through centuries of grazing and mowing. Intensification and abandonment of management are the major threats for these habitats. In this study, we aim to quantify changes in land cover in a rural landscape (6.2 km2) in Central Norway over the last 50 years, and investigate the species composition of semi-natural grasslands at different management intensities. We conducted field mapping in 2014/2015, interpretation of 1960s aerial photos and field survey of 76 semi-natural grassland patches. Successional stage and long-term management intensity was registered for all patches. Drivers of semi-natural grassland loss was analysed by logistic regression. The main observed changes in land cover included a 50 % decrease in semi-natural grassland area while arable land (incl. fertilised permanent grasslands) increased. Intensified agricultural management of semi-natural grasslands was the most frequent cause of change (25.4 % of semi-natural grassland area in 1960), while forest regrowth was second most important (17.5 %). Intensification was correlated with flat areas and closeness to farms and roads, while forest regrowth increased on steep slopes and near the forest edge. The area covered with forest remained approximately stable. A total number of 176 vascular plant species was registered in semi-natural grassland patches. Vegetation composition was determined by long- term agricultural management with a decrease in number of semi-natural grassland species if management ceases or the grazing pressure is very low. Number of forest species increased after abandonment. Species turnover was best explained by a gradient from active management to late succession. Quantification of land cover transitions can provide important information about large-scale landscape change but there is a danger that information on change in ecological functioning within land cover classes are overseen. Our results can be used to assess the potential for restoration in abandoned semi-natural grasslands. In this area we state that management effort should be directed towards the transition zone from arable land to forest and habitats where grassland specialist species still is present.

60 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Auriere A.

Oral Presentation How to characterize, describe and map an agro-pastoral landscape devoid of late secondary successional stage? Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Anne Auriere1 *, Frédéric Bioret2 and Thierry Dutoit1 1IMBE Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Écologie – UMR CNRS-IRD 7263, Avignon Université, Aix-Marseille Université, IUT d’Avignon, 337 chemin des Meinajariès, Site Ag- roparc BP 61207, 84911 Avignon, Cedex 09, France and 2EA2219 Géoarchitecture –Université de Bretagne Occidentale, UFR Sciences & Techniques, CS 93837, 29238 Brest cedex, Franceo *Presenting author: [email protected] Symphytosociology, also known as landscape phytosociology or dynami- co-catenal phytosociology, studies complexes plant communities linked together by the same process of plant succession on tesselas (ecologically homogeneous areas). The objectives of this discipline are to analyze, define and systematize the vegetation landscape through late secondary successional stage. The MEEM (French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea) CarHAB program (Mapping Land Habitats of Metropolitan France) aims to carry out a map of vegetation series by 2025 in order to point out the planning issues problematics by applying the concepts and methods of symphytosociology. However, how to characterize, describe and map the vegetation landscape of an agro-pastoral area where the late secondary successional stage are lacking? How to implement a symphytosiological method to describe “truncated” vegetation series of a site where plant potential successions are prevented by agro-pastoral management and / or ecological constraining factors? The La Crau plain, situated in western Provence, formed by the successive alluvial deposits of the former river of the Durance, suffers more or less intensely by recurrent impact of a multi-secular sheep grazing system and strong climatic and edaphic conditions (mistral, period of drought, soil con- glomerate). Some scientists have defined the semi-natural vegetation that covers this area as pseudo-steppic. Nevertheless, the long-term dynamics of these plant communities is still controversial. From a “plants community” entry of this area and by putting in place a deductive methodology called ascending (from “vegetation” to “vegetation series”), the objective of our researches is first to realize a phytosociological typology of these xeric vegetations in order to define the different plants communities identified. A work on ecological data collection on the whole area of the plain has been carried out (geology, depth of the groundwater, soil granulometry). These elements were crossed to draw up a first map of the landscape elements of the site and to describe the “truncated” vegetation series. We shall expose here the methods used, the results and contribution of vegetation mapping of this site for the understanding of their spatio-temporal distribution and the definition of vegetation series.

61 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bacaro G.

Poster nr. 123 Effects of spatial scales and vegetation types on Observer bias: practical implications for long term monitoring programs Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Giovanni Bacaro1 *, Enrico Tordoni1, Elisa Baragatti2, Simona Maccherini2, Michela Marignani3, Duccio Rocchini4, Daniele Da Re1, Carlo Ricotta5, Marco Ferretti7, Roberto Canullo6 and Alessandro Chiarucci8 1Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy;2Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy;3DISVA, Botany Section, University of Ca- gliari, Cagliari, Italy;4Center Agriculture Food Environment, University of Trento, S. Michele all’Adige (TN), Italy ;5Department of Environmental Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy;6School of Bisociences, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy;7Forest Resources and Management, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland and 8Department of Biological, Geological and En- vironmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Global changes mainly due to habitat fragmentation and climate variation, are rapidly influencing terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Long-term monitoring programs based on periodic reliefs represent important tools to understand ecosystem changes in time and in space. Under this perspective, it is crucial to understand the amount of variation in species inventories due to the observer: in long-term monitoring programs, it is often impossible to maintain the same teams of observers over the years and this variation through years can results in a major impact on the data quality and consistency; biased data can result into changes in time due to systematic differences among observers instead of true variations. Non-sampling errors (both within and between observer) can be classified in: 1) overlooking errors, when a species is not recorded when it is present; 2) misidentification errors, occurring when the species is not correctly identified; 3) estimation errors, when species abundances are not accurately estimated. This work aims to: i) investigate the role of observer subjectivity in sampling vegetation in forest monitoring plots in relation to different parameters such as vegetation complexity, observer expertise and the spatial scale of observation and ii) suggest ideas to reduce the observer bias for reliable and repeatable monitoring programs over long periods. We analyzed the observers’ influence on vegetation records using data collected in six forest areas in Tuscany (Central Italy): 10 nested multi-scale plots (three plot measures: 1 m2, 10 m2 and 100 m2) were sampled in spring/summer 2009 by three different teams of botanists

62 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 with different level of knowledge of the vegetation in the areas. We analyzed the observers’ influence on vegetation data using different analytic methods such as comparisons among field notebooks and permutation analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). We observed that most of the divergence in species records are related with different characteristics of the sampled area, therefore ecologically and structurally complex sites increase observer bias due to the difficulty in species detection. Furthermore, we highlighted the importance of training for new observers to level off their experience with the other more-trained members of the monitoring team.

63 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Baggio R.

Poster nr. 052 Grazing strategies promote changes in opposite directions of functional diversity in a native grassland Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Rodrigo Baggio1 *, Valério De Patta Pillar1, Fernando Quadros2 and José Pedro Trindade3 1UFRGS/Brazil;2UFSM/Brazil and 3Embrapa/Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected]

The dynamics of diversity of grassland ecosystems is dependent on disturbance regimes such as grazing and fire. But how plant functional diversity respond to different grazing managements? We analysed functional changes in plant communities under three cattle grazing management systems: (1) continuous conservative grazing with systematic adjustment of stocking rate to carrying capacity, (2) multi-paddock, rotational grazing with equivalent stocking rate adjustment of (1), and (3) control treatment under continuous grazing management used in the farm without systematic adjustment of stocking rate to the carrying capacity. The experiment adopted a randomized complete block design with three replicates of 16-ha (paddocks) for each treatment. We systematically marked 256 plots of 1.6 x 0.2 m, and each plot was divided into eight 0.2 x 0.2 m sub-plots, where the presence/absence of all plant species were recorded in the 2014 and 2016 surveys. We summarized by PCA ordination the variation of 13 traits describing 98 species and used one significant PCA axis to calculate community weighted mean (CWM) and Rao quadratic entropy for each experimental unit. Rao entropy was also partitioned into the α, βand γ spatial components across different scales (whole experimental unit, relief gradient positions, and plot scale). PCA axis reflected a resource acquisition trade-off ranging from a conservative acquisition strategies of C4 grass species, with solitary tussocks and high leaf dry-matter content (LDMC), to rapid acquisition strategies of C3 forb species with protected meristems and high specific leaf area (SLA). Rotational grazing decreased the α functional diversity at experimental unit scale, and increased the proportion of conservative strategies in humid patches and in plots with less preferred species. Continuous conservative grazing effect was similar to rotational grazing regarding α functional diversity at experimental unit scales but is higher than rotational in humid patches. The control treatment increased α functional diversity at different scales and enhanced species with fast resource acquisition strategies and protected meristems at all scales probably in response to high grazing intensity. Even in the short-term, different grazing management strategies affected functional composition plant community by both grazing intensity and selectivity in different scales.

64 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Balogianni V. G.

Oral Presentation High species richness and nitrogen additions promote grassland community resistance to invasion Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Vasiliki G. Balogianni*, Anaclara Guido, Felicia Fischer and Valério DP Pillar Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected]

Invasibility of native plant communities is considered to be determined by interactions between biotic factors and environmental context. However, determining invasion mechanisms still remains a challenge. Empirical and theoretical evidence suggests that plant communities with high species richness can be resistant to invasions. Here, we tested the above hypothesis in a seed-addition experiment with one of the most widespread ecological invasions in the Pampas ecosystem of south Brazil, the tussock exotic grass Eragrostis plana. We manipulated species richness by repetitively removing aboveground parts of randomly selected species from 60 native grassland monoliths over 15 months to create two richness treatments; high richness with 100% of initial species richness maintained and low richness with 50% of initial species richness maintained. To control the disturbance resulted from species removals, we reduced plant cover equally from both treatments, however without reducing the initial richness of the high richness plots. Additionally, we combined the richness treatments with three precipitation (periodical droughts, average and excessive precipitation) and two nitrogen treatments (nitrogen additions and no nitrogen additions) to investigate the biotic resistant mechanism under different resource levels. Results revealed a significantly greater recruitment of E. plana in plots with low richness (46%), in comparison to plots with high richness. This finding supported the biotic resistance hypothesis, since disturbance and gap creation was equal between treatments. Surprisingly, nitrogen addition caused a significant decrease in E. plana recruitment (37%), while there was no interaction between nitrogen and richness treatments. In contrast, water and interactions between water and other factors did not have a significant effect on E. plana recruitment. Those results indicated that nitrogen addition increased resistance to invasion perhaps by enhancing the competitive abilities of native community but it did not fundamentally change the negative relationship between richness and invasibility.

65 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Barbosa E.

Poster nr. 049 Evaluating resistance of trees to environmental fluctuations during early developmental stages – effects on above and belowground growth Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Eduardo R M Barbosa1,2 *, Kyle Tomlinson3,2, Kevin Kirkman4, Steven de Bie2, Herbert H T Prins2 and Frank van Langevelde2 1Departamento de Botânica, Laboratório de Termobiologia, Instituto de Ciências Bi- ológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil;2Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen Uni- versity & Research, The Netherlands;3Community Ecology & Conservation Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China and 4School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa *Presenting author: [email protected]

Savannas are subjected to strong recurring environmental variability (e.g., droughts, herbivory, fire, fluctuations in resource availability). Functional traits help species to cope with such variability, and inter-specific variation of such traits might explain the plant communities’ long-term stability. However, it is unclear how environmental conditions fluctuations influence tree juveniles, a critical stage in tree establishment, above and belowground growth. Here we studied how savanna juveniles of two common savanna species (Acacia nigrescens and Colophospermum mopane) with different functional traits (related to N-fixing and spinescence) responded to accentuated changes in soil resource availability and herbivory. Our results show that savanna tree juveniles (18 months old) have a high tolerance to disturbances. The two studied species responded similarly to environmental changes (soil resource availability and herbivory events), independently of their traits. Low water and nutrients availability did not lead to high resource allocation towards roots. Drought events simulations or changes in nutrient availability did not have a clear effect on the juvenile trees stem and root growth. Finally, browsing stimulated tree juveniles stem regrowth and root elongation, indicating compensatory growth in response to high levels of herbivory. Previous theoretical studies predict droughts and high herbivory levels lead to accentuated shifts in savanna community structure. Our results indicate that the studied savanna tree juveniles are generally able to cope with variability in environmental conditions, droughts and low nutrient supply having little influence on the aboveground and belowground growth patterns. Furthermore, our research also reveals that herbivory can stimulated aboveground growth of savanna tree juveniles. This result questions the usefulness of herbivory or human land-cleaning in controlling invasive woody species in tropical grasslands and savannas. Although longer term experiments would be essential to test such potential responses, our findings suggest a high resistance of savanna tree juveniles for environmental fluctuations.

66 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Barbosa da Silva F.

Poster nr. 036 Plant Composition, Diversity, aboveground Biomass production of herbaceous macrohabitats under the influence of woody encroachment in Pantanal wetland Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Fernando Henrique Barbosa da Silva1 *, Gerhard Ernst Overbeck1 and Catia Nunes da Cunha3,2 1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul;2National Institute of Science and Tech- nology in Wetlands and 3Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso *Presenting author: [email protected]

Macrohabitats covered by herbaceous plants communities (i.e. grasslands and savannas) occurs in high proportion in the Pantanal wetland and are valuable as biomass source for cattle production and by the expressive contribution to diversity. Actually, some of these herbaceous macrohabitats has been gradually converted to woody plant stands but little is known about the components, processes and probable responses of this phenomenon. Plants are essential components of ecosystems by its distinct role in the energy flow as producers and by providing habitats, being a good indicator of ecological processes and vegetation character. Thus, the plant species composition can be related to ecosystem and community properties in sites. So, we determined plant species composition and diversity of herbaceous and woody plants and herbaceous aboveground biomass in three herbaceous macrohabitats using plot techniques at 46 sites across the Cuiaba river megafan region in the north of Pantanal, Brazil. These macrohabitats encompass a flooding gradient related to site variation in geomorphology and soils. We will classify these herbaceous macrohabitats by its species composition; compare the species shared; and the mean diversity, woody density, herbaceous cover and aboveground biomass. We observed higher aboveground biomass in macrohabitats characterized by lesser flooding duration and savannic flora (C4 dominants) than in macrohabitats with longer flooding duration and hydrophytic grassland (C3 dominants) flora. The floristic patterns of C3 herbaceous macroha- bitat are associated with sandy soils and grasses Reimarochloa brasiliensis and Setaria parviflora. The floristic in C4 herbaceous macrohabitats are associated with sandy and clay soils and grasses as Andropogon bicornis, Paspalum spp., Axonopus spp. Most of herbaceous plants are annual and colonize the entire gradient from permanently dry to permanently wet conditions.

67 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Barron S.

Oral Presentation Above- and belowground effects of the invasive shrub Acacia longifolia ssp. longifolia on open eucalypt woodland in southeastern Australia Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Samantha M. Barron1 *, Singarayer Florentine1, Per Milberg2 and Marie Keately3 1Faculty of Sciene and Technology, Center for Environmental Management, Federation University Australia;2IFM Biology, Conservation Ecology Group, Linköping Univer- sity, Sweden and 3Research and Development, Parks Victoria, Burk Street, Melbourne *Presenting author: [email protected]

Acacia longifolia ssp. longifolia is an aggressive invasive species native to southeastern Australia. A. longifolia invades a wide variety of vegetation communities globally and is a transformer species which has significant impacts on the above— and belowground processes and functioning of ecosystems. Globally there has been extensive research on the species, however, within Australia until recently little is known about this species impacts on native vegetation. The overall aim of the project was to understand the relationship between the above- and below-ground vegetation within communities invaded by Acacia longifolia. More specifically, this work aimed to quantify the effects of A.longifolia on herb-rich woodland of southeastern Victoria, and to determine the potential for restoration of the community. Overall, the results of this study revealed that, above ground, increasing cover of A. longifolia is gradually transforming diverse open herb-rich woodland to densely populated closed shrubby woodland with limited diversity. Below ground, by contrast, the soil seed bank indicated that although there were some minor changes from the original state, overall the seed bank consisted largely of ruderal annual and short-lived perennials, particularly graminoids and forbs, indicating that this community has significant resilience and thus restoration of the woodlands may be possible.

68 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bazan G.

Oral Presentation Traditional agrosystems trajectories analysis using a vegetation science approach: the MEMOLA EU FP7 Project as a case study Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Giuseppe Bazan1,2 *, Lorenzo Gianguzzi3, Giuseppe Baiamonte2, Rosario Schicchi3,2 and José María Martín Civantos4 1Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo (Italy);2Centre for Research on Technology-Environ- ment Interaction (CIRITA), University of Palermo (Italy);3Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo (Italy) and 4Department of Medieval His- tory and Historiographic Sciences and Techniques, University of Granada (Spain) *Presenting author: [email protected]

The UE FP7 research project MEMOLA (Mediterranean Mountainous Land- scapes: an historical approach to cultural heritage based on traditional agrosystems) aims at investigating cultural landscapes through a diachronic study of the relationship between human populations and natural resources. The project analyses from an interdisciplinary perspective the drivers and dynamics that have generated historical landscapes in four areas of Mediterranean Region (Sierra Nevada, in Spain; Colli Euganei, in Northern Italy; Monti di Trapani, in Sicily; Vjosa Valley in Albania), with a research group of ten partners. The syndynamic study of vegetation (series and geoseries) can be used as a marker to better understand human impact on the formative processes of the landscape mosaic. In fact, the existence of a direct causal link between vegetation series and anthropic factors represents a powerful tool for new narratives of Me- diterranean landscape biographies. The agrosystems surrounding the town of Calatafimi (N-W Sicily) were selected as a representative area of Sicily. These agrosystems are the outcome of the historical relationship between man and nature, resulting from complex interactions between biodiversity (at all levels, including species richness, ecosystem and biotope diversity) and cultural diversity, including material and immaterial aspects (architectural heritage, historical irrigation systems, local traditional agricultural practices, dialectal culture). Vegetation series have been defined using the Integrated Phytosociolo- gy approach, with the purpose of understanding the dynamic relationships between the diverse facets of land mosaic tiles. Four vegetation series were recognized: Cisto cretici-Pino pineae sigmetum; Ge- nisto aristate-Querco suberis sigmetum; Oleo sylvestris-Querco virgilianae sigmetum; Oleo-Euphorbio dendroidis sigmetum. Typical agricultural land-uses associated to each vegetation series were then identified. The trajectories of single land use pattern elements, in terms both of vegetation dynamics and agricultural suitability, were defined through an interdisciplinary dialogue between the determinism of Vegetation Science and the perspective of historical studies.

69 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bazzichetto M.

Oral Presentation Modeling plant invasion on Mediterranean coastal dunes: an integrative approach using remotely sensed data Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Manuele Bazzichetto1 *, Marco Malavasi2, Vojtěch Barták2, Alicia T.R. Acosta3, Vítězslav Moudrý2 and Maria Laura Carranza1 1Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise;2Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial Planning, , Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences and 3Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre *Presenting author: [email protected]

Although many hypotheses have been formulated to explain alien invasion success, the role of the different invasion drivers have been usually tested in isolation. Integrative approaches that account for the simultaneous action of different drivers are needed for investigating invasion processes. In this context, joining remote sensed data within a robust theoretical framework can enhance our understanding about the ecology of invasion events and in turn support conservation planning. This work aims to analyze the combined influence of propagule pressure (P), abiotic (A) and biotic (B) factors on determining the invasion process of an exotic plant (Carpobrotus sp.) in Mediterranean coastal dunes. By means of a binomial Generalized Additive Model, we explored the relation between the occurrence of the invasive species and a set of PAB proxy variables. Both the response (presence/absence Carpobrotus sp.) and the explanatory variables (PAB proxy variables) were derived from high-resolution remote sensed imagery. Species presence/absence was mapped using ortophotos. The propagule pressure (artificial infrastructures) and biotic factors (natural and semi-natural cover) were derived from land cover map, while the abiotic factor (dune morphology) was extrapolated from a 2 m resolution DTM (Digital Ter- rain Model) derived from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). We evaluated the predictive power of the model by computing the mean of the AUC (area under the ROC - relative operating characteristic - curve) scores obtained through a 5-fold cross-validation and by visually inspecting the Hosmer-Lemeshow plot. Our results suggest that invasion does not proceed homogeneously across the coastal landscape, but is promoted wherever the combined action of the PAB factors is favorable tothe invader establishment. In particular, we observed that Carpobrotus sp. is most likely to encroach the dune sectors that are colonized by herbaceous dune vegetation and at the same time are close to discontinuous urban areas. The integrated PAB approach efficiently caught the different roles played by invasion drivers in determining the presence of the species. Moreover, the use of remote sensed data allowed to model the invader-landscape relationship on a large geographic extent and to highlight which coastal sectors are most likely to be invaded in the future.

70 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bhatta K.

Poster nr. 010 Scale sensitivity of the relationship between alpha and gamma diversity along an elevation gradient of central Nepal Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Kuber P. Bhatta1 *, John-Arvid Grytnes2 and Ole R. Vetaas3 1Department of Geography, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway;2Department of Bi- ology, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway and 3Department of Geography, Univer- sity of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway *Presenting author: [email protected]

Aim Components of scale, such as grain, focus, and extent, influence the spatial patterns of alpha and gamma diversity and their relationships. We explore these scale issues by testing if gamma diversity can predict alpha diversity independent of scale and whether the elevational patterns of herbaceous and woody species richness are dependent on scale. Location Langtang National Park, central Nepal. Methods We estimated richness for the woody and herbaceous plant species along an elevation gradient (3900–5000 m a.s.l.) in nested plots of 1, 16, and 100 m2 and the regional species pool (gamma diversity) from written sources. Generalised Linear Modelling was used to analyse the alpha and gamma diversity and their correspondence at different grain-sizes. Results Elevational gamma diversity confidently predicts the alpha diversity patterns for both life-forms at all grain-sizes. The concordance tends to increase with larger grain-size and area of species pool, especially for the monotonously decreasing elevational gamma and alpha diversity patterns of the woody species. The hump-back patterns of the elevational gamma and alpha diversity for the herbaceous species also concord significantly, but here the concordance between alpha diversity and local species pool is stronger. Elevational patterns of alpha diversity are consistent across grain-sizes, although the deviance explained by the elevation gradient increases with larger grain-size, especially for woody species. Main conclusions The correspondence of elevational gamma and alpha diversity is basically scale-invariant at the extent of scales studied here, although it tends to be stronger at a coarse grain and with a larger area for the species pool, especially for woody life-forms. For herbaceous species, local species pool is a better predictor of alpha diversity than the regional gamma diversity. The elevational patterns of species richness are almost independent of grain and focus; however, the patterns become more prominent at the co- arser grain-sizes.

71 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bioret F.

Oral Presentation Geosynphytosociology and completeness of atlantic coastal vegetation zonation, as a tool for bioevaluation of coastal sites. Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Frédéric Bioret* & Charlotte Demartini EA Géoarchitecture, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France *Presenting author: [email protected]

Coastal vegetations are spatially organized in parallel belts, according to sea influence gradient which dominant parameters are salt, wind, and for saltmarshes submersion regime. On the french atlantic coast, dunes, shingle ridges, cliffs and saltmarshes vegetations are diversified and have been studied and well documented from a phytosociological point of view. This work is focusing on the geopermaseries and geocurtaseries typifi- cation and bioevaluation. For the four main coastal habitat types, geosynre- levés are realised on study sites. Their analysis consists in comparing them to theoritical « complete » relevés for each biogeographical area, in order to assess the level of completeness and representativeness of the zonation and the state of conservation of the vegetation. The results can be integrated into nature conservation policies such as protected ares strategies.

72 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Biurrun I.

Oral Presentation Effect of alien plant invasion on the phylogenetic structure of riverine habitats with different disturbance regime Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Diego Liendo, Idoia Biurrun*, Juan A. Campos, Mercedes Herrera and Itziar García-Mijangos University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) *Presenting author: [email protected]

Alien plants can have profound effects on resident vegetation that may go beyond changes in taxonomic diversity. This work explores the differences in the level of invasion and the phylogenetic diversity and structure in two riparian habitats subject to contrasting levels of natural hydrological disturbance, namely riparian forests and river bar communities, along with the effect of alien plant species on these phylogenetic patterns. For this purpose, vegetation plots surveyed following the phytosociological method were used. Phylogene- tic diversity was assessed by means of the mean phylogenetic distance (MPD) and the mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) indices. Additionally, null models were performed to calculate the standardised MPD and MNTD values to determine whether the phylogenetic structure significantly deviated from random expectations. River bar communities were significantly more invaded both in terms of species richness and cover. Additionally, regarding the native component of the community, they were phylogenetically less diverse than riparian forests, which translated into a more clustered phylogenetic structure. No relationship was found between the phylogenetic diversity of the native component and the level of invasion in any of the habitats. Nevertheless, when alien plant species were taken into account, a decrease in the overall level of phylogenetic clustering in river bar communities based on the standardised MPD index was observed, but no effect was found in riparian forests for any index. Further insights into the effect of alien plant species on the phylogenetic diversity and structure could be gained by analysing the effect of specific alien species with a proven invasive behaviour by means of pairwise approaches to identify specific interactions between native riparian species and the invaders.

73 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Blanco-Moreno J. M.

Poster nr. 032 Effects of agricultural intensification on floral functional diversity in Mediterranean arable field boundaries Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation José M. Blanco-Moreno1,2 *, Lourdes Chamorro1,2 and Miriam Torres Miralles1 1Botany and Mycology, BEECA, University of Barcelona and 2IRBio, Biodiversity Research Institute, University of Barcelona *Presenting author: [email protected]

European agricultural landscapes have experienced a manifest intensification in recent decades. This has led to a simplification of the landscape by field consolidation and the suppression of intermingling patches of natural vegetation. In addition, the increasing use of pesticides and fertilizers has altered plant communities in both within-field and neighbouring habitats. These processes have caused a decrease in plant species diversity, which may affect the provision of several ecosystem services. Field boundaries in the Mediterranean arable landscapes are mostly constitu- ted by natural vegetation remnants. As such, they depend on the surrounding landscape and are also affected by agricultural management, both of which determine the assemblage of habitats occurring on the boundaries and their species composition. In consequence, the functionality of these habitats can be modified by these factors. One way to study the functionality of plant communities is through plant traits. Some plant traits are related to their floral biology and pollination requirements, and to their interactions with pollinator assem- blies. Therefore, the changes in pollination traits of plant communities may indicate changes in the potential provision of pollination services, one of the ecosystem services on which more interest has been put recently. Since both plant and pollinator biodiversity have reduced in the last decades by agricultural intensification, we have examined to which extent these effects extend to the pollination-related and floral functional traits of plant communities in field boundaries. We examined field margins surrounding cereal crops across different levels of agricultural intensification in central Catalonia. We selected boundaries around fields with contrasting levels of management intensity, 30 organically managed fields and 30 conventionally managed ones, in 15 localities displaying different intensification at the landscape level. Habitat and plant diversity in field boundaries is higher in low-intensity landscapes and also under organic farming. However, four habitats are dominant across localities (ruderal vegetation, terophyte grasslands, perennial grasslands and bramble thickets): these are different in structure and composition, display different floral traits, and seem to respond idiosyncratically to intensification. Nevertheless a few flower traits vary in a common way, apparently driven by changes in dominant families, more affected by landscape level than by field level intensification.

74 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bolpagni R.

Oral Presentation Long-term trends in annual river vegetation diversity and structure in northern Italy: the role of alien species and global climate change Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Rossano Bolpagni1 *, Lavinia Paduano1, Anna L. Zanotti2 and Alex Laini1 1Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parma Univer- sity, Parma and 2Via Vallescura 1/2, 40136, Bologna *Presenting author: [email protected]

Lowland rivers are among the most impacted ecosystems worldwide. Almost all of the high-order rivers are strongly impacted by human activities, with altered hydrological regimes, including sediment balance. This leads to severe impairment of river’ dynamism, especially in terms of lateral movement and floodplain connectivity. Therefore, the progressive stabilization of riverbanks and riverbeds affects heavily the river vegetation. This is especially true for the annual river vegetation (ARV) that is mainly driven by hydrogeomorphic forces. Hence, the ephemeral plant communities that grow in the periodically emerging riverbeds are considered at risk and fall within the habitats of high conservation interest. Nevertheless, few data are available concerning the ARV’ dynamics, especially considering the role of alien species in driving ARV’ establishment and development. In highly disturbed ecosystems as lowland rivers, the contribution of these species is expected to be relevant. In this context, the present work aimed to clarify the long-term trends in annual river plant communities of the Chenopodion rubri (Tüxen 1960) Hildbig & Jage 1972 alliance in the last four decades (1973-2016) in northern Italy. Specifically, we proceeded: 1) to describe the temporal trajectories in species composition and plant dominance shifts; 2) to assess the contribution of alien species to the ARV in time and space; and 3) to outline the possible effects of global change on the current floristic composition and structure of ARV. In general, we observed a major reduction in species diversity (from 70 species to 40 species), cover-a- bundance values and evenness, and in the representativeness of perennial and sporadic alien species. As a rule, these trends are significantly related to the hydrological regime, especially to the progressive reduction in the summer base flows of the Po River, ranging from about 1500 m3 s-1 at the beginning of the 1970s to about 1000 m3 s-1 on the last decade (2007-2016).

75 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Bonari G.

Oral Presentation When semi-natural forests become a cultural reference point: the case of Mediterranean pine coastal stands under a long history of human influence Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Gianmaria Bonari1 *, Alicia T.R. Acosta2, Marco Malavasi3 and Claudia Angiolini1 1University of Siena;2University of Roma TRE and 3University of Prague *Presenting author: [email protected]

Italian coastal pine plantations became part of the landscape through the ages since they were planted centuries ago. They are able to evoke a positive feeling to the population that identifies them in a high-value ecosystem for human well-being. On the other hand, vegetation ecologists have often disdained this habitat, considering it of little importance. In reality, the purpose of pine coastal forest stands plantation was primarily to defend coasts by marine aerosol and soil consumption. In fact, if a pure comparison of the amount of pine coastal forests in Italy is considered, it is evident that only few of them are natural, mainly in Sicily and Sardinia dunes. However, the European legislation recognizes these forests as priority habitat in both the Habitat Directive (2270*, “Wooded Pinus pinea and/or P. pinaster“) as well as in the European Red List of Habitats (Type Code B1.7d, “Mediterranean coniferous coastal dune woodland”). The state of art for Italian coastal pine forests is presented given the newest perspectives proposed in literature about their management in relation to their assemblages. Moreover, preliminary results about GIS approaches taking into account landscape parameters and how they influence the diversity in the understories will be offered. Finally, investigations about a weighted comparison of pine coastal forest understorey habitats with those where the pines are absent, will be provided. Probably Mediterranean coastal pinewoods are not detrimental as depicted until now but they only necessitate to be accurately studied and unhinge their basal ecological mechanisms hitherto unknown. Therefore, they can not be treated as any other plantations and to infer about this peculiar habitat, a wider array of factors as canopy cover, distance from the coastline and pine ecology, should be considered.

76 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Borghetti F.

Poster nr. 023 Alien grass reduces recruitment potential of native tree species in a Neotropical savanna Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Fabian Borghetti1 *, Bruno Rabelo1, Eduardo Barbosa1, Frank Van Langevel- de2, Kyle Tomlinson2,3, Dulce Silva4 and Pedro Diniz1 1University of Brasilia;2Wageningen University;3Chinese Academy of Sciences and 4Brazil- ian Agriculture Research Corporation. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Large areas of native vegetation in the tropics were converted to grasslands dominated by African grasses. African grasses are suggested to sup- press initial growth of native trees, leading to a reduction on their recruitment rates. However, to quantify exotic grasses impacts on tree recruitment is necessary to compare their effects with those generated by native grasses, since these also compete with seedlings for resources and affect recruitment. We compared the effects of exotic and native grasses on seedling survival and growth of tree species of Brazilian savannas during their first growing season, under different resource experimental conditions (water, nutrients and light). We selected the African grass Urochloa brizantha and the native grass Pa- spalum atratum. To test the effects of grasses on seedling recruitment, seedlings of six common tree species of Brazilian savannas were used in the experiments. The treatments consisted of field plots with no grass, native grass and exotic grass in combination with resources varying in water availability (natural rainfall vs. daily irrigation), light (100% solar irradiation light vs. 20% solar irradiation) and nutrients (unfertilized vs. fertilized). Seedlings were monitored from December-2011 up to April-2012. Survival, stem length and shoot biomass of the seedlings were recorded. General linear models were conducted to test the effects of grass, irrigation, light and fertilization on seedling performance. Fertilization and full sun reduced seedling survival in the presence of grasses. Under shade, seedling survival was higher when growing with native than with exotic grass. Seedling growth was stimulated by fertilization in absence of grasses. Stem growth was more suppressed by exotic than by native grass, independently of fertilization or light conditions. Although seedling biomass was not affected by resource variations, biomass was lower among seedlings cultivated with exotic than with native grass, however, it was always higher in the seedlings cultivated without grasses. Grasses suppressed seedling growth for all trees. However, exotic grass imposed a stronger negative effect on seedlings than native grass, regardless resource availability. Our results suggestthat exotic grassinvasion of Neotro- pical savannas mightin long-term modify tree population dynamics and consequently, the natural communities balane. 77 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Borgiani R.

Poster nr. 115 Seasonality in rainfall and its effects on trees and lianas richness/ abundance patterns Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Renan Borgiani1 *, Maria Tereza Grombone Guaratini2 and Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato1 1State University of São Paulo, UNESP. and 2São Paulo Institute of Botany *Presenting author: [email protected]

The biodiversity is heterogeneity distributed at global scale, and its patterns can be explained by the variations on environmental and climatic variables. The Neotropical region has one of the worlds higher rates of plant species richness, presenting many biodiversity hotspots. The great variety of vegetal life forms (i.e. palms, trees, shrubs and lianas) provides opportunity for the forests to support many vascular plant species. The general patterns of plant species diversity are direct or indirectly influenced by the climatic variables, such as rainfall and temperature. Furthermore, the great variety of ecosystems and the range of precipitation, temperature, altitudinal and latitudinal rates, can enhance or decrease the presence/absence relation of some species, and this can affect the distribution and richness patterns. Lianas (woody vine) are the woody climbers, which uses trees (host trees) for structural support to access the canopy. This vegetable life form comprises between 10% to 40% of woody stems, and the same rate represents the number of species in Neotropi- cal forests. Using Gentry’s database, and selecting only the studied sites placed in the Neotropical region using the same sampling technique, we could test if trees and lianas richness and abundance patterns can be driven by climatic variables. Furthermore, we investigated if the length of the dry season (seasonality) can influence these patterns for these two life forms. We found that the richness patterns of both life forms are conducted in the same way as climatic variables here tested (seasonality, total annual mean precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature) but, for abundance this don’t occur. The number of individual trees have a negative significant correlation with seasonality, and the abundance of lianas have a positive significant correlation with maximum temperature. Moreover, we assessed that the liana species has positive significant correlation with trees richness, and we do not found a significant correlation between its abundance. We concluded that the climatic variables influence in the same way the richness patterns of lianas and trees. On the other hand, abundance patterns of trees and lianas are conducted by different factors. So, the predicted changes in the global climatic temperature can provide a substantial growth on abundance rates of lianas in the Neotropical forests.

78 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Borja J. A.

Oral Presentation Testing vegetation convergence across continents in world biomes Special Session: Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Borja Jiménez-Alfaro1,2 *, Helge Bruelheide1,2, Brody Sandel3, Jürgen Dengler1, Oliver Purschke1,2, Ute Jandt1,2, Jonathan Lenoir4, Milan Chytrý5, Jens Katt- ge1,6, Florian Jansen7, Valério D. Pillar8 and sPlot Consortium 1German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig;2Geo- botany and Botanical Garden, Institute of Biology, Martin Luther Unversity, Halle Wit- tenberg;3Biology Department, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, USA;4Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France;5Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk Uni- versity, Brno, Czech Republic;6Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Gemany;- 7Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Rostock, Germany and 8Depart- ment of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected]

Since the first observations of Humboldt and Darwin, ecologists have reported species from different clades and vegetation from different regions showing functional similarity under similar environmental conditions in distant areas. Despite a few well-known examples of convergence, it has not been yet explored the extent to which vegetation types of the same biome may be functionally similar across continents. Here, we make use of the global vegetation plot database (sPlot) and calculate community-weighted means (CWM) for traits obtained from the global plant trait database (TRY) to test for vegetation convergence and divergence. Multi-trait comparisons showed functional differences between continents in forests and grasslands, with the lowest dissimilarities in the boreal, alpine and dry mid-latitude biomes. For individual traits, the proportion of significant pairwise differences between continents and within biomes revealed divergence as the dominant pattern in forests (91%) and grasslands (89%). Cases of convergence mainly occurred in biomes characterized by harsh environments, particularly in the driest and coldest climates (in both forests and grasslands) and in the alpine zone (in grasslands). While convergence in forests occurred equally in all traits, convergence in grasslands was more frequent in leaf d15N and seed number, pointing out the importance of processes related to nitrogen fixation and dispersal. Our results indicate that vegetation divergence isthe dominant pattern across continents within the same biome, most likely due to distinct evolutionary history and assembly processes. Nevertheless, vegetation convergence is relatively frequent in biomes subject to strong environmental filtering, which supports at least partially the expectations from taxonomic studies.

79 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Botta-Dukát Z.

Poster nr. 044 Changing the relative importance of environmental filtering and mass effect along a productivity gradient Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Zoltán Botta-Dukát* and Barbara Lhotsky MTA Centre for Ecological Research *Presenting author: [email protected]

It is widely accepted that assembly of local plant communities is neither fully deterministic or fully stochastic process: nonrandom local niche-based processes interact with random dispersal and demographic stochasticity. How- ever, on the relative role of these processes we have only scarce information. Modeling observed abundances by the maximum entropy approach developed by Bill Shipley (Community Assembly by Trait Selection) allows statistical decomposition of total information content that are attributable to environmental trait filtering, mass effect and demographic stochasticity. We applied this method to 103 grassland plots sampled in the same site along productivity gradient from wetlands to open sand grassland. Trait data consisted of species’ means of 5 continuous traits (height, leaf size, SLA, LDMC and seed weight) and categorization of species according to other six traits (growth form, ability to re-flower, leaf distribution, shoot growth form, age at first flowering, lateral spread). NDVI were measured in each plot as proxy of productivity. Our main result is that there is a strong habitat selection at the unpro- ductive end of our gradient, but its role steeply decrease with increasing productivity. The role of dispersal from the meta-community is slightly increase with productivity, while their joint effect is negligible along the whole gradient. Variation unexplained by trait selection or dispersal is moderate in the low-productivity plots, but can exceed 80% in the high-productivity plots.

80 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Box E.

Oral Presentation Form Diversity of Vegetation Special Session: Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Elgene Box* University of Georgia *Presenting author: [email protected]

The ‘growth form’ of plants represents the most obvious expression of integrated plant function – and when so interpreted has also be called the plant ‘life form’. Form may follow function, but it is not necessarily a unique solution. Not only does vegetation consist of multiple plant forms, but some may represent quite different but equally adequate ecological answers to the same set of environmental conditions. How might one measure form diversity in vegetation? A short walk through the Palermo botanical garden will show the magnitude of the problem – and perhaps more unusual plant forms in one place than anywhere else in the world. Under what natural conditions is form diversity higher or lower? Total form richness is high in humid tropical forests, but both dominance and taxonomic richness are concentrated in woody laurophyll forms. More open (but not sparse) vegetation typically shows greater diversity in co-existing, comparably important forms, since no forms can shade out others, outcompete them for water, or truly dominate. Early modeling suggested that subhumid to moderately humid warm-temperate to subtropical climates should be able to support the most co-existing forms in natural vegetation. This would include areas like southern Italy, southern Australia (despite little deciduousness) and perhaps California. Long growing seasons, some seasonality, lack of severe frost, and enough but not too much precipitation seem to combine there to permit and foster the large numbers of co-existing forms. If there is a “Garden of Eden” in today’s world, it might well be in the more humid parts of southern Italy – but this diversity will be reduced greatly by global warming and may not shift to other areas quickly or at all.

81 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Brianskaia E.

Poster nr. 071 Vegetation of the Central Zone of Lake Baikal Eastern Coast Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Elena Brianskaia1 *, Reinhard Böcker1, Klaus Schmieder1 and Milan Chytrý2 1Institute of Landscape Ecology, Hohenheim University, Stuttgart and 2Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno *Presenting author: [email protected]

Aim: obtaining the complete picture of the vegetation and soil diversity and its spatial pattern in the central zone of Lake Baikal eastern coast. Methods: 167 relevés were performed by standard methods of Braun-Blan- quet approach (Westhoff & Van der Maarel 1973). To reveal vegetation diversity supervised k-means classification was performed in JUICE program (Tichý, 2002). By comparison vegetation data from the studied area (167 rele- vés) with data from adjacent territories of Lake Baikal, such as, Svyatoi Nos Peninsula and Barguzin mountain range (589 relevés) was obtained the final prodromus of the vegetation. Soil identification was performed in international soil classification system World reference base for soil resources 2014. Spatial pattern of the vegetation distribution was performed in ArcGIS 10.3.1 by supervised image classification SPOT 6. Results: vegetation of the territory under study is represented by 4 classes. The dominant type of the vegetation is represented by forests which were classified into relevésVaccinio-Piceetea Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl. et al. 1939 class. Mire vegetation includes 2 classes Scheuchzerio-Cariceteanigrae(Nordh. 1936) ??. 1937 and Oxycocco-Sphagnetea Br.-Bl et R. Tx. 1943. Vegetation of shifting blown sands of the coastal line was classified into Brometea korotkyi Hilbig et Korolyuk 2000 class. For all vegetation types were classified 7 soil reference groups. Conclusion: despite the relatively small territory under study (approx. 500 km2), the vegetation is rather diverse. Location of the studied area within zonal forest belt contributes to the obvious leading position of forests communities. Seasonal island frost distribution, well-developed net of rivers and landscape peculiarities provide suitable conditions for mire vegetation formation. Wave activity of Lake Baikal contributes to the preservation of unique ancient sand communities. Thus, we suggest that the territory under study can be considered as a model area of the central zone of Lake Baikal eastern coast vegetation.

82 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Brown A. J.

Poster nr. 113 Do shade tolerance and mycorrhizal status influence tree sapling susceptibility to conspecific negative density dependence? Session: Open session Alissa J. Brown*, Peter S. White and Robert K. Peet Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Janzen-Connell hypothesis predicts that high densities of specialist enemies surrounding established trees leads to higher mortality of conspecific seeds and seedlings. Where conspecific seedlings fail, heterospecific seedlings have a higher probability of survival, leading to greater spatial mixing of tree species, and therefore tree coexistence in forests. Although this conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) can lead to biodiversity in temperate forests, not all tree species exhibit recruitment patterns indicative of CNDD. Plant traits may predict whether a tree species is vulnerable to CNDD. Fast-growing species such as gap specialists are generally shade intolerant, have lower investment in tissue defense, have greater vulnerability to pathogens, and therefore may be more susceptible to CNDD. Similarly, the type of fungal mutualist (mycorrhiza) with which a species associates may decrease susceptibility to pathogen infection by surrounding root tips with a thick hyphal barrier. We tested these hypotheses using both a spatial point pattern analysis and linear mixed modeling approach across several obser- vational, mapped forest plots in mixed hardwood forests in the Piedmont of North Carolina (Orange County, NC, USA). Our intention was to determine: 1) whether CNDD is apparent for certain tree species; and 2) whether two key plant traits (shade tolerance and mycorrhizal status) influence CNDD susceptibility. Eight of the 20 tree species we tested showed evidence of CNDD effects in terms of sapling growth rate and survival probability. Similarly, point patterns indicated that saplings of five species exhibit “avoidance” of conspecifics. My- corrhizal status and shade tolerance both influenced CNDD susceptibility, although the former was more predictive than the latter. Species associated with ectomycorrhizae were less susceptible to CNDD than those associated with arbuscular mycorrhizae (p<0.001). Against our expectations, the slow-growing, shade tolerant trees were more susceptible to CNDD (p=0.002). Our results imply that certain plant traits may allow us to predict which species are susceptible to CNDD, and therefore contribute to biodiversity in temperate forests. The implication is that as tree species composition changes (e.g. through natural succession or anthropogenic change), the composition of tree traits may also shift, altering the ability of the forest to maintain biodiversity.

83 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Buisson E.

Oral Presentation Seed bank studies in Mediterranean grasslands and wetlands: les- sons learnt from restoration Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Elise Buisson1 *, Renaud Jaunatre2, Isabelle Muller1,3,4, Adeline Bulot5, Christine Römer- mann6, Nicole Yavercovski3, Loic Willm3, François Mesléard3,1 and Thierry Dutoit1 1IMBE - Université d’Avignon;2Université Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR EMGR. ;3Tour du Valat, Le Sambuc;4Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, UMR0985 ESE;5Agrocampus Ouest Angers, UMR BAGAP and 6Institut für Spezielle Botanik, Jena *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ahead of implementing restoration, seed bank studies can be carried out i) on degraded sites to identify their recovery potential, and ii) on reference donor sites to assess topsoil transfer potential efficiency. In order to evaluate the relevance of seed bank studies in the second case, we compared reference seed banks with the results of topsoil transfers. Topsoil was transferred in Southeastern France: 1) after an oil spill to restore a Mediterranean dry grassland and after removing polluted soil (5 ha), 2) on an abandoned orchard to restore a Mediterranean grassland after removing trees and levelling soil (3 ha), 3) on an abandoned rice field to restore a Mediterranean temporary wetland. To restore grasslands, a just-in-time soil transfer was implemented in spring or in autumn. Both types of transfers, whatever the season, gave better results than expected based on former greenhouse seed bank studies. To restore the wetland, soil was collected in summer and transferred in winter to mesocosms and to a 3-ha recently rehabilitated wetland. Even if collection and transfer dates were ideal, the target plant community established in the mesocosms only. While studying the seed bank on reference donor sites is interesting to find out about soil transfer potential and best time to carry it out, several issues have to be taken into account such as scale differences (between seed bank study sample size and soil transfer) and differences in growing conditions (greenhouse studies vs. on-site) and implementation means (core vs. backhoe).

84 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Burrascano S.

Oral Presentation Vascular Plants As Indicators Of Species Diversity In European Tem- perate Forests: Are They Effective For Multiple Taxa At Multiple Scales? Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Sabina Burrascano1 *, Rafael B. De Andrade1, Yoan Paillet2, Gloria Antonini3, Christo- phe Bouget2, Thomas Campagnaro4, Marc Fuhr5, Giarrizzo Eleonora1, Philippe Jans- sen5, Anna Maria Persiani1, Juri Nascimbene6, Peter Odor7, Francesco M. Sabatini8, Tommaso Sitzia4 and Carlo Blasi1 1Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy;2Irstea, UR EFNO, France;3Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, Sa- pienza University of Rome, Italy;4Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy;5Irstea, UR EMGR, France;6Depart- ment of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA) , University of Bologna, Italy;7MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Hungary and 8Department of Geography, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Synthesizing the complexity of biodiversity to the lowest possible number of relatively simple indicators is a common goal in conservation actions (e.g. LIFE+ projects). Cross-taxon congruency could represent a widely applicable tool for such initiatives. Up to now this was hampered by the low degree of consistency of cross-taxon relationships across studies, with recent synthesis indirectly demonstrating that scale-dependency is among the major factors that determine these inconsistencies. We used a multi-taxonomical dataset partly deriving from the FAGUS LIFE project to assess whether vascular plant species richness and composition are effective surrogates for those of five other taxa (bryophytes, birds, epiphytic lichens, saproxylic beetles, and wood-inhabiting fungi). By analyzing the same dataset at different spatial grains (i.e. resolution of data) and extents (i.e. size of the study area) we were also able to directly observe if and how cross-taxon relationships vary across different spatial scales. The study area encompassed 23 forest sites of approximately 200-400 km2 located in Italy, France and Hungary. We aggregated data on more than 350 plots that include all the European deciduous forest types. We calculated effect sizes and confidence intervals based on correlations between the species richness and composition of different taxa in a meta-analytic framework. This allowed us to take into account the differences in sampling methodologies and designs.

85 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Plant species richness was significantly correlated to that of some taxonomic groups (bryophytes, fungi and beetles), however the magnitude and the sign these relationships were not consistent across spatial scales. Contrastin- gly, the spatial patterns of species composition of all taxonomic groups but birds were positively correlated with plant species composition, and most of these relationships held true when changing the spatial extent and grain. Being the major structural and functional component of forest ecosystems, plant species composition strongly drives the spatial patterns of several taxonomic groups at different scales. Relying on plant species richness only, however, may not be particularly useful in informing conservation decisions. Overall, the efficiency of conservation-oriented forest management actions, as those performed in the FAGUS LIFE project could be soundly assessed only by sampling multiple taxonomic groups.

86 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Buyens I.

Oral Presentation Fine-scale variation in the outcome of plant interactions is not related to abiotic gradients: an unexpected result from the sub-Antarctic Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Isabelle PR Buyens1 *, Wiam Haddad2, Niek Gremmen3 and Peter C. le Roux1 1Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Af- rica;2Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa and 3Data Analyse Ecologie, Hesselsstraat 11, 7981 CD Diever, The Netherlands *Presenting author: [email protected]

Facilitative interactions between organisms may strongly affect community diversity patterns and can vary in strength and frequency both spatially and temporally. The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) posits thatpositive interactions are more frequent and influential, relative to negative interactions, under greater environmental stress. These predictions have been widely supported, although it has also been suggested that the SGH may be further refined by explicitly considering multiple environmental gradients and species traits. This study examines the fine- scale spatial variation of the impacts of a dominant cushion-plant species (Azorella selago Hook.f.) on the richness and cover of co-occurring vascular plant, hepatic, moss and lichen species across a single landform (a scoria cone on sub-Antarctic Marion Island), accounting for all the dominant abiotic severity gradients. Azorella selago is a widespread cushion-forming plant and is used as a model system here as it is a known nurse plant for a vascular plant and some arthropod species. The richness and cover of vascular plants, hepatics, mosses and lichens were all significantly affected byA. selago, with positive effects of the cushion plant on vascular plant richness and cover and hepatic richness. However, in contrast to the predictions of the SGH, variation in the impact of A. selago was not related to any of the environmental factors considered; neither indirect variables (altitude and aspect), nor direct variables (including wind speed, soil temperature and moisture) explained variation in the outcome of the interaction in any of the taxa. This contrasts with previous results from this system which showed strong effects of altitude and wind exposure on the outcome of a plant-plant interactions involving A. selago across broader spatial scales. More generally, these results were unexpected since a diversity of environmental gradients was examined, but yet none of them were useful for predicting the outcome of the biotic interactions. In consequence, this research raises the question of which environmental variables are driving variation in the outcome of biotic interactions in this system. More generally, these results also question the appropriateness of applying the SGH at fine-scales.

87 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Cadenazzi M.

Poster nr. 102 Forest plantations in a South American Pampas environment: it is possible the regeneration of grasslands after 20 years of afforestation? Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Monica G. Cadenazzi1 *, Ivan Grela2,1 and Pablo R. Boggiano1 1Universidad de la Republica, Facultad de Agronomia and 2UPM *Presenting author: [email protected]

Natural grassland (“campos”) are the dominant landscape in Uruguay (56°0’W,33°0’0S).Agriculture, pastures and forest plantations have been established replacing part of them and now the answer.is: Will be the land available to the cattle grazing at “campos” after long rotation? We study two sites at northeast Uruguay, under sandysoils, where Eucalyptus plantation was removed and natural regeneration of the vegetation started. Site1 was covered by Eucalyptus grandis plantation for 20 years and then harvested, and natural restoration has been taking place under cattle grazing condition. Site2 was a 40 years old Eu- calyptus tereticornis plantation that was harvested, and regeneration has been taking place with and without cattle grazing. We assessed the result of the vegetation regeneration, by 120 samples of 50x50cm, distributed into four 50m fixed transects, with 15 quadrats each one, in two seasons (winter and summer) by site for four years. The variables were Species (richness, %covered) and uncov- ered vegetation distributed in DeadMaterial, ForestResidues and BareGround. The species were grouped in “TotalGrasses” and “TotalForbs”. In Site1, Fore- stResidues changed from 98% after the 1st year after forest harvesting to 10% in 4 years’ time. During the same period, changes in average percentages were: 0% to 33% for TotalGrassess, 2% to 30% for TotalForbs and 3 to 34 for Richness species (20% Perennial Grass species). At Site2 ForestResidues changed from 70% to 34% (Condition A: without grassing area) and 20% (Condition B: grassed area) in 4 years’ time. Changes in average percentage during the 4th year were: 21% to 40% and 19% to 55% for TotalGrass, 10% to 14% and 12% to 20% for TotalForbs and Richness 30 to 41 and 35 to 50 for Condition A and B respectively. Prelimi- nary conclusion, although in both Sites the species richness is still lower than the expected for natural grasslands (average 60sp), the regeneration rate of natural grasses after tree harvesting is higher than expected compared with the regeneration after years of annual crops where TotalGrassess are very low at the beginning; and when grazed and non-grazed areas were compared, species Richness and the TotalGrassess are both higher in the first condition.

88 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Canullo R.

Poster nr. 047 Effects of climate, soil, structure and management on functional traits in forest understory Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Stefano Chelli1, Enrico Simonetti1, Giandiego Campetella1, Stefano Carnicelli3, Anna Andreetta3, Nicola Puletti4 and Roberto Canullo1 * 1School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, Plant Diversity and Ecosystems Man- agement Unit, University of Camerino, Italy;2Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy;3Department of Earth Sciences, University of Flor- ence, Italy and 4Council for Agricultural Research and Agricultural Economy Analy- sis, Research Unit for Forest Monitoring and Planning,Trento, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Many studies explored how the observed pattern of plant functional traits (PFTs) may be influenced by environmental variables. However, studies on forest ecosystems including also stand structure and management are lacking. A first attempt to test the relative effect of variables related to the latter groups, together with climate and soil gradients, on the community weighted mean (CWM) values of PFTs was performed on forest understory in Italy. The Level I biodiversity dataset (extensive CONECOFOR network) has been used, based on a probabilistic sampling design, by 201 sites on a representative 16 x 16 km systematic grid. Following a harmonized protocol (ICP Fo- rests, BioSoil-Biodiversity project) 29 explanatory variables were recorded and four plots 10x10 m have been surveyed for vascular specific cover, on each site. Variance partitioning was used to identify the relative role of climatic, soil, structural and management variables on the CWM values of specific leaf area (SLA), plant height (H) and seed mass (SM). Redundancy analysis was used to assess the relation between traits and variables. The combination of the selected variables explained the variation of H (34.3%) better than SLA (14.9%) and SM (11.1%). Climate alone, and in combination with other variables, demonstrated to explain the largest proportion of the variation for H (29.5%) and SM (9.3%); however, also structure and soil showed a relevant role. Forest management (9.9%) and structure (5.4%) were the main drivers for SLA. Considering a gradient of increasing temperature, aridity and nutrient availability, we detected plant understory communities with higher mean values of H and SM. High-SLA communities appeared in forests characterized by a larger amount of deadwood.

89 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

In forest understory vegetation, the PFTs pattern is linked to a complex combination of variables. Not only climate and soil, but also forest structure and management played a role, suggesting the importance of taking into account such parameters in future research, at larger spatial scale including different Country-level policies. The variation of SLA, H and SM is controlled by different variables, making no obvious any attempt to predict the effects of climate and land-use changes on understory functional signature.

90 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Capelo J.

Oral Presentation Phylogenetic and trait congruence along sucessional sequences: evidence from western mediterranean and macaronesian forest vegetation series Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Jorge Capelo1,2 * And Sandra Mesquita3 1Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Herbarium, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês 2784-505 Oeiras, Portugal;2LEAF Research Centre – Linking Land- scape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349 - 017 Lisboa, Portugal and 3Centro de Ecologia Aplicada Prof. Baeta Neves, Instituto Supe- rior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349 - 017 Lisboa, Portugal *Presenting author: [email protected]

As succession is central to ecological processes making up plant landscapes and territories, approaching a reference model of phylogenetic and trait community structure variation along seral stages may contribute to integrative knowledge of such ecological processes. We ask, if irrespective of biogeographical context, coherent invariant patterns of phylogenetic and trait structure turnovers follow along mediterranean vegetation successions? As a case study, we start with simplified models of sucessional units, i.e.vegetation series. The later is a geobotanical model made up by joining seral and potential stages (potential natural vegetation, PNV), of a given succession in a coherent set arbitrarily ordered by structural complexity or biomass. For each biotope, possessing a given unique environmental terrain setting, a unique VNP and vegetation series is assumed. Floristic and trait composition of communities of a representative set of western Iberian and macaronesian forest vegetation series was analyzed and put into comparison. Analogous stages in series: forest, high-scrub, perennial tall-forb/grass, low scrub and annual grassland were analyzed for: i) trait structure and ii) phylogenetic community structure. Phylogenetic structure and diversity was produced by means of PHYLOCOM (Webb, Ackerley & Kembel, 2011) and rooted trees for each stage by PHYLOMATIC. Stages in series seem to differentiate coherently and in sequence, as to the proportions of each grouped, over-dispersed or random both plesiomorphic and synapomorphic traits. Similarly, as to the proportions of trait-groups-types along the sequence. We also take that ecological drivers of evolutionary patterns (habitat filtering, competitive exclusion) along succession are analogous in each seral stage, succeed in the same order and thus are suggestive of an invariant process in Mediterranean climate conditions, irrespective of biogeographical context.

91 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Capichoni Massante J.

Poster nr. 007 Latitudinal phylogenetic diversity gradient differs for woody and herb communitie Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Jhonny Capichoni Massante1 *, Lars Götzenberger2, Krista Takkis1, Tiit Hallikma3, Lauri Laanisto3 and Pille Gerhold1 1Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Estonia;2Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic and 3Department of Botany, Estonian University of Life Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

One of the oldest and most thoroughly described ecological patterns is the latitudinal diversity gradient: species diversity decreases away from the equator. At the core of most hypotheses explaining this pattern is the issue of how evolution has shaped it. Surprisingly, studies have examined latitudinal gradient in phylogenetic diversity (PD) only on regional scale (e.g. North-America) or in a specific group (e.g. woody species), but no global study exists so far. PD can reveal mechanisms behind latitudinal gradient because it reflects the diversity of evolutionary lineages. Therefore, we ask whether macroevolutionary processes can explain latitudinal PD gradient based upon the structure of contemporary plant communities. We conducted a global meta-study, using species lists of 1071 plant communities (610 herb communities and 461 woody communities) from published papers. We calculated community PD using standardized effect size (SES) of mean pairwise distance (MPD) and mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) relative to a species pool across all herb/woody communities. We related PD to latitude, mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation. We found a positive relation between PD of woody communities and latitude, and a negative relation with temperature and precipitation. This indicates that warm and wet areas (i.e. tropics) act as a cradle for woody communities, accumulating closely related lineages. On the contrary, we found a negative relation between PD of herb communities and latitude, and a positive relation with temperature and precipitation. This indicates that the tropics act as a museum for herb communities, accumulating distantly related lineages. The cradle hypothesis in woody communities can be explained by most tree lineages having tropical origin and in situ diversification. Tropics acting as a museum for herb communities can be explained by the geographic origin of herbs in temperate regions. High PD of herb communities at low latitudes versus woody communities at high latitudes has probably physiological constraints: The tropics probably accumulate distantly related herb lineages because of favourable environmental conditions for plant growth. However, only a few herb lineages can cope with harsh environment at high latitudes, whereas woody growth- form may give tree lineages more resistance in harsh conditions, especially conifers.

92 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Carbognani M.

Oral Presentation Floristic variation and functional diversity of poet’s daffodil hay meadows: implications for conservation and restoration Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Michele Carbognani*, Marcello Tomaselli and Cesare Lasen Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma *Presenting author: [email protected]

Hay meadows are an important component of the alpine landscape which evolved over millennia of human activities. However, western Euro- pean mountains are undergoing an abandonment of agricultural practices, reflecting a post war trend of rural depopulation of isolated areas. When subjected to traditional management hay meadows are known to support high biodiversity. However, several studies showed that both intensification and abandonment can lead to a loss of species diversity. In this study we focussed on the hay meadows where poet’s daffodils form white carpets during the early-season blooming period, making the corresponding stands aesthetically very attractive. Moreover, poet’s daffodil hay meadows represent a noticeable source of biodiversity and have a high nature conservation value but, on the other hand, they are threatened by both intensification and abandonment of traditional management. In view of that, we aimed to understand how floristic composition varies in relation to site conditions and changing land-use and what diversity metric can be useful for detecting the conservation status of these plant communities, with the purpose to address the preservation of the cultural heritage of these habitats. This vegetation was studied through 26 phytosociological relevés, located in the eastern Alps (northern Italy), for which it was known the management type. Relevés were classified and analysed in relation to habitat features and taxonomical and functional diversity indices were calculated for detecting the conservation status of hay meadows subjected to different types of disturbance. Poet’s daffodil dominance brings together hay meadows showing asub- stantial range of floristic and ecologic variation and part of these stands could be referred to some habitat types regarded as prioritary for nature conservation according to the Interpretation Manual of European Union Habitats. In addition, functional diversity was influenced by the land-use and can be profitably use for detecting the conservation status, with important implications for restoration measures aiming to preserve the value of these habitats. Finally, management-related variations in functional diversity suggested that the best practice recommended for conservation and restoration of this habitat is the continuation of traditional late mowing. This practice will allow preserving both biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.

93 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Carni A.

Poster nr. 051 Gradient along three scrub formations in the southern Balkans: maquis, pseudomaquis and shibljak Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Andraž Čarni1,2 *, Vlado Matevski3,4, Mitko Kostadinovski3 and Renata Ćušterevska3 1Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia;2University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia;3Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia and 4Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia *Presenting author: [email protected]

The research deals with three scrub formations in the southern Balkans: maquis, pseudomaquis and shibljak. We performed DCA analysis and, since the first axis correlates with climatic data, the projection of relevés on this axis was accepted as proxy for the (macro)ecological gradient, and the species turnover along this gradient was elaborated. Linear regression was used to test the turnover of life forms, chorotypes and the behavior of species (syntaxonomical affiliation). It was discovered that life forms, except hemicryptophytes and nanophanerophytes, do not show a significant change; most chorotypes change significantly; among species behavior (syntaxonomical affiliation), the species of deciduous and evergreen forests, scrub anddry grasslands change significantly. The classification established three clusters, representing three formations and we tested differences between them. It was established that stenomediterranean and Eurasian species and species of perennial grasslands differentiate all three clusters and some groups only two of them. We found that discontinuous formations can be established along a continuous gradient. We classified formations within a phytosociological system, as maquis within Querco cocciferae-Pistacietum lentisci Br.-Bl. 1936 arbutetosum andrachni Tsiourlis et al. 2009, pseudomaquis within Achnathero bromoides-Quercetum cocciferae ass. nova and shibljak within Hippocrepido em- eroides-Carpinetum orientalis ass. nova.

94 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Carranza M.

Oral Presentation Using a model based fourth-corner analysis to explain plant traits pattern in high mountain ecosystems Special Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Ludovico Frate1, maria laura Carranza1*, Mirko Di febbraro1, Alberto Evangelista1, V Di Cecco2, Maurizio Cutini3, Jean-Paul Theurillat4, Marco Iocchi3 and Angela Stanisci1 1Envix-Lab, Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise, Pesche (IS), Italy;2Parco Nazionale della Majella, Via Badia, Sulmona (AQ). Italy;3Dipartimento di Sci- enze, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Roma, Italy and 4Department of Botany and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, GE, Switzerland *Presenting author: [email protected]

We investigated the composition, structure and spatial patterns of woody plant communities in the southern Great Chaco and analyzed the changes in the extent, pattern and landscape context of these occurred during the last decades We analyzed an area of ca. 100.000 km² in Córdoba Province, central Argentina, corresponding to the southern extreme of the Great Chaco and the Espinal biome. We first performed a brief analysis of plant communities based on 226 phytosociological relevés representative of the geographical, topographical and ecological variation in the seasonally dry subtropical Chaco forests remnants and other secondary vegetation. The species by plot matrix was subjected to multivariate ordination and classification analysis. We examined the multitemporal forest fragmentation during the period 1979-2010 using forest maps derived from Landsat images. We analyzed forest fragmentation adopting two approaches: patch based (using composition and configuration parameters) and context based (accounting of forest surroundings). At a higher level, the ordination and classification of plant communities revealed three major types: Chaco forests, Espinal woodlans and edaphic vegetation. The most important gradients in the data matrix found by the ordination analysis are related to climate, mainly annual rainfall, and soil. Landscape analysis depict a devastating situation of Gran Chaco forests with a progressive reduction to few small and isolated fragments during the last decades. Furthermore when forest loss exceeded the ∼50% of the total land area, fragmentation parameters underwent an abrupt change. Subtropical seasonally dry plant communities from the southern extreme of the Great Chaco are summarized. Our results show that Chaco vegetation is well separated from other types such as the Espinal woodlands and that the main driver of this difference is climatic. The analysis of land use and land cover changes revealed that most the forests have been converted to other cover types and such changes have most likely been the result of the interplay between human activities and environmental constraints.

95 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Castillioni K.

Oral Presentation How will concurrent acute and chronic disturbances affect plant community in the temperate prairie? Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Karen Castillioni1,2 *, Kevin Wilcox2, Lifen Jiang2, Yiqi Luo1,2 and Lara Souza1,2 1Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK USA. and 2Oklahoma Biological Survey, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK USA. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Human-induced chronic resource alterations, such as drought, can lead to a hierarchy of mechanisms underlying ecological change. Further, it is forecasted to co-occur with acute disturbances (e.g., hay harvesting in grasslands) which are generally discrete in time. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of how this scenario will impact ecosystem dynamics is needed. Our study is part of a global drought network of experiments (DroughtNet) which assesses the sensitivity of grasslands and forests worldwide to imminent drought. In Central Oklahoma (USA), at Kessler Atmospheric and Ecological Field Station, we established rain interception shelters to impose a gradient of precipitation treatments (chronic disturbance) at +50%, 0%, -20 %, -40 %, -60 %, -80%, -100% (n=3, N=21, block randomized plot design) and an aboveground biomass clipping treatment (acute disturbance) in a fully factorial design. We asked the following questions: (1) Do acute and chronic disturbances interact to affect species-specific relative abundance? (2) Do concurrent acute and chronic disturbances influence compositional similarity? After one year of experiment, we found that acute and chronic disturbances acted individually, not synergistically, to impact species-specific responses in different directions. Acute disturbance had positive effects on forbs while negatively impacting graminoids. For example, clipping promoted the abundance of Symphyotrichum ericoids and Ambrosia psilostachya, while negatively impacting Sporobolus compositus. Chronic disturbance reduced the abundance of forbs, except Calylophus serrulatus, which was benefited by all treatments. Graminoids, however, were more abundant whether in drought or added water plots (S. compositus: +50% and -40%; Sorghastrum nutans: all treatments). Conversely, Schiza- chyrium scoparium was negatively affected by the precipitation gradient (+50%, -80% and -60%). Moreover, species composition did not change in precipitation or clipping manipulations. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the differential effects of acute and chronic disturbance on the plant community. Under- standing the changes in species-specific relative abundance will be a source for accurately predicting community dynamics under drought conditions. Finally, climate-induced shifts in plant community composition will likely modify or counteract the direct impact of climate change alongside management on prairie ecosystem functioning, and hence, these results may have important implications for predictions of long-term effects of co-occurrence of both disturbances.

96 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Catalano C.

Oral Presentation Urban stepping stones of 92/43/EEC habitats can be established on green roofs in temperate and Mediterranean cities, through the interaction of plant sociology, land restoration and ecological design. Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Chiara Catalano1,*, Stephan Brenneisen1, Riccardo Guarino2 1Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW), Institut für Umwelt und Natürliche Ressourcen (IUNR), Switzerland; 2Università degli studi di Palermo, dipartimento STEBICEF, Sezione Botanica, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Extensive Green roofs are gaining increasing popularity among environmental mitigation and compensation measures. However, not every green roof performs equally in terms of habitat provisioning and connectivity. For this reason, one should distinguish between conventional (extensive, simple-intensive, intensive green roofs) and biodiverse green roofs. In our approach, we propose: 1) spatial design and monitoring of green roofs based on the phytosociological interpretation of the EU Directive 92/43, here considered as a source of habitat templates; 2) greening methods consistent with the purpose of favouring and sustaining Natura 2000 habitat types, in order to achieve near natural green roofs. The design approach consists of a recognition of the Natu- ra 2000 habitats in Mediterranean and temperate areas, which could be imita- ted on roofs in terms of plant communities and substrate kinds. The greening methods proposed are commonly used in land restoration approaches, such as: 1) wild species sowing, 2) fresh/dry hayseeds transfer, 3) local top soil transfer. This would drastically change the urban species pool, giving the chance to wild species to reach the cities cores while mitigating fragmentation impact. The case studies presented are located in Italy and Switzerland and refer to the following habitat types as mentioned in EU 92/43/EEC: the 62A0 (Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands), the 6210* (Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates: Festuco-Brometalia), the 6220* (Pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea). Our preliminary studies revealed promising results on the possible use of green roofs as urban stepping stones for specific habitat types, opening new perspectives for green roofs greening which could help, at the same time, in preserving and sustaining some European endangered habitats.

97 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Chenot J.

Poster nr. 028 Importance of substrate for green roofs: relationship between substrate composition, depth, moisture, and plant cover Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Julie Chenot1,2 *, Cannelle Moinardeau2, Elie Gaget3,4, Renaud Jaunatre5, Elise Buisson2 and Thierry Dutoit2 1Société des Carrières de La Ménudelle, GAGNERAUD Construction, Saint Martin de Crau, France;2Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie (IMBE), Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, UMR CNRS IRD Aix Marseille Université, IUT site Agroparc, BP 61207, 84911 Avignon cedex 09, France ;3Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes, Tour du Valat, Le Sambuc, 13200 Arles, France;4Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Conservation des Espèces, Restauration et suivi des Population- UMR 204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France and 5Université Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR EMGR, 2 rue de la Papeterie-BP 76, 38402 Saint-Martin-d’Hères, France *Presenting author: [email protected]

It is currently recognized that vegetation is a crucial step in the installa- tion of green roofs. This stage depends strongly on the substrate, without which the vegetation can only rarely establish. The substrate is thus probably the most important element of a green roof, providing moisture, nutrients and an essential physical support to plant species. In this study we evaluated the importance of substrate physical composition and depth in maintaining the soil moisture required by plants to develop well. For this, different substrates with different ratios of fine particles (silt and clay), and coarse elements were tested on two depths (5 cm and 15 cm). Different substrates compositions were tested: (1) 25% pebble-sand and 75% clay-silt; (2) 50% pebble sand and 50% clay-silt; (3) 75% pebble sand and 25% clay-silt. For that 96 quadrats (16 replicates for each of the 3 compositions and 2 depths) were tested on a roof in the Mediterranean area (Avignon, South-eastern of France). Soil moisture was monitored with a Moisture Meter type HH2 in autumn and summer and was coupled with local rainfall surveys. Our hypotheses are (1) The deeper substrates retains rainwater longer and has higher moisture than shallow substrates; (2) Substrates with more coarse elements are more drained and therefore reduce water availability; (3) The driest substrates (thin and coarse according to hypotheses 1 and 2) limit the development of vegetation cover. Our results confirm these hypotheses and show that for a better maintenance of the vegetation in relation to soil moisture, a depth of 15 cm is preferable to that of 5 cm for the different substrate composition tested. However, the latter allows the development and maintenance of xeric species typical of the Mediterranean region. The importance is to properly target which types of ecosystems (biological crusts or dry grasslands) we want to recreate on green roofs in Mediterranean urban areas.

98 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Chiarucci A.

Oral Presentation Structure and diversity of a metacommunity system in the Tuscan archipelago Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Alessandro Chiarucci1 *, Giulia Finotti1, Enrico B.L. Cerabolini2, Bruno Foggi3, Dan- iele Viciani3, Marco Caccianiga4, Simone Fattorini5 1BIGEA, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy 2DISTA, University of Insubria, , Varese, Italy 3BIO, University of Florence, Florence, Italy 4DBS, University of Milan, Milan, Italy 5MESVA, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Biogeographical patterns of metacommunities at archipelagic level are still poorly understood because of the lack of information at different geographical scales (i.e. within islands vs. between islands). However, the availability of large vegetation databases may pave the way for testing explicitly formulated hypotheses based on theoretical metacommunity assumptions using local data from relevès and floristic data concerning the whole islands. In this work we analysed plant communities and entire floras from the seven major islands of the Tuscan Archipe- lago (Italy): Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Pianosa, Giannutri and Gorgona. Our aims were to test: (1) if plant species composition at the metacommunity level was more affected by local conditions (i.e. the abiotic characteristics at single sampling sites) or by the island where sampling sites were located, and (2) how island species pools influenced local species diversity. For these purposes, we assembled a large data set from all phytosociological relevés available in published and unpublished sources, from the year 1973 to the present day. The final database included 1334 relevès, for a total of 790 species and subspecies. Multivariate analyses, sample-based rarefaction curves, regression techniques and beta-diversity analyses were used to test the role of island belonging and local abiotic factors in controlling variation in plant community. We found that the sampling effort (represented by the number of available relevès and hence the sampled area) was affected by temporal and spatial biases, which can explain some biogeographical inconsistencies. However, we found a positive relation between the overall floristic richness known from each island and the biodiversity patterns emerged from relevès. We also found that local factors and island belonging interact in a complex way in generating beta-diversity patterns

99 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Choung Y.

Poster nr. 081 Shift from pine- to oak-dominated forests following forest fires: the effects of pre-fire vegetation structure Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Kyungeun Lee1, Kyu Song Lee2 and Yeonsook Choung3 * 1National Institute of Ecology;2Department of Biology, Gangneung-Wonju National Universi- ty and 3Division of Biological Sciences, Kangwon National University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Pinus densiflora stands occupies the largest area in South Korea. P. densiflora stands are vulnerable to fire, and are not resilient to re-occupy the former stands. These available spaces were mainly occupied by oak species, in particular Q. mongolica and Q. variabilis. Especially, the former species was more dominant. To explain the dominance of oak species and to compare the dominance of Q. mongolica over Q. variabilis, we assumed the influence of three factors; pre-fire forest structure, site condition and regeneration strategy of two species. Permanent plots were established at pre-fire P. densiflora stands completely burnt by the recorded East Coast Fires in 2000. According to the initial regeneration, plots are located at two sites; high and low regeneration sites. The regeneration process of Q. mongolica and Q. variabilis has been monitored for 15 years. At both sites, Q. mongolica produced more numbers of sprouts, resulting in higher basal area, compared to those of Q. variabilis. These trends maintained for 15 years. At high sites, difference between two species in number of sprouts and basal area exactly reflected those of pre-fire stands, suggesting the influence of pre-fire structure as a main factor. Unlike high sites, Q. mongolica showed 20 times more sprouts and 10 times more in basal area of Q. variabilis at post-fire regenerating stands immediately after the fire, although it had only 3 times more sprouts and similar basal area at pre-fire stands. The regenerating strategy that produce more sprouts per clumps has been contributed for Q. mongolica to proliferate by exploiting less competitive sites in addition to the influence of the pre-fire structure. Q. variabilis, common in dry infertile habitats, showed higher relative growth rate and height at sprout level of low sites, but little difference in number of sprouts per clumps. Overall, during 15 year’s successional development, the influence of pre-fire structure is clear at both sites. Q. mongolica achieved more abundance using its strategy exploiting site condition at low regeneration sites. This implies that how this species is proliferating and spreading over disturbed sites.

100 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Chudomelová M.

Oral Presentation The varying roles of environmental drivers of fine-scale diversity in a hyperdiverse tropical rainforest Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Markéta Chudomelová1,2 *, Radim Hédl1,3, Martin Dančák3, Martin Svátek4, Faizah H. Metali5 and Rahayu S. Sukri5 1Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences;2Faculty of Science, Masaryk Uni- versity;3Faculty of Science, Palacký University;4Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technolo- gy, Mendel University and 5Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam *Presenting author: [email protected]

In contrast to trees, a considerable part of plant biodiversity of tropical rainforests is still largely unexplored. We examined the fine-scale drivers of ground herb species richness and composition in one of the world’s most species-rich plant communities. Using 200 subplots of two 1-ha permanent plots in Brunei Darussalam, Borneo, a complete composition of ground herbs was sampled and assigned to 5 frequently occurring functional-taxonomic groups, i.e. ferns, aroids, gingers, mycoheterotrophs and orchids. In total, 157 species of ground herbs were recorded, most of them belonging to the families Zingiberaceae and Araceae. We analyzed the relationship between sets of three key environmental factors and i) species composition, ii) total species richness, iii) each group’s species richness. The most important factor was topography. It had a strong impact on the total species richness as well as species richness of aroids and ferns. The role of soil chemistry was also important, but less pronounced. The taxonomic-functional species groups responded differently to environment. Gingers and aroids responded to the light conditions, while ferns showed the closest association to local topography due to their preference for shady humid microhabitats and easy dispersal. On the other hand, mycoheterotrophs and orchids showed no links to environmental conditions. Given their dependence on heterotrophy or mixotrophy, these two groups mostly utilize other resources than the rest of the studied groups. The present study emphasizes the role of microhabitat conditions on the patterns of functional diversity in tropical rainforest plant communities, calling for further research regarding various functional groups and spatiotemporal resolutions.

101 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Chytrý M.

Oral Presentation Alien species pools affect differences in the level of invasion among vegetation types Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Milan Chytrý1*, Veronika Kalusová1, Martin Hejda2, Robert K. Peet3, Thomas R. Wentworth4, Jan Pergl2 and Petr Pyšek2,5 1Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic;2Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 43 Průhon- ice, Czech Republic;3Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3280 USA;4Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Box 7612, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695-7612 USA and 5Department of Ecology, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

Vegetation types co-occurring in the same areas differ non-randomly in the number and proportion of alien plant species they contain. These differences have been shown to depend on the vulnerability of different vegetation types to invasion (invasibility) and the number of species introduced (propagule pressure). However, the global pools of alien species adapted to individual vegetation types also vary and can influence the local levels of invasion. To explore these effects, we made several comparisons of various broad-scale data sets describing (1) the affinity of alien species to vegetation types in their native and invaded range, (2) proportions of native species from individual vegetation types that become alien elsewhere, and (3) proportions of aliens among all species within these vegetation types. We considered invasions from temperate Europe to other continents, especially North America, and from other continents to Europe. We found that the proportion of alien species in small areas of certain vegetation types increases with the proportion of alien species donated to the regional alien species pool by analogous vegetation types on other continents. As a result, the more of its native species a vegetation type contributes as aliens, the more of them establish in analogous recipient vegetation types. We call this the direct species-pool effect. Fur- thermore, we found that the proportion of alien species in a certain vegetation type increases with the proportion of native species that this vegetation type donates to the regional alien species pool on the other continent. As a result, vegetation types that give many aliens also receive many aliens. We call this the reciprocal species-pool effect. In general, the more dynamic vegetation types are, the more of their native species they contribute to alien species pools on other continents. These types are also highly invaded. Examples include anthropogenic and riparian vegetation types. However, contributions of different vegetation types to the alien species pools also depend on the direction of introduction. For example, grassland species invade from Europe/Old World to other continents more often than from other continents to Europe/Old World, whereas a reversed pattern is observed in wetland species.

102 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Closset-Kopp D.

Oral Presentation Forty-five years of vegetation change in a temperate lowland forest: inferring processes using a trait-based approach Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Deborah Closset-Kopp*, Tarek Hattab and Guillaume Decocq Botany Dpt EDYSAN, FRE 3498 CNRS-UPJV *Presenting author: [email protected]

Biodiversity changes are inherent to natural communities, but human activities and global change are increasingly acknowledged for accelerating compositional changes. In this respect, resurveys of historical vegetation plots provide valuable insights into vegetation changes. Here, we resurveyed 78 semi-permanent plots in the forest of Compiègne (N, France) forty years after a first survey, to test the following hypotheses: (H1) Local colonization and extinction events increased similarity between plots over time; (H2) The magnitude of changes de- pended upon the soil type and silviculture intensity; (H3) The observed vegetation changes can be explained by a combination of global and local factors. The paired (old vs. new) relevés were distributed among four soil types (luvisols, cambisols, gleysols, podzols) and for luvisols only, among two management types (intensive silviculture vs. no management). To take into account the potential bias associated to plot relocation and observer scoring, we applied the same suite of analyses using two different new relevés x taxa matrices: one using the full set of species with their new cover-abundance scores (MAX, accounting for maximal changes); another deleting weakly abundant species and downweighting score changes (MIN, accounting for minimal changes). We used the old relevés and the new relevés (al- ternatively MAX and MIN) data matrices and a set of multivariate and univariate statistics to test our three hypotheses. We evidenced same trends on both matrixes, namely strong directional biodiversity changes among plots, which exhibited increased diversity (including taxonomic, functionnal and phylogenetic diversity) and composition homogeneity (H1). The gleysols and podzols showed the highest changes compared to the other soil types, but on luvisols these changes were greater in reserves than in managed plots (H2). “Winners” were mostly stress-competitors, nitrogen-demanding, shade-tolerant species, with a high palatability. They are graminoids, ferns and woody saplings. Our trait-based approach suggests that these changes were driven by local (soil compaction by forestry vehicles and increased canopy density), regional (increased deer density) and global (atmospheric nitrogen deposits) factors (H3).

103 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Cousins S.

Oral Presentation FUNgreen functional connectivity and green infrastructure Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Sara Cousins* Stockholm University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The anthropogenic threats of habitat destruction and climate change highlight the key role of dispersal in allowing species and populations to persist. Reduced dispersal among isolated populations also leads to population extinction and a lower chance of subsequent recolonization, resulting in a reduction in biodiversity at local and landscape scales. The realised movement of organisms across landscapes is determined by functional connectivity, which for plants occurs through the dispersal of seeds among habitat patches. In the FUNgreen project we link theory and practice through a new conceptualisation of functional connectivity for plants (Auffret et al. 2017 J. Ecology). Plant functional connectivity is defined as the effective dispersal of propagules or popllen among habitat patches in a landscape, interactions between plant, environment and dispersal vectors and the successful establishment of new individuals. Thus our modelling of plant functional connectivity in landscapes incorporates factors both dependent upon and independent of a landscape’s green infrastructure. The effect of the green infrastructure of a landscape, i.e. the landscape’s structural connectivity, on dispersal is important in determining both the ecological and evolutionary responses to environmental change at a range of spatio-temporal scales. We will assess current, past and potential future levels of green infrastructure and functional connectivity in important grassland landscapes in Belgium, Ger- many and Sweden. We focus on 36 semi-natural grasslands in fragmented landscapes with both high and low amounts of green infrastructure. By analysing landscape history, the ecology of plants and their dispeerses and how the anthropogenic management interact to drive dispersal patterns we will be able to assess the role of active management to enhance functional connectivity through rotational grazing of cattle and sheep. Seed dispersal will be evaluated through genetic analyses, recruitment experiments and modelling. The effects of dispersal on biodiversity, genetic diversity and a range of ecosystem services will be investigated and used as the basis of predictive models which can help shape future landscape management and to aid planning for future green infrastructure. FUNgreen is BiodivERsA COFUND project that started 2017.

104 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Cuenot Q.

Oral Presentation Response of the wetland plant communities to nutrient level in contrasting fluvial contexts Special Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Quentin Cuenot*, Christophe Loup, Hélène Mascalux and Gudrun Bornette University of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté *Presenting author: [email protected]

The diversity of aquatic plant communities in fluvial wetlands is endangered since several decades by habitat changes and fractioning. Among the main threats for biodiversity, the increase of nutrient levels is a major cause of the changes in composition and structure of plant communities. An abundant literature tried to identify the effects of nutrient level on aquatic plant species and taxonomic diversity but there is still a lack of understanding on the response of functional diversity to eutrophication depending on the hydro-geomorphological characteristics of the wetlands. Functional diversity of plant communities is a key feature to provide a large range of wetland’s functions like habitat diversity or natural water remediation. The present study aimed (1) to describe how functional diversity of the aquatic communities is impacted by the level of available nutrient in fluvial wetlands and (2) to identify hydrological and geomorphological factors which are likely to modulate vegetation response. The taxonomic and functional diversities have been assessed by identification of species and their growth-form in 16 wetlands dispatched along 3 calcareous rivers with contrasting dynamics of the East of the France. A monthly monitoring of available nutrients contents in water (nitrates, ammonia and phosphates), dissolved organic carbon contents and chlorophyll a contents was performed during one year to evaluate the trophic level of studied wetlands. Lastly, the hydrology and geomorphology of wetlands were characterized by a study of thermal regime and by cartography analysis of floodplains. Results show that hydrological connectivity to river and surface runoff in agricultural context enhance the phosphate, ammonia, dissolved organic carbon and chlorophyll a contents, and leads to a modification of taxonomic diversity more than a major shift of growth-form. Nonetheless, considering hydro-geomorphological features makes predictions of plant communities’ response to nutrient level much accurate and reveal functional diversity alterations. These observations illustrate the non-direct relation of nutrient level and functional diversity of aquatic plant communities in fluvial wetlands and highlight the significance of hydrological and geomorphological context.

105 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Cušterevska R.

Poster nr. 054 Plant phylogenetic diversity of dry grassland correlate with climatic drivers on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Renata Ćušterevska1*, Marco Antonio Batalha2 and Vlado Matevski1 1Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Arhimedova 3, 1000, Skopje, Macedonia. and 2Department of Botany, Federal Uni- versity of São Carlos, PO Box 676, 13565-905, São Carlos, Brazil. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Questions: By sampling dry grassland plant communities in the Republic of Macedonia, southern Balkans, calculating their phylogenetic diversity, and relating it to climatic variables, we aimed to answer three questions: (1) Does evolutionary history decrease towards colder, drier, and more seasonal climatic conditions? (2) Is environmental filtering more important in colder, drier, and more seasonal climatic conditions? (3) Are there nodes on the phylogenetic tree that identify evolutionary divergences associated with spatial segregation? Location: We used a database consisting of 575 plots, 259 of which on carbo- naceous rock and 316 on siliceous rock, placed on dry grasslands all over the Re- public of Macedonia located in the southern portion of the Balkan Peninsula. Each plot had 100 m2, because of the relatively homogenous vegetation at this scale. Methods: We built a phylogenetic tree for the species, using Bell et al. In each plot, we recorded the coordinates with a Global Positioning System and, based on them, extracted altitude and the 19 climatic variables available on WorldClim. We applied Spearman correlation analyses to test whether altitude and the climatic variables were correlated, excluding from further analyses variables highly correlated to others (ρ > |0.7|). To answer the first question, we calculated Phylogenetic Species Richness per plot, using the community matrix and the phylogenetic tree. To answer the second question, we calculated Phylogenetic Species Variability per plot. To answer the third question, we calculated the Specific Overrepresentation Scores for all nodes in the phylogenetic tree as a measure of clade overrepresentation, with 999 randomisations. We carried out all analyses in R (R Development Core Team 2016), using the ape”, “foreign”, “geiger”, “ggmap”, “MASS”, “nodiv”, “picante”, “raster”, “rgdal”, and “vegan” packages. Results: In the 575 plots, we found 767 species, belonging to 59 families, for which we built a phylogenetic tree. Phylogenetic Species Richness varied from 3.9 to 37.1, with a mean of 18.7 and a standard deviation of 5.2. Phylogenetic Species Richness decreased towards warmer in the driest period, drier, and more seasonal climates. Phylogenetic Species Variability varied from 0.33 to 0.43, with a mean of 0.35 and a standard deviation of 0.01. Phylogenetic Species Variabi- lity decreased towards warmer climates with less seasonal temperatures. Four nodes in the phylogenetic tree presented scores higher than 0.55, corresponding to major distributional divergences in Macedonian dry grassland communities. We found a strong signature of evolutionary history in species sorting across a gradient driven by climate in Macedonian dry grasslands.

106 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dadalt L.

Poster nr. 2 Determinants of woody plant diversity in an ecological transition zone in southernmost Brazil Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Leticia Dadalt* and Sandra C. Muller Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ecological transition zones are characterized by environmental gradients and high species turnover, making them especially interesting for answering questions regarding diversity patterns of species. The definition of an ecological transition zone is usually operational, but largely based on the adjacent systems. In southernmost Brazil, we have a good example of transition zone: the region where the northern subtropical forests meet the southern Pampa grasslands, with forests and shrublands usually short and dense, presenting floristic elements from several different phytogeographical origins, interspaced with grasslands. Furthermore, this region holds an interesting combination of socio-economic, cultural and environmental characteristics: traditional ranching characterized by small family properties and an almost exclusive use of natural grasslands as pasture, without habitat conversion. We surveyed the woody vegetation in sixty 600 m2plots divided equally among ten sites (distance between sites ranged from 4 to 70 km) in the Alto Camaquã region, Brazil, to answer what determines alpha and beta diversity of woody species communities. We considered both local (soil and terrain) and regional (climate) variables as influencing diversity patterns. Based on preliminary analysis, we observed that both alpha and beta diversity varied greatly between sites and that climate variables (operating at the regional scale) were particularly influential, different from what is usually observed for other woody formations in the tropics, where soil plays an important role. From these results we can conclude that regional climate has a significant influence on habitat heterogeneity and consequently, a positive effect on beta diversity of the woody flora in this region. The climate extremes are probably shaping this formation by influencing recruitment and survival of woody plants in this transition zone between forest and grassland domains. Our findings contribute to the understanding of ecological communities from transition zones, such as these open formations, outside the tropics. These areas are unique, deserving closer attention and deeper ecological knowledge for proper management and conservation of biodiversity.

107 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Daibes L. F.

Orale Presentation Seed Traits Predict Seed Tolerance to Fire in Savanna and Forest Legume Trees Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics L. Felipe Daibes1*, Nathalia Bonani1, Fernando A.O. Silveira3, Juli G. Pausas2 and Alessandra Fidelis1 1Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências;2CIDE/CSIC Valen- cia and 3Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas *Presenting author: [email protected]

Seed traits may drive seed and seedling responses, such as their capacity to survive fire. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of seed size and shape in predicting seed tolerance to fire in Cerrado (fire-prone) and forest (fire sensitive) vegetation. Seeds of 13 tree legumes (6 forest, 4 Cerrado, 3 species found in both environments) were collected in Central and Southeastern Brazil. We measured seed mass and shape according to standardized protocols for plant traits. Additionally, we exposed seeds from all species to heat shock treatments which simulated fire (100°C 1 min, 100°C 3 min and 200°C 1 min) and tested them for germination. We performed GLMM models combining treatment, environment, seed shape and seed mass as fixed factors (predictor variables) on predicting seed viability (response variable). Species were used as random effects in the models and Akaike information criterion was used to select the model which better predicted the patterns we found. Seeds resisted mostly to 100°C (1 and 3 min) and 200°C treatment had a negative effect (-20% or more in relation to control viability) in six species, independent of environment. The best model considered interaction among treatment*shape*mass (dAIC=0.0; weight=0.583). The 200°C treatment had a negative effect (P=0.003) on seed viability of flattened (shape>0.1) and small-seeded (=0.1g) species. Our results support that most Cerrado and/or forest seeds are fire-resistant and seed mass is important for seed survival under hotter fire exposure. Larger seeds tolerate higher temperatures than the small-seeded ones, which would only survive fire temperatures below 100ºC, or if when incorporated into soil seed banks. Moreover, we provide new information on the role of seed shape, which seems to play a decisive role: flattened seeds would be more sensitive to fire exposure and could probably only be recruited in inter-fire periods. Seed traits or fire-tolerance did not seem to depend on the environment among our study species, irrespective the presence of fire in the vegetation, but in an ecological sense seed mass and shape would serve as crucial traits to drive seed regeneration of Neotropical tree legumes.

108 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Damasceno G.

Poster nr. 089 Managing invasive grasses with fire: can fire season create dissimilar communities? Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Gabriella Damasceno* and Alessandra Fidelis Universidade Estadual Paulista – Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociên- cias, Rio Claro, Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected]

Plant communities have been negatively impacted by invasive species which are able to alter their structure and composition. In the Cerrado, these species are responsible for biodiversity loss, threatening this savanna, that is considered a hotspot of biodiversity. Fire can be used as a management tool to control these invasive species, however the decision of when fire should be set is important, since both invasive and native plant communities can be affected. Thus, we evaluated the response of communities invaded byMelinis minutiflora and Urochloa brizantha subjected to early-dry, mid-dry and late- dry prescribed fires. Our major hypothesis was that different fire seasons will produce dissimilar communities due to fire characteristics, environmental conditions and phenology of invasive and native species. We assessed the plant cover of native graminoids, forbs, shrubs and invasive grasses, as well as bare soil and dead biomass of native and invasive species. We established 10 subplots (1x1m) in each experimental plot (15x15m, 4 plots/treatment). Vegetation sampling was conducted before fires, every 6 months for 24 months, covering the dry and wet season. We used PCoA and PERMANOVA analysis to test our hypothesis. For plots invaded by M. minutiflora we found differences in community structure due to treatment, time and their interaction, indicating that fire season influences communities trajectories. The most divergent communities before and after fire are those burned in mid-dry and late-dry, possible due to fire intensity, the phenology of the invasive specie and season. For U. brizantha plots, communities differed throughout time and due to fire season, but these divergences did not interact with time. Thus, fire season influenced community dynamics. However, other factors might be relevant for post-fire communities, such as the invasive grass species, which are differently affected by fire season, and precipitation seasonality.

109 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dargie T.

Oral Presentation Is there a global warming signal within tomillar vegetation on topoclimate gradients in SE Spain? Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Tom Dargie* Boreas Ecology *Presenting author: [email protected]

The solar radiation difference between steep north- and south-facing hillslopes is maximised in middle latitudes as a function of slope and azimuth. A dissected landscape at such a latitude offers a multitude of slopes for the vegetation scientist interested in the topoclimate gradient found between the thermal extremes on northern and southern slopes. Tomillar habitat (Thy- mo-Siderition leucanthae) from cuesta and badland terrain in lowland Mur- cia, SE Spain (38° N) is one such middle latitude habitat developed under semi-arid conditions. This is a degraded matorral dominated by shrubs and dwarf-shrubs, the product of centuries of chronic grazing, occasional tillage on gentle slopes, strong soil erosion and slope-landform evolution. It used to be the dominant cover of all lowland ground with thin soils, before the arrival of water diverted from the Rio Tajo in the 1980s. It is now much rarer following the conversion of large land tracts to irrigation or housing development around expanding settlements. Earlier vegetation studies of topoclimate gradients repeatedly found very strong correlations with radiation receipt (r2>0.8), with the warmest temperatures located 14-19 degrees west of due south. The temperature control of germination for selected species restricted to northern and southern slopes was shown experimentally. Gradient partitioning in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that two floras were present on the topoclimate gradient. Species were either northern or southern in distribution, with little or no significant restriction to intermediate parts of the radiation gradient created by slope and azimuth. The hypothesis set in the 1970s and 1980s was a floristic discontinuity on the local topoclimate gradient. Has that northern – southern discontinuity been affected by global warming? The study areas used in the 1970s and early 1980s have been revisited and resampled in 2003, 2004 and 2017, offering up to 42 years of potential change. A large relevé set is used to seek a global warming signal in the vegetation and assess its role in re-assembling the species, trait and diversity patterns on lowland Murcian hillslope vegetation.

110 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dayaram A.

Poster nr. 070 The South African National Vegetation Map: Improving quality and scientific robustness for effective biodiversity and conservation planning Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Anisha Dayaram*, Andrew Skowno and Leslie Powrie South African National Biodiversity Institute *Presenting author: [email protected]

The South African National vegetation map and classification (VEG- MAP) is a resource that reflects the pre-industrial distribution of vegetation in South Africa and was drawn from a combination of expert knowledge, existing vegetation maps, extrapolated environmental data, and in a few instances, results from plot data. The map has proved invaluable over the last decade as foundational information in South African national and provincial biodiversity & conservation plans, in environmental management plans, environmental impact assessments, and in other scientific research. However, the use of various sources to create the map has resulted in variability in map accuracy across and within biomes. As the refinement of the map progresses; certain weaknesses resulting from the lack of plot based data driving the classification of vegetation types have become apparent. Since the original version of the map in 2006, we have released two additional iterations in 2009 and 2012. Only 69 of the 449 vegetation types (2.25% of the surface area) were directly affected by changes. During the 2006-2009 update period, polygon boundary shifts were the most dominant changes (>91% of the affected area) nationally. This contrasted with the 2009-2012 update period during which the introduction of new vegetation types dominated changes to the surface area of the map (62%). South Africa has nine biomes that are distributed across nine official provinces. The KwaZulu-Natal province had the greatest area affected by updates to the VegMap since 2006, followed by the Western Cape. Updates in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpuma- langa covered comparatively small areas of the provinces with all changes in Mpumalanga as a consequence of the addition of new vegetation types. No updates occurred in the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo and the North-West Prov- ince. These provinces coincide with the Savanna, Grassland and Nama Karoo biomes. Therefore, five of the nine South African provinces were updated on the VegMap, with expansive changes only in KwaZulu-Natal- leaving updates lacking in four of the nine provinces, as well as in Lesotho and Swaziland. Thus, we need a co-ordinated approach to refine the map in these areas. We have three main challenges to address in the coming years in order to improve the national vegetation map. Our first challenge is to build on the existing

111 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 map by clearly defining our classification system, and fit the current vegetation types into this system. In addition to the map, we have a large but in- complete vegetation plot database that could be used to refine the map across the country. Our second challenge is to use this existing plot data to improve the classification and typing and identify regions for which plot data needs to be collected. Our third challenge is to develop appropriate guidelines for the collection of plot data, mapping of vegetation units and classification of vegetation types that are aligned with international best practice

112 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

De Bello T.

Oral Presentation Aliens among locals: invasive species decrease phylogenetic and functional diversity while increasing differences among native community members Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Francesco de Bello1,2*, Priscilla P. Loiola3, Milan Chytrý4, Lars Götzenberger2, Carlos P. Carmona5, Petr Pyšek2,6,7 and Zdeňka Lososová4 1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia;2Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences;3Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Pro- tection, Federal University of São Carlos;4Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk Uni- versity;5Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu;6Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University and 7Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Community invasibility and species invasiveness are driven by complementary processes that can be revealed considering the phylogenetic and functional diversity in invaded and non-invaded communities. We used ~26,000 vegetation plots from 26 natural and semi-natural terrestrial habitats in Central Eu- rope (Czech Republic), of which ~6500 had been invaded. We compared the phylogenetic (PD) and functional diversity (FD), and community trait means, in invaded and non-invaded plots. A dated ultrametric supertree for central Eu- ropean vascular plant species (DAPHNE) was used for PD while 16 traits from Central European databases (LEDA and CLOPLA) were used for FD. The PD and FD values for each plot were compared to the habitat-specific species pools for the habitat type to which each plot belonged, with these species pools taken as reference to account for environmental filtering across habitats and focus only on patterns within-habitats. We considered (i) changes in PD and FD with invasion for the whole community (invaded vs. non-invaded plots), as well as (ii) changes between species present in invaded vs non-invaded communities and (iii) changes solely due to the addition of invasive species (invaded plots with and without invaders). Results showed marked and consistent changes in PD, FD and trait means with invasion. Communities in invaded plots were less phylogenetically, but more functionally diverse than in non-invaded plots of the same habitat. Particularly for functional diversity this increase was due to native species in invaded plots having higher PD and FD between them than native species in non-invaded plots. At the same time PD and FD in invaded plots were lower when aliens were considered (invaded plots with and without invaders. While it is unrealistic to reach a unequivocal conclusion about invasion mechanisms using only space-for-time substitution methods, the results consistently suggest that invaders occupy a portion of the trait and phylogenetic spaces within the pre-existing trait and phylogenetic space in communities. They do so by filling empty gaps or excluding natives in the existing niche space, rather than occupying or creating novel parts of the trait and phylogenetic spaces.

113 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

De Bie E.

Poster nr. 121 An assessment framework for regionally protected biotopes (RBBs) in Flanders, Belgium. Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Els De Bie*, Hans Van Calster, Jan Wouters, Patrik Oosterlynck and Desiré Paelinckx Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) *Presenting author: [email protected]

At the request of the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forest, the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) is designing an evaluation tool for nature management of “regionally protected biotopes (RBBs)”. RBBs are rare vegetation types with high nature value that are not protected by the Europe- an N2000 Habitat Directive, but also have high priority in Flemish nature legislation (f.e Calthion grassland, Caricion nigrae mires, etc.). The assessment framework is intended for evaluating and monitoring management efforts. Government subsidies may depend on the achieved progress. The structure of the tool is similar to the one for evaluating the favourable conservation status of Natura2000 habitat types and consists of a number of carefully selected indicators. So far, the assessment for RBBs is limited to the vegetation part of the habitat using both indicators on vegetation composition and structure (positive quality indicators) as well as the occurrence of disturbance indicators (negative quality indicators). Cluster analysis, ordination and species indicator functions on relevé data are used to set ‘target values’ for these indicators. Estimation of these indicators should be done during one field visit in the appropriate time of the year. At this moment the evaluation tool is ready for RBBs of the grasslands and one is under construction for wetlands.

114 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

De Cáceres M.

Oral Presentation On the use of structural and compositional dissimilarity measures for the analysis of forest structure and dynamics Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Miquel De Cáceres1,2 *, Robert B. Allen3, Susan K. Wiser4, Santiago Martín-Al- cón1 and Lluís Coll1,2 1CTFC-CEMFOR (Forest Sciences Center of Catalonia), Solsona 25280, Spain;2CREAF, Cer- danyola del Vallès 08193, Spain;3Independent Researcher, 8 Roblyn Place, Lincoln 7608, New Zealand and 4Landcare Research, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ecologists routinely perform dissimilarity assessments based on the species composition of plant communities for a variety of purposes. However, forests are communities where not only species composition but also the size of individuals plays an important role in determining ecosystem structure and functioning. Moreover, forest dynamics is the result of positive and negative interaction among individuals of different size and functional attributes. Hence, a dissimilarity measurement framework taking into account both tree size and tree species composition may be more appropriate than conventional compositional frameworks as a tool for the analysis of forest structure and dynamics. Specifically, such a framework can be particularly useful: (1) to define pure- and mixed-forest types with a sufficient detail to facilitate forest planning and decision-making; (2) to evaluate the direction and magnitude of temporal changes and compare forest trajectories; (3) to determine the position of forest stands with respect to a pre-defined dynamic sequence defined by two or more states. Here we illustrate these analyses using three different examples. First, we develop a forest typology that integrates the information of species composition and the bivariate distribution of tree diameters and heights using data from the Spanish forest inventory. Second, we analyze forest dynamics and the similarity of stand trajectories in mountain beech forests of New Zealand using a 30-year sequence from permanent plots. Third, we assess the degree of development of mountain pine forests in a Spanish national park located in the Pyrenees. While the applications presented have their counterpart in non-forest systems using purely-compositional dissimilarity indices, we think that combining the information of tree size structure and tree species composition facilitates addressing these questions on forests in a more comprehensive way.

115 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

De la Fuente V.

Poster nr. 091 Biomineralization processes in halophyte chenopodiaceae species of inland saline territories from the iberian peninsula Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Lourdes Rufo1, Irene Sanchez-Gavilán2, Esteban Ramírez3 and Vicenta de la Fuente4* 1Pharmacy Department, Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid;2Molecular Biology Depart- ment, Autonomous University, Madrid;3Biology Department, Autonomous University, Ma- drid and 4Biology Department, Autonomous University, Madrid *Presenting author: [email protected]

Numerous endorheic lagoons formed over evaporitic rocks are found in the central areas of the Iberian Peninsula (Toledo and Ciudad Real provinces, Spain). These are subjected to a Mediterranean pluviseasonal bioclimate that produces a great seasonal variation of the phreatic level. The distinctive halophytic vegetation that occur on these territories is mainly dominated by succulent chamaephytic and therophytic Chenopodiaceae species that structure different plant communities distributed along a flooding gradient that also determines the salinity and its seasonal variation. As a result a vegetation catena is observed: therophytic pioneer communities in flooded areas dominated by Salicornia ramosissima (Suaedo spIendentis-Salicornietum ra- mosissimae), perennial suffruticose communities subdued to seasonal flooding dominated by Sarcocornia carinata (Puccinellio caespitosae-Sarcocornietum car- inatae) and fruticose communities rarely flooded dominated by Arthrocnemum macrostachyum (Puccinellio caespitosae-Arthrocnemetum macrostachyi). These three vegetation types are recognized in the mentioned endorheic lagoons. All of these Chenopodiaceae species are known to be euhalophytes that absorb and store high amounts of saline ions in their aerial tissues. These processes may led to the formation of different minerals. The presence and distribution of these biominerals have been studied in Salicornia ramossisi- ma, Sarcocornia carinata, and Arthrocnemum macrostachyum by means of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X ray probe (EDX) in order to observe its localization and crystallization forms in the tissues, and for determination, X-Ray diffraction (XR). Results confirm the salt accumulation in these three species. Salt has been observed as numerous mineral forms inside the plant tissues (halite, sylvite, thenardite, weddellite or glushinkite).

116 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

De Sanctis M.

Poster nr. 109 Modelling the Carpino-Fagetea communities in Albania Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Petrit Hoda1, Michele de Sanctis2*, Giuliano Fanelli2, Alessio Farcomeni3, Alke- da Kalajnxhi4, Ermelinda Mahmutaj1, Mersin Mersinllari1 and Fabio Attorre2 1Faculty of Natural Science, University of Tirana, Albania;2Department of Environmental Biol- ogy, University Sapienza of Rome, Italy;3Statistics Section, Department of Experimental Med- icine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and 4Department of Plant Production, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania *Presenting author: [email protected]

Albania is botanically the least explored country of Europe, and taxonomic knowledge has only recently flourished and vegetation studies are in their infancy. We carried out 284 relevés, distributed in the whole Albanian mountainous territory, of mesophilic Corylus avellana and Fagus sylvatica forest communities. They were analysed through cluster and non-metric multidimensional scaling procedures, in order to identify the different typologies and to investigate their relationship with environmental variables (bioclimatic, topographic and geological features). Random Forest was used on classified relevés and bioclimatic and topographic variables as covariates in order to produce a map of the potential distribution of these communities. A system of three mesophytic alliances plus an acidophytic alliance seems the best suited to accommodate the beech forest vegetation of Albania (Willner et al. 2017). We could recognize three alliances of beech forests (Aremonio-Fagion, Geranio striate-Fagion, Luzulo-Fagion). Moreover we included in the study a Corylus avellana community, which occupies a belt immediately below the beech forest on western aspects. Geranio-Fagion mainly occurs on western (more oceanic) slopes. Aremonio-Fagion on eastern (more continental) slopes and Luzu- lo-Fagion occupies the upper altitudes below the alpine vegetation. The vegetation of beech forest in Albania is one of the most diverse in Europe with 19 different communities, mainly segregated on the base of altitude and geology. Willner, W., Jiménez-Alfaro, B., Agrillo, E., Biurrun, I., Campos, J. A., Čarni, A., Casella, L., Csiky, J., Ćušterevska, R., Didukh, Y. P., Ewald, J., Jandt, U., Jansen, F., Kącki, Z., Kavgacı, A., Lenoir, J., Marinšek, A., Onyshchenko, V., Rodwell, J., Schaminée, J., Šibík, J., Škvorc, Ž., Svenning, J.C., Tsiripidis, I., Turtureanu, P.D., Tzonev, Vassilev, R., Venanzoni, R., Wohlgemuth T., & Chytrý, M. 2017: Classification of European beech forests: a Gordian Knot? Applied Vegetation Science DOI: 10.1111/avsc.12299.

117 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Deák B.

Oral Presentation Steppe grasslands on ancient burial mounds – Threatened hotspots of biodiversity Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Balázs Deák1*, Orsolya Valkó2, Péter Török2 and Béla Tóthmérész1,2 1MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group and 2University of Debrecen, Department of Ecology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Land use changes of the past centuries resulted in a considerable loss and isolation of grassland habitats worldwide. In intensively used agricultural landscapes of Europeremnants of grassland habitatsare often restricted to small habitat islands embedded in a hostile matrixof arable lands, tree plantations and urban areas. In the steppes of Eurasia, burial mounds, so-called ‘kurgans’, have a high potential to preserve the natural flora and habitats and act as local biodiversity hotspots. Beside that their micro-topography and historical origin makes kurgans characteristic landscape elements of the steppe region, it also result in a specific soil development and micro-climate, which makes kurgans especially suitable habitats for several steppe specialist plant species. Furthermore, kurgans are proper objects for studying the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the vegetation of isolated semi-natural grasslands. We surveyed the vegetation of 44 isolated kurgans in East-Hungary, and studied the effects of habitat area, slope, recent disturbance, past destruction and the level of woody encroachment on the species richness and cover of grassland specialists and problem species (competitor weedy species). We used model selection techniques and linear models for testing relevant factors affecting specialist species in grassland fragments. We found that the biodiversity conservation potential of kurgans is supported by their steep slopes, which provide dry and hot habitat conditions for xerothermic steppe specialist plant species. Our results suggest that by harbouring viable population of several grassland specialist species, kurgans have a great potential for preserving grassland biodiversity even in considerably altered agricultural landscapes, and also in mitigating the negative consequences of landscape level human disturbances. We found that specialist species are threatened both by recent disturbances and encroachment of alien woody species, especially by black locust. Factors that supported specialist species suppressed problem species by providing unfavourable environmental conditions and putting them at a competitive disadvantage. We identified that woody encroachment and current disturbances affect the vast majority of kurgans, posing a serious threat to grassland specialist species.Thus, there is an urgent need to integrate active conservation measures into the current passive protection of kurgans.

118 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Decocq G.

Oral Presentation Leaf traits at home and abroad: a community perspective of sycamore maple invasion Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Sabrina Shouman1, Norman Mason2, Mason Heberling3, Thomas Kichey1, Déborah Closset-Kopp1 And Guillaume Decocq1 2* 1Unit EDYSAN (FRE 3498 CNRS-UPJV), Jules Verne University of Picardie, F-80037 Amiens Cedex, France;2Landcare Research, Hamilton, New Zealand and 3Ecology & Evolution- ary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA *Presenting author: [email protected]

Understanding the key mechanisms behind alien plant invasion in natural ecosystems is a major goal of invasion ecology. Most of the research effort has been put on seeking life-history traits that make an alien species invasive and those of native species that make the recipient community susceptible to invasion. Compared to morphological and biological traits, physiological traits have received little attention though leaf traits are thought to play an important role in plant community assembly. In this study, we focus on sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) as a remarkable example of European deciduous tree, which is a successful invader of closed-canopy evergreen forests in New Zealand. We aim at comparing leaf physiological traits of sycamore and their plasticity in the native (N France) vs. invasive (New Zealand) range, relative to co-occurring species in the recipient community. For this purpose, we measured a set of leaf gas exchange and biochemical parameters on fresh leaves of sycamore and co-occurring species. These measures were compared using uni- (ANOVA and SMA-Standard Major Axis analysis) and multivariate (PCA) analyses. Our result evidence that sycamore maple exhibits leaf traits that strongly differed between the two ranges and, most importantly, that these traits extend the leaf economics spectrum of the recipient community towards greater photosynthesis efficiency in the invasive range. Intraspecific variation of leaf traits in response to light was much more important abroad than at home, an increased plasticity that may further increase the competitive advantage of sycamore over native species and explain its unexpected successful invasion of evergreen forests. Overall, our findings call for more attention to the functional importance of species’ life-history traits in the invasion success of alien plants and plead for more community-centered studies assessing simultaneously intra- and interspecific variations in plant functional traits.

119 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dengler J.

Oral Presentation Benchmarking phytodiversity patterns and species-area relationships in Palaearctic grasslands: first results from the new GrassPlot database Session:Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Jürgen Dengler1,2*, Idoia Biurrun3, Timo Conradi5, Iwona Dembicz6, Riccardo Guari- no8, Alireza Naqinezhad9, Viktoria Wagner7, Steffen Boch14, Alessandro Chiarucci12, Francesco de Bello15, Goffredo Filibeck16, Swantje Löbel13, Itziar García-Mijangos3, Santiago Soliveres14, Manuel J. Steinbauer5, David Storch10, Werner Ulrich11 and sPlot Consortium4 1University of Bayreuth;2German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research;3University of the Basque Country;4International;5Aarhus University;6University of Warsaw;7Masaryk University, Brno;8University of Palermo;9University of Mazandaran;10Charles University, Prague;11University of Torun;12University of Bologna;13TU Braunschweig;14University of Ber- n;15Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Science and 16University of Tuscia, Viterbo *Presenting author: [email protected]

Understanding patterns and drivers of phytodiversity as well as ecological scaling laws and assembly rules constitute core interests both of vegetation ecologists and macroecologists. To enhance our understanding of these issues, we compiled the new “Database of Scale-Dependent Phytodiversity Patterns in Palaearctic Grasslands” (GrassPlot; GIVD ID EU-00-003) within the framework of the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG). GrassPlot contains high-quality plot observations (relevés) of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001 … 1000 m²) as well as nested-plot series. The scope of GrassPlot are the grasslands as well as other herb- or cryptogam-dominated terrestrial and semi-terrestrial vegetation types from the whole Palaearctic biogeographic realm (Europe, North Africa, West, Central and North Asia). The plot observations in GrassPlot in about 45% of all cases also contain data on terri- colous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants, and frequently extensive environmental data determined in the field. As of 2 May 2017, GrassPlot contained 27,355 vegetation plots of different sizes and 1,132 nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The included data stem 87 projects and 115 data owners, who constitute the GrassPlot Consortium. The plots were located in 28 countries and represent a wide range of different vegetation types. The GrassPlot Consortium is planning a series of studies addressing a wide array of different ecological research question with this novel data source of fine-grain biodiversity data over large spatial extents. Some first results will be shown in Palermo. For benchmarking the richness

120 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 in Palaearctic grasslands, we produced mean richness values of grasslands of different regions and types. It turns out that diversity patterns strongly depend on grain size and taxonomic group. Analyses of species-area relationships suggest that the power function, and not the log- arithmic function as commonly thought, is overall by far the best model to describe small-scale species-area relationships in continuous vegetation. The slope z of the power law typically is around 0.22, but shows a distinct taxon- and scale-dependence. GrassPlot is a collaborative project, and anybody who has suitable data is invited to join the Consortium under the GrassPlot Bylaws. More information can be found at: http://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/ecoinformatics/en/ grassplot/gru/html.php?id_obj=139267.

121 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dhusia K.

Poster nr. 120 Siderophore antibiotic conjugates: An green approach towards bacterial pathogenesis Session: Open session Kalyani Dhusia* and Pramod Wasudeo Ramteke Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

Iron is an essential virulence element throughout the progression of a patho- genic infection and is indispensable for nearly all forms of life. Siderophores being low at molecular weight chelate Fe3+ effortlessly and dynamically con- veyances it to the cytosol. Siderophores not only carries fe3+ but is also capable of taking antibiotic or drugs along with it. The bacterial wrap constitutes of an outer and an inner membrane enclosing the periplasm. This structure shows a crucial role as the confrontation for the pathogen, by reducing the permeable and the biological impression of many antibiotics. The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains has also increased alarmingly, necessi- tating the serious improvement of innovative strategies to improve the control of its pathogen. Siderophore-dependent iron uptake systems perform as the channel of transport in the bacterial envelope and are of significant use in a ‘‘Trojan horse’’ strategy, involving the conjugation of an antibiotic to a siderophore could remarkably enhance the biological activity of the antibiotic, by improvising its transport into the bacterium. It is of alarming concern to identify and design the conjugates for siderophore, via mimicking the natural occurring sideromycins computationally so that when they get conveyed to the cytosol could show significant role in the control of bacterial pathogen.

Keywords: Siderophores; siderophore-antibiotic conjugates; bacterial pathogens; transportation; Synthetic Siderophores conjugates; Iron- dependent pathogen control

122 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dimeyeva L.

Poster nr. 136 Vegetation dynamics in the ural river delta and the caspian sea coast Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Liliya Dimeyeva* Institute of Botany & Phytoinroduction, Republic of Kazakhstan *Presenting author: [email protected]

Exogenous successions are the leading type of vegetation dynamic in the Caspian Sea coast. Fluctuations of the Caspian Sea level are known since the prehistoric period. The present transgression since 1978 has an ambiguous effect on the coastal ecosystems; the hydrophytization and halophytization of vegetation are taking place. At the level of vegetation types no change is occurring, but the phytocoenotic and species diversity has increased. Spatial-temporal series of plant communities indicate the return to earlier stages of succession. Since the stabilization of the sea level (2000), the rate of exogenous successions declined, they joined endoecogenic successions. Exogenous factors determining the seasonal dynamics of phytocoenoses are the surge phenomena. To assess the patterns of primary successions, the New Caspian marine plain – the recent sea bottom (from – 22 to – 27 m а.s.l.) was investigated; regression oc- cured gradually from the 17th century. The character of changes was estimated by indirect indicators of vegetation and soil cover and publications in the period of the last Caspian Sea regression (1929-1977). Three types of primary successions have been recognized: psammosere, halosere, and meadow sere, which differ in environmental conditions, regular features of temporal dynamics, and stages. The stages of successions were identified on the basis of environmental and physiognomic properties of plant communities’ dominants. In the meadow sere of the Ural River Delta, the specificity is seen at early-succession stages with predominance in the vegetation cover haloxeromesophilic and halomesoxerophilic grasses (Aeluropus littoralis, Puccinellia distans, P. gigantea, P. dolicholepis). The periodically flushing type of water regime determines the development of long-existing seral communities of mesophilic, xeromesophilic grasses and herbs (Leymus ramosus, Elytrigia repens, Calamagrostis epigeios, Alha- gi pseudalhagi, Karelinia caspia) with participation of halomesoxerophilic shrubs (Tamarix ramosissima) and dwarf subshrubs (Artemisia nitrosa, A. santonica) in the middle stages of succession. The meadow sere is completed with haloxerophilic (Anabasis salsa, Artemisia pauciflora) and xerophylic (Artemisia terrae-albae, A. ler- chiana) dwarf subshrub communities at the late succession stages. Anthropogenic dynamics of vegetation (secondary successions) depends on factors of anthropogenic disturbance such as: road and rangeland digression, urbanization, fire, recreation, existing dams, arable and abandoned lands.

123 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Domina G.

Oral Presentation Species and habitat biodiversity measure and conservation at different scale in small Mediterranean islands Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Gianniantonio Domina1*, Anna M. Mannino2, Francesco M. Raimondo2 and Patrizia Campisi2 1Department SAF, University of Palermo, via Archirafi 38, I-90123 Palermo, Italy. E-mail: [email protected] and 2Department STEBICEF, University of Palermo, via Archirafi 38, I-90123 Palermo, Italy. E-mail: annamaria.mannino@uni- pa.it; [email protected]; [email protected] *Presenting author: [email protected]

Small islands are geographically and ecologically well-defined areas in which biological processes are easier to schematize than in the mainland. There is a vast range of biodiversity measures, due to the large concept of biodiversity and the range of spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales used. Many existing measures are well designed and informative. But, very often they are inadequate for purposes beyond those for which they were specifically designed. Knowledge on trends in biodiversity loss is hindered by the absence of reliable basic data for most groups of organisms as well as habitats. Plants are primary producers and key structural elements for most ecosystems and islands are among the best floristically known territories in the Mediterranean. Large-scale habitat measurements have been aided greatly by advances in remote sensing and GIS software. However, the degree of resolution of this technique is still not adequate for many purposes, such as monitoring many habitats that occurs on the islands (e.g. temporary Mediterranean pools or ephemeral therophytic grasslands). The measure of population size is not practical for many taxa above all in islands that often have sectors of difficult access (e.g. sea cliffs). Lists and distribution mapping of taxa are probably the most commonly used surrogate for overall biodiversity at both local and broader scales. The species level is an accepted standard, because the concept of species is well understood also by the public, and policy makers. Information on the presence of higher plants is available for many Mediterranean islands due to records of visiting naturalists, and formal surveys undertaken by governments and NGOs (e.g. the PIM initiative). In addition, in the islands the lack of records of a species is more easily correlated to its disappearance from that territory than it is in the mainland. Anyway, particular attention has to be put on measurements of rarity and extinction risk. Most extinctions, after a first peak due to a specific phenomenon, have a long after-effects, whereby the species may persist at low numbers with a negligible chance of recovery and a severely diminished role in the ecosystem.

124 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Du N.

Oral Presentation Facilitation or competition? The effects of the shrub species Tam- arix chinensis on herbaceous communities are dependent on the successional stage in an impacted coastal wetland of North China Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Ning Du1,2*, Pan Wu1,2, Franziska Eller3, Dayou Zhou1,2, Jian Liu4, Wenhao Gan1,2, Ruirui Yang4, Min Dai1,2, Yandong Chen1,2, Renqing Wang1,2 and Weihua Guo1,2 1Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Science, Shandong University, 27 Shanda Nanlu, Jinan 250100, China;2Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technol- ogy Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, 27 Shanda Nanlu, Jinan 250100, China;3Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Alle 1, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark and 4Institute of Environmental Research, Shandong University, 27 Shanda Nanlu, Jinan 250100, China *Presenting author: [email protected]

The responses of herbaceous species to shrubs are crucial for community succession, but are not fully understood. Three sites experiencing degraded, early positive and late positive successional stages in Laizhou Bay coastal wetland of North China were selected to investigate herbaceous responses to the dominant shrub Tamarix chinensis at both community and species level. Plots both inside and outside the shrub canopy were surveyed. The effects of T. chinensis on plant diversity and growth of herbaceous community were negative in the degraded succession but facilitative in the positive succession. Solar irradiance was the only environmental factor investigated that was significant for species’ proximity to the shrub in the degraded succession, while both aboveground (solar irradiance) and belowground environmental factors (soil electrical conductivity, water content, nitrogen concentration) played an important role in the positive succession. The performances of dominant herbaceous species in interaction with T. chinensis were both species-specific and traits-specific. Of all investigated factors, both solar irradiance and soil electrical conductivity significantly affected by the shrub and were the key factors for plant growth and leaf nutrient concentration at the species level. Thus, T. chinensis played an important role in the succession processes of the coastal wetland, but mainly in the positive succession stage and less in the degraded succession.

125 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Durak T.

Poster nr. 075 Impact of changes in vegetation of human impacted nutrient poor oak-hornbeam forests on the differentiation of mountain forest vegetation Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Tomasz Durak1* and Roma Durak2 1Department of Ecology, University of Rzeszów and 2Department of Zoology, Univer- sity of Rzeszów *Presenting author: [email protected]

Forests from the lower parts of mountains were under strong human pressure for centuries. Intensity and ways of forests usage in different ways influenced species composition and diversity of forest vegetation. The complete cessation of non-timber use by local people of forests in the Polish part of the Eastern Car- pathians occurred in the 1940s. This study concerned oak-hornbeam and beech forests, which began to be used after WWII as commercial forests with forestry management based on shelterwood systems. The area is a part of the “Eastern Carpathian” International Biosphere Reserve. We focused on the following topics: (1) changes in the species composition of oak-hornbeam forests, (2) temporal changes in their biotic diversities, and (3) the impact of changes in oak-hornbeam forest vegetation on the distinction between forest vegetation in the region. We used data sets from the 1950s and 2000s performed on the semi-permanent plots. Each of them consisted of phytosociological relevés made in oak-hornbeam and beech forests. We examined changes in species abundance and the frequency of occurrence and changes in the dissimilarity of oak-hornbeam herb species composition as well as changes in the differences between oak-hornbeam forest and beech forest vegetation. In the oak-hornbeam forest there was no change in the number of herb species on the plots between study periods; however, the frequency of the occurrence some of them increased or decreased. In the 2000s, a higher abundance of beech and a lower abundance of hazel have been detected. We found temporary changes in the composition of herb species connected with the decrease or increase share of the groups of species that are (1) shade-tolerant, (2) require soils rich in nitrogen, and (3) with high soil pH requirements. Between research censuses, we indicated a process of oak-hornbeam forest herb layer differentiation. Analysis of changes in the occurrence of groups of species associated with beech forest in oak-hornbeam vegetation and permuta- tional multivariate analysis of variance suggest that the species compositions of oak-hornbeam forests gradually lose the distinctiveness in relation to the beech forests. We hypothesize that this process is connected with promoting the beech by forestry management, and its consequence will be the reduction of forest vegetation differentiation in the region.

126 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Dusseux P.

Poster nr. 108 Contribution of MODIS satellite time-series for structural and functional mapping of geosigmeta Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Sebastien Rapinel1, Pauline Dusseux1, Jan-Bernard Bouzillé2 and Laurence Hu- bert-moy1 1UMR 6554 CNRS LETG, Université Rennes 2 and 2UMR 6553 CNRS ECOBIO, Université Rennes 1

Symphytociology deals with the study of plant communities’ combinations - or geosigmeta - within landscapes. Its main advantage is to assess conservation status based on dynamic relationships of vegetation series. However, in landscapes characterized by high spatio-temporal dynamics, field surveys approaches are not suitable for geosigmeta delineation and functional characterization. In this context, satellite time-series can be used for a spatio-temporal monitoring of plant communities’ combinations. This study aims to assess the contribution of an annual satellite time-series for mapping both structural and functional features of geosigmeta. The study area, which focuses on the French Atlantic coast (4630 km²), includes salt, brackish, sub-brackish and fresh marshes. Structural vegetation map was derived from the classification of annual time-series of 36 MODIS images calibrated with phytosociological surveys. Then, the functional characterization of geosigmeta previously mapped was derived from the annual Integral of Normali- zed Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI-I), as an indicator of above-ground net primary production. Results show that geosigmeta were successfully mapped at 1:250,000 scale with an 82.9% overall accuracy. Functional vegetation map highlights a strong functional gradient from the lowest NDVI-I values in salt marshes to the highest values in fresh marshes.

127 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

E. Vojtkó A.

Oral Presentation Environmental filtering acts more strongly on clonal than leaf-height-seed (LHS) traits across Central-European habitats Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Anna E. Vojtkó1,2 *, Martin Freitag3, Alessandro Bricca4, Felipe Martello5, Joaquín M. Compañ6, Martin Küttim7, Róbert Kun8, Francesco de Bello2,9, Jitka Klimešová9 and Lars Götzenberger9 1MTA Centre for Ecological Research, DRI, Department of Tisza Research, Bem tér 18/C, H-4026 Debrecen, Hungary;2Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Uni- versity of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Re- public;3Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group, Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstr. 2, 48149 Münster, Germany;4Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, V. le Marconi 446, Rome - 00144, Italy;5Spatial Ecol- ogy and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Ecology, São Paulo State University – UNESP, Av. 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, Brazil;6Department of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources & Institute of Biodiversity CIBIO, University of Alicante, Car- retera de San Vicente s/n, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain;7Institute of Ecology, School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Uus-Sadama 5, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia;8Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Szent István University, Páter Károly utca 1., 2103 Gödöllő, Hungary and 9Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 37982 Třeboň, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

Studying functional instead of taxonomical diversity has become an important tool among plant ecologists to identify community assembly processes. It is a widely accepted notion that within communities species co-existence is driven by abiotic (environmental) filters. Species inhabiting the same habitat are functionally more similar than expected by chance, as only species with particular trait combinations are adapted to specific environmental conditions. Therefore, dominant trait values are changing along environmental gradients which result in a smaller diversity of traits within similar habitats as stronger filters acton them. Though these patterns have been demonstrated for several environmental gradients and functional traits, studies using easily available traits connected to above ground processes (i.e. leaf-height- seed (LHS) traits) are largely overrepresented in these analyses. Here, we combined data on clonal and bud bank traits, representing the ability to reproduce and spread vegetatively, with LHS trait data and examined how these traits varied along environmental gradients approximated by Ellenberg

128 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 indicator valuesin 29 Central-European habitat types. We calculated community weighted mean (CWM) and functional diversity (FD) for 11 functional traits and evaluated their change along five environmental gradients. We determined trait-environment relationships using linear regression with stepwise forward selection and conducted redundancy analyses (RDA) to display these relations. Our results showed that clonal and bud bank traits are at least as – if not more – well defined along gradients through the habitat types. The prevailing environmental gradients were related to the Ellenberg N (soil nutrient) and F (soil moisture) values, thus the studied traits were mostly correlated with habitat productivity. Diversity (FD) and dominance (CWM) of clonal and bud bank traits were more strongly correlated with wet and cold (less productive) habitats, where vegetative ways may serve as an alternative to sexual reproduction. In fertile habitats clonal traits were more diverse indicating weaker filtering, which enables plants with a variety of clonal strategies to co-exist. Our results call for a stronger integration of belowground traits into the functional traits approach in plant ecology and for an extension of efforts to collect such data.

129 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ermakov N.

Poster nr. 056 Small-scale mapping of bioclimatic forest types in the mountain systems Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Nikolai Ermakov1,2 *, Vladislav Korzhenevskiy2 and Yuriy Plugatar2 1Lab. of Ecology and Geobotany, Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Novosibirsk, Russia and 2Lab. of Flora and Vegetation, Nikitskiy Botanical Garden, Yalta, Crimea *Presenting author: [email protected]

The aim of this study is to develop small-scale map of boreal forests bioclimatic types in the Altai-Sayanian mountain system. The study was carried out in four phases: 1) the creation of a relevé database (all set of 870 releves); 2) the classification of the boreal forests relevés using the Braun-Blanquet approach; and 3) the ordination of relevés using DECOR- ANA and investigation of climatic relationships using correlation analyses. 4) Development of boreal forests bioclimatic types map using Landsat images and modern computational technologies. The first two axes of the DCA ordination are important for understanding the relationships between boreal forests and climate. The scatterplot of axis 1 can be seen as a kind of distribution of the forests types according to climatic altitudinal gradient and the axis 1 is correlated with July temperatures, precipitation during summer period and altutude. Axis 2 strongly correlated with Conrad’s continentality index as well as with climatic parameters of winter period (January temperature, precipitation in cold season). It should be explained as axis of the integrated macro-climatic factor - oceanity-continentality. It is also correlated with longitude. Five syntaxonomic units of boreal forests observed in the main two axes of DCA ordination may be interpreted as bioclimatic types. 1. North Asian small-leaved coniferous hemiboreal forests of the Brachypo- dio-Betuletea pendulae occurring in moderately humid, moderately warm and continental climate. 2. Central Asian deciduous coniferous (larch) hemiboreal forests of the Rhyt- idio-Laricetea sibiricae occurring in cold and arid ultracontinantel climate. 3. East European – Altai_Sayanian subnemoral dark-coniferous forests of the Asaro-Abietetea sibiricae occurring in ultra-humid low-continental climate. 4. North-Asian dark-coniferous boreal forests of the Pino-Piceetalia obovatae occurring in humid, cold and moderately continental climate.

130 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

5. East-Asian light-coniferous deciduous (larch) boreal forests occurring in dry, cold and ultra-continental climate. All these bioclimatic forest types were distinguished in satellite Landsat - 7 images and represented in small-scale map. The study concerning diversity of boreal forests was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Researches (grant 15-04-04928). The development of bioclimatic forests types approach was supported by Russian Science Foun- dation (grant 14-50-00079).

131 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Esmailzadeh O.

Poster nr. 038 Using individual species and species combination in indicator value analysis of hyrcanian Box tree (Buxus hyrcana Pojark.) communities in nortern Iran Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Omid Esmailzadeh1 *, Frouzan Sarani1 and Hamed Asadi1,2 1Department of Forestry, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran and 2Department of For- estry, Sari Agricultural and Natural Resorces University, Iran *Presenting author: [email protected]

In this paper, we used individual species (sp) and species combination (spcom) as two concepts in indicator value analysis for determining indicator species of Box tree (Buxus hyrcana Pojark.) plant communities in Cheshmeh Bolbol and Sisangan protected area with Mazga as 3 hyrcanian lowland box tree sites in nortern Iran. For this purpose, 170 releves with an area 400 m2 were sampled in all three sites and species composition with their cover was recorded. Plant communites were classified using modified TWINSPAN based on total inertia as a group heterogeneity measure. Indicator species of each group were determined by indicator value analysis with singular and combinaton approaches. The result showed that 7 ecological groups were classified based on modified TWINSPAN dendrogram at 6 cut levels. We also showed that the quality of indicator species analysis results based on species combination is higher than the former one, singular concept, because of providing a further indicator species (47 in spcom versus 40 in sp), lower mean of mean p-values (0.0073 in spcom versus 0.012 in sp) and the having a higher of the indicator values based on sum of the mean of the indicator values in each group (3.03 in spcom versus 2.83 in sp). Finally we concluded using spcom concept in indicator value analysis let to the failur of this method with emphasising the former ones, individual species, in determination of indicator species for a particular site group to be solved. Furthermore, it will allow newly surveyed sites to be reliably assigned to previously defined vegetation types.

132 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ewald M.

Oral Presentation Using remote sensing to assess the ecosystem impact of invasive plant species Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Michael Ewald1 *, Sandra Skowronek2, Raf Aerts3, Ruben Van De Kerchove4, Olivier Honnay3, Jonathan Lenoir5, Tarek Hattab5, Carol X. Garzón-López6, Ben Somers3, Hannes Feilhauer2, Duccio Roccini7 and Sebastian Schmidtlein1 1Karlsruhe Institut of Technology, Germany;2University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Ger- many;3University of Leuven, Belgium;4VITO, Belgium;5Jules Verne University of Picar- die, France;6Los Andes University Bogotá, Columbia and 7University of Trento, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Non-native invasive plant species can have a wide range of impacts by altering species compositions or ecosystem functioning. Within the BiodivERsA project DIARS (Detection of invasive plant species and assessment of their impact on ecosystem properties through remote sensing) we aim to assess and quantify the ecosystem impact of invasive plant species using maps of vegetation traits derived by remote sensing. Using these maps enables us to analyze impacts of plant invasions at broad spatial extents and to quantify impacts in a spatially explicit way. Here we present the results of two studies focusing on an invasive tree species and an invasive moss. In the first study we analyzed forest canopy chemistry, depending on the presence of black cherry (Prunus serotina) trees. For this purpose we used maps of canopy level leaf N and P content derived from a combination of imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR remote sensing data. Differences in canopy N and P were analyzed between invaded and non-invaded forest stands, at the plot level and the forest stand level. Canopy N content was higher in invaded areas, but only at the plot level. Results suggest that P. serotina has the potential to alter leaf chemical composition of forest canopies, but this is restricted to local scales at which this species makes up a substantial part of the tree canopy. In the second study we aimed at mapping the cover and biomass of the invasive heath star moss (Campylopus introflexus) in a coastal dune ecosystem using airborne imaging spectroscopy data. Maps of C. introflexus biomass were in a second step combined with maps of total above ground biomass to calculate the biomass fraction of C. introflexus. Biomass fraction maps were then used to evaluate the ecosystem impact in grassland and heathland plant communities. Resulting average biomass fractions of 28 % and 16 % in grassland and heathland, respectively, indicate that dune grasslands are more affected by C. introflexus invasion.

133 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Facelli J. M.

Oral Presentation Patchiness in arid lands: trade-offs between environment quality and density effects modulate community structure Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Jose M. Facelli*, Alexandra Bowman and Cassey Muller The University of Adelaide *Presenting author: [email protected]

Patches in arid lands often provide favourable conditions for plant growth. There can be, however, a trade-off between abiotic favourability and biotic favourability since favourable patches can also have more plants and/or more biomass, leading to negative density dependent effects. We investigated the balance between those two effects in the annual plant guild in chenopod shrublands of Australia using two approaches. Firstly we studied how the density and aggregation of the most abundant and competitively dominant annual plant, Carrichtera annua, affected the performance of the other species in the guild. We manipulated the density and aggregation of C. annua in a field and in a glasshouse experiment. As a response we measured the abundance and biomass of all species. Carrichtera annua did compete intraspecif- ically when grown at high densities and in aggregation and this seemingly affected the relative abundance and biomass of various species, particularly in the glasshouse experiment. Weaker density and aggregation effects were detected in the field probably because of unfavourable conditions. Several annual species performed better when C. annua was aggregated and at low density, as this reduced its interspecific competitive ability. In the other set of studies we investigating the effects of overall density on performance of individual annual plants in natural patches created by fallen logs. In a study repeated over two growing seasons we found no evidence of density effects among annual plants. We found very different results across the two growing seasons, suggesting that both temporal and spatial heterogeneity of resources in arid lands are important determinants of annual plant communities. Overall we found that that the importance of aggregation varies with environmental favourability. The results suggest the effect of density is only apparent when conditions are highly favourable. Aggregation of competitively dominant species may be a mechanism contributing to the maintenance of species diversity because intraspecific competition may reduce the interspecific competitive effect.

134 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fayvush G.

Poster nr. 027 Ecological network “Emerald” in Armenia Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Georgi Fayvush* and Alla Aleksanyan Institute of Botany NAS RA *Presenting author: [email protected]

Only international frameworks can assist in the complete protection and development of the biodiversity and landscapes by supporting the coordinated initiatives of all countries. Such a successful example is a “Natura 2000” in the EU member states and based on this example for non-member states the completely compatible “Emerald Network” was created. The establishment of “Emerald Network” started during 2007-2008 at the scope of the introduction of pilot “Emerald Network” program in Armenia. Program continued in 2009- 2016, and at present all natural habitats included in the potential Emerald Net- work sites of Armenia were adjusted in accordance with the requirements of the Resolution 4 of the Bern Convention as well for animal and plant species included in the Resolution 6. As result of all work done now we have 23 potential “Emerald” sites in Armenia, which must serve for conservation 65 types of habitats, 8 species of plants, 7 species of invertebrate animals, 4 fish species, 3 species of reptiles, 109 species of birds, and 16 species of mammals. It is well known, that for conservation of any plant or animal species the best way is conservation of the whole ecosystem. And the base of majority of terrestrial ecosystems is vegetation. Further activities should include new assessment of the selected territories in terms of opportunities for species and habitat conservation and management planning. During the management planning it must be taken into account ecological peculiarities of the vegetation types represented on selected sites, differences in land ownership, possible impact of forecasted climate change. Different vegetation types require different protection measures. For example, the steppe and meadow vegetation in mountainous Armenia require strictly regulated grazing by wild or domesticated herbivores, grazing on forest habitats should be strictly prohibited. On specially protected natural areas, owned by the state, all actions can be planned only within their charters, and on pri- vate or community lands - only with the consent of the land owners. Model- ing changes in ecosystems caused by forecasted climate change may require changes in the territories allocated to sites and/or their configurations.

135 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fernandes M. R.

Oral Presentation Diachronic analysis of riverine landscapes in Tagus and Guadiana rivers Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns M. Rosário P. Fernandes*, Francisca C. F. Aguiar, M. João Martins, M. Alexandra Chelu, Filipa Geirinhas, Rui Rivaes and M. Teresa Ferreira Forest Research Centre, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Portugal *Presenting author: [email protected]

Riverine landscapes are shaped by hydrogeomorphologic alterations and the interplay with vegetation dynamics. In large Iberian rivers those driving factors reflect the long-history of human activities. In this study we used planform image analysis and field data to tackle the evolutionary trajectory of riverine landscapes (geomorphological metrics and floristic composition) in Tagus and Guadiana rivers. We performed a temporal approach by selecting dates representing a gradient of hydrological disturbance: 1) 19th century, pre-regulation; 2) mid-20th century, moderate regulation; 3) 21th century, heavy regulation. Riverine metrics (riparian woody connectivity, vegetated and non-vegetated bars and islands and aquatic habitats) were extracted from historical maps and contemporaneous images, in 62 sampling units with 2500 long-size, for the tree time periods, in Tagus and Guadiana Riv- er, while floristic composition was obtained from 36 surveys in 100m long stretches using Braun-Blanquet scale, for the two most contemporary periods in Guadiana River. Land-use data were mapped and combined with available datasets while flow data was retrieved from gauging stations distributed along the river and processed for all periods. We used ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests to identify the pairs of time periods associated to significant mean differences in each riverine metric. The slopes of the linear model were tested for significant differences with time periods, using analysis of covariance. We observed significant riverine landscapes changes and a geomorphological diversity loss in both rivers, especially evident in the most recent period. We found an increase of the riparian woody connectivity in Tagus River towards the river mouth, especially in the 21th century, which was mainly related with agricultural land abandonment. Vegetated and non-vegetated bars and islands started to decline in mid-20th century, which was coincident with the beginning of regulation period. Middle course stretches showed the highest geomorphological variability across time, while changes were not statistically significant in floodplain sampling units. The Guadiana River was highly impaired by the Alqueva dam that conducted to a decrease in some endemic species, such as the hydrophyte Marsilea batardae and theshrubby spurge Flueggea tinctoria and maintenance of the alien plant invasions in the fluvial corridors.

136 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ferreira A. M.

Poster nr. 025 Does fire influence seedling recruitment in Brazilian savannas? Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Desirée M. Ramos2, Ana B. S. Liaffa1, Anabele S. Gomes1, Adalgisa M. Chaib1*, Edu- ardo M. Barbosa1, José F. M. Valls2 and Fabian Borghetti1 1University of Brasília and 2Embrapa Cenargen *Presenting author: [email protected]

Germination and resprouting are recruitment strategies often used by plants in fire-prone environments. These strategies may depend on resource availability that influence the intensity of competition, favouring either resprouting or recruitment. Brazilian Cerrado savannas are wet, occur in nutrient-poor soils and subjected to frequent fires every 3-5 years. Although studies indicate that vegetative reproduction is a more successful strategy, and soil seed banks have low density in Cerrado, there is a lack of field studies that rigorously quantified and compared seedling recruitment rates in areas subjected or not to fire. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of seedling recruitment in a savanna vegetation subjected and not subjected to fire. For that, seedling emergence and survival rates were followed at biennially burned and unburned areas in an open savanna during the first rainy season after a prescribed fire. We categorized seedlings in monocots or non-monocots and tested whether seedling emergence and survival was related to precipitation, fire, and soil moisture. Seedling emergence and survival was related to precipitation, positively and negatively respectively. Seedling emergence of non-monocots was lower in burned than in unburned area. Seedling emergence of monocots was unaffected by burning. Seedling survival of monocots and non-monocots did not differ. Soil moisture in burned areas were lower than in unburned areas. Recent studies showed that seeds of several species are not killed by the high temperatures generated during a fire. Thus, the negative effect of fire on non-monocots seedling emergence might be due to different requirements for seed germination, such as light/shade conditions or water availability, since soils in burned areas were drier than in unburned areas. Grasses are abundant plants in Cerrado and most species were shown to resprout after fire. Our study showed that monocots (mostly grasses) had higher seedling recruitment after fire events, suggesting a better recruitment performance over non-monocots in the post-fire environment. As fire frequency is expected to increase due to undergoing changes (climatic and anthropogenic) in savannas environment, the better performance of monocots might lead to a competitive advantage, increasing their distribution in savannas environments.

137 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fidelis A.

Oral Presentation And after fire, the grasses are flowering in Cerrado Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Alessandra Fidelis*, Heloiza L. Zirondi and Vagner Zanzarini Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica *Presenting author: [email protected]

Flowering after fire is a common event in Mediterranean vegetation, where several species from different families can only be found flowering after burning. In tropical savannas, on the other hand, this event is not that common, mostly among grasses, which usually flowers every year, independently of fire. However, in Cerrado, several grass and sedges species can only be found flowering after fire events, with some extreme case as from Bulbostylis paradoxa, which flowers profusely 24 hours after fire. There- fore, we aimed to analyze post-fire flowering in Cerrado open savanna communities, focusing on grass community, in order to evaluate the fire responses of this important functional group. We established 30 random plots (1mx1m) in recently burned areas (burned three months before the sampling), in areas excluded from fire for 18 months and six years (30 plots/ area, N=90 plots). In these plots, we sampled all grass species flowering and counted tillers (vegetative and reproductive) from seven grass species, which are dominant in the area. We found more grass species flowering in recently burned areas (29.7% of all grass species) in comparison to areas excluded from fire for 18 months (10.5%) and six years (4.9%). Additionally, 10% of all tillers in recently burned areas were flowering, whilst only 1.9% and 3.7% of reproductive tillers could be found in areas excluded from fire for 6 years and 18 months, respectively. Some grass species were only flowering in recently burned areas, such as Mesosetum ferrugineum, Oncorachis ramosa. On the other hand, Mesosetum loliifolium was flowering only in areas excluded from fire for 6 years. We can conclude that grass species in Cerra- do respond very fast to fire, by resprouting and profusely flowering, a trait which is exclusive to this Neotropical grassland.

138 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Figueroa-Rangel B. L.

Poster nr. 013 Spatio-temporal patterns of a widespread distribution species in mountain forests of the Mexican Neotropics Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Blanca Lorena Figueroa-Rangel* and Miguel Olvera-Vargas Universidad de Guadalajara. Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Mexican Neotropics is a region imprinted with one of the highest biodiversity in the world; particularly their mountains are key areas for speciation due to their topographic complexity. It harbours a high number of widespread distribution species. One of this species is Ternstroemia lineata, a medium size (10-20 cm tall) tree growing in cloud forests, oak forests and pine-oak forest which was included in the red list of Mexican cloud forest trees. Individuals of this taxa represent important economic and conservation values since their fruits are widely used in folk medicine and their main habitat, cloud forest, is one of the most fragmented and threaten due to its particular environmental conditions. Hence the present research assesses the structure and environmental correlates of T. lineata population in mountain forests of west-central Mexico. Aims pertain the determination of environmental variables explaining the spatial and temporal structure of three stages: adults, saplings and seedlings. Particularly to discern if the abundance of the species is related to physio- graphical, edaphic, biological or to human disturbance variables. Sampling was based on 86 permanent plots, 500m2 each. They were randomly distributed in different vegetation types where T. lineata individuals occurred. In each plot we describe structure of all adults, saplings and seedlings. We recorded relevant environmental variables divided in four groups: physiograph- ical, biological, edaphic and human-related. Analysis consisted of generalized linear models to describe the relative contribution of environmental variables in explaining spatial structure at every stage and repeated measure ANOVA to determine significant differences in structural variables along time. The main results revealed that saplings were the least abundant followed by seedlings and adults. Plots with high adult abundance were not related with seedling occurrence. Adults were explained by every simple variable in the four groups. However seedlings and saplings were constrained by human and biological factors but not by physiography and soil elements. Regarding differences along time the test revealed diameter and ingrowth as the main sources of variance. The foremost conclusion of the study confirms T. lineata individuals are persistently endangered due to the present management strategy in the region.

139 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Filibeck G.

Oral Presentation Mediterranean urban grasslands are messy and scary: a social survey in Italy Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Goffredo Filibeck1 *, Laura Cancellieri1 and Marta G. Sperandii2 1University of Tuscia and 2University of Roma Tre *Presenting author: [email protected]

Preserving natural plant communities within urban landscapes reduces the ecological footprint of a city and is crucial for educational purposes as urban residents are increasingly disconnected from nature. If urban green spaces are only made up of conventional lawns, most people will experience only “artificial” communities with very low biodiversity levels. However, many cities host significant extensions of semi-natural grasslands, e.g. in unused sites or because of financial constraints. Moreover, it is possible to restore managed urban meadows into semi-natural grasslands. On the other hand, studies showed that the remnants of native vegetation within cities are rated very low and perceived as “unsafe” by urban citizens. This is even more so in Mediterranean cities, where the herbaceous vegetation may look particularly unattractive as it is mainly composed of annuals (therophytes) that die off in the summer. We tested the degree of acceptance for urban semi-natural grasslands among a random sample of urban park users (n=178) in two Mediterranean cities (Rome and Viterbo, Italy), through face-to-face interviews based on a questionnaire supported by photographs displaying different grassland types. We found that: i) spontaneous Mediterranean grasslands were evaluated as unacceptable in urban parks by the large majority of residents, despite most people agreed in principle with urban biodiversity conservation; ii) many people motivated their refusal of spontaneous grasslands with strong, negative feelings (e.g. fear of insects and snakes); iii) even managed “wildflowers” beds were rated much lower than conventional green lawns; iv) annual native plant communities are more accepted when displayed in their spring aspect; v) pictures of (extra-urban) natural Mediterranean communities are rated lower than those from Temperate (i.e. summer-rain) landscapes; vi) quite un- expectedly, we didn’t find any association between socio-demographic variables (gender, age, level of education, place of residence) and the responses. Our data suggest that in Mediterranean cities there are widespread feelings of rejection against spontaneous grassland vegetation. Therefore, management policies aimed at preserving urban native grasslands should include a thorough education and communication process.

140 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fischer F. M.

Oral Presentation Long-term effects of grazing pressure on functional strategies and components of diversity in subtropical grassland Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Felícia M. Fischer1 *, Ian Cezimbra1, Olivier Bonnet2 and Valério D. Pillar1 1Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and 2Universidade Federal de Pelotase *Presenting author: [email protected]

Question: How does grazing pressure affect trait-based patterns across spatial scales in subtropical grassland communities? Location: Long-term cattle grazing management experiment established for 26 years on ca. 57.7 ha of subtropical Campos grassland, southern Brazil, 30°06’13”S, 51°40’55”W. Methods: Fourteen experimental units (paddocks) maintained under seven grazing pressure treatments for 26 years. In each paddock, we recorded plant species cover and species functional traits in nine systematically located plots of 1 m2. Nineteen functional traits were used to build a Principal Component Analysis ordination of species to identify main axes of strategies (trade-offs). Functional diversity measured by Rao entropy was partitioned into alpha, beta and gamma dimensions. We tested, by linear models for the effects of grazing pressure on community weighted means and functional diversity (alpha, beta and gamma) using as traits the species scores on trade-off axes. Results: Two main axes separated species by their functional strategies (acquisition-conservation and tolerance-avoidance trade-offs). Acquisitive and tolerant species increased with grazing pressure while conservative and avoidant species decreased. Rao quadratic entropy, considering the three spatial dimensions, decreased with grazing pressure. Conclusions: Under high grazing pressure, frequent and severe defoliation allows only the persistence of species similarly adapted to regrowth. Under low grazing pressure, the lack of frequent defoliation enables the development of species with high investment on strong and long-lived leaves. This leads to a double stratum vegetation structure: tussocks, that escape grazing control, and short-grazed patches often overgrazed, in this way leading to trait-divergence in community assembly at the three spatial dimensions, mostly through increased patchiness (beta functional diversity).

141 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Franklin S.

Oral Presentation Division Level Examples for a Global Vegetation-based Biome Classification Special Session: Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Don Faber-Langendoen1, Scott Franklin2 * and Jozef Sibik3 1NatureServe;2University of Northern Colorado and 3Insitute of Botany, Slovak Acade- my of Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

Studies on global vegetation and biodiversity patterns as well as global change effects on vegetation and ecosystem service provision need a well-defined, meaningful set of vegetation concepts. Various such global systems of biomes, zonobiomes or ecozones have been proposed by vegetation ecologists during the past century, based on expert knowledge and generally coarse resolutions. More recently, biome systems with finer resolution have been developed for countries or continents (Mucina et al. 2016), but they are typically not consistent with previous global systems. A successful vegetation-based regional biome concept will need to incorporate both ecological (climate and site) factors and biogeography. We propose that the Division level of the EcoVeg approach, which is adopted from the division concept of the Braun-Blanquet approachThe EcoVeg division is defined as a ‘‘combinations of dominant and diagnostic growth forms and a broad set of diagnostic plant species that reflect biogeographic differences in composition and continental differences in mesoclimate, geology, substrates, hydrology, and disturbance regimes.” In the Brain-Blanquet approach, it was defined by Westhoff & Van Der Maarel (1973) as ‘a syntaxon above the class level that unites classes within a floristic region on the basis of common division character taxa’; a vertical unit. (see also Hadač 1967; Bolos 1968). These division level concepts correspond to regional biome concepts, and can be nested within formations, which provide a global set of biomes (akin to Walter’s 1985 biomes). We show how the Division serves as an effective organizer of EcoVeg macro- groups, and could do the same for Braun-Blanquet classes, provided the latter adopt some of the conceptual criteria outlined by Pignatti et al. (1995). We analyze case studies that demonstrate the application of the Division level as part of a global classification. The case studies include an analysis of halophytic (salt marsh) vegetation in North America’s temperate-boreal Pacific coast by Peinado et al. (2016), temperate and tropical grasslands (Dixon et al. 2014), and several cool temperate forest classes in Europe and North America.Our case studies provide one approach to a global classification at the EcoVeg and Braun-Blanquet division level, noting the similarities and differences of these two approaches at that level and the level below (macrogroup or class).

142 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fratarcangeli C.

Poster nr. 029 Roma Ecosystem: twenty years later… Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Carlo Fratarcangeli*, Giuliano Fanelli and Alessandro Travaglini Department of Biology, University of Rome-Tor Vergata *Presenting author: [email protected]

Urban environments are localized but significant biodiversity hotspots. Ur- ban habitats in fact harbour a number of species often higher than the surrounding landscape, due to the high habitat heterogeneity of urban areas […] and to the high number of introduced species (Sukopp and Werner, 1983; Gilbert, 1989; Kowarik, 1990; Pyšek, 1993; McKinney, 2002). In Rome for instance, about 1300 species of spontaneous plants are known to occur. Urban habitats are moreover extremely dynamic, particularly in an epoch of global change and extensive urban sprawl. It becomes therefore of primary importance to investigate changing patterns of urban species. Rome is particularly suited to this aim, since it has been investigated thoroughly in the past decades. Starting from the Atlas of the flora of Rome (Celesti-Grapow, 1995), published in 1995, which has mapped Rome’s flora on a grid of 190 squares of 1.6 km2 each, we selected 80 squares of them for a new census of the flora, in order to inquire the current floristic composition after over 20 years. These years have been years of intense urban development and rising temperature. The preliminary results show a substantially unchanged flora, which, despite a shift in the urbanised percentage and in land use, do not stress striking signs of increase of ruderal species. There is instead a moderate but significant increase of thermophilic species, due either to stronger urban heat island in the recent decades or global change. This survey confirms plant species mapping of towns as an effective tool to evaluate and to understand the relationship between biological community (plant species) and all the forcings that insist in such areas. More, higher plants represent useful tools to solve problems concerning the environment analysis and management (Godefroid, 2001).

143 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Frate L.

Poster nr. 057 Using a model based fourth-corner analysis to explain plant traits pattern in high mountain ecosystems Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Ludovico Frate1, maria laura Carranza1, Mirko Di febbraro1, Alberto Evange- lista1, V Di Cecco2, Maurizio Cutini3, Jean-Paul Theurillat4 , Marco Iocchi3 and Angela Stanisci1 1Envix-Lab, Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise, Pesche (IS), Italy;2Parco Nazionale della Majella, Via Badia, Sulmona (AQ). Italy;3Di- partimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Roma, Italy and 4Department of Botany and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, GE, Switzerland and evolution of plants. Understanding how plant traits varies along a climatic gradient would help to improve our knowledge about the adaptation of plant communities in a changing climate. Here we explore how plant functional traits are related to the environmental variables along a climatic gradient in high mountain ecosystem in central Apennines We analyze presence/absence data from 491 georeferenced relevès extracted from the VIOLA database (high mountain VegetatIOn of centraL Apennines), collected on altitudes ranging form 2000 to 2800 m. a.s.l. For each relevè, we collected eight GIS-derived environmental variables: elevation, northness, eastness, slope, surface rockiness, topographic wetness , topographic position and solar radiation. For each species, we assigned a set of relevant plant traits gathered from regional databases and literature review: Functional type (Graminoids, Forbs, Cushions, Dwarf-Shrubs), Fruit type (Achene, Capsule, Legume, Siliqua), Reproduction (mainly sexual, mainly vegetative), Plant crs strategy (competitor, ruderal competitor, stress-tolerant competitor, stress-tolerant ruderal, stress-tolerant), Dominance in situ (scattered, scattered or in small groups, in larger groups, 4 in larger stands/dominating) and Leaf duration (evergreen, deciduous, partially wintergreen, wintergreen). We prepare 3 main matrices (species per traits, species per site and environmental variables per site) and we analyze them using a model based approach that predict the probability of an observed species in a site as a function of site’s environmental characteristics and plant functional traits (fourth-corner model). Most traits are positively or negatively, related with at least one environmental parameter. For instance we observed a strong negative association between elevation and the probability of presence of graminoids Functional type. Indeed, graminoids that in lower altitudes form very dense communi-

144 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 ties, at higher summits are sparsely distributed. We also registered a strong positive relationship between surface rockiness and the presence of ruderal-competitor species. Our results offer new elements to understand and forecast the possible impact of climate change on high elevation plant communities. Beyond temperature, which is mainly driven by elevation, also other environmental characteristics such as surface rockiness, determine the presence of certain species, thus potentially playing a key role in the colonization/extinction process in a warmer climate.

145 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Freitag M.

Oral Presentation Disentangling the effects of a changed grazing and fire regime on steppe vegetation – a trait-based approach Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Martin Freitag1 *, Frederike Velbert1, Johannes Kamp1, Alyona Koshkina2,1, Tatyana V. Sidorova2, Ingrid A. Stirnemann1 and Norbert Hölzel1 1Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstr. 2, 48149 Mün- ster, Germany and 2Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK), Beibitshilik Str. 18, office 406, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan *Presenting author: [email protected]

The steppes and semi-deserts of Central Asia, of which a large proportion is situated in Kazakhstan, have been subject to major land-use changes during the 20th century. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, livestock owned by state and collective farms declined rapidly. Whereas livestock was held in a semi-nomadic way before, remaining stocks concentrate now around settlements, and across vast areas further away from human settlements grazing has ceased altogether. Fire recurrence rates and the area burned increased remarkably after the break-up of the Soviet Union, and there is some evidence that lower grazing pressure might have contributed to that. Most likely, biomass in grazed areas is consumed by livestock so that possible fuel for fire is absent, but now large ungrazed areas recover from grazing where fire estab- lishes as the only consumer of accumulating biomass. In the southern steppe zone of Kazakhstan, we sampled 198 plots stratified by grazing intensity and fire frequency (i.e. the number of times an area burnt down in the period 2000-2015) derived from the MODIS burned area product. Multivariate RLQ analysis and fourth-corner statistics were applied to assess the effects of environmental drivers and plant functional traits and their interrelations. Livestock grazing was confined to the surroundings of villages, fires in turn occurred solely in ungrazed or hardly grazed areas. Grasses with a phalanx clonal strategy and tussock growth form were favoured by high fire recurrence rates. Tussock plants declined with increasing grazing intensity, whereas small plant species with high specific leaf area (SLA) benefitted. However, the most important driver of the trait-environment relationship was soil salinity, with highly saline soils supporting non-clonal woody forbs and dwarf shrubs. We discuss how the changing grazing regime after the break-up of the Soviet Union has led to landscapes shaped by either fire or grazing, with little interaction of these potential biomass consumers.

146 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fujinuma J.

Oral Presentation Revealing ecological advantage of plant clonality at the macroecological scale Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Junichi Fujinuma*, Buntaro Kusumoto, Takayuki Shiono and Yasuhiro Kubota University of the Ryukyus *Presenting author: [email protected]

Clonality is ubiquitous among vascular plants in most of vegetation types across tropical and arctic biomes. Despite plentiful investigations of the ecological and physiological properties of clonal plants, macroecological aspect of how clonality and its variations contribute to species assembly processes remain largely unknown. To dissect the evolutionary processes of three different types of plant clonality (phalanx, guerrilla, and detachable) and their associations with species niche properties, we compiled dataset of plant clonality for vascular plants (57% of 5631 species in Japan) together with species geographical distributions, phylogenetic information, and types of species clonality. We identified the drivers of species clonality for life forms (fern, herb, and tree), and then revealed environmental factors to explain clonality prevalence in plant assemblages across different vegetation types including subtropical, temperate and boreal forests. The effects of environments and phylogeny on clonality were not consistent between different life forms or types of clonality. We address that prevailing theories about the ecological advantages of plant clonality work only at the scale of individual plants and/ or populations for specific taxonomic groups and clonal types, and cannot be generalized in the contexts of macro ecology.

147 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fujiwara K.

Oral Presentation Kaga Coast in Japan: Natural ecosystem and Cultural landscape insuring Biodiversity Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Kazue Fujiwara*, Elgene Box, Jin Osaka, Hideki Sakai and Youji Kitaguchi Yokohama City University Graduate School in Nanobioscience Endowed Laboratory for Res- toration of Terrestrial Environments Seto 22-2, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Kaga Coast has highly diverse ecosystems involving natural and anthropogenic landscapes. 1) The most natural area is old Kashima island, with a Shinto shrine; it is connected to the main island and is a National Natural Monument of Japan. Persia thunbergii forest remains under protection and is the habitat of a terrestrial crab (akate-gani: Chiromantes haematocheir). The crabs live in the forest, eat evergreen leaves, and hibernate in burrows. The scene of akate-gani egg-laying is a good example of a food chain, and the Persea forest sounds like a terrestrial mangrove forest holding the habitat of crabs. 2) The long (16.4km) and high (46m) sand dune on the Kaga Coast has been managed since 1766, by plantation of black pine (Pinus thunbergii) on the back dune and Vitex rotundifolia on the foredune. Nowadays the planted Pinus thunbergii forests and sand dune vegetation protect human lives and also restore and create biodiversity. Even though people planted the Pinus thunbergii, it still continues nowadays and creates a unique landscape. First, as plant for defense against mobile sand, the local people combined traditional Japanese technology with European (e.g. French) technology to make the planting succeed. They planted mainly black-pine trees to protect farms and villages from being buried by sand blown by winter winds. They gained partial, temporal results, but could not get a final solution. They also made a back dune behind the planted area. Actually, the method of making artificial dunes and planting coastal plants was invented independently in Edo-era Japan and in Europe. In Japan, they used shrubs like Vitex rotundifolia. On the Kaga Coast, it is confirmed that there are 17 kinds of animals and over 290 kinds of birds (including Nipponia nippon). There are 18 kinds of the “important species,” as designated in the Red Data Book of Japan and of Ishikawa prefecture. Insects utilize both shrubs and herbs, which also represented technological progress in the planting project. This technology and experience was highly significant for sand-defense forests in Japan. The Kaga Coast can thus be described as an area where the human landscape and biodiversity are in harmony.

148 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Fukaya K.

Oral Presentation Macro-scale species abundance distribution inferred from widespread vegetation plot data Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Keiichi Fukaya1 *, Buntarou Kusumoto2, Takayuki Shiono2, Junichi Fujinuma2 and Yasuhiro Kubota2 1The Institute of Statistical Mathematics and 2University of the Ryukyus *Presenting author: [email protected]

An underlying interest in vegetation science is to understand geographical patterns of plant abundance. Clarifying macro-scale species abundance distribution as a property of species pool is, however, yet a challenging issue. Forest inventory plots provide tree density and relative dominance of individual tree species, but such an intensive observation may be logistically difficult to cover a broad area. On the other hand, geographically replicated vegetation plots may inform presence-absence of species at a broad scale, while not enlightening species abundance distribution directly. In this study, we propose a hierarchical model that estimates species-specific tree density at the regional level, based on replicated vegetation plot data (species presence/absence) and museum-based data (species range map and presence-only observations). We applied the model to the dataset of 64649 vegetation plots scattered across the entire region of Japan, and estimated tree density for 1127 species at 10-km square level. The model was validated by testing the correlation between estimated tree density and species abundance obtained by forest inventory. The model well predicted tree species abundance, although there was a slight bias in the prediction of dominant species in the plot. Results indicate that the proposed model enables us to infer species abundance distribution at the species pool level from the species detection/ nondetection data of vegetation plots. The model could widely be applicable to vegetation plot data, which have been accumulated and ar- chived worldwide. This study demonstrates future possibilities of vegetation science to elucidate macro-scale patterns of species diversity.

149 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Gafta D.

Oral Presentation Linking current vegetation patterns to the ancient cultural landscapes: the case of Porolissum Roman archaeological site Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Anamaria Roman1, Tudor M. Ursu1, Sorina Farcas1, Vlad A. Lazarescu2, Coriolan H. Opreanu2 and Dan Gafta3 * 1Institute of Biological Research, INCDSB, Cluj-Napoca (Romania);2Institute of Archaeology and History of Art, Romanian Academy, Cluj-Napoca and 3Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca *Presenting author: [email protected]

Environmental history can guide policy-makers and conservationists for the integrated management of natural and cultural heritage resources. The legacies of past human activities persist for millennia and can be a key driver within current cultural landscapes. While current land use is relatively easy to quantify, detecting historical land- use and its legacies remains challenging. The sub-surface archaeological remains alter the soil characteristics and influence vegetation spectral and 3D properties, resulting in subtle patterns, known as archaeological vegetation marks, which can support historical landscape characterization. We investigated the present-day vegetation patterns detected from World- View2-WV2 satellite imagery in the historical land use context of the Porolis- sum Roman Archaeological site, Romania. In order to detect the spectral vegetation patterns generated by sub-surface ancient structures we employed Pan-sharpening with 6 spectral band combinations and Normalized Differ- ence Vegetation Index (NDVI). Vegetation pattern reconnaissance was performed by visually inspecting each band combination and NDVI. We focused on geometrical pattern anomalies that generally provide useful information for identifying anthropogenic activities. In the open-grassland vegetation patterns were visible on all band combinations, but the ones including NIR-NDVI had the best results. The detected anomalies, with geometrical shapes, have a total length of 5578 m. Their sizes vary from 6 m to 690 m for the linear vegetation marks, while the smallest circular anomaly is 1.2 m across. These vegetation marks indicate ancient Roman defensive structures, situated mostly on ridges and hill tops. Their arrangement agrees with the results of the geophysical investigations and archaeological excavation tests. Joining the spectral vegetation patterns with archaeological data regarding ancient human activities disclosed the hidden land-use legacies enduring through the millennia in the landscape. Revealing the influence of past land-uses on present vegetation spectral characteristics allows the discovery of archaeological sites and the design of effective conservation policies of all the landscape resources.

150 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Galland T.

Poster nr. 030 Are functional redundancy indices redundant? A test using parametrized communities and different scenarios of species loss. Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Thomas Galland1,2 *, Lars Götzenberger2, Carlos P. Carmona3, Enrique Valencia1 and Francesco de Bello1,2 1Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic;2Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, Tře- boň, Czech Republic and 3Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005 Tartu, Estonia *Presenting author: [email protected]

Over the past decades, the significance of functional trait patterns to elucidate processes of community stability and ecosystems functioning have stimulated considerable amount of research in ecology, producing a multitude of functional diversity indices with various levels of overlap in their methodology and purpose. Here, we review the set of indices that have been suggested to measure the level of redundancy in traits among species in ecological communities. Redundancy is a major component of the insurance mechanism, which is hypothesized to support ecosystem stability by preventing the loss of ecosystem functions with species loss. We ask: to which extent are redundancy indices redundant? In other words, do they describe complementarity aspects of functional redundancy? What is the potential predictive power of functional redundancy to community stability? Based on published experimental plant parameters of individual responses in biomass and leaf traits to changes in environmental conditions from 108 species (Dostál et al, 2016, GEB), we simulated communities with different levels of diversity (species richness, functional diversity, functional redundancy, etc.). Then, we simulated species loss under four scenarios: i) rarest species (i.e. least abundant) being lost, ii) functionally most unique species being lost, iii) most sensitive species to environmental changes being lost, iv) species relative abundance fluctuating according to their intrinsic responses to environmental change. Finally, we compare community structure parameters before and after species loss, and we evaluate the power of indices to predict those changes. Results generally show that a large part of redundancy is explained by species richness, that redundancy indices are not equal in their dependence on species richness and the amount of variability explained together or in addition to species richness. Moreover, the scenario of species loss and the community parameters assessed have an important impact on the performance of the indices, showing that some indices predict better some community change aspects than others. While species richness alone is often not a sufficient predictor of community stability, the choice of one redundancy index over the other depends ultimately on which ecological function is assessed and the biological processes responsible for the species.

151 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

García-Baquero G.

Oral Presentation How hydrological niches structure plant communities in a biodiversity hotspot Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Gonzalo García-Baquero1 *, Jonathan Silvertown2 and Yoseph N. Araya3 1Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country;2Institute of Evo- lutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh and 3Department of Environment Earth and Ecosys- tems, Open University *Presenting author: [email protected]

We have previously shown that South African fynbos plant communities are structured on a hydrological gradient and that species segregate into hydrological niches. Here, we now ask 1. How much of the spatial structure in the whole fynbos community and in the sub-community of Restionaceae is explained by spatially structured variation in hydrology? 2. What is the shape of the hydrological niches of Restionaceae species? 3. Is the presence/absence of root aerenchyma in Restionaceae species correlated with their distribution along hydrological gradients? To answer these questions, we first partitioned variation in species composition into hydrological and spatial components. Then, we characterised the hydrological niche of Restionaceae species using Generalised Additive Mixed Models. Finally, we used extended RLQ ordination and fourth-corner analysis to examine whether phylogenetically structured plant traits are related to spatially structured hydrological gradients. We found that spatially structured hydrological variation explained adj.-R2 = 10.3% (whole communities) and 12.3% (Restionaceae sub-communities) of species composition. The hydrological niche determined a significant part of spatial distribution in 39 out of 44 tested Restionaceae species, with average model fit adj.-R2 = 15.2%. Whereas the presence of root aerenchyma in Restionaceae species was associated with waterlogged and wet field niches, the absence of root aerenchyma was associated with dry and very dry field niches. We concluded that the phylogenetically structured trait presence/ absence of root aerenchyma is related to Restionaceae species distribution along spatially structured hydrological gradients in fynbos communities. Physiological constraints appear to have a role in the explanation of the hydrological niche.

152 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Gavilán R.

Oral Presentation Review of broad-leaved Iberian oak forest Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Beatriz Vilches de la Serna, Miquel de Cáceres, Daniel Sánchez-Mta and Rosario G. Gavilán* Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Universidad Complutense, Madrid *Presenting author: [email protected]

Noise clustering analysis was performed on a data matrix of Pyrenean oak forests on the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. After the creation of an updated set of “assigned clusters” we propose to use indicator species analysis with combinations of groups (multipatt function) to obtain three results: first, an appropriate description of these clusters through their main representative species; second, a validation of their robustness from a compositional perspective; and third, the creation of connections –not necessarily hierarchical– to help us elucidate or approximate the real structure of our data set. After obtaining twelve clusters with the noise clustering method (NC), the indicator species analysis confirmed the congruence –from a floristic point of view– of eleven clusters as independent units. The cluster with no indicator species corre- sponds to the zone which has the highest potentiality of Quercus pyrenaica –but highly fragmented– on the whole Iberian Peninsula: the northern plateau and adjoining areas. This cluster established the maximum number of floristic connections at higher combination levels. The opposite side contains a group from eastern Iberia which has the maximum number of indicator species, but one of the fewest combinations in the whole set. This group has the highest percentage of xeric species in the set, and is thus the most differentiated. The results are generally consistent with the current biogeographic division of the Iberian Peninsula. Eight of the twelve clusters also coincide with the syntaxonomical adscription of their relevés. The rest contain highly complex areas such as transitional zones between macroclimates (Mediterranean and temperate). The combined use of unsupervised classification methods and indicator species analysis produced more consistent groups or communities while highlighting their floristic connections, which could be understood as indicators of higher units. This method exposes large areas of affinity as well as areas that require a more thorough analysis for a full understanding, since different niche breadths were observed. We suggest observing the level of occurrence (number of divisions) in each cluster in order to determine their preliminary level of differentiation from the rest.

153 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Gergely P.

Poster nr. 015 Comparative analysis of vegetation on grasslands abandoned, grazed and mowed after shrubcutting in Matra Montains in Hungary Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Gergely Pápay*, Eszter S.-Falusi and Károly Penksza Institute of Botany and Ecophysiology *Presenting author: [email protected]

In the past few decades, the intensive growth of shrub has triggered the need of artificial interventions on highly diverse Hungarian mountain grasslands. These tasks had been carried out in 2012 by the Bükk National Park Direc- torate, but on some of the spots there has been no management afterwards. On all shrub-cut areas and on mowed areas (as control) I made coenological surveys using 2×2 m quadrates, where the cover values of species had been assigned. The vegetation data had been evaluated employing cluster analysis and dentrended correspondency analysis. Results also clearly showed the positive effect of pasturage. On area I, which had been shrubcut in 2011, and mowed in the next two years, but remained unmanaged afterwards, the number of species decreased, amount of dead leaves increased, competitor species came into prominence and shrub increased. In aspect of nature conservation, the proportion of natural species has increased. Differences emerged between the vegetations of two halves of area II, which had been separated in 2014. On the untreated part, the proportion of weeds, arboreal and disturbance-tolerant species increased and biodiversity decreased, while on managed part it was just the opposite. Area IV, which had been also halved in 2014, showed similar results. Here, the two parts are grazed with lower and higher intensity respectively. The more intensively grazed part showed more similarity with the vegetation of the area considered for many years as control. The latter have higher number of species, highest diversity values and dominancy of natural vegetation elements. This denotes that long- term mowing is the appropriate management method, which has maintained a species-rich vegetation. During intensive grazing the proportion of rosulate and reptant annual species has increased, but diversity too. Despite of lack of management, vegetations with natural distribution of species have developed on area III within five years. During this period of time, arboreal species have not become dominant; their proportion stagnated, even decreased on some spots. On this untreated grassland, on plant communities threatened by shrubs’ increasing, big game potentially controlled the cover of arboreal species, and can play a large role in sustaining natural states.

154 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Gholizadeh H.

Poster nr. 138 Constructing uniform vegetation database of the relict Hyrcanian forests; Determination of the most environmental factors affecting floristic composition and indicator species Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Hamid Gholizadeh1 *, Alireza Naqinezhad2 and Shahryar Saeidi Mehrvarz1 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran and 2Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Hyrcanian forests of the northern slopes of Alborz Mts. is surviving fragment of one of the world’s great deciduous forest formation associated with a diversity of climate, geological strata and soil types. The purpose of the current project is to provide a database of vegetation plot and environmental variables to determine abiotic effects on plant species distribution and composition, and to recognize indicator species in the forests. Data were collected during the growing seasons between 2013 and 2016 in the area, ranging from -15 to 2700 m a.s.l. (48º36ʹ-56º47ʹE, 35º59ʹ-38º23ʹN). In total, 500 vegetation plots (400 m2), 1000 soil samples (2 samples in each plot at depth of 0-15 and 15-30 cm) and 402 vascular plant species were recorded. Moreover, topographic features and percentage of rocks, stones, gravels and litter were measured, and also we extracted climatic information from the worldclim. Preliminary analysis of the databases showed the geographical gradients (latitude, longitude and altitude) had important impact on both species composition and species richness. More- over, soil properties (e.g. pH and soil texture), microrelief, the amount of litter and total cover percentage of tree influences on plant distribution and species richness. The floristic composition and ecological properties of major associations such as beech, hornbeam, ironwood, oak and yew was recognized and distribution map of the main species was obtained in these area. In addition, the effect of separate ecological variables on the species responses models will be evaluated and finally the indicator species with both wide distribution (e.g. Serratula quinquefolia, Hesperis hyrcana, Polystichum aculeatum) and limited distribution (e.g. Albovia tripartita, Hordelymus europaeus, Turritis laxa) are extracted using statistical modeling. For this, we will make use of the HOF-model framework, which is commonly used to identify indicator species along quantitative gradients, e.g. temperature, rainfall or soil pH, by modelling species response curves. Our results represents a new scenario on environmental variable (including climate) effect on the Hyrcanian relict forests and provides a strategy for conservation of plant species against Global climate change with new environmental conditions.

155 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Giarrizzo E.

Oral Presentation Does plant species, phylogenetic and functional diversity decrease when semi-natural grassland habitats transition to different communities? Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Eleonora Giarrizzo1 *, Sabina Burrascano1, Francesco de Bello2,3 and Carlo Blasi1 1Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome;2Department of Bot- any, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic and 3Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

In Europe, semi-natural grasslands are extremely species-rich and their conservation value is highly prioritized by the Habitats Directive (92/43/CEE). Due to their importance for biodiversity and to their vulnerability to land-use changes, it is crucial to understand the vegetation dynamics that occur in these habitats and the consequent changes in the levels of taxonomical and functional diversity. We tested if the changes in species composition that occurred in Apennine Bromus erectus semi-natural grasslands (Italy) in the last fifty years resulted in different levels of species, phylogenetic and functional diversity. We revisited historical plots associated with fine-scale vegetation maps, and quantified the compositional change as the Bray-Curtis distances from the historical species pools. To calculate species, phylogenetic, and functional diversity we followed a framework based on Hill numbers. These diversity indexes are parameterized by q, which determines their sensitivity to species relative abundance, i.e. the relevance of very abundant/dominant species increases with q. These indexes of plant diversity were related to the degree of compositional change by means of mixed effects models. When abundances are not considered (q=0), we found no correlation between the diversity indexes and the compositional change; nevertheless for higher values of q, both species and functional diversity were negatively related to compositional changes, whereas for q=2 phylogenetic diversity was higher in those plots that showed a greater compositional change. When facing compositional changes, Apennine grasslands are subjected to a marked decrease in their evenness while their diversity richness remains almost constant. This was mainly due to the spread of few dominant species to the detri- ment of the less abundant ones that occurs both in case of successional dynamics and of intensification of grazing regimes. Based on our results, the massive changes in land-use that are threatening Euro- pean semi-natural grasslands affect biodiversity not only at the landscape and community level, but determine a substantial decrease in plant taxonomic and functional diversity.

156 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Gigante D.

Oral Presentation Evidences of declining reed-beds in the Mediterranean: an overview of symptoms, spatial trends and some environmental features from central Italy Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Daniela Gigante1 *, Andrea Coppi2, Lorenzo Lastrucci2, Martina Cerri3, Frances- co Ferranti3, Valentina Ferri3, Bruno Foggi2, Lorenzo Lazzaro2, Roberto Venan- zoni1 and Lara Reale3 1Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia (Italy);2Department of Biology, University of Florence (Italy) and 3Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmen- tal Sciences, University of Perugia (Italy) *Presenting author: [email protected]

Common reed die-back, i.e. a decline syndrome affecting Phragmites australis(Cav.) Steud. with morphologic alteration, stunted growth, weakening, rarefaction and eventually disappearance, was an almost unknown phenomenon in the Mediterranean up to ten years ago. The present study provides an overview of the most recent outcomes about evidences of declining reed-beds in several wetlands from central Italy. Morphologic, anatomic, demographic, phytocoenotic and environmental features were measured and statistically analyzed, pointing out several symptomatic traits related to the die-back. The study explores the diagnostic role of the considered traits, among which the reed clumped growth definitely stands as a key symptom. The relationships of the other traits with the clumped stems rate are investigated and their patterns in function of the submersion duration (permanent vs. temporary) are pointed out. The study also tries to understand and quantify the effect of water depth on the intensity of the decline. Additionally, spatial patterns and trends of dying-back reed-beds have been investigated through an aerial orthoimagery-based diachronic analysis over a period of 24 years. Data show clear trends for most of the considered traits which well respond to the hypothesized model based on the submersion permanence, although modulated by site-specific effects: permanent submersion with high water levels plays a crucial role in the occurrence of reed decline. Retreat from the waterfront was detected in all the sites, only rarely compensated by enlarge- ments on the backfront. The most drastic decrease co-occurred with artificial rises of the water level, confirming the regulation of freshwater bodies as a major driver of biodiversity loss. The detected modifications of total extent, shape and size of the reed-bed patches show that the die-back is associated not only with retreat but also with a notable fragmentation with

157 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 increase of the patch number, reduction of their mean area and rise of their shape complexity, all processes working in the direction of disrupting the ecosystem connectivity. General results suggest that the reed-dominated wet ecosystems, although formed by a robust and pollutant-tolerant species (not rare and even regarded as invasive in some parts of the world), may reach a threshold of tolerance towards stressing conditions beyond which they cannot regenerate, representing a serious risk of loss of habitats which play an important role in biodiversity conservation.

158 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Gillison A.

Oral Presentation A worldwide key to plant functional types Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Andrew N. Gillison* Center for Biodiversity Management *Presenting author: [email protected]

Background and Aims: Physiognomic, structural and phytotaxonomic classifications of vegetation are rarely designed to detect and monitor plant functional and ecosystem response to changing environments. To address this problem and the widespread disparity in the definition and measurement of plant functional traits and their assembly as whole plant entities, a generic set of functional traits is proposed as a basis for a uniform typology and a key to whole-plant functional types (PFTs). Methods: An indented key is based on two primary plant functional domains: resource acquisition and conservation (metabolic, trophic and photosyn- thetic pathways, gas exchange, water usage, light interception) and modified Raunkiærean life forms. Two secondary domains include adaptation to disturbance and dispersal mechanisms. The primary domains are keyed to 45 core diagnostic traits with an optional 15 traits in the secondary domains. Trait attributes were selected from 1268 (200 m2) transects recorded from all major biomes across 52 countries using a uniform (VegClass) sampling protocol. Data from 35,157 vascular plant species records included inter- and intraspecific whole plant PFT (functional modus). Key Results: Modal PFTs from representative transects were diagnosed on average by 7 and 9 trait combinations for the core and total trait sets respectively. A classification of transects was consistent with classification systems based on species and vegetation structure at global scale but with added functional characterization. Within-transect classification, revealed a clear convergence of functional groups of taxa. Recording times for all vascular plant species and PFTs per 200m2 transect typically range from three hours for structurally complex tropical rain forest to about one hour for a tropical savanna or arctic tundra. Conclusions: Results are consistent with known theory and provide empirical and practical support where laboratory facilities and species identification may be limiting. The key provides a bridging tool between heterogeneous biophysical data sets and a means of comparing vegetation functional performance within and between geographically separated areas where species composition and phylogeny may differ. Keywords: Plant functional traits, whole plant syndromes, functional modus, global synthesis, rapid biodiversity survey, VegClass, CBM database.

159 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Giusso del Galdo G.

Oral Presentation Phytosociological role of the Sicilian endemic species Session: Vegetation diversity on islands Cristian Brullo1, Salvatore Brullo1, Riccardo Guarino3 and Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo1 * 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, It- aly;2Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Italy and 3Department STEBICEF, University of Palermo, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Phytosociological investigations have always highlighted the relevant role played by endemic plants within the vegetation of a given territory, especially in the floristic characterization of plant communities and even of higher syntaxa. This becomes more relevant when big islands are taken into consideration, as for the Mediterranean ones. In particular, the endemic contingent of the Sicilian flora is here examined focusing on the distribution range of each endemism featuring the plant communities occurring in the island and neighbouring islets. It has to be emphasized that in the present study only the specific and infraspe- cific endemics hitherto known from Sicily are analysed, roughly corresponding to 390 taxa. Whereas, phytosociological classes including sintaxa differentiated by local endemics are 25. The highest rate of endemism (77) within the investigated classes is recorded for the Asplenietea trichomanis, which gathers the chasmophilous plant communities growing on rupestrian stands, where many relic species of ancient origin find refuge. Another natural habitat particularly rich in endemics (53) is represented by the dry grasslands, which are widely spread all over the island. This vegetation type falls within the Lygeo sparti-Stipetea tenacissimae, syntaxon grouping the perennial herbaceous vegetation linked to very dry ecological conditions, which usually have a secondary role being linked to the anthropogenic degradation of thermophilous woodlands or maquis. Therefore, there are mainly endemic hemicryptophytes and geophytes usually sheltered by huge tufts of grasses. Furthermore, also the pulvinate orophilous vegetation belonging to the Rumici-Astragaletea siculi class is very rich in endemisms (46); the reason of this high value has to be found in the ancient Tertiary origin of the species featuring such vegetation, as well as in the geographical isolation of the populations colonizing the highest mountain summits. Other plant communities rich in endemics are those ones of Crithmo-Limonietea (30) and Stipo-Trachine- tea distachyae (31), the former occurring along the rocky coasts and dominated by several endemic Limonium species, the latter characterized by annual xerophytes or herbs with many neo-endemisms. Many other endemic species are quite frequent in the plant communities of the Quercetea ilicis (20), Molinio-Arrhenatheretea (15), Cisto-Micromerietea (13), Querco-Fagetea (12), Tuberarietea guttatae (12), Sag- inetea maritimae (10), etc. Also some nitrophilous and synanthropic plant communities, such as Stellarietea mediae (10), Onopordetea acanthii (4) and Artemisietea vulgaris (2), host endemic species.

160 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Götzenberger L.

Poster nr. 117 A test of synchrony indices for temporal community data Session: Open session Lars Götzenberger1 *, Jan Leps2, Enrique Valencia2, Thomas Galland1,2, Carlos P. Carmona3 and Francesco de Bello2,1 1Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82 Třeboň, Czech Repub- lic;2Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 1, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic and 3Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005, Tartu, Estonia *Presenting author: [email protected]

The concept of synchrony is an integrated aspect of the temporal stability of ecological systems. Synchrony describes the degree of simultaneous fluctuations of species abundances through time, in the case of plant communities most often assessed as changes in abundance from year to year. The opposite pattern, often referred to as asynchrony, occurs when at least part of the species compensate each other’s fluctuations through time. While the concept of synchrony is intuitive, at the very beginning of assessing patterns in synchrony and asynchrony stands the ability to accurately measure such patterns without bias. In the last years, various synchrony indices have been proposed, but no comprehensive test of these indices has been undertaken. Here, we show with simulated temporal community data that three tested indices (weighted Gross, log(variance ratio), and phi) have different capa- bilities in assessing synchrony/asynchrony patterns. We also demonstrate that the indices have unequal sensitivities to additional variables that are components of temporal stability: species richness, the abundance structure of the community, and the mean-variance relationship (also known as Tay- lor’s power law). Another issue for synchrony indices is the fact that directional long-term temporal trends in species abundances, like in succession or responses to a treatment, might artificially increase signals of synchrony or asynchrony. We show that such a bias can in fact exist, and propose a modification that is applicable to all indices, and which accounts for such often neglected long term trends. Finally, we assess the importance of sample duration (e.g. the length in years a permanent plot has been sampled) for the accuracy in estimating patterns of synchrony/asynchrony. As one would expect, the reliability of indices increased with the size of the sample period, and the conclusions from relatively short term changes sometimes analyzed in biodiversity-ecosystem function experiments are called into question. As is often the case for indices that try to measure complex biological properties, no single index of synchrony is perfect in all regards. However, we suggest with some confidence that both weighted Gross and log(variance ratio) are more reliable than phi.

161 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Guo Q.

Poster nr. 037 Trade-offs of leaf functional traits and community structure of forests in eastern China Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Qiang Guo* and Zhiyao Tang Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China *Presenting author: [email protected]

Trade-off of functional traits is the way the plant species to coexist in a community, and reflects the adaptive strategies of species and their fitness to environment. Among others, the trade-offs between leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf nutrient concentrations, such as leaf nitrogen (LN) and phosphorus (LP), is the most common pattern in leaf functional traits. The inverse exponential scaling relationship has been widely observed between these two traits, with constant exponents across different plant functional groups. Here, we measured main leaf functional traits of 3139 observations from 408 species from 19 forest communities to examine the relationships between functional trade-offs, species abundance, and local environments. The results showed that the trade-offs of functional traits were inconsistent between dominant and rare species, with a higher intercepts for the dominant than the rare species, leaf hair changed the inverse exponential relationship between LMA and LN (LP), and that the scaling exponents of community trade-offs declined with latitude. Our findings suggested that life history strategies of species regulate the community structure through trade-offs of functional traits in forests of eastern China. Keywords: forest; leaf functional traits; species abundance; trade-off.

162 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Guuroh R. T.

Oral Presentation Are there consistent drivers of taxonomic and functional diversity in West African Sudanian savannas? Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Reginald T. Guuroh1,2,3 *, Anja Linstädter3, Klara Dolos4 and Sebastian Schmidtlein4 1University of Bonn, Centre for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany;2Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, P. O. Box 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.;3University of Cologne, Botanical Institute, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany. and 4Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Which factors influence the different aspects of taxonomic and functional diversity in Sudanian savannas of West Africa? Grasslands’ health and functioning is closely related to the diversity of plants and their traits. Plant diversity is in- teractively driven by biotic and abiotic environmental factors. The importance of these drivers for plant diversity, and particularly for functional diversity, is still poorly understood. Because data quality and spatial coverage is usually low, there is limited knowledge about diversity patterns in space and time. Addition- ally, there is inadequate understanding on how different aspects of taxonomic diversity relate to functional diversity measures. These knowledge gaps affect ecosystem management and services provision. By sampling a wide area (covering ~106 000 km²), this study investigates the relationship between different diversity measures and environmental variables using a combined gradient approach. The study area comprises a steep gradient of climatic aridity across West Africa’s Sudanian savannas ranging from northern Ghana to central Burki- na Faso, in combination with local gradients of topo-edaphic conditions and land-use intensity. Using three taxonomic diversity indices and three functional diversity indices as response variables, linear mixed-effect models and model selection were applied to test the links between ten environmental variables and the diversity indices. We found that climate and disturbance were more important than topo-edaphic variables; particularly for functional diversity indices. Precipitation seasonality was the most important driver of species richness, functional evenness and functional divergence (>50% explained variance). Graz- ing pressure was most important for functional richness (>60% explained variance) while soil clay content and slope position were most important for species evenness and Simpson’s diversity index (>60% explained variance). Our study showed inconsistent diversity-grazing relationships for different diversity indices suggesting that the intermediate disturbance hypothesis cannot be extended to all measures of diversity. There were no strong correlations between any of the taxonomic and functional diversity indices suggesting that single taxonomic diversity measures should not be used to represent functional diversity. These results are useful for land managers and can be used as a guide for conservation planning and rangeland management in general.

163 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Han W.

Poster nr. 031 Comparison of 12 wood traits between major gymnosperm and angiosperm tree species in China Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Meixia Zhang1, Chengjun Ji2, Xiangping Wang3 and Wenxuan Han1 * 1Department of Ecology and Ecological Engineering, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;2Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China and 3The Key Laboratory of Silviculture and Conservation of the Ministry of Education, and the National En- gineering Laboratory for Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 10083, China *Presenting author: [email protected]

Wood physical traits, such as density, shrinkage, and bending strength, are important functional attributes for tree species, linking to mechanical support, hy- draulic conductivity, morphological structure, survival and morality rate, and life span of the tree, and growth rate of stem diameter and canopy. However, variation in these traits among taxonomic categories such as between gymnosperms and angiosperms is still poorly documented. Here we explore the systematic differences in 12 wood traits, their allometric interrelations and the potential effects of phylogeny between the two tree categories, based on 98 gymnosperm and 372 angiosperm tree species across China. The results are summarized below: i) Means of wood traits were all significantly lower in gymnosperms than in angiosperms. ii) Air-dried density (ADD) and tangential shrinkage coefficient (TSC) are key traits that summarize the correlations among wood traits for gymnosperms, while ADD and radial shrinkage coefficient (RSC) represent those for angiosperms. The allometric slopes of other traits, except for hardness of trans- verse section (HES), against ADD for gymnosperms were significantly steeper than or similar to the corresponding slopes for angiosperms. On the contrary, the slopes of other traits (except TSC) against RSC were shallower for gymnosperms than or similar to their counterparts for angiosperms. Generally, wood traits were positively related with each other, except that TSC was negatively related with density-related (ADD, BD) and hardness-related traits (HES, HRS and HTS) in gymnosperms. iii) Phylogeny had significant effects on some wood traits of gymnosperms, but had no effects on traits of angiosperms. Our analyses demonstrated a systematic difference in wood traits between two major plant categories, which suggests the evolutionary divergence (TSC, RSC) and convergence (ADD) in key functional traits among woody plants.

164 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Harada A.

Poster nr. 099 Vegetation Landscape of Yokohama City in the 19th century of Japan Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Atsuko Harada* Fujisawa City Hall *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ukiyo-e, the famous Japanese art work depicts beautiful landscapes of Japan in the first half of the 19th century. By the middle of the 19th century, many photos were taken, and these landscapes were recorded in those photos. These landscapes are lost today due to massive developments in urban areas. Let’s explore these lost vegetation landscapes based on topographical maps which were created by a modern survey method in the later 19th century. Here the presenter attempts to reproduce the vegetation landscape of Yoko- hama City in the 19th century. Yokohama is a large urban city close to Tokyo, the capital in Japan, with being developed and expanded as residential, commercial and industrial areas. Whereas during the later 19th century, Yokohama was a rural area with some farming and fishing villages. Hills were covered with forests such as pine trees and broad-leaved trees, and fewer farmlands (paddy fields and other crops fields) could be seen in flat areas. Furthermore, the presenter refers to a chart of records with the field survey which is used for generating topographic maps. This chart indicates with symbols of tree species shown such as pine, Quercus serrta, Q. actissima and other trees. Initially, count the numbers of each symbol, then to determine the ratio to the total number, and finally replace the ratio into ranks which indicate “impression” that shows patterns of tree types in the area. (These ranks are used as a scheme without numerical value) For example, there is a certain tree species marked as one of three categories as whether are dominant, mixed with other species, or fewer seen, in the landscape. The meshed map shows what types of tree species are found with those patterns as a result. This research provides some hints for you to recreate a vegetation landscape when the target areas have with limited information of vegetation.

165 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Haugum S. V.

Oral Presentation Variation in drought-tolerance across climatic and land-use gradients in Nor- wegian coastal heathlands. Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Siri Vatsø Haugum1 *, Liv Guri Velle2, Pål Thorvaldsen3 and Vigdis Vandvik1 1Department of Biology, University of Bergen. ;2Møreforskning, Ålesund, Norway. and 3Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomics, Tjøtta, Norway. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Land-use change in form of abandonment and reduced land-use intensity represents a major threat to semi-natural ecosystems, such as coastal heathlands. Today, this ecosystem is classified as greatly endangered in Norway and Europe. Research in coastal heathlands has focused on traditional management and the system’s adaptions to these, but there exists a knowledge gap on how coastal heathlands will respond to the interactions between land- use and climate change. The long coastline of Norway holds one third of the latitudinal distribution of the coastal heathlands, and the northern limit for this ecosystem is found in northern Norway. We have studied the variation of vegetation in ten mature Atlantic heathlands along a 650 km latitudinal gradient two years after a major winter drought event. In the southernmost and northernmost sites, two successional phases were added (pioneer phase and building phase), resulting in combined biogeographical and land-use gradients. We hypothesized that young Calluna individuals will be most prone to winter drought as they have less extensive root network and most of the roots are in the upper soil layer that freeze during winter. We also hypothesized that northern heathlands will tolerate extreme climatic events less well than southern heathlands as they are on the edge of their geographical range. While we rarely observed drought-damage in Calluna stands younger than five years (pioneer phase) at the time of the drought event, we found a positive correlation between time since last burning and occurrence of drought-damaged Calluna. This indicates that the evaporation from a large canopy is more serious than a limited root network for water absorption during a drought event. When comparing heathlands of the same successional stage but from different latitudes, we observed more drought damage in northern Norway than in southern Norway. The drought event was more intense in northern Norway, hence making it difficult to identify causes. However, the result might indicate that the tolerance towards climatic extreme events are lower near the edges of the natural distribution range for the nature type. Based on our results, management might play an even more vital role in sustaining cultural landscapes in a future with changing climate.

166 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hay J. D. V.

Poster nr. 026. Does the presence of Melinis minutiflora affect the floristic composition in a Cerrado community? Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes John D, Hay1 *, Cássia B. R. Munhoz2, Bruno M. T. Walter3 and Carlos R. Martins4 1University of Brasilia, Department of Ecology;2University of Brasilia, Department of Bot- any;3EMBRAPA Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia and 4IBAMA/DELIC *Presenting author: [email protected]

Melinis minutiflora (molasses grass) is considered to be one of the principal invasive species in Brazil. Originally used as a forage grass it currently persists and is present in many regions in Brazil, especially in conservation areas. The objective of this study was to compare the response of native vegetation to different control methods in sites where M. minutiflora was present. The study was done within a 2400 m2 area in the Special Use area of the National Park of Brasilia, Brasília, DF. This area was divided into 4 large blocks and within each block 6 smaller plots (10 x 10 m2 each) were used as replicates of each treatment (time, fire and integrated management). Data on the floristic composition in each plot was collected in October of 2002 and in May of 2013. Prior to the applied treatments, the coverage of M. minutiflora varied from 13 to 75% in the plots (mean= 47.7, SD = 18.16). The survey of the plant community compositon was done using the walk- ing method. All species were collected and classified by habit: herbs, grasses, forbs, subshrubs, climbers, shrubs and trees. Palms were classified as shrubs and hemiparasites as climbers. An ANOVA with fixed effects for treatment was used to test for differences in species richness of the six habit groups and overall plant community richness and the Post-hoc Tukey test was used to evaluate differences among treatments. A total of 435 species were found within the study area, in 235 genera and 65 families. The number of species varied among treatments from 241 to 336. We found a significant increase in species richness in all treatments (F=4.40, p = 0.042), but the plots that had complete suppression of M. minutiflora had the highest number at the end of the study. However, no significant difference was found among treatments or interactions among treatments.

167 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hédl R.

Oral Presentation Patterns of biotic invasions in temperate forests: a long-term insight from vegetation plot resurveys Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Radim Hédl1,2 *, Markéta Chudomelová1,3, Martin Kopecký1,4, Martin Macek1,7, Petr Petřík1, Jindřich Prach5,7, Tadeáš Štěrba6, Ondřej Vild1 and Václav Zouhar6 1Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences;2Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc;3Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno;4Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague;5Center for Theoretical Study;6Forest Management Institute and 7Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague *Presenting author: [email protected]

Invasions of alien species may alter species composition and functioning of whole plant communities. An empirical evidence for such effects is based on either short-term data, e.g. field experiments, or indirect comparisons, e.g. betweeninvaded vs. uninvaded plots. Long-term and therefore potentially most serious effects of biotic invasions are so far unexplored, mainly because of lack of suitable data. Using a large database (~2000 plots, 22 forest areas) of resurveyed historical forest vegetation plots in the Czech Republic, we were able to analyse the patterns in plant species invasions over six decades (1950s–2010s). The invadedness, measured as proportional increment of alien species in plots, varied greatly within the forest areas from 15 to 95%. A decreasing trend can be observed with increasing elevation, although geology and other factors including settlement structure were also important. The invadedness was related to compositional and biodiversity rate of change, i.e. between the original plot surveys and resurveys, after the invasive species were removed from samples. It has to be noted that this comparison does not allow for conclusions about causal relationships, because other factors could confound the effect of invasions. Our analysis is however among the first assessments of long-term landscape-scale changes in plant community composition and diversity which could be attributed to biotic invasions.

168 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Heilmeier H.

Poster nr. 073 Development of woody vegetation on the flotation tailing Münzbachtal near Freiberg (Saxony, Germany) as dependent on substrate conditions Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Elke Richert, Andrea Scholz, Roland Achtziger and Hermann Heilmeier* TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Institute of Biosciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

The landscape around Freiberg (Saxony, Germany) is characterized by various evidences of ore mining. The flotation tailing Münzbachtal contains sludge as residues from flotation during wet chemical processing of ores. The nutrient-poor sandy substrates have pH values < 5 which differ significantly from the substrate of the surrounding area. After closure of the tailing in 1969 the area was left to natural succession. Besides open vegetation, mainly pioneer woody vegetation developed. The aim of the study was to analyze to what extent substrate conditions influenced the development of woody vegetation and how plant functional traits are related to succession processes. To this end the species composition and vegetation structure was analyzed via Braun-Blanquet approach, woody individuals were counted, and their circumferences were measured whereby beside forests on the tailing also reference forests nearby were included. Both, the pioneer forests of the tailing and the reference forests, were dominated by Betula pendula or Pinus sylvestris. In total 5 forest types could be distinguished which differ regarding the mean indicator values for light, substrate acidity and nutrient availability. Only in the two reference forest types herbaceous species typical for forests could be found whereas grassland species were nearly exclusively found in the three pioneer forest types on the tailing. The reference forests types had significantly higher tree layer, higher number of species in the tree layer, higher average sum of trunk areas of all woody species but lower number of tree individuals. Correlation analyses including mean Ellenberg indicator values for soil reaction and nitrogen availability indicate that succession is inhibited on acid, nutrient poor sites. Leaf traits (LDMC, SLA) of plants from the herb layer on the tailing indicate low rates of decomposition and nutrient cycling. Thus after more than 40 years nearly undisturbed succession the pioneer forests on the tailing and the reference forests differ significantly regarding the vegetation structure and the species composition of the herb layer even if the species composition of the tree layer is quite similar. For vegetation development soil acidity and nutrient availability play an important role. References: Scholz, A.; Achtziger, R.; Richert, E. (accepted): Analyse der Artenzusammen- setzung und Struktur der Gehölzbestände der „Spülhalde Münzbachtal“ bei Halsbrücke (Analysis of the Species Composition and the Structure of the Woody Vegetation on the flotation tailing Münzbachtal near Halsbrücke). Freiberg Ecol- ogy online 3, 1-16. (available under http://tu-freiberg.de/fakultaet2/bio/biology-ecology/freiberg-ecology-online/feco-band-3-2017).

169 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hess M.

Oral Presentation Microwave soil heating for controlling invasive plant species germination Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Manon C. M. Hess1,2 *, Mélissa De Wilde1, Hugo Fontes2, Loïc Willm2, Nicole Yaver- covski2, Elise Buisson1 and François Mesléard1,2 1Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie Marine et Continentale, Université d’Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse, UMR CNRS7263/IRD 337, Site Agroparc,BP 1207, Avignon, France and 2Centre de Recherche de la Tour du Valat, Arles, France *Presenting author: [email protected]

Examples of successful long-term eradications of invasive species are rare, partly because eradication methods target only the adult stage and does not take into account the development capacities from a very important propagule bank. Microwave radiation causes dielectric heating of moist material and enables reaching rapidly temperature needed for loss of seed viability (60-80°C range). First we tested the effect of different combinations of powers (2, 4 kW) and durations (2, 4, 8 min) on 3 target invasive plant species (Fal- lopia × bohemica, Datura stramonium, Solidago gigantea). We also evaluated the effect of soil humidity (10, 20, 30%), seed depth (2 cm, 12 cm) and soil compaction on the efficacy of the microwave treatment on germination capacity. The most efficient treatments were: 2kW8min, 4kW4min. While their efficiency decreased with increasing soil humidity, it increased with soil compaction. In some cases, efficiency also decreased with depth.Solidago gigantea was the most sensitive species, probably due to the small size of its seeds. We then assessed the efficiency of four microwave treatments (2kW4min, 2kW8min, 4kW2min, 4kW4min) to destroy a complex seed bank as well as the capacity of treated soils to allow the germination and survival of newly arrived seedlings with restoration perspectives in mind. Poaceae were more sensitive to the treatments than dicotyledones, and particularly than Fabaceae. There was no effect of microwave treatments on soil recruiting capacity. These first results are encouraging and experiments are on-going to the effect of soil texture on treatment efficacy as well as treatment effect on soil properties.

170 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hirata R.

Poster nr. 092 Characteristics of mass mortality of oak trees caused by Japanese oak wilt disease in an old evergreen broad-leaved forest in southwestern Japan Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Ryoko Hirata*, Tomohide Sueyoshi, Satoshi Ito, Yasushi Mitsuda and Yasuharu Muramoto University of Miyazaki *Presenting author: [email protected]

In 2015, Japanese oak wilt disease caused mass mortality to evergreen oak trees in southwestern Japan. The Japanese oak wilt disease has often damaged evergreen broad-leaved forest, however, the damage in 2015 was the most serious in recent years. This study aimed to report the summary and the characteristics of this damage, focused on tree species, tree size, and micro-topography. The study was conducted at the evergreen broad-leaved forest at the Tano experiment forest at the University of Miyazaki in southwestern Japan. In 2015, a study plot (1 ha) was established within the study site. For all Faga- ceae trees (DBH > 5 cm) in this plot, attack by ambrosia beetles (presence or absence of small holes excavated by beetles), damage of trees (dead or alive), and tree size were recorded. Four species (Castanopsis sieboldii, Castanopsis cuspidata, Quercus hondae, and Quercus glauca) were attacked and excavated by beetles. Two of four species (Castanopsis sieboldii and Castanopsis cuspidata) were damaged. Attacked or damaged trees by beetles had larger tree size than others. Topography had no relation to the attack and damage by beetles.

171 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hobohm C.

Poster nr. 114 Hypothesis on Assembly Optimization of the Resource Use Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Carsten Hobohm* University of Flensburg, Ecology and Environmental Education Working Group *Presenting author: [email protected]

Optimization is an umbrella term comprising all processes, innovation in technology or methods that make things better - more strong, more functional, more effective, more beautiful, more fair, and so on. It includes anthropo- centric values such as beauty as well as more objective values such as speed or longevity. The term is used in different sciences such as economy, politics, computer science, mathematics, and ecology. There is a long and critical discussion about the feedbacks between environmental, ecological and evolutionary processes for all kinds of biological phenomena (Adaptive Dynamics Theory). The meaning of optimization in biological processes was increasingly recognized since modern evolution theory had been introduced. The delineated hypothesis focusing on resource use is an application and concretion of the Adaptive Dynamics Theory to phytosociology and landscape ecology. According to this conception optimization of the resource use is the key factor maintaining the local assembly. Biomass, productivity and species diversity are important properties of plant communities. Is there any principal driver of change in the composition of plant communities? And how are the different characteristics of the assembly interrelated? Under changing conditions optimization is a process of permanent adjustment which normally will not reach optimality. Optimization of the resource use means adaptation and maximization of biological processes such as growth, reproduction and dispersal by investing as many resources as possible and minimizing their loss. It might be the most important driver of the biomass, productivity and vascular plant diversity of the local community. Despite a feedback and interdependency of the abiotic and biotic features of the community an increasing dependency can be assumed in the order climate - abiotic soil conditions - biomass/structure - primary productivity (NPP) - secondary productivity (consumers, parasites) - species diversity (vascular plants) - speciation. Evidence for this hypothesis can be found in recent analyses on community assembly rules and filter models, and on the influence of the environment and species pool on the local species diversity as well as in many fundamental and classical works related to evolution, ecology, phytosociology and biogeography.

172 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hörnberg G.

Oral Presentation New perspectives on “The Last Wilderness of Northern Europe” – a domesticated landscape with a long history of land use Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Greger Hörnberg1,2 * and Torbjörn Josefsson1,2 1The Silver Museum, The Institute for Sub-arctic Landscape Research, Arjeplog, Sweden and 2Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU, Umeå, Sweden *Presenting author: [email protected]

Northernmost Fennoscandia is widely considered to be the last wilderness of northern Europe. In this presentation we modify this view. Based on five years of research carried out within the multidisciplinary program “Recalling the Past” we present novel results derived from studies on vegetation history, soil-nutrient analyses, archaeological surveys and archival sources. Focus is on long-term land use activities that have profoundly affected different ecosystems north of the 64th parallel in northernmost Sweden. The results show that land use including tree-cutting in sub-alpine environments one thousand years ago in connection to so called Stállo settlements resulted in vast deforest- ed plains that still prevail today. We also present a new theory on early land use in mountain forests and on dry forest land along waterways where fire has been actively used to increase the amount of reindeer lichens (Cladonia sp.) on the forest floor; initially to attract wild reindeer to certain areas for hunting, and from the first millennium AD to provide domesticated reindeer with good winter grazing grounds. In the examples given, prehistoric land use activities have resulted in a complete shift in ecosystems, also including complex processes involving climate change and nutrient depletion of humus and soils. Finally we show evidence of permanent cultivation from as early as the 5th century AD, and that it also occurred sporadically at Sámi settlement from the 9th century AD. As a consequence, the general picture of “the last wilderness of northernmost Europe” has to be substantially revised.

173 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Horvat V.

Oral Presentation Similar plant species richness in managed and unmanaged silver fir–beech forests in the western Pyrenees Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Vlatka Horvat1 *, Hanna Tuomisto2, Patxi Heras3, Idoia Biurrun1 and Itziar García-Mijangos1 1Dept. of Plant Biology and Ecology,Faculty of Science and Technology. University of the Basque Country. PO. Box 644. 48080 Bilbao, Spain, E-mail: [email protected];2D- ept. of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland and 3Museum of Natural His- tory of Álava, Siervas de Jesús 24, 01001 Vitoria, Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

We studied forest management impact on plant diversity in silver fir–beech forests in the western Pyrenees. This topic is relatively well studied for vascular plants, but studies on bryophytes are scarcer, although bryophytes are considered better indicators of forest management impact. We surveyed species composition, forest structure, light conditions and soil properties in 32 plots representing both managed and unmanaged stands. For a more detailed insight, we divided the plant species into ecological groups that were based on habitat preference for vascular plants, and on management sensitivity and life strategy for bryophytes. We assessed potential drivers of species richness and turnover by general linear mixed models and multiple regressions on distance matrices, respectively. Managed and unmanaged stands did not differ significantly in structural variables. Nevertheless, managed forests had higher alpha richness of both vascular plants and bryophytes than unmanaged ones. Both managed and unmanaged forests contained a high percentage of long-lived bryophytes, and had similar numbers of sensitive bryophytes. The main factors explaining species richness were elevation, gaps and soil silt content for vascular plants, and elevation and soil aluminium saturation for bryophytes. Forest management was not significant either for vascular plants or for bryophytes. Species turnover of vascular plants was best explained by geographical distance and differences in gaps, number of large fir trees and soil aluminium saturation. In the case of bryophyte species turnover, the only significant variable was geographical distance. We found that assemblages of vascular plants and bryophytes can respond differently to environmental variables in the study area, so studying them separately may yield more accurate information than treating all plants together. We also observed that the ecological groups of bryophytes did not respond to forest management intensity as expected. This might indicate either that the current ecological classification is not applicable to the sampled stands, or that the management history is more complex in the area than is immediately apparent.

174 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hoshino Y.

Poster nr. 072 40 yrs vegetation change of Mizunara oak forest in Hokkaido, northen Japan Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Yoshinobu Hoshino* Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Background & Aim: Resampling of vegetation using the same method on the same site where previous data was taken is a valid method to know vegetation change during research interval. Mizunara oak forests distributed widely in Hokkaido cut down intensively because of its high commercial vale for oak barrel and furniture. Existing forest stands are mainly substi- tutional one. To clear the recent change of species composition and species diversity of the forests, I resurveyed Mizunara oak forests where first survey was done in 1980th. Recent increase of sika deer population seems to affect the diversity of the forest understory, but there is little information how species change in the forest. Materials & Methods:Study area is Hokkaido, northern Japan. Resampling of vegetation visiting to the same plot where vegetation survey record of 1980th was taken was done in 2015 and 2016. At the same time, intensity of deer impact on the plot was measured. Main Results & Interpretations: Average species number in a plot decreased form 51.2 species per plot to 45.4 species during ca. 30yrs. Occurrences of grassland species, such as Miscanthus sinennsis, Pteridium aquilinum subsp. japonicum, Iris ensata var. spontanea and pioneer tree species, such as Alnus hirsuta var. sibirica, Salix caprea were decreased. On the other hand, increase of occurrence was observed in forest floor herbaceous species like Teucrium viscidum var. miquelianum. Effects of deer were observed in more than half of the plots, but decrease of species number in lightly impact stand was lower than that of no impact stands. Results of NMDS ordination, I found 1st and 3rd axes correlate to winter climate conditions (e.g. winter precipitation, snow duration) and temperature in growing season respectively. Stand score of both axes decrease from 1980th . The 2nd axis seemed to indicate the difference of site condition such as humidity of soil. The change of species number from 1980th to 2010th corresponded to the change of 2nd axis score of the plot. Cause of major change of species composition is the result of forest development toward mature forest.

175 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Hovstad K. A.

Oral Presentation Effects of abandonment on plant diversity and provision of ecosystem services in semi-natural grasslands along soil and climate gradients Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Knut Anders Hovstad*, Line Johansen and Sølvi Wehn NIBIO, Dept. of Landscape and Biodiversity *Presenting author: [email protected]

Semi-natural grasslands are dependent on agricultural management to sustain their plant communities and ecological characteristics. In this study we have looked more closely on effects of abandonment in semi-natural pastures. By using a series of natural experiments we have studied differences in plant diversity in managed and abandoned semi-natural pastures in Norway. Specif- ically, we have examined how the effects of abandonment on plant communities vary along environmental gradients of climate and soil. We have included both measures of taxonomic and functional diversity. The study builds on vegetation data from 110 plots of 4 m2 at fourteen sites across grazed and abandoned semi-natural grasslands. Climate data were extracted and soil composition analysed. Data on the plant species vegetative height (H), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), seed mass (SM), and number of seeds per plant (SNP) for 175 plant species were extracted from the LEDA database. Measures of plant diversity and functional diversity were calculated for each plot. By using indicators for a set of ecosystem services associated with semi-natural grasslands we also assessed how provisioning of these ecosystem services can be influenced by abandonment. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between species diversity and the ecosystem service indicators. The data were then analysed using linear mixed models in order to examine how the effects of abandonment are moderated by gradients in soil and climate. We found that lower species richness in abandoned semi-natural grasslands, especially on more calcareous soils. Community weighted means of plant height, LDMC, and seed mass were higher in abandoned semi-natural grasslands. The community weighted mean for LDMC was only higher in the driest abandoned grasslands. The ranges in plant height, SLA, and seed mass as well as evenness in LDMC were also higher in abandoned semi-natural grasslands but the range in LDMC was lower. The ecosystem service indicators had in general lower levels in abandoned as compared to grazed grasslands. We also found that the indicators often, but not always, were positively correlated with species richness. Finally, the relationship between species richness and ES indicators differed between managed and abandoned semi-natural grasslands.

176 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Islamgulova A.

Poster nr. 130 The model of Pistacia vera L. ecological niche in Southern Kazakhstan Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Anastassiya Islamgulova1,2 *and Dmitry Malakhov2 1Laboratory of Geo-botany, Institute of Botany & Phytointroduction, Almaty, Kazakhstan and 2Laboratory of Space Monitoring of Agricultural Production, “National Center for Space Research and Technology”, Almaty, Kazakhstan *Presenting author: [email protected]

Climate change and water scarcity in the arid areas requires the development of water-saving technologies along with the use of drought-tolerant fruit species to solve economic problems. Pistacia vera is one of the plant species suitable. The number of pistachios in all Kazakhstan population is decreasing from year to year. The area, occupied by P.vera in Kazakhstan, represents the North-Eastern limit of the species natural distribution. The low productivity is known for Ka- zakhstan population due to the trees dispersion and predominance of male over female trees (66%, and 34% respectively). The pistachio’s abundance is affected by unregulated grazing, wildfires, forest cutting for fuel and charcoal burning. All of this causes soil erosion and a pistachio forest area declining trend. The model of Pistacia vera L. ecological niche was designed to identify the main environmental variables determining the natural distribution of plants within the territory of Kazakhstan. The set of spatial climatic variables (more than 60), containing average monthly temperature and precipitation (WorldClim), derived variables, like the average temperature of the dry-quarter (base BioClim), monthly average evapotranspiration (Global PET base), aridity index and a number of other parameters have been used. Besides climate, digital elevation model (DEM) (altitude above sea level) and trait of soils have been used for analysis. The ground data on the presence of pistachios in natural habitat were used to develop ecological niche model. 95 releves in 2013, 2015 and 2016 were made. Statistical analysis of the data (by quarterly analysis in Statistica 10.1) was applied to reveal optimal ranges of abiotic variables. Basic model was developed in ArcGIS using “key” variables, obtained from statistical analysis. After selecting the key variables of pistachio, the map, representing the base model, has been produced. This map represents «the potential spread of the species», rather than its actual distribution. The method of the model development represents an interest both for ecological and agricultural research, as it concerns the problem conservation and reproduction of natural resources.

177 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Janišová M.

Oral Presentation Scale-dependent patterns of species richness in mesic Carpathian grasslands Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Monika Janišová1 *, Milan Zajac1, Iveta Škodová1, Timo Conradi2, Janka Smata- nová3, Eva Uhliarová4, Mário Duchoň5, Karol Ujházy6 and Lubov Borsukiewicz7 1Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23 Bratislava, Slovakia;2Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark;3Administration of Protected Landscape Area Strážovské vrchy, Orlové 189, 017 01 Považská Bystrica, Slovakia;4Stupy 13, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Slova- kia;5Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic;6Depart- ment of Phytology, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia and 7Botanical Garden of Ivan Franco National University, Lviv, Ukraine *Presenting author: [email protected]

Temperate mesic grasslands are known for extraordinary species richness at small plot sizes. However, different factors seem to operate at different scales. We tested the hypothesis that at plot sizes up to 1 m2, species richness is ruled mainly by factors reducing assymetric competition such as grassland management, while at larger plot sizes, landscape factors affecting historical or recent dispersal processes are more important. We also asked whether vascular plants and cryptogams differ in their response to the studied variables, and whether this response is scale-dependent. We sampled species composition at two plot sizes (1 m2 and 16 m2) in mesic grasslands of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Directly measured or GIS-derived pedological (pH, soil content of K, Mg, P, and C/N), management (grazing intensity, mowing, ploughing, burning, manuring, abandonment), climatic (mean annual temperature, annual precipitation totals), geographical (latitude, longitude, altitude, slope, solar radiation, district) and landscape (habitat-specific species pool, proportion of forest, grassland, cropland and urban habitats in plot surroundings, landscape diversity, distance to the nearest settlement) data were used as explanatory variables. Regression tree analysis were used to identify the most important determinants of species richness. Vascular plant species richness was driven by different factors than cryptogam species richness. For plot size of 16 m2, species-pool size, proportion of grassland habitats, pH, and soil magnesium content were the most important determinants. For plot size of 1 m2, grazing intensity was responsible for the first split of the regression tree, which separated more intensively grazed species-poorer plots from mown or seasonally grazed plots with higher species richness. Our results confirmed the scale dependence of vascular plant

178 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 species richness patterns in mesic temperate grasslands. Our hypothesis on increasing importance of landscape factors with the increasing grain size was supported. The management factors such as grazing and mowing were also important at both studied scales, however, the high grazing intensity was affecting species richness in a negative way. For cryptogam species richness, the studied environmental factors were not confirmed as good predictors at any grain size, and the only important factor was the availability of species within the habitat-specific species pool.

179 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jaroszynska F.

Poster nr. 104 Shifts in biotic interactions with climate change in semi-natural grasslands in Western Norway Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Francesca Jaroszynska1 *, Vigdis Vandvik1, Siri Lie Olsen2 and Kari Klanderud3 1Department of Biology, University of Bergen;2Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and 3Norwegian University of Life Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

Biotic interactions are important determinants of plant community structure and function. Shifts in these interactions due to global climate change, mediated through disproportional increases of certain species or functional groups, may therefore have strong effects on plant community properties. Still, we lack knowledge of community-level effects of climate-driven alterations of biotic interactions. In this study we examined how a dominant functional group affected community and ecosystem properties of subordinate plant species by experimentally removing graminoids in semi-natural grasslands in southern Norway. To test whether the effect of graminoids varied with climate, the removal experiment was replicated along broad- scale temperature and precipitation gradients. Competition from graminoids predominantly limited species richness of the non-graminoid plant community across the climate gradients. The relative importance of competition also increased with increasing temperature. These findings partly correspond with the results of a previous population-level study, indicating that increased relative importance of competition may be a common response to climate warming across organizational levels of plant communities. Our study suggests that competitive interactions with graminoids may further limit non-graminoid seedling recruitment and species richness in semi-natural grasslands in a warmer future climate, thereby reducing biodiversity of these often highly diverse ecosystems.

180 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jasprica N.

Poster nr. 068 The community diversity and vertical distribution of the vegetation on the coastal Dinaric mountain, NE Mediterranean Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Nenad Jasprica* Institute for Marine and Coastal Research, University of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik *Presenting author: [email protected]

St. Ilija Mountain (St. Elias, 961 m a.s.l.), the area included in this study, is located on the peninsula of Pelješac (355 km2) in south Croatia, eastern Adriat- ic coast. The peninsula is included in Croatian Important Plant Areas (IPAs). The study area stretches over a surface of ca. 1500 ha. Geologically, the ground mostly consists of highly permeable limestones, while dolomites account for the smaller portion of the rocks. This region has been strongly affected by past human activities since at least the Early Neolithic. Altogether, 182 phytosociological relevés were set to investigate the community diversity, vertical distribution of the vegetation and land use on the entire mountain range. The field surveys were done from 2011 to 2016. Altogether, 54 plant associations, excluding anthropogenic vegetation of the Papaveretea rhoeadis, Sisymbrietea and Chenopodietea were recorded. In general, three belts can be recognized: i) belt from the sea level to ca. 100 m, characterized by the Oleo-Ceratonion vegetation; ii) 100 m to 300(-450) m, characterized by a vegetation of Quercetea ilicis (Mediterranean shrubs); iii) 300(-450) to 960 m sub-mountain belt with a Erico-Pinetea, Festuco-Brometea and Ononido-Rosmarinetea vegetation. The low- ermost areas on the southwestern slope, which is influenced directly by the sea, are covered with communities of the rocky, and rare gravel and sandy coasts (Limonion anfracti-cancellati, Euphorbion peplidisand Ammophilion). The evergreen and semideciduous calciphilous holm oak woods are ascribable to Fraxino orni-Quercion ilicis. The vast majority of Pinus halepensis woods (mostly the Pistacio-Pinetum halepensis association) develope mainly in Oleo-Ceratonion, but they also appear in the Fraxino orni-Quercion ilicis. The dry grasslands of the Scorzoneretalia villosae developed on the steep rocky slopes and include many local stenoendemic or Illyrian – Adriatic endemic species. Endemic Pinus nig- ra ssp. dalmatica forests (the Erico manipuliflorae-Pinetum dalmaticae association) develops on dolomite mostly in the range 800 – 900 m a.s.l.Some abandoned agricultural areas are important orchid rich sites. In sum, the relatively high vegetation diversity may be explained by the relatively large surface area and the range of altitudes. Anyway, the management of the forests must attain the limitation of fires, grazing and uncontrolled recreation activities.

181 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jelaska S.

Oral Presentation Analysing impact of spatial accuracy and sample size on habitat suitability models for invasive plants Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Sven D. Jelaska*, Anja Orešković and Toni Nikolić Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR- 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. e-mail: [email protected] *Presenting author: [email protected]

Although the survey of invasive plants in Croatia has intensified in the last 10 years, there hasn’t been a systematic survey of their distributions, and available data differ with respect to their spatial accuracy. All chorological data in Flora Cro- atica Database (FCD) have assigned levels of spatial precision on a scale from 1 (least precise) to 11 (coordinates obtained with GPS). We have used this information to classify data and test how the precision affects the environmental preferences (seasonal mean temperature and precipitation; slope; aspect; distance from settlements and roads and human population density) of each species and to what extent spatial accuracy of chorological data, as well as sample size, influence the outcome of habitat suitability models. Using maxent models with a conservative threshold value of 0.5, we reclassified output grids to create maps of suitable habitats for invasive plants based on different sets of data with respect to their spatial accuracy and sample size. When we increased the size of samples by adding less precise data, statistical significant positive correlation was observed between sample size and area designated as suitable habitat. This wasn’t the case when we compared standalone data sets with different level of spatial precision. The same trend was observed for invasive and native plants that share similar environmental envelopes (e.g. Erigeron anuus vs. Arrhenatherum elatius and Leucanthemum vulgare; Robinia pseudoacacia vs. Carpinus betulus and Quercus petraea). Furthermore, when comparing maps of suitable habitats derived by cumulative addition of data with lower spatial precision, the increase of area occurred in a “nested manner” i.e. spreading from the centre that was predicted with the best data. Contrary, when data with different spatial precision was used as standalone, predicted areas did not differ, but their spatial position did. Comparison of different sample size, within same spatial precision categories, did not yield significant differences, neither in predicted area or spatial arrangement. In summary, the spatial precision of data proved to be more critical than sample size for predicting the distribution of invasive species, suggesting that future mapping efforts should try to be spatially as precise as possible.

182 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ji C.

Poster nr. 118 Anatomical responses of leaf and stem of Arabidopsis thaliana to nitrogen and phosphorus addition Session: Open session Chengjun Ji*, Qiong Cai and Zhengbing Yan Peking University, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China *Presenting author: [email protected]

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availabilities play crucial roles in plant morphogenesis and physiological processes, but how plant anatomical traits respond to the N and P supply is not well elucidated. We evaluated the effects of N and P supply on multiple leaf and stem anatomical traits of Arabidopsis thaliana. The addition of N increased the stem diameter, cortex thickness, rosette radius, midrib thickness, and size of leaf and stem vasculature significantly. Abaxial stomatal length (LSL) increased while adaxial epidermal cell density decreasedsignificantly with increasing N supply. P addition did not affect stem size and leaf epidermal traits, but enhanced the thickness of stem xylem. The nutrient limiting status did not affect most traits except for LSL. The anatomical traits measured varied a lot in the extent of response to N and P addition, despite relatively stronger response to N addition overall. Cortex thickness, rosette radius, stomatal density and epidermal cell density exhibited relatively high plasticity to both nutrients, while stomatal length and stomatal index were relatively stable. Thus, these results suggested that the anatomical traits of shoot vasculature of A. thaliana were enhanced by both nutrients but more affected by N addition, satisfying the plant growth and nutrient requirements. Our findings may help shed light on plant adaptation to nutrient availability changes under the ongoing anthropogenic impacts, but the generality across plant species still needs further investigation.

183 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jimenez M.

Poster nr. 001 Biotic filters and community invasibility in three vegetation patches in a tropical Mexican deser Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Monserrat Jimenez1*, Jose Alejandro Zavala-Hurtado2, Ernesto Vega-Peña3 and Beatriz Rendon-Aguilar4 1Department of Biology, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana;2Department of Biology, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana;3Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sus- tentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and 4Department of Biology, Uni- versidad Autonoma Metropolitana *Presenting author: [email protected]

The susceptibility of communities to be invaded depends on multiple factors, including the diversity of species in the community, and the presence or absence of enemies that facilitate or inhibit the establishment of newcom- ers. We conducted a field experiment to test if these variables act as filters. We placed seeds of six species, with different invasiveness levels, under the canopy of Prosopis laevigata trees in three patches with different vegetation type in a desert ecosystem at central Mexico. The percentage of germination and seedling survival related to herbivory for each species, as well as the diversity of plants under every tree was analysed. The community with the highest invasibility was cardonal (characterised by the unbranched columnar cactus Cephalocereus columna-trajani), followed by desert scrub and tetechera (characterised by the branched columnar cactus Neobuxbaumia tetetzo). We found a positive linear relationship between plant diversity and germination and survival percentage, although no difference was found between invasive and non-invasive species. Although seedlings suffered greater herbivory in the cardonal patch, it was also the patch with the highest percentage of establishment and species diversity. These patterns of establishment may be due to environmental filters present in heterogeneous environments. The relative importance of these filters would depend on the requirements of each species and its ability to handle the particular characteristics of each local vegetation patch. Similarly, local communities have different susceptibilities to be invaded, partly depending on local biotic and abiotic conditions at each patch and functional traits of the colonising species.

184 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jurasinski G.

Oral Presentation Scale dependent patterns of trait convergence and divergence in temperate grassland communities Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Jurasinski G*, Päßler J-H, Schröder B, Günther A, Koch M4 *Presenting author: [email protected]

The driving forces of community assemblage are a matter of ongoing debate in ecological research. In theory, the two main forces shaping plant communities are environmental filtering and limiting similarity. Both have been suggested to be testable using trait-based approaches. On the one hand, environmental filtering should set limits for the total niche volume and therefore result in higher functional similarity of the species than expected at random. On the other hand, limiting similarity is expected to restrict niche overlap due to competitive exclusion, which should result in higher trait dissimilarity than expected at random. In recent years the investigation of assembly patterns shifted away from single scale studies to address scale issues explicitly because it is suggested that considering different spatial scales may help to clarify the underlying assembly mechanisms. Here we use a trait based approach to analyse species assembly along nearly continuously increasing spatial scales from 10×10cm to 800×800cm in three grassland ecosystems along a gradient of productivity and management. We found scale-dependent patterns of environmental filtering for whole-plant and seed traits and single limiting similarity patterns for trait combinations related to the leaf economic spectrum. Along the productivity/management gradient different traits reacted differently. While the management mainly influenced plant height, the other whole-plant and seed traits were more influenced by environmental stress. These forces have modulated trait assemblage in two different ways. First, they shifted the occurrence of non-random patterns towards higher scales and second they changed the number of non-random patterns. Trait combinations instead provided information on the side of the leaf economic spectrum for which the community was competing. Based on our results we conclude that the outcome of trait distribution analysis in null model approaches depends on the scale, the environmental conditions and on the trait investigated. Thus, it seems that multiple scales must be included in community assemblage studies to prevent overlooking assemblage forces.

185 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Jussi L.

Oral Presentation Scale dependent patterns of trait convergence and divergence in temperate grassland communities Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Jussi Lampinen* University of Turku, Department of Biology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Following a century of habitat loss, the populations of many grassland specialists in Europe have been restricted to fragmented remnant habitats. Understanding which environmental factors determine the population performance of these species would help detect the conditionsfavoring the long- term persistence of the species in such fragments. It would also help plan restoration action in occupied fragments, and to locate suitable but presently unoccupied grassland fragments for translocation of the species. In this study, I asked which environmental conditions determine the performance of Carex caryophyllea (VU), a rare grassland specialist sedge, in 43 remnant grasslands in southern Finland. The grasslands are surrounded by varying degrees of urbanisation and comprise the entire distribution of the species on mainland Finland. I measured the performance of the species with 9 variables describing persistence, establishment and sexual and vegetative reproduction, and related these to environmental conditions at each site with principal component analysis and generalized additive models. The first two axes of the principal component analysis explained 52 % of the variation in the performance variables. The first axis was correlated with the reproduction of individual shoots (e.g. amount of ramets, spike length), and the second one with the size and reproduction of entire populations (e.g. shoot cover, flowering culm density). According to generalized additive models, the reproduction of individual shoots related positively to temperature and slope aspect at each site. In turn, the size and reproduction of the entire population related positively to field layer erosion, soil productivity, light abundance and cover of surrounding urban land use types, but negatively to isolation from other sites. The results imply, that the reproduction of individual shoots depends strictly on the warm microclimate of the site, which is typical for species in their northern distributional limit. However, the size and reproduction of entire populations is a more complex function of suitable disturbance, soil productivity, light abundance and vicinity to other populations. Possible translocation of the species will be most succesfull on grasslands with a combination of these conditions. Populations inhabiting the opposite conditions are, in turn, in need of restoration action to ensure their long-term persistence.

186 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kacki Z.

Poster nr. 065 Formalised classification of Natura 2000 forest habitats in Poland Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Zygmunt Kącki*, Ewa Stefańska-Krzaczek, Marta Czarniecka, Katarzyna Łapińs- ka, Renata Łojko, Mateusz Meserszmit and Grzegorz Swacha Department of Vegetation Ecology, University of Wroclaw, Przybyszewskiego 63, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Natura 2000 habitats are relatively new form in the typology of vegetation in Poland. The recognition of these habitats is mainly based on the criteria used for the classification of vegetation units. Unambiguous identification of Natura 2000 forest habitats is challenging due to the high complexity of this vegetation and long-term forestry management. There are no clear and formal criteria for identifying Natura 2000 habitats based on the large-scale analysis in Poland. So far, Natura 2000 habitats have been recognised based on expert knowledge. A large amount of phytosociological data stored in electronic databases may serve as the comprehensive source of information on differentiation and distribution of protected habitats. The aims of this study were 1) to develop an expert system for identification Natura 2000 forest habitats in Poland, 2) to determine variability and distribution patterns, 3) to prepare guidelines for Natu- ra 2000 management. We used 80,000 relevés from Polish Vegetation Database. We selected 23,983 relevés from forest vegetation. Using Cocktail method we created formal definitions for 17 Natura 2000 forests habitats reported from Poland. Habitats definitions were created using a combination of two types of functional species groups. Based on the interspecific association of species and expert knowledge we created 10 groups of co-occurring trees, e.g. Fa- gus-group including Fagus sylvatica (tree and shrub layer), Abies alba (tree and shrub layer), Taxus baccata (tree and shrub layer). 26 herb species groups were created based on phytosociological assignment to syntaxonomical units. Each habitat was characterised by diagnostic, constant and dominant species. The geographical and altitudinal ranges, as well as environmental characteristics for each habitat were given. The proposed formalised system of identification of Natura 2000 forest habitats is a practical tool for management and nature conservation. As a result of this study, we developed an electronic information portal e-Silva available at http://www.e-silva.uni.wroc.pl.

187 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kajisa T.

Poster nr. 111 Quantifying spatiotemporal patterns of land-cover change with satellite image classification in Tbeing leak Community Forest, Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Tsuyoshi Kajisa1 *, Satoshi Ito2, Ryoko Hirata2, Yasushi Mitsuda2, Vuthy Ma3 and Heng Sokh3 1Kagoshima University, Japan;2University of Miyazaki, Japan and 3Forestry Administration, Cambodia *Presenting author: [email protected]

Land cover and its geographical characteristics in the landscape are crucial components in the provision of ecosystem services. As the characteristic of land cover have important impacts on climate, hydrology and species diversity, land cover change has been indicated as one of the high priority concerns for the development of strategies for sustainable landscape management. One of important role of community forest in Cambodia is to provide several non-timber forest product (NTFP). For example, honey production is important income for local people. Honey production is affected by forest area and landscape composition. On the other hands, wild bees play the role of pollinator for fruit trees. So, it is necessary to analyze the landscape pattern change that affect to bee’s activities in the point of view of honey production and pollinators. Therefore, the aims of this research are to quantify spatio- temporal patterns of land-cover change with satellite image classification in and surrounding of Tbeing leak Community Forest, Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Target period is from 2000 to 2016 at interval of 5 years. ASTER data was used for land cover classification. We evaluate to the change of each land cover, patch size, shape of patch, and several landscape pattern indices. We will show the spatiotemporal patterns of land-cover change and discuss about the relationships between these landscape patterns and function of such landscape structure.

188 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kaligaric M.

Poster nr. 033 Evapotranspiration is important for understanding the changed landscape identity: the case of the “classical” Karst in Slovenia Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Mitja Kaligarič** University of Maribor, FNM, Biology Dept. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Evapotranspiration (ET) change is a direct eco-hydrological effect of vegetation cover change. Little work has yet been done to investigate this relation, especially at the landscape level. In this study, the landscape change process was initially observed by determining the fractional green vegetation cover difference between two time windows over a span of 12 years (2002 – 2014), followed by an estimation of the June mean daily actual evapotranspiration change within the Kras (“classical” Karst) area in Slovenia, based on LANDSAT satellite imagery. The relative ET difference was linked to vegetation dynamics over the given time span. The study aimed to look at the changed identity of the landscape beyond the two-dimensional vegetation perspective. Most of the study area has faced a clear gain in ET (74%), which perfectly matches with the increase in scrub encroachment and forest progression, following the rationale that more scrub/trees means higher ET rates. The increase of scrub and forest encroachment was first revealed with other methods, based oin old topographic material, aerial photographs, field habitat mapping and permanent plots. However, the increase in ET was also perceived where vegetation cover categories (forests, grasslands, scrub) remained unchanged in the given timespan according to habitat mapping. In the persisted grassland category the estimated mean ET change spans between an 11.7% increase and a 5.9% decrease. This is explained with fast growth of scrub and trees, as well as with progression of tall herbs in abandoned grasslands. It can be concluded that the estimated ET change rate can be an important complementary indicator to the “static” two-dimensional approach for assessing the landscape change process from a functional perspective; in this regard, the perception of “landscape identity” might perhaps be re-considered. Namely, decreased wind velocity due to increased scrub/ forest vegetation cover and increased air humidity affect also the traditional agriculture and human life in general.

189 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kamimura V.

Poster nr. 124 Elevation and selective logging affect the phylogenetic diversity and structure of tree communities in the Atlantic Rainforest Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Vitor de Andrade Kamimura1*, Marco Antonio de Assis1, Carlos Alfredo Joly3 and Priscilla de Paula Loiola2 1State University of São Paulo (UNESP) ;2Federal University of São Carlos and 3State Uni- versity of Campinas (UNICAMP) *Presenting author: [email protected]

Studies on phylogenetic similarity of co-occurring species provide key information to identify processes acting on community structuring. In Tropical Forests, environmental filtering and human management are considered the most important factors affecting the assembly rules of these communities. We tested for the roles of elevation and selective logging in the phylogenetic diversity and structure (overdispersed or clustered) of tree communities of the Atlantic Rainforest in the State Park of Serra do Mar, Brazil. We considered two elevation ranges and two management conditions, expecting elevation and low human impact to decrease the phylogenetic diversity, and lead to a clustered phylogenetic structure. Also, we tested whether these effects were mediated by the clades used in the analyses (e.g. Cyatheaceae). We analyzed four grids of 10 plots of 20 x 20 m each, summing up 1.6 hectares in each elevation: lowland, plots until 100 m, and montane, plots above 1000 m. Six of these grids were unaltered by human activity and two grids were managed by selective logging in 1976. We identified all tree individuals, including palm species and ferns. We sampled 4,320 tree individuals of 586 species and 62 families. We calculated the phylogenetic diversity and the structure of each of the 80 plots and used t-tests to test our hypothesis. As expected, phylogenetic diversity was higher in the preserved communities when compared to the managed ones (p=0.03), and higher in low elevation plots, compared to those in high elevation (p<0.01). Considering all species, we found changes in the phylogenetic structure from overdispersion to clustered in the lowland (p<0.01), and the opposing pattern in montane sites (p<0.01). After removing Cyatheaceae, the patterns were reversed. Our results show that selective logging acts as a disturbance, decreasing the phylogenetic diversity and affecting the phylogenetic structure, increasing the Cyatheaceae abundance, which is a pioneer species. This effect leads to a clustered phylogenetic structure among trees in disturbed Lowland communities and overdispersion in disturbed Montane communities. Finally, our results indicate that phylogenetic analysis should be careful including different taxonomic groups, especially the phylogenetic distant ones, because it changes the final results.

190 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kaminski D.

Poster nr. 077 Long-term observation of the dynamics of herb layer in forest released from human pressure – on example of Taxus baccata nature reserve in Wierzchlas (NW Poland) Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Dariusz Kamiński*, Mirosława Ceynowa-Giełdon and Dominika Lisiecka Chair of Geobotany and Landscape Planning, Faculty of Biology and Environment Protec- tion, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Torun, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Planned forest management has led in many places to a strong transformation of forest ecosystems. They often make it impossible to identify the original type of plant community. The exclusion from human pressure, for example as a result of nature conservation, allows to observe the regeneration processes of the plant community. The aim of this paper is to present the changes occurring in herb layer of a forest released from human pressure on the example of the common yew Taxus baccata L. reserve “Cisy Staropolskie im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego” in Wierzchlas (NW Poland). The yew population in Wierzchlas is under partial protection probably from 1827. As a result of forest cultivation in 18th and 19th centuries there was a pine forest with a yew in the undergrowth. Following the introduction of strict conservation protection in 1920, the process of forest regeneration started. The forest floor undergrowth floristic composition was unsteady. There grew plant species typical of pine, beech and also oak-hornbeam forests. In order to analyze changes taking place in the forest and to resolve the syntax- sonomic diagnosis in 1952 the floristic observations were started. The research was done in a grid of 177 research squares in which mapping of 42 species of vascular plants was made. The research was repeated between 1977-1982 and 2009-2013. Numerical analysis of species distribution in research squares was performed. During the 60 years, dynamic changes of the spatial structure of herb layer were observed. They showed the decline in species richness on large areas and the migrations of some species disappearing in the centre of oak-hornbeam forest to the nearby habitat of ash-alder forests. The main factors responsible for the changes are: 1) the progressive establishment of shady conditions of the forest floor due to increasing density of forest canopy, and 2) man made decrease in soil moisture throughout the forest, associated with lowering of groundwater levels in surroundings.

191 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Karadimou E.

Oral Presentation Long-term temporal changes in diversity after volcanic eruptions on a sea- born Mediterranean volcanic island, Nea Kameni (Santorini, Greece) with insights into assembly processes Session: Vegetation diversity on islands Elpida N. Karadimou1 *, Athanasios Kallimanis2, Ioannis Tsiripidis2, Panayotis Di- mopoulos1, Thomas Raus3 and Erwin Bergmeier 4 1Department of Biology, University of Patras, GR-26504 Rio, Patras, Greece;2School of Biol- ogy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece ;3Botanischer Gar- ten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14191 Berlin, Germany and 4Department of Vegetation and Phytodiversity Analysis, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

We compiled a long time series dataset (covering the period 1911 and 2011) on the Nea Kameni volcanic island’s flora in order to study diversity patterns and community assembly during the previous 100 years. The aim of this study is to investigate: i) whether there are contrasting changes in the temporal patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity within each assemblage (alpha diversity), as well as the taxonomic and functional turnover between successive time periods (beta diversity), ii) whether the processes driving species assembly change over time since previous disturbance/eruption and iii) whether different functional traits of the plants (e.g. for annual and perennial species) indicate different community assembly processes. A floristic data set, comprised of data collected in five censuses that took place between 1911 and 2011, was used to calculate alpha and beta components of taxonomic and functional diversity within four successional stages, and to examine how community structure changed over time. Moreover null model analysis was used to test whether observed functional diversity differed from random expectations. Alpha diversity, both taxonomic and functional, increases with time interval since disturbance, while beta diversity does not display a clear trend. Our results indicate that stochastic events determine species assembly regardless the time elapsed since an eruption event, contrary to the theoretical expectations. Interestingly, when annual and perennial species were analyzed separately, different mechanisms were detected at particular time intervals since disturbance: habitat filtering is revealed as the main driver of annual species’ assembly after 17 years since last eruption while at the same time limiting

192 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 similarity is the main driver for perennial species. This result is linked with a high percentage of perennial species in the assemblage right after the eruption, an event that could only be explained by the development of species that survived the eruption and were detected in the first census of the island flora five years after the eruption. Thus, our study indicates the importance of past disturbance history in providing the necessary context for understanding legacy effects on succession.

193 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Karrer G.

Oral Presentation Homogenization of species rich meadows by nature conservation managment rules Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Gerhard Karrer* and Jakob Koessl Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna *Presenting author: [email protected]

The management of species-rich meadows in the nature conservation area Lainzer Tiergarten (Vienna) is regulated by a management plan since 1998. In the context of this project, floristic changes of these meadows were studied over 18 years aiming to detect species changes and to assign the latter to either the management regime or to environmental changes like nitrogen deposition or climate change. For this purpose, 64 vegetation relevés surveyed in 1997 and 1998 by LEPUTSCH (1997) were selected and surveyed again in the years 2014 and 2015. Compositional changes between the two survey periods were examined by use of multivariate methods (DCA). The DCA of the combined dataset shows a clear homogenization of the species composition between 1996/97 and 2014/15. The total variation in the two datasets decreased from 4.7 to 4.2 SD-Units. Group centroids of vegetation units shifted towards the overall Centroid. The mean indicator value for nutrient supply increased on average from 3.8 to 4.0. Obviously, the cessation of nitrogen inputs in 2000 did not lead to an impoverishment of the system. In contrast, the ongoing nitrogen deposition lead to cumulatively better nutrient supply favouring species characterised by high Ellenberg N-values. Besides the harmonizing effect by the overall aerial nitrogen deposition, this development can be attributed also to the fact that the majority of the meadows were cut almost at the same time. Leputsch (1997) presented a very detailed management plan with specific mowing regimes optimized for the various types of meadows, including a vegetation map for operationalisation. But the realisa- tion was less sophisticated and changed soon to homogenous regulations with one single “earliest allowed” cutting date for whole field complexes. The mean indicator values for temperature indicate that climate change (I.e., higher annual mean temperatures) in the investigated period (1996/97 to 2014/15) did not lead to an increase of species favouring higher temperature.

194 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kasari L.

Poster nr. 059 Good dispersers disappear from European calcareous grasslands following the payment of extinction debt Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Liis Kasari*, et al. and Aveliina Helm Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005 Tartu, Estonia *Presenting author: [email protected]

Calcareous grasslands in Europe are characterized by large changes in environmental conditions and habitat spatial configuration during past century. With the loss of habitat area and decreased habitat quality, number of characteristic plant species can go locally extinct from historically developed communities. However, biodiversity equilibrium is rarely achieved quickly after environmental perturbations such as habitat area loss, because species extinction in response to unfavourable conditions is often delayed due to demographic and stochastic processes, thereby creating extinction debt in the community. Existence of extinction debt in areas with recent area loss can be causally deducted from the lack of relationship between number of habitat specialist species and current habitat area. In the stable landscapes without extinction debt, the species-area relationship is expected to be significant. We aimed to find out which grassland regions in Europe experience extinction debt, in which regions the extinction debt is likely already paid, and which plant species are most susceptible to habitat loss. We used extensive dataset consisting of 493 calcareous grassland stands from 10 separate regions and from 8 different countries (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia and Sweden). We found that specialists richness was significantly related to current grassland area in six European grassland regions, where average grassland area was also relatively small (1.18 ha). In Estonia, Lat- via and Sweden, however, grassland patches were considerably larger (46.63 ha) and current habitat area was not related with specialists richness, indicating the existence of extinction debt in those regions. Specialist species appeared to have considerably longer dispersal distance in the regions with extinction debt (mean 29.95 m) than in regions without extinction debt (mean 18.33 m), showing that good dispersers disappear from European calcareous grasslands following the payment of extinction debt. The conservational implication from this finding is that different land-use history in European regions has led grasslands to currently differing situations, which needs to be taken into account during habitat management and restoration. In regions where extinction debt still occurs, habitat restoration is urgently needed to prevent further loss of susceptible species.

195 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kattenborn T.

Oral Presentation Differentiating plant strategy types using canopy reflectance: What makes the difference? Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Teja Kattenborn* and Sebastian Schmidtlein Institute for Geography and Geoecology (IfGG), Karlsruhe Institut for Technologie (KIT) *Presenting author: [email protected]

Abiotic and biotic ecosystem properties cause a trait-convergence among plant species within a community involving structural, physiological or phenological traits. Based on such traits, species can be grouped into plant functional types that group species in response to environmental conditions present or their impact on the ecosystem. The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Net- work (GEO BON) proposes ecosystem composition by functional types as Essen- tial Biodiversity Variables (EBV) for monitoring biodiversity from space. In order to efficiently determine the spatial distribution of plant functional types and thus ecosystem properties hyperspectral earth observation (EO) data is ascribed a high potential.Hyperspectral EO-sensors measure the reflected electromagnet radiation (and hence indirectly the plant properties) and was successfully applied to retrieve the spatial distribution of plant functional types. Several authorslist plant traits, e.g. pigment contents, dry matters, nitrogen or phosphorus, which are supposedly important to optically differentiate plant functioning. However, knowledge about the relative importance of these traits for differentiating plant functioning remains limited.One of the main reasons for this is that various optical traits affect the same wavelength regions and it is therefore difficult to isolate the discriminative power of a single trait. A way to determine the effect of single plant traits on the optical reflectance of plant canopies is given by radiative transfer models. The most established radiative transfer model is PRO- SAIL, which incorporates biochemical and structural plant traits, such as pigment contents or leaf area index. In the present study 25 grassland species of different PFT were cultivated and traits relevant for PROSAIL were measured for the entire vegetation season (2016). For each trait a seperate data set of canopy specta was simulated using PROSAIL, where the respective trait was fixed. The information content of each data set and thus trait for differentiating PFTs was determined byapplying firsta Multi-response Permutation Procedure (MRPP) on the single bands of thesimulated canopy spectra. Secondly, to test the whole-spectrum discernibility, three different maschine learning algorithms, i.e. RandomForest, Partial Least Squares and Support Vector Maschines, were applied to the simulated spectra. We demonstrate that for canopy spectra the variation of some traits, especially biochemical traits, feature a lower seperability of PFT compared to the insitu trait measurements. Overall structural traits, i.e. leaf angle and leaf area index,are more important for differentiating PFT than biochemical traits. Our results underline that optical information is often present in narrow wavelength regions, which confirms the potential of hyperspectral EO-data data for vegetation characterization.

196 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kelemen A.

Poster nr. 087 Invasion of Asclepias syriaca common in habitats with human disturbance – is it a threat to the native flora? Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends András Kelemen1,2 *, Orsolya Valkó2, György Kröel-Dulay4, Balázs Deák3, Tamás Miglécz3, Péter Török2, Katalin Tóth3, Nóra Balogh2 and Béla Tóthmérész2,3 1MTA’s Post Doctoral Research Program, MTA TKI, Budapest, Hungary;2University of De- brecen, Department of Ecology, Debrecen, Hungary;3MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary and 4Institute of Ecology and Botany, MTA Cen- tre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary *Presenting author: [email protected]

Asclepias syriaca (Common milkweed) is a highly competitive invasive species with extended non-native area in Europe and usually persists in disturbed habitats. Therefore, it is especially important to explore the direct effect of A.syriaca invasion on the native flora and vegetation. A few papers just partly dealing with the effects of common milkweed reported no effects of this invader on the natural flora. However, milkweed is a fast-growing, large competitor with effective clonal spreading and seed dispersal ability and broad leaves. Hence, it is unlikely that there is no effect of such a competitor invader to the native flora and vegetation. This ambiguity suggests that there is a need to test the effects of milkweed on native flora and re-consider the former findings. To explore its effect on the natural sandy flora, we studied the vegetation of late-successional sandy old-fields invaded by milkweed. To identify the most sensitive species groups we performed trait-based analyses (we studied leaf-height-seed traits and clonal spreading ability). Study sites were situated in the largest calcareous sandy area of Hungary (Kiskunság, Central-Hungary). We found that there was no effect of milkweed on total species richness and species richness of native species; however, it had a negative effect on the cover of native grassland species. This negative effect was the most pronounced on the cover of species with low specific leaf area, low seed weight and low clonal spreading ability (i.e. low competitive ability). Our findings indicated that late-successional sandy grasslands invaded by milkweed form undesirable ecosystems and the invasion of milkweed can delay the colonisation of native grassland species and arrest the succession in an undesirable stage. In these habitats, milkweed had significant negative impact on the natural grassland species. Thus, the control of milkweed is crucial for the protection of the native sandy flora.

197 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kemppinen J.

Oral Presentation The role of soil moisture in shaping plot-scale vegetation patterns in high-latitude landscapes Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Julia Kemppinen1 *, Pekka Niittynen1, Juha Aalto1,2, Peter C. le Roux3 and Mis- ka Luoto1,3 1Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki;2Finnish Meteorological Institute and 3Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria *Presenting author: [email protected]

The influence of soil moisture on vegetation patterns and plant performance is widely recognized. However, a large majority of plant species distribution studies have neglected field-quantified soil moisture variables. Here, we provide insights into the importance of soil moisture for three ecologically and evolutionary distinct species groups (vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens) in European mountain tundra. The study area covers broad environmental gradients in a representative high-latitude landscape in north-western Finland. The in situ data from 378 square-meter- plots consists of occurrence records for 152 species and their essential resource and direct drivers (soil moisture, temperature, nutrients, light, disturbance, and biota). Soil moisture was measured from all plots three times during one growing season to investigate the effects of average moisture level and dynamics on plot-scale vegetation. We tested if the inclusion of these soil moisture variables alters species occurrence predictions from a species distribution modelling (SDM) framework based on four state-of-the-art statistical methods. Extreme variation in soil moisture was observed over short distances, reflecting the strong spatial heterogeneity of hydrological conditions in the landscape. The inclusion of two moisture variables significantly improved the predictive power of the distribution models, with consistent results for all three species groups and all modelling methods. Our data thus highlight that soil moisture strongly affects habitat suitability for a diversity of taxa at fine spatial scales in arctic-alpine environments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first SDM study to assess the role of soil moisture for three different taxa. Our results demonstrate that in high-latitude landscapes soil moisture variation, along with heterogeneity in temperature regimes, create a mosaic of microclimates that provide diverse habitats for vegetation. Moreover, since it is now evident that tundra vegetation is strongly dependent on both soil moisture and temperature, understanding spatio-temporal variation in these environmental conditions is crucial for fine-scale climate change impact studies. Acknowledgements: The work was supported by the Academy of Finland, GeoDoc at the University of Helsinki, Kone Foundation, and Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica. We thank our BioGeoClimate Modelling Lab and the staff at Kilpisjärvi biological station for their help and support.

198 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Khanina L.

Oral Presentation Vegetation patterns and forest recovery on abandoned agricultural lands in the Central European Russia Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Larisa Khanina1 *, Maxim Bobrovsky2, Vadim Smirnov3,1 and Natalia Ivanova1 1Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology RAS - Branch of the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics RAS;2Institute of Physico-Chemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science RAS and 3Center of Forest Ecology and Productivity RAS *Presenting author: [email protected]

Abandoned agricultural lands are a good object to simulate dynamics, partitioning and assembling of plant diversity under historical land-use systems, such as slash-and-burn and shifting agriculture which were wide spread over the Rus- sian Plain. We studied plant diversity and vegetation recovery on former arable lands and pastures abandoned 25-30 years ago and located in the Kaluzhskie Zaseki Reserve. Several abandoned fields were affected by grass fire after abandonment, but the most fields were not burnt. All the fields were surrounded by species-rich broad-leaved forest. Our results showed that in the absence of fire about 90 and 80% of the herbaceous species from nearby forest established on abandoned ploughed lands and pastures; all shade-tolerant trees and shrubs gradually occur in the undergrowth. With fires, forest recovery is delayed, although plant diversity can be higher. Multivariate analysis of influence of fire intensity and soil characteristics onto vegetation was conducted on arable lands abandoned at the same time and located in the south of the Moscow region. Vegetation and soil were sampled in three study areas located on loams in three biotopes with different fire history with 5 and 3 repetitions. We used two-way MANOVA to compare structure of vegetation between the study areas and the biotopes. Results showed that the biotope reflected the fire history is strongest statistically significant factor defining the vegetation structure, whereas a contribution of the study areas is negligible. Redundancy analysis of influence of soil variables on species abundance showed that variation of vegetation depends in more degree on characteristics of the biotopes than on characteristics of the study areas: soil and biotope together define 19% of the total variation. Soil reaction, content of C, N and K are the main soil variables defining the variation of vegetation. Thus intensity of fire is the main factor defining the vegetation structure and together with soil characteristics influencing on species abundance. The fact that without fire, practically all plants from nearby forests can establish on abandoned agricultural lands within 20-30 years of successional forest recovery proves that landscapes with rotation of lands under traditional land-use could maintain their forest species.

199 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kimberley A.

Oral Presentation Rapid loss of open land species and slow colonisation of forest species following grassland abandonment Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Adam Kimberley1 *, James M. Bullock2 and Sara A.O. Cousins1 1Stockholm University and 2Centre for Ecology and Hydrology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ongoing changes in land use aremajor drivers of global biodiversity losses and shifts in plant community composition. The slow response of many plant species to both positive and negative environmental change may result in complex community dynamics, which remain poorly understood. Here, we use a dataset on former semi-natural grassland habitats, abandoned at different points since 1901, to assess the relationship between forest and grassland species diversity and time since grassland abandonment. This space for time substitution allowed us to identify the trajectories of grassland species extinction and forest species colonization within successional grasslands. Re- sults suggest that grassland species have been rapidly lost from all but the most recently abandoned habitats (those which have become forested within the last 20 years). Conversely, forest species are accumulated more gradually, with colonization credits remaining in even the oldest successional forests. As a result, overall species richness follows a non-linear relationship with respect to time since management abandonment. Accounting for these opposing trajectories of species change is therefore essential to predict changing community composition in former semi-natural grasslands and successional forest habitats.

200 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Klaus V.

Oral Presentation Can we rely on only the “dark side”? A soil seed bank study assessing the restoration potential of agricultural grasslands Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Valentin H. Klaus1 *, Markus Fischer2, Ute Hamer1, Till Kleinebecker1, Daniel Prati2, Deborah Schäfer2 and Norbert Hölzel1 1Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Muenster, Germany and 2Institute of Plant Sci- ences, University of Bern, Switzerland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Due to vast losses in grassland biodiversity, the restoration of grassland plant communities is one of the major targets of nature conservation. A cheap and easy tool to stimulate the growth of plant species, which are absent from the aboveground vegetation but might be hidden in the “dark”, is to make use of the soil seed bank. However, the potential contribution of soil seed banks to effective grassland restoration still remains unclear, as many typical species do not built-up a persistent seed bank. We present a large-scale disturbance and seed addition experiment in 73 agricultural grasslands in three regions in Germany. To evaluate whether the soil seed bank can be effectively used for grassland restoration, we disturbed the sward of the grasslands to achieve recruitment from the seed bank and monitored the regeneration of the vegetation over two seasons. We also determined species richness, seedling densities and functional composition of the seed bank. Our study shows that soil seed banks were quite species-poor, had low seedling densities and were dominated by rather ubiquitous species. En- dangered species were almost completely absent. Nevertheless, sward disturbance led to an activation of the soil seed bank and increased not only arable weeds but also typical grassland species. However, this effect was only significantly positive, where plant diversity was generally low. We conclude that only in recently species-impoverished grasslands, sward disturbance alone might be able to increase plant species richness. To achieve a distinct increase in species richness, additional diaspore transfer is needed. Our experiment showed that the addition of regionally produced seed mixtures as an additional measure to sward disturbance was able to raise plant species richness on average by 15 species, underlining severe seed and dispersal limitation of temperate grasslands.

201 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kleinebecker T.

Oral Presentation Winners and losers of management intensification: species-specific response of plants to land-use intensity in grasslands Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Till Kleinebecker1 *, Verena Busch1, Valentin H. Klaus1, Daniel Prati2, Steffen Boch5,2, Jörg Müller3, Stephanie A. Socher4, Melanie Chisté6, Nico Blüthgen6, Markus Fischer2,7, Carsten Mody6 and Norbert Hölzel1 1University of Münster, Institute of Landscape Ecology;2University of Bern, Institute of Plant Sciences;3University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology;4University of Salzburg, Institute for Ecology and Evolution;5Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Re- search;6Technical University Darmstadt, Department of Biology and 7Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre *Presenting author: [email protected]

Though a prerequisite for their development, land-use intensification has become a major threat for plant species richness in temperate grasslands. To explore general mechanisms in the link between plant species richness and land-use intensity (LUI), we employed a ‘niche model approach’ combined with a randomization procedure to unravel species-specific responses to LUI. For each plant species, we defined a ‘habitat niche‘ based on its occurrence and abundance across 150 grassland sites differing in LUI (i.e. fertilizer quantity, mowing and grazing intensity), analyzed their realized niche breadth and identified potential winners and losers of high LUI. Underlying mechanisms of species response were assessed by relating species-specific plant functional traits, Ellenberg indicator values and Grime´s ecological strategy (CSR) to the species’ response to LUI. Out of 155 species with sufficient frequency, 34% were identified as significant losers of high LUI, whereas only 10% were winner species. This pattern was mainly driven by species response to fertilization level and mowing frequency, whereas response to grazing was less pronounced. Niche breadth was positively associated with the abundance weighted niche optimum along the LUI gradient, indicating that winner and neutral species of high LUI have a broader niche. Losers display a relatively narrow niche, thus being confined exclusively to low LUI. Winners of high LUI were mostly “Competitors” and “Ruderals” with high SLA, tall growth and high seed output; displaying a nutrient-acquisitive strategy. They were associated with nutrient rich soils and low pH values. Losers, on the other hand, were mostly “Stress-tolerants”

202 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 or “Ruderals”, displaying high LDMC and low seed output. These species displayed a nutrient-retentive strategy by investing mainly in durable tissue and were associated with nutrient-poor and base-rich conditions. Our analysis of individual species responses enhances the knowledge on the mechanisms behind the susceptibility of plant diversity to different types and intensities of land use in grasslands. The results clearly suggest ongoing and accelerated species loss by further land-use intensification and that low LUI (particularly low fertilization level and mowing frequency) is mandato- ry to maintain (and restore) high plant species richness in grasslands.

203 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Koch M.

Oral Presentation Recognition of plant community types from near-ground nadir photography Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Marian Koch*, Anke Günther, Birgit Schröder, Sebastian Gapikowski, Jasmin Ra- sim and Gerald Jurasinski University of Rostock, Landscape Ecology group *Presenting author: [email protected]

Field surveys performed by experts are the most reliable data source for assessing the distribution of certain species ore community types. However, field sampling is time-consuming, and there is always a trade-off between the density of sampling points and the precision at which that the spatial variability of vegetation can be covered. Space- or airborne remote sensing data can be used to interpolate between ground samplings, but for some applications the results lack the necessary precision. Near ground remote sensing (or proximal sensing) may fill this gap by allowing us to record point-wise vegetation data more rapidly than possible with expert sampling, with higher accuracy than typically possible with remote sensing. We present a method to use nadir photos of vegetation plots to estimate their species composition. Photos are taken freehandly with normal consumer cameras. Distinctive image features are derived using the spatial power spectrum, image histograms and color indices. Based on these features, support vector machine classifiers are trained and used to predict the depicted community types at varying hierarchical levels, and to predict the presence of individual species. The proposed approach is tested for two datasets. A first set consists of 455 photos of 328 vegetation plots in semi-natural grasslands with six distinct community types of low intra-class variability. In a second test, we extended the first dataset with 300 additional vegetation plots in a broader range of vegetation, so that the resulting dataset does not exhibit clear class borders. In both cases, recognition of community classes was possible with good accuracy (up to Cohen’s κ>0.9, depending on the hierarchical level of vegetation classification). In contrast, accuracy for the prediction of individual species presence varies strongly and is generally low for species with low constancy among community types. Our results show that nadir photography, in combination with an exhaustive training dataset, may be a promising additional tool to assess low vegetation. This could also open the path for the development of simple smartphone-based citizen science tools, that could allow non-experts to contribute to vegetation surveys.

204 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kolb R. M.

Poster nr. 050 Frost as a limiting factor for tree encroachment in wet grasslands from Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Rosana M. Kolb1,2 *, Jonathan W.F. Ribeiro2 and Giselda Durigan3 1Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus de Assis;2Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus de Rio Claro and 3Instituto Florestal, Floresta Estadual de Assis *Presenting author: [email protected]

Fire is one of the main factors preventing tree encroachment in tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas. Moreover, frost disturbance occurs in grassy vegetation under milder climates, and can cause changes in savanna vegetation similar to those caused by fire. Here, we hypothesize that frost is a limiting factor to tree encroachment in wet grasslands subject to frost events, since tree saplings may be more susceptible to frost in open vegetation, where tree canopies are absent and young plants are exposed to lower temperatures. To test this hypothesis, we compared frost impact on young individuals of three arboreal species growing on wet grasslands (WG) or under the canopy of surrounding arboreal vegetation (AV), at Assis State Forest, São Paulo State, Brazil. Nursery-raised individuals of Calophyllum brasiliense (typical of gallery forest), Hymenaea stigonocarpa (typical of savanna) and Tapirira guianensis (generalist) were planted in the grasslands and compared with native saplings of these species growing in the adjacent arboreal vegetation (gallery forest or woody savanna). We assessed the frost impact just after severe frost events in June 2016, quantifying saplings with damaged apical bud and the total percentage of damaged leaves for each species in the two environments (a minimum of 57 individuals per species). Frost impact between the two environments was compared by using Mann-Whitney test and among species by using ANOVA followed by Tukey test. Only WG saplings presented apical buds and leaves damaged by frosts (P<0.001), and the impact was variable among species (P≤0.03), being C. brasiliense saplings more affected. Apical buds were damaged in 83.2% of individuals of C. brasiliense, 53.3% of H. stigonocarpa and 56.9% of T. guianensis in the grasslands. The percentage of damaged leaves was of 75.2% for C. brasiliense, 63.1% for H. stigonocarpa, and 68.6% for T. guianensis. The young trees of the species studied were not affected by frost when growing under tree canopies; in contrast, their growth was severely affected by frost in open grasslands. Therefore, we find strong evidence in our study that frost can slow down the woody encroachment over grasslands, favoring the maintenance of their characteristic phytophysiognomy.

205 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kononova N.

Oral Presentation Distribution of halophytic vegetation on saline soil and their relationship with environmental factors under the conditions of the steppe zone of Southern Siberia Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Natalia A. Kononova* Institute of Biophysics SB RAS, Federal Research Center “Krasnoyarsk Science Center SB RAS” *Presenting author: [email protected]

More than 25% of the Earth’s surface is saline to some extent. In the steppe part of Siberia, saline soils are confined to the shores of salt lakes. Our research is focused on studying the distribution of halophytic vegetation on salt march soils and their relationship with environmental factors. The research was carried out from 2004 to 2016, in the summer period (June-August). As a result, the vegetation structure was defined: coverage, plant height, above-ground biomass; climatic parameters (air temperature, precipitation) and 12 soil parameters (humus, electrical conductivity, pH, ion content). The data were processed statistically. The investigations were carried out on the territory of the salt lake Kurinka (total mineralization 120 g/l). A total of 150 study plots (10 x 10 m) located on transects (200 x 50 m) along four shores of the lake were studied. As a result, it was shown that the species diversity is low (57 species). Hierar- chical cluster analysis showed that the greatest degree of similarity is found in the vegetation of the northern and western shores, which have gentle slopes. The southern and eastern shores are steep and at the highest points are covered with steppe vegetation (Agropyron cristatum, Stipa capillata). The maximum degree of soil salinity was registered on the northern coast (EC 4.59 mS/cm), the proportion of halophytes is 55%. The minimum degree of salinity (EC 0.10 mS/cm) was registered at the top of the slope on the eastern shore, where halophytes are absent. The above-ground biomass varies from 110 to 345 g/m2. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that the distribution of species on the shore of the salt lake depends mainly on the topography of the slope (steep- ness and relative height). The change in the degree of soil salinity depends on the amount of precipitation during the vegetation season and the duration of drought periods. Comparison of the dynamics of soil, climate and vegetative indices showed close interrelation between all the parameters. The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project No. 16-34-00402 мол_a.

206 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Korotkov V.

Poster nr. 076 Land-use patterns and forest vegetation: plant diversity, secondary succession and restoration of forests after long-term cutting and plow- ing (Moscow region, Russia) Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Vladimir Korotkov* Department of Geobotany, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow *Presenting author: [email protected]

We have investigated forest tracts surrounded by agricultural lands and settlements in Moscow region on the moraine-erosion plain. The composition and structure of these forests are typical for the center of European Russia and, as a result of centuries of economic development, they are simplified compared with the late-successional hemiboreal forests: the studied forests mainly consist of even-aged stands which are floristically poor and there is neither a patchy organization of the forest canopy nor a complex microsite structure in the ground layer. Identical soil types and relief positions carry different forest types that differ in their management histories. The forest communities on watersheds are the successional variants of the ass. Mercurialo perrenis-Quercetum roboris and the floristic similarity between the variants is not very high. Forest history together with the availability of seeds of late-successional trees and probabilities of seedling survival define the current successional status of forests and the direction of their spontaneous development in the future. The late-successional trees Picea abies, Acer platanoides, Fraxinus excelsior, Ulmus glabra and U. laevis occur in greatly reduced numbers in the forest stands of the Gorki Reserve owing to severe anthropogenic impacts in the area during centuries. The natural regeneration of hemiboreal forests with a complex spatial structure and a high species diversity is impossible in island forest tracts in the coming centuries due to the scarcity of late-successional species. Our experience in the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems allowed us to offer the following main directions of forest management aiming to conserve biodiversity and to restore forest ecosystems: 1) restore the patchy organization of the forest canopy by felling of groups of neighbouring trees to imitate gaps in the canopy; 2) restoration of species diversity should be based on the natural regeneration of species combined with the planting of missing indigenous tree species.

207 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kozhevnikova M.

Poster nr. 012 Spatial model of potential distribution of Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae Klika 1933 communities within forest-steppe zone of the Eastern Europe Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Mariya Kozhevnikova* and Vadim Prokhorov Kazan Federal University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Communities with Quercus robur dominating in tree layer and large amounts of steppe species in shrub layer and herbage on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan can be attributed to Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae Klika 1933.The given plant communities are unique complex systems. Their small fragments are preserved in the Middle Russia and are described both eastwards and westwards from the Republic of Tatarstan. These forests account for a significant part of forest and steppe complex systems and wildlife reserves of rare plant species. For they can be met on the border of a forest and steppe, their condition serves as a vivid indicator when monitoring the dynamics of herbage in the context of global climate changes. This is the reason for revision of this community species on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan to present a major conservational problem. We have been addressed the task to construct a spatial model of potential habitats of Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae Klika 1933 communities within the forest-steppe zone of the Eastern Europe. 78 published relevé, primarily from the Russian territory, 655 points of relevé from European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and 65 relevé from the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan that are presented in Vegetation Database of Ta- tarstan (GIVD Database ID: EU-RU-011) were used as initial data. As abiotic predictors, we used the data of WorldClim model as per 68 climate and associated parameters; and data of SoilGrids model as per 66 parameters characterizing different soil properties. Two algorithms were used in processing. The first one is BioClim — modeling algorithm based on “climate profiles” development – the ranges of factor values, where the phenomenon is observed (in this case it is distribution of a special type of plant communities). The second one is MaxEnt — modeling algorithm based on machine learning. Both algorithms were used to develop patterns employing 2 sets of data, the end pattern within each of algorithms is its overlapping. The end result was a model that represents the patterns overlapping obtained by each of the algorithms.

208 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Krestov P.

Oral Presentation Betuletea ermanii - a new class of forest vegetation Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Pavel V. Krestov1 *, Yukito Nakamura2 and Kirill A. Korznikov1 1Botanical Garden-Institute FEB RAS and 2Tokyo University of Agriculture *Presenting author: [email protected]

Introduction: This study focuses at classification of cold deciduous broad- leaved forest and scrub vegetation in the oceanic sector of boreal zone of Northeast Asia. Most peculiar vegetation type characteristic of this area is Betula ermanii forest often accompanied with the Alnus fruticosa thickets and tall herb meadows. The whole complex occurs in a severe climatic conditions with cold summers, mild winters, and a nearly equal distribution of precipitation throughout the year. Material and Methods: A dataset of 584 relevés was employed for classification. Relevés were made in accordance with standard phytosociological techniques and include full species lists, a number of environmental measurements and exact geographical positions. The classification systems were produced with aid of special phytosociological software. Results: We propose the new class, Betuletea ermanii. A characteristic feature of this class is the species complex adapted the cool, humid and foggy summers, mild and snowy winters. Great snow accumulation and its late melting cause shortening of the growing season and serve as an important limiting factor for regeneration of the coniferous species. A typical community of the class is dominated by Betula ermanii. Alnus fruticosa, Pinus pumila and Sorbus sambucifolia may form the tall shrub layer. The herb layer is composed of Angel- ica ursina (in the south and west), Heracleum lanatum, Senecio cannabifolius, Caca- lia hastata, Cirsium kamtschaticum, Veratrum alpestre, Aconitum maximum, Urtica platyphylla and Filipendula camtschatica. The class occurs on the zonal habitats in Kamchatka and middle Kuril Islands and forms distinct vegetation belt between the belts of spruce forests and Pinus pumila thickets in the mountains. The hierarchical system of this class includes orders Betuletalia ermanii and Streptopo-Alnetalia maximowiczii Ohba 1973. Discussion: The class has been formed in the Pleistocene in some marginal conditions, where the snow cover shortened the growth period. Such conditions in Pleistocene Maximum represented refugia for vegetation and habitats characterized by 1) presence of trees, 2) lack of the permafrost or its deep melting in summers, 3) high humidity. Such Pleistocene refugia caused the rapid spreading of the class in Kamchatka and adjacent Kuril Islands during the Holocene warming.

209 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kubota Y.

Oral Presentation Phylogenetic community assembly of angiosperm trees along climatic and geographical gradients Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Yasuhiro Kubota1 *, Buntarou Kusumoto1, Takayuki Shiono1 and Werner Ulrich2 1University of the Ryukyus and 2Nicolaus Copernicus University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Global-scale forest censuses provide an opportunity to understand diversification processes in plant communities from an evolutionary perspective. To test whether climatic filtering and isolation influence phylogenetic community assembly across biogeographic regions, we generated a dataset of tree species abundances in 843 plots worldwide. We calculated net relatedness for each plot and phylogenetic beta diversity between plots. Then we compared these indices for South America, Africa, the Indo-Pacific, Australia, the Nearctic, Western Palearctic and Eastern Palearctic, and explored their correlations with climatic and geographic variables. Angiosperm tree species were phylogenetically more clustered in climatically harsh and/or unstable regions. Local communities were phylogenetically diversified with increasing precipitation or temperature difference and geographical distance, especially between temperate and tropical biomes. These results are consistent with the predictionof the climatic filtering hypothesis. Moreover, phylogenetic dissimilarity between regions demonstrated the geohistorical vicariance effect on evolutionary diversification in tropical or temperate flora that dispersed across different continents. Our findings illuminate the importance of biogeographical processes in shaping angiosperm tree communities: environmental filtering related to tropical niche conservatism predominantly acted as a driver of the latitudinal diversity pattern, and in situ diversification associated with climate and geography helped explaining regional diversity differences. This study demonstrates a future possibility of global-scale vegetation science, based on big data synthesis of forest plot data.

210 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kudabayeva G.

Poster nr. 074 Features of species composition of anthropogenically disturbed vegetation in the western part of the kirghiz alatau range (the northern tien shan mountains) Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Gulmira Kudabayeva*, Nataliya Nelina and Polina Vesselova Institute of Botany & Phytoinroduction, Republic of Kazakhstan *Presenting author: [email protected]

Uniqueness of the Kyrgyz Alatau range is defined by its botanical-geographical location - in the midst of central, northern and western Tien Shan Moun- tains combining features of their flora and vegetation. The considerable altitudinal range providing a variety of landscapes and vegetation types have caused the intensive use of plant resources (as high mountain pastures, haying lands, and also as a recreation area). Disturbance of vegetation and soil cover is connected with degradation under influence of various factors, especially grazing. The results of pasture malfunction are terracing and pathing the slopes. At the sites of overgrazing, populations of Descurania sophia and Thlaspi arvense prevail. Intensification of the human impact now is expressed in development of natural areas for industrial, residential facilities and farming, deforestation, use of chemicals and pollution by industrial emissions and transport. The types of anthropogenic impact on vegetation are changed depending on their altitudinal confinedness. For the foothill zone and for the lower mountain belt the following traits are usual: pastoral degradation, road digression, water and wind erosion, and also unregulated recreation pressing. At the places of abandoned farmlands the secondary vegetation consists of groups of segetal and ruderal species. Among weeds are: Acroptilon repens, A. australe, Son- chus arvensis, Cirsium setosum, Lactuca tatarica, L. serriola, Malva pusilla, Dodartia orientalis, Artemisia annua, Echinochloa crusgalli, Brassica spp, Sinapis arvensis, etc. Overgrazing at high mountain pastures lead to formation of cattle mooring places. Vegetation there is absent as a result of a long stay of livestock on small sites, and poisoning the land surface by manure. Growth of vascular plants there will be possible in several years after partial aeration and washing off the hazards. Various stages of secondary succession can be observed across the Kyrgyz Alatau – from pioneer aggregations of weeds to natural phytocenoses. Veronica argute-serrata and Potentilla asiatica aggregations appear at initial stages. At next stages the species composition is extended: Poa alpina, Capsella bursa pas- toris, Phlomis oreophila, Asperugo procumbens, Ranunculus alberti, Lamium album, Chenopodium album, Taraxacum songoricum, Polygonum aviculare. Thus, species composition can serve as an indicator of age of the overgrow process of the cattle mooring.

211 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kumar P.

Poster nr. 106 Allometric relationships for predicting the stem volume in a Impa- tiens glandulifera at Himalayan Region by Inventory-Based Geospa- tial Approach using Sentinel-2 Sensor Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Pavan Kumar1 * and Meenu Rani2 1Kumaun University and 2G.B. Pant National Institute of. Himalayan Environment & Sus- tainable Development *Presenting author: [email protected]

Forest ecosystem plays very significant role in the global carbon succession. For- ests have played a very important role in the economics and civilizing growth of the India. Tropical forest is one of the immense biodiversity repositories of the world ecosystem. Biodiversity is depleting very rapid due to change of forest region into agricultural or other land use. The multistage statistical techniques, which integrate high spatial resolution and spectral characteristics of satellite data (Sentinel-2), will help in providing precise information about tree species. Regression analysis provides better results to identify forest species among different bands. A positive correlation has been found in the infrared band even negative correlation has been found in other bands, indicated that there is a significant contribution to the diversity of the landscape by those vegetation classes. Allometric relationships for estimating stem volumes of Impatiens glandulifera trees were investigated in monoculture plantations in Himalayan Region. The various allometric relationships between stem volume and different dimensions were tested and the coefficient of determination2 R values was used to compare the strength of the relationships. Although the allometric equations were highly significant (P<0.01) there was considerable variation among them as indicated by the R2 values. Our results suggested that tree volume is more correlated with the basal area than with simple D (stem diameter at 1.3 m height above the ground). The allometric relationships of stem volume to the tree diameter at 10% of tree height (D0.1) did not improve the allometric strength in comparison with simple D as reported in the case of some other tree species. However, for the Im- patiens studied the stem DBH alone showed a very strong accuracy of estimation (R2 = 0.975) especially when used as D2. It is concluded that the use of tree height in the allometric equation can be neglected for the species, as far as the present study area is concerned. Therefore, for estimating the stem volume of Impatiens, the use of D2 as an independent variable in the allometric equation with a linear or quadratic equation is recommended. Keywords: Biodiversity, Landscape, Allometric relationships, Remote sensing, Satellite image classification

212 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kurek P.

Poster nr. 060 Microsite specific survival of spruce saplings in primeval subalpine forest Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Jan Holeksa1, Przemysław Kurek1 *, Fiona Milne1 and Magdalena Żywiec2,3 1Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Protection, Adam Mickiewicz University;2W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Po- land and 3Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon *Presenting author: [email protected]

Tree regeneration depends on various relationships linking the establishment and survival of young individuals with different elements of the forest structure. A strong connection between young trees and the microhabitats created by the death of trees seems to be a crucial factor enabling regeneration of the trees. Coarse woody debris, windthrow mounds and tree stand gaps provide suitable conditions for seedling establishment of Norway spruce. In this study the object of our special interest was the relationship of sapling survival and the substrate on which they were established: decaying logs, windthrow mounds and soil as well as their location: within or outside gaps. The investigation was carried out in the massif of Babia Góra (1725 m); (Beskids, Western Carpathians), where subalpine spruce forest occurs at the elevation of 1150-1400 m a.s.l. The investigated spruce forest has been under protection since 1930. We applied GLM to verify which microhabitat had a relevant impact on the survival rate of the saplings for 20 years. As dependent category variable we established sapling status (dead or alive) and as explanatory variables we used: substrate type (rotten logs, windthrow mounds, soil); height of the saplings (continuous variable) and the share of canopy gaps within a 15 m radius from saplings. Two factors seem to be relevant to the survival of young spruces: share of canopy gap area in their vicinity and substrate type. The highest 20-year rate of sapling survival was recorded on windthrow mounds (79%), while the lowest was obtained for rotten logs (61%). Sapling height and gap area in their vicinity did not impact the survival rate significantly. It seems that although coarse woody debris is more favourable in the establishment of spruces, they survive better on forest floor, on windthrow mounds in particular.

213 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kusumoto B.

Oral Presentation Combining trait-based ecology and ethnobotany: impacts of biodiversity loss on timber provisioning service Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Buntarou Kusumoto*, Takayuki Shiono and Yasuhiro Kubota University of the Ryukyus *Presenting author: [email protected]

Assessing the impacts of biodiversity loss on ecosystem services is a key issue in ecosystem management. However, its quantitative evaluation is still under debate. Trait-based ecology predicts the species’ response to environmental factors and also their effect on the variety of ecosystem functioning. On the other hand, ethnobotanical information, which is traditional knowledge of useful plants, can be surrogates of human ecological niche. Therefore, combining the trait-based approach and ethnobotany is a promising way to elucidate the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem services, allowing us to quantify the properties and dynamics of human niche space. For Japanese tree species, we compiled leaf and stem traits dataset (801 species) and ethnobotanical information (preferential use of timber wood; 1268 species). Collating this with the species distribution database at the 10km grid-cell level, we calculated functional structure indices (functional richness, functional divergence, community mean) for the whole and timber species assemblages. We also estimated species successional score using the vegetation plot data obtained in secondary and intact forests, and then simulated non-random species loss process (i.e. step-wisely remove later-successional species) by anthropogenic exploitation in each grid-cell. As we predicted, more severe species loss led to shifting community mean of trait values and an erosion of functional diversity. Such substantial changes in functional structure indicated the vulnerability associated with lower functional redundancy,especially in higher latitudinal regions with harsh climate conditions and/or poor species pool. Specifically, utilitarian values of tree species in boreal or cool-temperate forests were more closely associated with their ecological niche and functional uniqueness, potentially posing a greater risk by forest exploitation, compared with those in warm-temperate and subtropical forests. Our findings demonstrate that ecological redundancy of timber wood species is evaluated by functional similarity and complementarity among tree species, and the vulnerability of timber wood resources can be predicted by a contrast of trait assembly of useful species with those of community functional structure modified by forest exploitation.

214 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Kutnar L.

Oral Presentation Alien plant species as a threatening factor in disturbed forests in Slovenia Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Lado Kutnar1 *, Aleksander Marinsek1, Janez Kermavnar1 and Maarten de Groot2 1Slovenian Forestry Institute, Dept. of Forest Ecology, Ljubljana, Slovenia and 2Slovenian Forestry Institute, Dept. of Forest Protection, Ljubljana, Slovenia *Presenting author: [email protected]

In recent decades, forest management in Slovenia has been close-to-nature and small-scale oriented, without clearcuttings. In addition, the introduction of alien tree species in forests is not promoted. However, before this period, in the middle of the 20th century, the planting of some alien tree species was more common due to different benefits. Currently, the growing stock of alien tree species represents only 1% of the total growing stock of forests in Slovenia. The invasive Robinia pseudoacacia is the most widespread (0.6%), followed by Pinus strobus, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Quercus rubra. In total, 93 alien plant species were determined in 72% of all forest site types. The highest number of alien plant species was recorded in riparian and riverine forests. Among 74 forest site types, willow-poplar communities on the river banks are under the highest pressure from alien plant species. Due to different human impacts, (peri-) urban forests are also highly exposed to the invasion of alien species. Since 2014, forests in Slovenia have been significantly changed because of a massive ice storm and subsequent bark beetle attacks. Natural disturbances and sanitary felling have consequently created a high share of open areas in forests, which are sensitive to invasions of alien plant species, which may adversely affect forest habitats and outcompete native plant species, and modify both the structure and functions of forest ecosystems. To draw the attention to alien plant species possibly presenting a risk to forests and to achieve an early warning system, an alert list was prepared for invasive alien plant species in Slovenian forests. The following categories of plant species are taken into account: i) alien, and especially invasive plant species; ii) the species occurring close to the national border with a high probability of being im- ported into the country; iii) the species already present in the country but only in small and local populations, which are still controllable. Based on these criteria, 51 plant species were identified for the alert list. The main potential pathways for the introduction of these plant species are escape from cultivation and transport.

215 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Laanisto L.

Oral Presentation The modular nature of intraspecific trait variability: an experimental demonstration using a broad-niched herbaceous perennial species Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Lauri Laanisto* and Tiit Hallikma Estonian University Of Life Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

Although it´s commonly assumed that interspecific trait variation contributes more to functional variability in plant communities than intraspecific trait variation (ITV), recent studies have shown that the latter can be as high or even higher under some circumstances. Several factors related to ITV are known to have significant effects on community assembly and species interactions. Yet, despite the significance of ITV having been emphasized in reviews, and its magnitude comprehensively analyzed in studies, general patterns of ITV are yet to emerge. Majority of ITV-studies with plants have so far focused on measuring key functional traits for many species in conjunction, and in just one or few locations (typically communities). Our study examined ITV from a hitherto unexplored angle, proposing that ITV dynamics in plants could be explained by modu- larity concept. We propose that phenotypic plasticity in plants, which is the main source of ITV is usually expressed in subindividual level, which creates complex interplay between local responses and systemic control. In order to test the modular nature of ITV, our study focused only on one species: Phacelia secunda – widely-distributed common herbaceous perennial plant endemic to Chile. We measured a large number of traits throughout the whole bioclimatic range of its distribution. Both generative and vegetative traits were measured, and both abiotic and biotic environmental factors potentially governing the ITV of different traits were recorded. This species has wide climatic niche, and it´s also known to be morphologically variable along climatic gradients. ITV responses of Phacelia secunda to abiotic and biotic factors showed differentiating patterns. Whereas abiotic factors (climatic factors) predominantly influenced vegetative traits of the structures that are responsible for resource gathering, biotic factors (diversity and abundance of surrounding vegetation) influenced generative organs, which translate acquired resources into fitness. These results strongly indicate that ITV has modular nature and different abiotic and biotic variables affect different plant organs differently. In our case climatic factors affected predominately the vegetative traits of Phacelia secunda, but biotic interactions from surrounding vegetation affected the generative traits. It remains to be tested whether this contrasting pattern is to be found with other species as well.

216 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ladouceur E.

Oral Presentation Regeneration traits and the trait spectrum of the main European temperate grasslands Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Emma Ladouceur1,2 *, Borja Jiménez-Alfaro3,4, Helge Bruelheide3,4, Pietro Iannet- ta 5, Maria Tudela-Isanta2, Andrea Mondoni2, Peter Poschlod 6, Bernard Amiaud7, Sabina Burrascano8, Bruno Cerabolini9, Hans Cornelissen10, Joseph Craine11, Jitka Klimešová12, Frédérique Louault13, Vanessa Minden14, Kinga Öllerer 15, Vladimir Onipchenko16, Nadejda Soudzilovskaia17 and Costantino Bonomi1 1Botany Section, Museo delle Scienze (MUSE);2Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia;3Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Institute of Biology, Mar- tin Luther University;4German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Hal- le-Jena-Leipzig;5Agroecology Division, James Hutton Institute;6Department of Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Regensburg;7Department of Forest Ecology and Eco- physiology, University of Lorraine-INRA;8Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome;9Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insub- ria;10Department of Ecological Science, Vrije University of Amsterdam;11Jonah Ventures;12In- stitute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic;13Research Unit on Meadow Ecosystems, French National Institute for Agricultural Research;14Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg;15Institute of Biology Bucharest, Romanian Academy;16Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University and 17Depart- ment of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, *Presenting author: [email protected]

For a better understanding of plant-trait ecology, we need to maximize the number of dimensions to be represented in empirical studies. Traits associated to the regeneration niche may be particularly effective for identifying broad-scale and local-scale vegetation patterns, but they have been generally neglected in vegetation science. Here, we test the role of relatively commonly used traits and regeneration traits to distinguish major vegetation types in temperate grasslands. We compiled the most frequent species occurring in five major European grassland types and compared them in the whole trait spectra by their degree of specialization. In the multidimensional space computed for 689 species, the most indicative traits for contributing to variation overall were radial plant growth rate and several regeneration traits. The species groups for vegetation types were better differentiated with non-regenerative traits, while within-group variability was higher in regeneration traits. Traits of established plants (plant height and SLA) and regeneration

217 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

traits (soil seed bank longevity, flowering length, seed mass, and minT ) were most important to discriminate habitat specialists. Neither plant nor regeneration traits separated groups better than the other, but specialist groups were best identified when used together. Although regeneration traits do not differentiate habitats better than other plant traits, they were important to understanding regeneration processes in habitat-filtered species pools. Fur- thermore, the high variation of regeneration traits within vegetation types is consistent with the predictions of Grubb´s regeneration niche.

218 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Landucci F.

Oral Presentation WetVegEurope project AND (new results), OR (different views) AND NOT yet the end of a formalized classification of European wetland vegetation Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Flavia Landucci1 *, Lubomír Tichý1, Kateřina Šumberová2, Milan Chytrý1, Liene Aunina3, Claudia Biţă-Nicolae4, Alexander Bobrov5, Lyubov Borsukevych6, Andraž Čarni7, János Csiky8, Dušanka Cvijanović9, Els De Bie10, Dmytro Dubyna11, Panayo- tis Dimopoulos12, Tetiana Dziuba11, Úna FitzPatrick13, Xavier Font Castell14, Daniela Gigante15, Valentin Golub16, Stephan Hennekens17, Richard Hrivnák18, Dana Hol- ubová1, Lorenzo Lastrucci19, Svitlana Iemelianova11, Ute Jandt20, Florian Jansen21, Dragana Jenačković22, Zygmunt Kącki23, Konrád Lájer24, Dalytė Matulevičiutė25, Attila Mesterházy26, José A. Molina27, Jaanus Paal28, Eva Papastergiadou29, Alessan- dro Properzi15, Snežana Radulović9, Vladimir Ranđelović22, Marcela Řezníčková1, John Rodwell30, Joop Schaminée17, Urban Šilc7, Zofija Sinkevičienė25, Zvjezdana Stančić 31, Jazep Stepanovich32, Boris Teteryuk33, Rossen Tzonev34, Roberto Venan- zoni15, Lynda Weekes13, Wolfgang Willner35 and Igor Zelnik36 1Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic;2Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Science, Brno, Czech Republic;3Laboratory of Geobotany, Institute of Biology of University of Latvia, Salaspils, Latvia;4Department of Ecology & Nature Con- servatio, Institute of Biology, Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania;5Institute for biology of inland waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russian Federation;6Botanical Gar- den, Ivan Franco National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine;7Institute of Biology, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia;8De- partment of Ecology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary;9Department of Biology and Ecol- ogy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia;10Unit Environment and Climate, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels, Belgium;11Department of Geobotany and Ecology, M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine;12Laboratory of Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece;13National Biodiversity Data Centre, Carriganore WIT West Campus, County Waterford, Ireland;14Department of Plant Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain;15Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy;16Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin Russian Academy of Science, Togliatti, Russian Federation;17Alterra, Wagen- ingen UR, The Netherlands;18Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia;19Department of Biology, Laboratory of Plant Systematics and Phytogeography, University of Florence, Florence, Italy;20Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Gar- den, Halle, Germany;21Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany ;22Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Niš, Niš, Ser- bia;23Department of Botany, University of Wrocław, Wrocław ,Poland;24Department of Envi- ronmental Engineering, Óbuda University, Budapest, Hungary;25Institute of Botany, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania;26Institute of Botany and Nature Conservation, Universi-

219 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 ty of West-Hungary, Sopron, Hungary;27Department of Plant Biology II, Complutense Uni- versity, Madrid, Spain;28Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia;29Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Patras, Patras, Greece;30Ecological consultant, Lancaster, United Kingdom;31Faculty of Geotechnical Engi- neering, University of Zagreb, Varaždin, Croatia;32V. F. Kuprevič Institute of Experimental Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus;33Department of Flora and Vegetation of North, Institute of Biology, Academy of Sciences of Russia, Syktyvkar, Russian Federation;34Department of ecology and environmental protection, Sofia University “St. Kli- ment Ohridsky”, Sofia, Bulgaria;35Vienna Institute for Nature Conservation and Analyses, Vienna, Austria and 36Department of Biology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia *Presenting author: [email protected]

During the last years there is a growing interest in unifying vegetation classification at continental scales. In Europe several projects aiming towards this goal have been launched with the support of the European Vegetation Ar- chive (EVA), which provides vegetation plots in the same data format from all around Europe. One of the pioneer projects started in 2013, already before the start of full functioning of EVA, is WetVegEurope. The aim of this project has been creating a consistent formalized phytosociological classification of European aquatic and marsh vegetation (including Lemnetea, Potametea and Phragmi- to-Magno-Caricetea classes) to be used as a tool for nature conservation. We present here the general protocol developed for the formalized phytosociological classification of all marsh vegetation (Phragmito-Magno-Caricetea class) and new results of classification of the orders Phragmitetalia and Bolboschoen- etalia maritimi to the level of alliances and associations. The data set used, including vegetation plots of marsh vegetation (Phragmi- to-Magno-Caricetea class) from 33 European countries, is a part of the database WetVegEurope (GIVD code EU-00-020), compiled using the software TURBO- VEG 3 and nowadays being a part of EVA. All data analyses were performed with the program JUICE 7.0. The data set was stratified and resampled according to country of origin and pre-existent phytosociological classification. The general method used for formally classifying the vegetation is the Cocktail, however a specific classification protocol was created for marsh vegetation. Using this method and protocol we produced logical formulas for automatic assignment of vegetation plots to phytosociological units. We first identified consistent criteria usually used in phytosociological classification of marsh vegetation and according to these criteria we defined assignment rules and constructed logical formulas of associations and high rank syntaxa. The present study also includes a critical review of concepts and nomenclature included in the main European literature about marsh vegetation. We offers a model of vegetation classification protocol that could be used for developing a unified vegetation classification system in Europe and beyond.

220 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Laslier M.

Oral Presentation Early successional vegetation dynamics of alluvial deposits following dam removal Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Marianne laslier1 *, Isabelle Muller2, Ivan Bernez2, Laurence Hubert-moy1 and Si- mon Dufour1 1(1) UMR CNRS 6554 LETG Rennes COSTEL, Université Haute Bretagne, Place Henri Le Moal, 35043 Rennes cedex, France and 2(2) UMR INRA 985 ESE, Agrocampus Ouest, 65 rue de Saint Brieuc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France *Presenting author: [email protected]

The early successional stage is crucial for ecosystem development. Good understanding of this stage is especially important in restoration projects. This issue notably concerns fluvial systems that have been heavily modified and that are now subjects of an increasing number of restoration actions such as dam removal. Dam removal leaves bare soil sediments exposed to vegetation and thus creates an opportunity to monitor each successional stage, from the beginning of colonization to the establishment of a riparian forest. This study aimed to analyze the early successional stage in the context of dam removal with three focuses: 1) the colonizing plant species, 2) the spatial pattern of the colonization process and 3) dynamics of interactions between physical drivers and biological components. The study was conducted on the Sélune River (Normandy, France), where two dams, 30 and 16 m high, respectively, are in the process of being removed. We conducted field and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) vegetation surveys during the 2015 growing season on dewatered alluvial deposits at two scales: Site and impoundment scales. At the site scale, on four dates from January to July, we recorded vegetation cover, composition and lateral position from the river in several georeferenced quadrats. The same information was recorded at the impoundment scale on three dates from March to September. Physical drivers were indicated using spatial proxies (distance to and relative elevation from channel, distance upstream from the river bank) obtained from a Digital Elevation Model based on high-density Lidar data. Statistical analyses were conducted at the impoundment scale and at the sediment bank scale. Results showed a rapid terrestrialization of plant communities during the growing season and an intra-annual increase in species richness. No invasive species were found, and we observed ligneous species Salix atrocinerea and Alnus glutinosa in the late growing season. No link were found between functional diversity and abiotic factors. Vegetation pattern was influenced more by abiotic factors in the early growing season (March, May) than in the late growing season (July), suggesting a shift in successional stage of vegetation from the biogeomorphic to the ecological stage.

221 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Le Roux P.

Oral Presentation Facilitation by the cushion plant Azorella selago affects a beneficiary species population structure more strongly than abiotic conditions Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Peter C. le Roux* Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria *Presenting author: [email protected]

Environmental conditions and plant size can both alter the outcome of interspecific plant-plant interactions, with seedlings generally being facilitated more strongly than larger individuals in stressful habitats. However, the combined impact of plant size and environmental severity on the outcome of interactions is poorly understood. Here, I test explicitly for the first time the hypothesis that ontogenetic shifts in interactions are delayed under increasingly severe conditions by examining the interaction between the two most-widespread vascular plant species on Marion Island (the grass Agrostis magellanica, and the cushion plant Azorella selago) along two severity gradients. The impact of A. selago on A. magellanica abundance, but not reproductive effort, was related to A. magellanica size, with a trend for delayed shifts towards more negative interactions under greater environmental severity. Intermediate-sized individuals were most strongly facilitated, leading to differences in the size-class distribution of A. magellanica on the soil and on A. selago. The A. magellanica size-class distribution was more strongly affected byA. selago than by environmental severity, demonstrating that the plant–plant interaction impacts A. magellanica population structure more strongly than habitat conditions. As ontogenetic shifts in plant–plant interactions cannot be assumed to be constant across severity gradients and may impact species population structure, studies examining the outcome of interactions need to consider the potential for size- or age-related variation in competition and facilitation.

222 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Lepš J.

Oral Presentation Asynchorny in population fluctuations and stability of grassland biomass Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Jan Leps1,2 *, Marie Smilauerova1 and Petr Smilauer1 1University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Sience, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic and 2In- stitute of Entomology, CAS, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

The theory predicts that the community biomass will be stabilized over time when the fluctuations of individual populations are asynchronous, and this effect increases with species richness of communities. We will ask, what is the degree of asynchrony in fluctuation of populations in real grassland communities, to which extent it is affected by experimental manipulations (like fertilization), whether it is enforced by interspecific competition, and how is the effect of possible asynchrony related to the community species richness. We will demonstrate that the prevailing belief that asynchrony increases with species richness is mostly an artefact of the asynchrony measure used. There is a good null model for asynchrony, and it is the independence of fluctuations of individual species in time. Using data from two long-term grassland experiments (Ohrazeni and Zvikov), we will show that in an experimental grassland, the fluctuation of individual species biomass over 16 years is close to the independence among individual species fluctuations, with slight tendency toward synchrony (i.e. positive temporal correlations among species) in non-fertilized, and slight tendency to compensatory dynamics, i.e. negative correlations in fertilized plots. Despite higher asynchrony in fertilized plots, total biomass fluctuates more there, and we can demonstrate that this is an effect of their lower species richness. In the removal Zvikov experiment, the functional groups (grasses, forbs) fluctuate more when in competition than if the other group is removed, and are slightly more negatively correlated there. Thus competition clearly contributes to the asynchrony of temporal fluctuations. In general, the fluctuation of the total community biomass is affected by several factors. The first is the fluctuation of individual species, which is affected by their life histories and also by the environment (e.g. productivity). The second in the synchrony of population fluctuations, and the third is diversity, reinforcing the portfolio effect.

223 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Li C. F.

Oral Presentation Standardise sampling completeness to solve the problem of undersampling Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Ching-Feng Li1 * and David Zelený2 1National Taiwan University / School of Forestry and Resource Conservation and 2National Taiwan University / Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Ecology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Undersampling leads to bias in comparing the diversity of two or more samples. In vegetation ecology, samples are synonyms of plots or relevés and each sample contains the information of species composition, with only presence/absence recordings or with abundance data of each species, in a limited area. Identical plots might have different values of diversity measured by species composition. Those plots are random samples from the same community at various levels of undersampling. No matter which plots have the significantly highest or lowest α, β or γ diversity, there should not be any ecological meaning behind in this case. If we keep increasing the sampling sizes of these same plots to be fully representative of the real community, their diversity values would be the same. We call this differences of values measured by species composition among sampled plots and their real communities as the bias led by undersampling. Unfortunately, all actual plots are mostly un- dersampled at different levels because it takes amazing time and energy to have a complete survey in the target community. The purpose of this study is to point out why is undersampling a problem, to give a brief review about how many solutions have been proposed for solving this problem, and to introduce a scheme in both field work and data analysis for vegetation ecologists in avoiding the bias caused by undersampling.

224 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Liancourt P.

Poster nr. 055 SGH: Stress or Strain Gradient Hypothesis? Insights from the roof of the world Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Pierre Liancourt1 *, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet2, Christian Rixen3 and Jiří Doležal1 1Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czech Republic;2Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimen- tales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain;3WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos Dorf, Switzerland and 4Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH), the view that competition prevails in undisturbed and productive environments, and shifts to facilitation in disturbed or stressful environments, has become a central paradigm in ecology. However, an alternative view proposes that the relationship between biotic interactions and environmental severity should be unimodal instead of monotonic. Possible causes of discrepancies between these two views were examined in the high elevation desert of the arid Trans-Himalayas. A putative nurse species and its associated plant community was surveyed over its entire elevation range, spanning from alpine to desert vegetation belts. Our results were analyzed at the community level (vegetation cover and species richness), considering the distinction between the intensity and the importance of biotic interactions. Interactions at the species level (pairwise interactions) were also considered, i.e. the variation of biotic interactions within the niche of a species, for which we distinguished the abundance (species cover) and probability of occurrence (presence/absence) for the most widespread species along the gradient. Overall, facilitation was infrequent in our study system, however, it was observed for the two most widespread species. At the community level, the intensity and importance of biotic interactions showed a unimodal pattern. The departure from the prediction of the SGH happened abruptly where the nurse species entered the desert vegetation belt at the lowest elevation. This abrupt shift was attributed to the turnover of species with contrasting tolerances. At the species level, however, facilitation increased consistently as the level of stress increases and individuals deviate from their optimum (increasing strain). While the Stress Gradient Hypothesis was not supported along our elevation gradient at the community level, the Strain Gradient Hypothesis, considering how species perceive the ambient level of stress and deviate from their optimum, provided a parsimonious explanation for the outcome of plant-plant interactions at both scales.

225 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Litza K.

Oral Presentation Well-hedged by hedgerows? How traits determine the forest herb community in hedgerows Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Kathrin Litza* and Martin Diekmann Department of Biology/Chemistry, FB2, University of Bremen *Presenting author: [email protected]

In sparsely wooded areas, hedgerows often remain the last near-natural habitat and have been described as refuge habitats and dispersal corridors for herbaceous forest plants. But not all forest specialists can be found in hedgerows. What causes some species to occur abundantly and others to be absent from hedgerows? Can these patterns be explained by specific traits of the species or their responses to environmental variables? Our study was conducted in the “Knick” landscape of eastern Schleswig-Hol- stein, northern Germany, and comprised in total 71 hedgerows. We ran a regression of the frequency of forest specialists in hedgerows based on their regional frequency and related the residuals to various variables. Species with a high dispersal potential, e.g. due to endozoochory by birds, had an above-average frequency in hedgerows. Additionally, the special conditions in hedgerows as opposed to forests – higher disturbance and a less stable micro-climate – were reflected in the community composition. Forest species with high Ellenberg light and temperature scores but low moisture scores were relatively frequent in hedgerows. Also species that can tolerate low pH values according to their lower limits and species having a ruderal strategy were found to be common.

226 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Loidi J.

Poster Vegetation complexes and Biogeography: towards general criteria for provincialism Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Javier Loidi* University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

One of the tasks of biogeography has been the definition of territorial units by means of their biotic content. This has been called provincialism for some authors. Five main ranks have been traditionally recognized, in a downward scale: kingdom, region, province, sector and district. It is assumed that for this purpose biogeography can be used as a synonym of phytogeography, as plants are particularly indicative of the substrate (soil, bedrock, geomorphology) and atmospheric (climatic) conditions. In this contribution it is highlighted the way in which traditional plant taxonomical information is enriched with information about vegetation (plant communities) and a certain type of landscape analysis, as far as they reflect the conditions prevailing in each territory. Floristic specificity reaches the level of family at the rank of kingdom, while it decreases in the lower ranks, being null in the districts. Plant communities have high specificity at the level of formation at the rank of kingdom with all the classes being endemic; at the rank of district, on the other hand, the specificity is null, while in the intermediate ranks it has a high diagnostic power. Concerning landscape, the analysis of the repeated ordered arrangement of vegetation units across a gradient (vegetation zonation) in each territory is considered relevant. The standard topographic zonation is the crest-slope-valley bottom model (geosigmetum) is taken as formal model. The rest of the eco-topographic zonations, i.e. those considered exceptional (permageosigmetum), are also considered. Such zonation patterns differ clearly between the lower rank units, the districts, i.e. they differ in at least one geopermasigmetum. In the higher units the differences in this matter are even greater. Combining information from the three sources: taxonomy, vegetation and landscape analysis, it is possible to efficiently establish accurate and precise limits between territorial units.

227 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Lopatin J.

Oral Presentation Mapping peatlands above and underground carbon stock with remote sensing data: a structural equation modeling approach Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Javier Lopatin1 *, Fabian E. Fassnacht1, Teja Kattenborn1, Mauricio Galleguillos2, Jorge F. Perez-Quezada2 and Sebastian Schmidtlein1 1Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany and 2Department of Environmental Science and Natural Re- newable Resources, School of Agronomic Science, University of Chile, 11315 Santiago, Chile *Presenting author: [email protected]

One key environment for climate change and the carbon cycle regulation are peatlands, which are known for their ability to store high quantities of carbon (C) stock in the ground. Remote sensing (RS) techniques arise as suitable tools to monitor the ecological status of peatlands, due to their ability to map large areas. Optical RS-based models usually try to find a relation between the reflectance and the ecological trait of interest (e.g., C stock). Nevertheless, as the reflectance is usually compound by a mixture of different vegetation traits (e.g., photosyn- thetic pigments and canopy characteristics), it can be difficult to properly isolate which of these traits are actually influencing in the model. Hence, obtain ecological insights from an RS-based model could be challenging. We predicted above and underground C stocks by building a structural equation modeling (SEM), using theoretical constructs obtained from literature, in order to obtain meaningful ecological interactions. We found that the vegetation height and the species richness have the highest relative importance to predict aboveground C stock, while the soil depth and the floristic composition were more important for the underground C stock. We used the path model coefficients to predict the stocks and measure the uncertainty of the theoretical model by bootstrapping. We obtained mean r² values of 0.66 and 0.47 for above and underground C stock respectively, and mean %RMSE values of 13.32% for aboveground and 18.25 for underground C stock. We fed the models with RS-based information (obtained from a UAV hyperspectral sensor) to obtain prediction maps of the two C stocks. By mean of bootstrapping, we obtained the uncertainty areas (coefficient of variation) where the model presented fitting problems. This work is, as far as we know, the first use of SEM in a spatial explicit way.

228 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Louw M.

Poster nr. 014 Testing of consistency in the impacts of burrowing on soil and vegetation across biomes Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Michelle Anne Louw* University of Pretoria, South Africa *Presenting author: [email protected]

Burrowing mammals are capable of modifying their physical environment through altering the availability of resources and creating unique microhabitats, and are therefore often considered to be ecosystem engineers. Through soil disturbances, burrowing mammals may strongly impact soil conditions and plant communities, creating patches in the landscape that differ bioti- cally and abiotically from undisturbed surrounding areas. As a result, burrowing mammals play an important role in increasing soil and vegetation heterogeneity within many ecosystems. Due to resources being more limiting in arid habitats than mesic environments, it is expected that burrows (via trapping resources and ameliorating habitat conditions) will have a greater effect on communities in more arid areas than in mesic environments. The aim of this study was, to test the impacts of aardvark (Orycteropus afer) across three biomes in South Africa, differing in annual rainfall. The impact of burrowing mammals on both physical soil properties (focusing on soil temperature, moisture and compaction) and vegetation characteristics (focusing on plant cover, species richness and species composition) were examined. Burrowing affected soil and vegetation attributes. However, the direction and magnitude of impacts of burrowing were inconsistent across the different biomes. For example soil moisture was decreased relative to the control due to burrowing at the mesic grassland, but was higher within burrows at both the semi-arid savannah and the arid scrubland. Similarly, species richness was highest within burrows in the mesic grassland, but lowest within burrows at the other two study sites. Contrary to expectations, differences in the impacts of burrowing mammals between biomes were not related to rainfall. A consequence of the inconsistent impacts of burrowing mammal disturbances across habitats is that it may be difficult to reliably predict the ecosystem engineering role of these animals in novel environments. Therefore, to improve our understanding of the impacts of ecosystem engineers in different environments, it may be an important challenge to identify the variables that determine the impacts of ecosystem engineers and to study the impacts that these organisms have across a broader range of environmental conditions.

229 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Lozano V.

Poster nr. 085 Ecological distribution modelling for invasive aquatic plant species based under current climate Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Vanessa Lozano1 *, Daniel Chapman2 and Giuseppe Brundu1 1Department of Agriculture, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100 Sassari, Italy and 2NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK *Presenting author: [email protected]

Aquatic plant invaders have strong negative impacts on native biodiversity and many different impacts from plants are reported in the literature for worldwide. One of the most challenging problems confronting invasion biologists is the accurate identification of locations that may be successfully colonized by non-indigenous species. Species distribution models can provide a tool to predict locations where undetected populations of particular species are most likely to occur. We used species distribution models to predict potential suitable areas for invasion of aset of the most invasive aquatic species native to South Americaat global-scale under current climates. Freshwater-specific climate and environmental variables were collected from a standardized 1km grid for modelling. Species occurrences were obtained from different world-databases with the Spocc R package, supplemented with data from the literature. Occurrence records with insufficient spatial precision, potential errors or sea points were excluded. The remaining records were gridded at a 0.25 degree resolution. With each data-set nine statistical algorithms were fitted using BIOMOD2 R package. The projection of the model indicated high suitability throughout the tropical parts of the world. This included the likely native ranges of the species. Non-native occurrences of the species were largely consistent with this projection. The ensemble model had a better predictive ability than any individual algorithm and identified the most important climatic variables limiting occurrence. The response plots show that the ensemble model estimated biologically reasonable curves, with suitability limited by harsh frosts, low growing season temperatures, and low precipitation in the growing season. These findings show how effective use of ecological niche models can identify areas at risk of establishment by recently introduced neophytes. This could help to develop future monitoring programs for aquatic ecosystems that pri- oritize control efforts to reduce the impact of invasive species.

230 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Lozanovska I.

Poster nr. 053 Limited resilience in hotspots of functional richness: the Mediterranean riparian shrublands Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Ivana Lozanovska*, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Pedro Segurado and Francisca C. Aguiar Forest Research Center, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon *Presenting author: [email protected]

Functional diversity indices were introduced to describe community assembly processes and as potential indicators of ecosystem functioning. However, few studies have tested their effectiveness and the predictive capability in woody plant communities upon environmental changes. This study aims to: i) characterize the patterns of functional diversity of riparian forests in Portugal and ii) predict the variation of functional diversity with environmental gradients. We ultimately expect to critically discuss the stability and resilience of riparian forests and provide bases for management and restoration of riparian forests. We used environmental data and species abundance from 189 near-natural locations in riparian forests across mainland Portugal, Southwestern Europe. We collected trait data from the most frequent and abundant species, and derived a matrix of 17 species and 26 plant functional traits. We then calculated for each location Functional diversity indices, such as Functional richness (FRic) and Functional redundancy (FR). We characterized and compared for the significance the differences among diverse types of riparian forests occurring in Por- tugal (alder woodlands, ash woodlands, Mediterranean shrublands, tree-heath shrublands). We adjusted Generalized Linear Models (GLM) using average modelling to explore and predict the effect of the variation of environmental variables (e.g. precipitation, substrate) in the functional metrics. We found that Mediterranean shrublands (composed by e.g. Flueggea tinctoria, Nerium oleander, Tamarix africana) have a significantly higher FRic and a lower FR in comparison to other riparian types. Both regional variables (precipitation, distance to the source, altitude) and geomorphological variables (sand; length of river with no flow) were important for predicting the functional diversity of riparian forests, with varying patterns according to forest types. The most distinctive results concerned the FRic of the Mediterranean shrublands and FR for ash woodlands (dominated by Fraxinus angustifolia and Salix salviifolia), where the best fitting models explained 37% and 35% of the variability, respectively. In particular, we found that the Mediterranean shrublands have higher functional richness in small streams with fine substrates, but the redundancy mostly rely on the precipitation, underlying a potential vulnerability of this forest type with climate change.

231 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Lysohor L.

Poster nr. 084 Adventive fraction of flora of abandoned lands Right-bank steppe Prid- neprov’ya (Ukraine) Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Lyudmyla Lysohor* Kryvyi Rih state pedagogical University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Disturbed habitats generally supply favorable conditions for colonizing species. Abandoned lands (Ukraine) are therefore ideal for the establishment of migration alien species. Strengthening of anthropogenic impact on natural phytocenoses leads, on the one hand, to the impoverishment of the species communities of regional floras, on the other – to the expansion and naturalization of adventive species. Under the adventive fraction of flora, we understand the totality of invasive species, the appearance of which is not related to the natural course of florogenesis. The adventive fraction of abandoned lands of Right-bank steppe Pridneprov’ya is represented by 35 species of vascular plants from 31 genuses and 12 families. In the taxonomical spectrum of leading families of alien species the role of species of the family Brassicaceae is increasing. By is origin, the flora of abandoned lands is dominated by species that covers with their natural habitat the moderate and subtropical regions of the Boreal (Holarctic) kingdom within limits of Eurasia. The species of transitional type of natural habitat are represented in the flora of abandoned lands exclusively synanthropic plants – Bromus squarrosus L., Cardaria draba (L.) Desv., Centaurea diffusa Lam., Diplotaxis muralis (L.) DC., Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad., Lepidium perfoliatum L., Papaver dubium L. and others. This can be explained by the fact that in the territory Right-bank steppe Prid- neprov’ya common post-technogenic and technogenic ecotypes, which are the primary locations of alien species introduction; abandoned lands are secondary locations for these species in the process of synanthropization of the flora. The peculiarities of structure the adventive element have been determined: the dom- ination of archaeophytes, akolutophytes, agrioepaecophytes. Adventive fraction of flora of abandoned lands of Right-banks steppe Pridneprov’ya are formed mainly by the species primary habitat of North America. Among them, the time drift is dominated by euneophyte – Amarantus albus, Ambrosia artemisifolia, As- clepias syriaca L., Grindelia squarosa, Kochia scoparia and others. Because of rapid reproduction, rapid spread and a high degree of naturalization, they were classified as invasive.

232 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Maccherini S.

Oral Presentation Climatic extremes interact with experimental factors in grassland restoration: an experimental long-term studys Special Session: Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Simona Maccherini1 *, Giovanni Bacaro2 and Michela Marignani3 1Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy;2De- partment of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste, Italy and 3Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via S. Ignazio 13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

How climate extremes are reflected in general on species, communities and ecosystems have become critical to science and society. In this study, we analyzed the effects of experimental factors (grazing and sowing) and extreme climate events (intense precipitation and extreme temperatures) on restoration of a dry, calcareous grassland in Tuscany (Italy). We conducted a 1 year before - 15 years after control-impact (BACI) experiment. We performed a univariate per- mutational analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to analyze the effects of period of observation (Before/After), grazing, sowing, blocking, year of observation and of four climatic extreme indices as covariates. We used percentage cover values of plant species grouped by habitat or chorological types as response variables. The factor sowing had no significant effect on cover of habitat or chorological types; grazing, on the other hand, significantly affected the percentage cover of cosmopolitan-subcosmopolitan and synanthropic species, which increased their presence in grazed plots. We observed a higher resistance of plant communities to extreme temperatures compared to extreme rainfall. The index that most affected plant communities was the number of very heavy precipitation days. Synanthropic together with endemic and cosmopolitan-subcosmopolitan species were the less resistant to climate extremes, while species typical of grasslands, scrublands and woodland showed high resistance, such as Medi- terranean, European-boreal-temperate species. Grazing had a beneficial effect regarding the diversity of these communities, nevertheless extreme temperatures or heavy rain in grazed plots had a detrimental effect on restoration; we provide a case where incorporate climate variables in restoration monitoring allow us to better understand which source of variability, out of experimental factor, may influence community composition, aspect to consider in restoration goal setting.

233 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Maciejewski L.

Oral Presentation Optimizing phytosociological units’ identification: reducing the time spent for vegetation surveys and extending the field season Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Lise Maciejewski1,2 *, Paulina E. Pinto1, Stéphanie Wurpillot3, Jacques Drapier3, Serge Cadet4, Serge Muller5, Pierre Agou6, Benoit Renaux7 and Jean-Claude Gégout1 1AgroParisTech-INRA, UMR 1092 LERFoB;2Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, UMS 2006 PatriNat;3IGN (Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière);4ONF (Office national des forêts);5Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, UMR 7205 ISYEB;6Bio- tope and 7Conservatoire botanique national du Massif Central *Presenting author: [email protected]

Vegetation surveys are currently used to achieve Natura 2000 habitat identification, which is based on the phytosociological classification. Theyare time-consuming, and frequently restricted to the growing season. Moreover, it has been shown that no surveys could be regarded as exhaustive. Our aim was to assess the impact of a reduction in the time spent to carry out a floristic inventory on the quality of phytosociological units’ identification using species presence. We also assessed the possibility of using winter surveys for phytosociological units’ identification. We used 274 floristic inventories, carried out in summer 2013 and located in French temperate and mountainous forests. These relevés were classified in phytosociological associations by 5 experts. The time and the rank at which species were sighted were recorded. We also estimated if a species is recognizable in winter. With an automatic classification program, we compared the phytosociological unit’s identification obtained with floristic inventories of increasing duration, with the experts’ identifications. The quality of the identification was evaluated with a similarity index between automatic and experts’ identifications. We also assessed the possibility to obtain relevant identifications with the subset of species recognizable in winter. The number and the order of inventory were determinant for phytosociological units’ identification. Using the first 15 species of the relevé, we could reach the optimal similarity index (OSI) for association identification, and outreach 95 % of the OSI for alliance identification. Thus, on average the time spent in the field can be reduced to 7 minutes. Moreover, using the 5 first species we could obtain a good identification (outreach 90 % of the OSI) for alliance, and we could obtain a good identification for association using only the 8 first species. Lastly, the quality of the identification of a forest alliance is as good in winter as during the growing season (98% of the OSI). In order to identify the forest phytosociological units, it is feasible to significantly reduce the time spent on floristic inventories and to realize them in winter. This study shows that it is possible to extend the period of the year when the realization of a forest habitat map is feasible, and also to potentially reduce the time spent in the field, and thus the cost.

234 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Majekova M.

Oral Presentation Temporal fluctuations and functional traits in high-diversity plant communities Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Maria Majekova1,3 *, Francesco de Bello1,4, Alena Vítová1, Jiří Doležal4,1 and Jan Lepš1,2 1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic;2Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České CZ-370 05 Budějovice, Czech Republic;3Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Natural Sci- ence, Comenius University, SK-842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic and 4Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

Understanding the processes regulating temporal stability is important to infer species coexistence and ecosystem stability patterns. We aimed to advance our understanding on temporal stability on both population and community level by using functional traits as proxies for species strategies. We used a long-term biomass data (13 and 16 years for the population and community levels, respectively) from oligotrophic wet meadow community in a factorial experiment with fertilization and dominant removal. On site, we measured traits conferring different dimensions of functional trade-offs (leaf traits, plant height and seed mass, with additional information on rooting depth used at the population level). At the population level we related temporal stability, measured as a coefficient of variation of species’ biomass over time, to plant traits using forward stepwise linear regression. We demonstrated that higher values of LDMC were consistently associated with greater population temporal stability across all experimental conditions. This indicates that slow-growing species with more conservative economics respond less rapidly to environmental changes, and are thus generally more stable over time. This relationship provided empirical evidence linking trait trade-offs to different coexistence strategies of species in a fluctuating environment, namely to the different abilities of species’ populations to buffer against unfavourable conditions. At the community level one of the key factors of temporal stability is the degree of synchrony in species fluctuations. This can range from partial synchrony, through independent fluctuations of coexisting species to compensatory dynamics. These dynamics are conditioned by differences in constituent species and the set of functional traits they possess. We tested the relationship between temporal correlations of pairs of species (Pearson correlation) and their mutual functional dissimilarity (Euclidian distance, multi trait approach) with a Mantel test in each treatment combination. We found the prevalence of partial synchronization as a concordant response of species to fluctuating environments, with functionally similar species fluctuating more synchronously in all treatment combinations.

235 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Marcenò C.

Oral Presentation Mixed functional and phytosociological classification reveals alternative patterns of plant community assembly in Mediterranean dry grasslands dominated by Lygeum spartum Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology C. Marcenò1 *, I. Biurrun2, J. Font3, J. Loidi2, S. Brullo1 & R. Guarino4 1 Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania 2 Dept. of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU 3 Centre de Documentació de Biodiversitat Vegetal, University of Barcelona 4 Dept. STEBICEF - Botanical Unit, University of Palermo *Presenting author: [email protected]

Lygeum spartum is a robust stoloniferous grass widely distributed in the Medi- terranean Region. It occurs from the sea level up to 900 m a.s.l., mainly in the West-Mediterranean region (Iberian Peninsula, NW-Africa), with scattered and isolated populations in S-Sardinia, S-Italy, Sicily, Malta, SE-Crete, Cyrenaica and N-Egypt. The grasslands dominated by such species occur either on clayey slopes in badlands, sometimes heavily eroded, or on slimy-sandy sediments in salt pans and saltmarshes. These two different ecological contexts represent an ideal case to investigate the patterns of plant species assemblages, in order to explain the bimodal ecological response of Lygeum spartum. Plant functional traits reflect the ecological responses of plant species to environmental conditions and the outcomes of interactions between plants and their environment, including other plant species. Thus, combining phytosociological and trait-based information can be an useful approach for understanding community assembly across an array of different spatial scales. The phytosociological classification assigns the grasslands dominated byLy - geum spartum to two distinct classes and orders: Lygeo-Stipetalia tenacissimae (class Lygeo sparti-Stipetea tenacissimae) and Limonietalia (class Sarcocornietea fruticosae). Based on floristic settlements and biogeographic patterns, several plant associations have been described in the phytosociological literature. We hypothesized that differences in plant species composition were mainly driven by geographical distances and topographic/edaphic gradients. Thus, we predicted that environmental filtering would predominate within short distances and that this filtering would be well reflected by the functional classification, while long-distance patterns would be more influenced by biogeography and well reflected by the phytosociological classification.

236 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

By means of a mixed method combining semi-supervised and supervised (Cocktail method) approaches processed with the software Juice, we analysed a large number of phytosociological relevés in order to formally define the phytosociological alliances. After that, we assigned to each species a set of commonly studied plant functional traits, covering both life strategies and morpho-physiological adaptations. By means of a redundancy analysis, we measured the consensus between phytosociological and functional classification approaches and we compared the distribution of traits and species at two scales (infra- and supra regional), to examine trait- and floristic- community patterns. Plant functional traits explain some fraction of the variance observed in the spatial distribution patterns of plant species assemblages, although their effectiveness varies greatly, depending on the number and type of functional traits and on the geographical distance of the surveyed vegetation plots.

237 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Marques I.

Poster nr. 134 Long term resilience changes in Southern European riparian forests: a dendroecology approach Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Inês Gomes Marques1 *, Filipe Campelo2, Rui Rivães1, António Albuquerque1,3, Ma- ria Teresa Ferreira1 and Patricia María Rodríguez-González1 1CEF-Forest Research Centre, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal;2CFE – Centre for Functional Ecology, De- partment of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal and 3Ecofield, Monitor- izações, Estudos e Projectos, LDA, Carcavelos, Portugal *Presenting author: [email protected]

Temperature rising trend since the 1970’s has been pointed out as one major consequence of climate change affecting plant growth response to environmental conditions. The unprecedented temperature records in recent history makes vegetation response difficult to predict challenging management actions in the near future. The aim of this study was to evaluate tree growth and adaptive responses of resilience and resistance to the increase in temperature and its interaction with drought events occurred from 1970 to 2010. Yearly growth data from wood samples (increment cores and disks) were obtained for coexisting Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gartner and Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl sampled in the summer of 2009 in riparian forests in a Southern Portuguese river basin. Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)indexes were calculated in order to select drought years as target events for growth trends analyzed with dendrochronological methods. We explored tree growth, resistance and resilience patterns of both riparian species in relation to increasing temperature, across drought years identified during the study period. In spite of distinct ecological preferences among species, we observed a consistent matching growth trend across species, a negative influence in drought years and a subsidy in the remaining years. Resilience decreased in both species for the whole analyzed period but showed present an initial higher growing period, apparently associated to increasing minimum temperatures. Increase in temperature at the global scale is negatively affecting growth tendencies in years where water availability is essential, while increasing growing periods promotes growth in no-drought years. Further research is still needed regarding species resilience and resistance related with climatic conditions and hydrologic conditions, in order to understand which trends are to be expected from riparian vegetation in the future, as a response to climate change.

238 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Mason N.

Oral Presentation Trait responses to mixture and nutrient addition: do they differ across seasons? Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Norman W.H. Mason* and Suzanne Lambie Landcare Research *Presenting author: [email protected]

There is increasing recognition that intraspecific trait variation is a major component of functional diversity However, it has been poorly explored in controlled experiments. In particular, it has not been applied to understand the effect of taxonomic diversity and resource addition on ecosystem function. We measured traits (specific leaf area – SLA; leaf area ratio – LAR; and leaf nitrogen content - LeafN) of five species grown in monoculture and a five-species mixture at six levels of nitrogen application (ranging from 0 – 500 kg N per year). Traits were measured four times within a year – winter, spring summer and autumn. We also measured key aspects of resource use (water use, N uptake and light absorption) as well as harvestable dry matter production (termed productivity for brevity). Trait shifts between monoculture and mixture were often in opposite directions in different seasons. There was also often a significant mixture x N addition interaction, with traits in mixture and monoculture tending to be more similar at high levels of N addition. The effect of these trait shifts between mixture and monoculture, and in response to N addition are explored.

239 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Mbeeli N.

Poster nr. 063 A vegetation classification of The Nama Karoo Dwarf Shrub savanna in South Central Namibia Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Nabot T. Mbeeli* and Ben J. Strohbach Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Nama Karoo is a xeric shrubland ecoregion located on the central plateau of South Africa and Namibia. It occupies most of the interior of the western half of South Africa and extends into the southern interior of Namibia. People in the South-Central Region of Namibia largely depend on extensive livestock farming to make a living, and are faced with the problem of land degradation, which is common in the whole of southern Africa and particularly in Namibia as a result of over-utilization of arid rangelands. A vegetation classification of the Nama Karoo Dwarf shrub-land savanna is an important step in understanding and describing the complex relationships between vegetation patterns and environmental parameters in order to allow conservation as well as sustainable use livestock farming. At present only limited classification results are available in this area, mostly excluding areas of high conservation interest (e.g. the Fish River valley with its populations of the endemic Neoluederitzia sericiocarpa). Based on a survey during the 2016 rainfall season, we are able to identify four higher hierarchy vegetation units, which correspond to the broader landscapes of the river valleys associated with the Fish – Lewer – Konkiep river systems, the western escarpment zone, the central plains and the eastern Weissrand Plateau. Further subdivisions result in 19 vegetation units. These are shortly described and illustrated in this presentation.

240 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Menezes L.

Oral Presentation Soft predictors of turnover and nestedness to help conservation decisions in Campos Sulinos grasslands Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Luciana S. Menezes* and Gerhard E. Overbeck Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Graduate Program in Botany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Turnover and nestedness provide important information for conservation. Turnover is defined as the amount of beta-diversity that accounts for species changing across sampling units, while nestedness accounts for dissimilarity due to species loss. Here, we are looking for predictors for turnover and nestedness patterns to be used as proxies in the process of conservation planning. We used the Campos Sulinos grasslands, in southern Brazil, as model ecosystem. Our approach considers two spatial scales: at the regional-scale, decision-makers need to delimitate new protected areas; at the local-scale, stakeholders need advice about the best place to delimitate legal reserves (according to Brazilian law 20% of any rural properties in which native vegetation has to be preserved). At the local-scale, we calculated species turnover and nestedness among 10 plots (1x1m) in 108 transects of 250m. At the regional-scale, we calculated beta-diversity components among transects in groups of 9, using 12 sites across the region. To calculate beta-diversity components we used the Sorensen index. Due to differences in number of sampling units, multiple site dissimilarities were calculated with 1000 randomizations, with fixed n=8. Predictive variables at the local-scale were descriptors of grassland physiognomy (percentage of shrubs, bare soil, rocks and vegetation height) and edaphic features (chemical and physical soil properties). At the regional-scale, we selected climate (precipitation and temperature) and soil features as predictive variables. Partial RDAs were performed to verify the influence of predictive variables in turnover and nestedness. At the regional-scale, the joint effect of soil/climate explained the greatest portion of the variation: R²=0.62 for turnover and R²=0.44 for nestedness. At the local-scale, turnover and nestedness patterns were mostly related to edaphic characteristics (R²=0.32 and 0.34 respectively). Grassland physiognomy variables had little contribution only in turnover (R²=0.07). At both spatial scales, edaphic features showed to be important in defining beta-diversity patterns. This means that on a local-scale (e.g. properties with requirement to establish protected areas), a diversity of soil conditions, usually in consequent of topography, will maximize grassland species beta-diversity. Other factors, not tested in our model, nonetheless need to be considered for selection of conservation areas (e.g. presence of endangered species).

241 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Mesquita S.

Poster nr. 042 Using geobotanical tools to operationalize mapping and assessment of ecosystem services (maes) in southern portugal Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Sandra Mesquita1 And Jorge Capelo2,3 * 1Centro de Ecologia Aplicada Prof. Baeta Neves, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universi- dade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349 - 017 Lisboa, Portugal;2Instituto Nacional de Investi- gação Agrária e Veterinária, Herbarium, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês 2784-505 Oe- iras, Portugal and 3LEAF Research Centre – Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349 - 017 Lisboa, Portugal *Presenting author: [email protected]

Keywords: ecosystem services, vegetation series, mapping, remote sensing, Portugal As Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 called EU member states to map and assess ecosystems and evaluate their services (MAES) in national territories, a pilot-project was created in order to set up a straightforward method of survey and evaluation of ecosystem types in the south of Portugal. The primary aim of the project was to produce ecosystem maps wherefrom spatial estimations of ecosystem services could be drawn, as well as biodiversity-related indicators of ecosystem condition. The resulting ecosystem typology and map was also used by others as base for estimates of supporting, provisioning and regulating services. The proposed typology of ecosystems distinguishes 12 main ecosystem types based on the higher levels of the EUNIS Habitat Classification. EUNIS types were obtained by corresponding a Vegetation Series Map (CAPELO et al., 2007) to land-cover/land-use datasets (COS’07 - land cover map with 192 classes and MMU= 1 ha), refined using also as auxiliary elevation, geology and satellite imagery (NDWI). For the most, correspondence between seral stages in vegetation series and land use-types allowed overall one-to-one identification of candidate groups of corresponding syntaxa as EUNIS types. Auxiliary NDWI, geology and elevation allowed discriminating intrazonal special habitats such as mesic and dry grasslands. Estimates of average species richness, total and Red List species for each ecosystem type were then drawn from relevé datasets in the SIVIM Iberian vegetation database. Ecosystem condition was taken as sucessional maturity, i.e. accounting for their sucessional position in the vegetation series.

242 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Michaelis J.

Oral Presentation Demands deviate, or perhaps not? – Soil pH niche shifts in herbaceous forest species across north-western Europe Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Jana Michaelis* and Martin R. Diekmann Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology lab, FB2, Biology/Chemistry Department, University of Bremen, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Understanding the patterns and mechanisms of shifts in the ecological niches of species is essential to reliably predict their responses to environmental change and to develop successful conservation strategies. Previous studies have given contradictory results regarding the stability of niche optima and amplitudes and draw on a variety of theories for explanations, although the spatial differences in niche parameters might also be caused by differences in the statistical methodology or in the lengths of the environmental gradient between regions. We modeled species responses of forest plants along soil pH gradients for four different regions along a climatic gradient from Sweden to Belgium. The data set comprised more than 5000 plots of deciduous woodlands with corresponding pH measurements. To prevent methodological bias, the models were fitted with constant data quality in all regions. Species niche optima, niche limits and niche width were calculated from the standardized models and compared between the regions. Stability and shifts of species pH preferences along the latitudinal gradient were relevant to several ecologically species traits and discussed referring to some explanatory theories proposed by earlier studies.

243 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Michalet R.

Oral Presentation Invasion of Spartina anglica in European south Atlantic salt marshes: colonization of an empty niche or competitive exclusion of native Spartina maritima? Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Richard Michalet* and Barbara Proença University of Bordeaux *Presenting author: [email protected]

Invasiveness depends on the ability of exotic species to fill an empty niche or to exclude native dominants. Comparisons of the niches and effects of closely related native and invasive species allow these questions to be answered. We compared at three intertidal levels the biomass, root/shoot ratio, productivity and environmental conditions of saltmarsh communities from southwest France dominated by the exotic Spartina anglica or the native Spartina maritima. We quantified competitive response and effect abilities of the two species through a cross-transplantation removal experiment. Spe- cies had similar niches and total biomasses along a gradient of anoxic conditions, but the exotic had a much higher root/shoot ratio and productivity than the native. Thanks to its rhizome density, the exotic showed a high ability to increase sediment oxygenation likely to also explain its important intraspecific facilitation for growth. Both established communities showed a biotic resistance to the invasion of the other species. Our results showed that the invasion success of S. anglica might be explained by (i) its ability to fill an empty niche in physically disturbed conditions offshore, (ii) its behavior as a self-facilitator invasive engineer, (iii) its ability to impede the colonization of other species when established in dense patches.

244 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Minchin P.

Oral Presentation Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling of Vegetation Data: Insights and Innovations Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Peter R. Minchin* Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville *Presenting author: [email protected]

Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) is an ordination method that has been shown to be robust and effective for vegetation analysis. With increases in computing power and the availability of software, NMDS has become widely-used by vegetation scientists. Nevertheless, there are several common misunderstandings about the method and some recent papers have suggested that it produces misleading results and should not be used. I present insights into NMDS gained from 40 years of experience in programming and using the method to analyze community data. In the process, I correct misconcep- tions about NMDS, clarify some technical aspects that are important for its effective use, and describe innovations that make the technique even more useful. NMDS is based on non-parametric model, which assumes only that the community dissimilarity between sampling units increases monotonically with ecological distance (degree of difference in ecological factors). Though it uses only the ranks of the dissimilarities, the resulting ordination space is Euclidean, so it is valid to interpret directions and distances in NMDS ordination space. There are several ways to compute meaningful ordination scores for species and the ordination can be scaled so that distances are measures of beta diversity. Research has shown that Bray-Curtis and related indices are the best dissimilarity measures to use with NMDS. An important technical choice is how to handle tied dissimilarities. The primary or weak approach should be used, otherwise arch distortion will occur when high beta diversity is high. There is no evidence that shortest path pre-processing of dissimilarities is necessary or beneficial to NMDS performance. Rules of thumb about acceptable stress values are not useful, since stress is influenced by the amount of noise in the data: an ordination with high stress can be ecologically informative if the data are noisy. Assigning proportions of “variance explained” to NMDS axes is misleading and uninformative because the method is not designed to explain variance. I defend NMDS from recent criticisms, which are based on poor choices of analysis options and the use of data from extreme generating models thatbear little resemblance to the kinds of data usually collected by vegetation scientists.

245 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Minervini G.

Poster nr. 062 The role of endozoochoric dispersal by cattle in the transport of seeds in natural grasslands Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Graziela H M Silva* and Gerhard E. Overbeck Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul *Presenting author: [email protected]

Seed dispersal is an important topic in plant ecology and for restoration management. In grasslands, zoocoric dispersal, especially by cattle, may be important for community regeneration and beneficial in ecological restoration. For subtropical grasslands, for example in Southern Brazil, dispersal patterns in general and the role of endozoochory are poorly known. Our study proposes to evaluate the influence of livestock, through grazing and manure, on seed dispersal patterns. We conducted our work at four different grazing intensities (4%, 8%, 12% and 16% of forage offer), in the Brazilian Pampa Biome. A quantitative survey of the established vegetation was conducted to verify the similarity of the manure samples composition with vegetation. The manure samples were collected in the four seasons of the year and placed for germination in a greenhouse where seeds were kept to germinate for one year. Here, we present preliminary results, after 1 year of study, of the manure collection performed in spring (November 2015) and summer (February 2016).We recorded a total of 125 species on the manure samples, with 90 species in spring samples and 72 species in summer samples. Of the 164 species identified in the vegetation, 46 also occurred in the manure samples. Paspalum notatum, Piptochaetium mon- tevidense, Kyllinga brevifolia, Eleocharis viridans were the most important species in terms of absolute abundance of seeds at both seasons. Grasses, sedges and rushes presented the largest number of species in both samples. The 12% treatment showed the greatest richness and density of species in both seasons, but values in summer were higher. This means that at intermediate level of grazing, more and a greater diversity of seeds is being dispersed. From these preliminary results, we can observe that endozoochorous dispersal by cattle is an important process for seed dispersal of native species. This can be made useful in restoration of degraded grassland, by shifting cattle herds from well conserved areas to degraded areas. A better understanding of the strategies involved in seed dispersal is essential to improve the knowledge about the regeneration, maintenance of the grassland vegetation and other dispersal processes need to be studied as well.

246 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Mogha N.

Oral Presentation Changes of plant communities of Malinda wetland in Tanzania and their relationships with land uses intensity and soil properties Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Neema Mogha1 *, Miguel Alvarez3 and Handa Collins4 1University of Dar Es Salaam;2Karatina University;3University of Bonn and 4JKUT University *Presenting author: [email protected]

In East Africa demographic growth, inter-generational inheritance of land, increasing land scarcity in the highlands areas, degradation of upland soils and inter-annual variability of rains is increasing cropping pressure on seasonal and nearly permanent wetlands. The study was carried out between 2008 and 2016 to find the changes of plant communities in Malinda wetland due to intensity of land use which results into changes of soil properties which impacts the functions of wetland ecosystems and on potential productivity of the soils. A survey in the area was firstly done in 2008 and a rapid appraisal with key informants was carried out to determine the characteristic land uses and to collect information on land use history of the area. Four land use types were determine which include unused part with domi- nation of wetland vegetation, fairly used area with minimal grazing during dry period of the year, high intensity used area dominated by horticulture and fallow land which has been left after use or is used for yearly grazing... According to preferential sampling, 40 of 10 m2 plots representing the main types of land uses were selected. In those plots all present species and estimated their abundance as percentage cover were recorded. In each plot soil samples of the layer 0-15 cm were taken for soil chemical analysis. The same sampling techniques and procedure were repeated in the year 2016 The vegetation was classified by using hierarchical clustering. To find the relationships between species composition (land uses and plant communities) and soil properties canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was applied. The vegetation was classified into 10 plant communities (clusters), 5 of them are weed communities of croplands. There was no great difference in vegetation composition and plant community obtained between the period of eight years. Both showed that the species composition was determined by soil exchangeable K, electric conductivity and pH according to ordination analysis.

247 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Momberg M.

Poster nr. 125 Fine-scale and global distribution of a cushion plant species: Patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Mia Momberg*, Michelle Greve and Peter C. le Roux Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa *Presenting author: [email protected]

A crucial component in understanding a species’ ecology is knowledge of their geographic distributions. Cushion plants are a key alpine growth form, which play an important role in determining community structure and increasing species richness in abiotically stressful environments. Yet, despite their ecological importance and more than a century of research on the cushion plant growth form, there are no studies that have examined what drives the fine- and broad-scale distribution of cushion plant species. This study investigates the determinants of the distribution of the cushion plant Euphorbia clavarioides at: 1) a fine scale using field-collected biotic and abiotic predictors from an alpine site, and 2) a large scale using published distribution records and climate data across the species’ global distribution. Fine-scale surveys indicated that the species is locally rare (occurring in <12 % of samples), and is most prevalent on wind-exposed, rocky, north-facing mid-altitude sites with low plant cover and low vegetation stature. Cushion plants are probably limited to these exposed and abiotically harsh environments by competition. Species distribution modelling showed that the species is endemic to South Africa and Lesotho, and largely limited to the grassland biome (favouring cooler regions within the biome). Both temperature and rainfall were important predictors of the species’ distribution at large scales. These results suggest that the distribution of E. clavarioides is driven by a combination of different biotic and abiotic factors. Given the species’ sensitivity to both biotic and abiotic conditions, E. clavarioides is likely to be vulnerable to environmental changes. If other cushion plant species follow this same trend, then species of this growth form may be sensitive indicators of environmental change in alpine areas. Key words: alpine, cushion plant, distribution, Euphorbia clavarioides, spatial scale, species distribution modelling.

248 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Mosyaftiani A.

Oral Presentation Environmental services estimation of tree canopy coverage in urban riparian landscape of Ciliwung River, Indonesia Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Amarizni Mosyaftiani*, Regan Leonardus Kaswanto and Hadi Susilo Arifin Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Indonesian government’s law stated 15 meters width urban riparian area should be green space and no buildings allowed. Yet, basic knowledge and understanding about its values are unknown, hence people have an igno- rance to the environmental services of tree canopy and cause uncontrolled buildings occupation in the riverside. It needs to be recognized, so government and people would have more awareness about the importance of trees in urban riparian landscape. Moreover, the benefits of trees in Indonesian urban riparian landscape have not been observed. This research objective is to discover the environmental service’s estimation that can be converted into economic values. The research surveyed coverages of trees, grass, building, road and river in 4 sites, 250 meters length with 15 meters width of buffer zone from river edge for each site by using aerial photography. These samples represented 13.7 km length of urban riparian in Ciliwung River, Bogor City, West Java, Indonesia. Five hundred random survey points are defined into land cover types for each site using i-Tree Canopy. Then, i-Tree Canopy is able to generate the tree benefits estimation. Results showed the coverages of buildings and roads in riparian area which are existed inside regulated width are 15.74% and 5.09% of 6.07 ha total area, respectively. The CO2 storage in trees, annual CO2 sequestration, and particulate material 2.5 mm removal are the highest benefits of environmental services that can be generated through i-Tree Canopy. This outcome revealed the total benefit values of environmental services reach USD 1,111.38 annually with USD 26,702.33 additional values from CO2 storage in existing trees coverage (T). Site 4 has the annual greatest benefits which is USD 435.73 over 0.92 ha T and followed by Site 1 (USD 392.28, 0.83 ha T), Site 3 (USD 213.43, 0.45 ha T), and Site 2 (USD 69.94, 0.15 ha T). These estimations are really useful for site analysis of urban riparian landscape planning and management in landscape architecture. This approach could be used by regional stakeholders to control land cover changing and deal with future management for flood adaptation, air and water quality restoration, and riparian habitat stability. Keywords: environmental services, i-Tree Canopy, land cover classification, site analysis, urban riparian management

249 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Mullerova J.

Poster nr. 112 Unmanned aircraft, a valuable tool in vegetation structure assessment Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Jana Müllerová1 *, Tomáš Bartaloš2, Josef Brůna1, Petr Dvořák3, Vít Kašpar1 and Jan Wild1 1Dpt. Of GIS and Remote Sensing, Institute of Botany CAS;2GISAT Ltd and 3Institute of Aero- space Engineering, Brno University of Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Unmanned platforms (UAVs) are being increasingly utilized in diverse scientific fields including ecology. They can provide extremely high spatial resolution and usually limited spectral resolution depending on the camera deployed, high flexibility and low price of the data acquisition; still due to geometric and ra- diometric irregularities they require complex processing and the flights in some areas, such as urban environment, are restricted. During the ortomosaicking process point cloud and digital surface model are created as a by-product of Struc- ture-from-motion algorithm (SfM). The SfM approach, as employed in Agisoft PhotoScan software, identifies similar features in hundreds of conjugate images, builds a three-dimensional point cloud and generates a digital surface model to create an orthomosaic. SfM generated point cloud is similar to the one of laser scanning (LiDAR), however its quality is considerably lower compared to Li- DAR one, suffering mainly by distortions, gaps in places of dark shadows, and lower ability to capture terrain at densely vegetated stands. In fact, while LiDAR ray actively penetrates the forest stands and therefore characterize both forest floor and canopy surface, SfM is only able to depict visible features, such as larger gaps. Still it can to some extend substitute the expensive LiDAR data, and its potential to characterize vegetation structure is great and so far underexploited. In our poster, we provide several examples of employing SfM generated point cloud to analyse both herb and forest vegetation structure. In our studies, we use our purposely designed low cost UAV with flying wing design, equipped with two modified consumer cameras (RGB+NIR). SfM generated dense point clouds and digital surface models are employed in automatic detection of selected invasive species and in forest microclimate and regeneration analysis to describe the stand structure. Despite the limits, high flexibility and low cost make the tool very attractive for vegetation ecology and natural protection purposes. The UAV technology can provide an appropriate sampling method at a high spatio-temporal scale, holding a great potential for experimental studies and targeted monitoring, yet for larger areas aerial LiDAR technology provides more appropriate and accurate solution.

250 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nadezda T.

Poster nr. 131 Unique chalk communities in eastern Ukraine (problems of conservation and rational use) Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Tokarskaya Nadezda* V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University *Presenting author: [email protected]

This article provides a brief description of protected areas in the Eastern Ukraine. The priority for protection in the National Nature Park (NNP) ‘Dvourichansky’(total area 3131.2 ha) and Botanical National Preserve ‘Vovchanskyi’( total area 185.0 ha) are chalky slopes of the Oskol River and Wolf river vallies, with its unique flora . The 28 plant species and 32 animal species, which are included in Red Data Book of Ukraine, are inhabitant in the NNP ‘Dvourichansky’. Vegetation of chalk outcrops is represented by great number of obligate chalk grassland endemics and relict species. Be- cause of its steady reduction ,these steppes areas require urgent protective actions. Based on the study of vegetation of the Oskol river valley in which typical for this region flora is well remained, we organized National Natu- ral Park ‘Dvorichanskiy’, with the area of 3131,2 hectares, on the territory of Dvorichna district of the Kharkiv region. Currently, work is underway to expand this National Park to 10 thousand hectares. White mountains that rise above the river, chalky steeps and slopes cut down with gullies and cowered with folds create a mountain-like landscape in the river valley. The uniqueness of these terrestrial habitats is determined by the physical properties of chalk; in particular, high reflecting capacity, significant density, and its existence as a whole unbroken upper layer without splits. Small fluctuations in seasonal and diurnal temperature and moisture, not only of the chalk bedrock itself but also of the adjacent air layer, results in lower air temperature near the soil surface. Even in hot summer day, it does not exceed 12-17° C. All this creates a very specific environmental condition for the formation of unique flora and fauna of chalk deposits. Among the plants of chalky slopes, a so-called ‘Hyssop flora’ is the most noticeable. It includes plants that grow exclusively on the chalky soils. This is an ancient group of species whose existence is dated back to the preglacial period. Another group characteristic to this area is so-called ‘lower Alps plants’ because they had been thought to originate from mountain species. Many of them also are relicts of the preglacial era (Kotov, 1927; Kozo-Polyansky, 1931). The National Botanical Preserve ‘Vovchanskyi’ was established to protect the

251 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 relic flora and vegetation of the chalk deposits located on the right bank of the Vovcha River, a tributary of the Siverskyi Donets river. This preserve consists of six separate sites. The flora on the edges of the oak forest on the Vovcha River right bank is more diverse. Some species rare for Kharkiv region which can be found in this area are Wood anemone(Anemone sylvestris), Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor), feather grass Stipa pennata, star-of-Bethlehem Ornithogalum gussonei, and iris Iris hungarica. One very rare plant have found in this region is a plant of the preglacial period Daphne sophia.

252 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nakamura Y.

Oral Presentation Vegetation dynamics of the cultivated landscape of Minami-Souma, Fukushima, after the Great East Japan Earthquake Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Yukito Nakamura* Tokyo University of Agriculture/Regional Environment Science *Presenting author: [email protected]

Souma is a city in Fukushima Prefecture near the Pacific coast with an annual mean temperature of 12.6 °C and mean precipitation of 1260 mm. The warm index, 97.8, is indicative of an evergreen broad-leaved forest, which is dominated by a Camellietea japonicae community. The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11 in 2011, destroyed Souma City by a combination of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami and radiation contamination. As a result, this rural area was abandoned, and the vegetation changed over the next 6 years, particularly, in the rice paddies. Prior to the earthquake, paddies were characterised by a Sagittario-Monochorieto-Sigmetum; however, after being abandoned, this sigmetum was divided into three subunits: a Phragmites australis unit, a typical unit, and a Solidago altissima unit. These three subunits exhibited different potential natural vegetation (PNV) such as a Moliniopsis japonica-Alnus japonica community in the wet paddy, an Aphanantho-Celtidetum japonicae in the mesic paddy, and a Polysticho-Perseetum thunbergiiin the dry paddy. For study of progressive succession in the abandon-paddy cultivated Stellario-Ranunculetum cantoniensis advanced first to aPersicaria lapathifolia-Echi- nochloa crus-galli var. caudata community and continued to Scirpo-Typhaetum orientalis or Isachno-Caricetum thunbergii of Phragmitetea. However, mesotrophic Panico-Polygonetum hydropiperis occurred in the wet rice paddy where soils were decontaminated to a depth of 5 cm. In the mesic paddy, Lobelio-Ixeridetum japonicae of Plantaginetea majoris appeared first and then progressed to Solidago altissima community of Artemisietea prinicipis. In the dry paddy, Stellario-Ra- nunculetum cantoniensis advanced to Lamio amplexicaulis-Stellarietum medii of Stellarietea medii, and then Calmerido-Artemisietem principis. With decontamina- tion, the dry paddy first changed to aDigitaria cilliata-Setaria faberi community. Thus, three different successional stages developed in each paddy habitat type in Souma after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

253 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nakano Y.

Poster nr. 079 Population dynamics of Pterocarya rhoifolia in snowy region Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Yosuke Nakano1,2 * and Hitoshi Sakio3 1Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University;2Tadami Beech Cen- ter and 3Field Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Agricul- ture, Niigata University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Japanese wingnut Pterocarya rhoifolia Sieb. et Zucc. (Juglandaceae) is a dominant tree species in riparian forests in the cool temperate zones in Japan. This species grows at different depths of snow environment.P. rhoifolia populations in light snowfall region regenerated by seedlings. On the other hand, P. rhoifolia in heavy snowfall region produce not only seeds but also sprout stems. In this study, we analysed stem-based population dynamics of P. rhoifolia in heavy snowfall region by using stage-classified matrix models and especially answered the following questions: (1) Which is important for regeneration of P. rhoifolia, seed production or sprouts production? (2) Can population of P. rhoifolia persist stably for a long time? The study plot (50m×50m: 0.25ha) was established in P. rhoifolia forest on the Osado mountains of Sado Island, Japan. The maximum snow depth is about 300 cm in study plot. A stem dynamics model was constructed from three years stem-census data, including current-year seedlings and sprouts. Current-year seedlings and sprouts emerged every year. Population growth rate ( λ ) showed 1.0. The stable stage-distribution predicted from the matrix model was similar to the observed distribution. The sum values of elasticities in recruitment of seedlings and sprouts were 0.0014 and 0.0104, respectively. Our result suggested that P. rhoifolia population in heavy snowfall region is maintained by mainly producing sprouts and could persist for a long time in the present environment.

254 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nguyen H.

Poster nr. 006 Individual Species-Area Relationship of tree species in a tropical broad- leaved forest Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Hai Hong Nguyen1,2 * and Ion Catalin Petritan2 1Department of Forest inventory and Planning, Faculty of Silviculture, Vietnam Forestry Uni- versity, Hanoi, Vietnam and 22- Transilvania University, Sirul Beethoven 1, ROU-500123 Brasov, Romania *Presenting author: [email protected]

Explaining the high diversity of tropical rain forest has been a challenge for ecologists for decades. We applied a recent technique of spatial statistics that is individual species area relationship (ISAR) to study diversity structure of a tropical broadleaved forest based on individual species. The ISAR is combined by species area relationship and Ripley’s K to measure the expected a diversity of individual specific species in circular neighborhoods with variable radius of moving window circles around an arbitrary individual of a focal species. Data was collected from a fully mapped 2-ha plot of tropical broadleaved forest in Thuathien Hue province, Vietnam. Eighteen dominant tree species with at least 50 individuals/species were analyzed. It was found that nine of eighteen species were diversity significant at probability of 0.05. In which, eight species were regarded to diversity accumulators and one species was termed as diversity repeller. Most of signatures on spatial diversity were found at scales smaller than 30 m, while some were found at larger scales. Species diversity was not to be affected by tree size or species abundance or species dispersion. High number of accumulators may be explained by positive inter-specific interactions occurring on this study area. ISAR is a promising method to study spatial structure of species diversity in order to better understanding of species-rich communities. Key words: Spatial pattern; Species area relationship; Spatial diversity; Trop- ical evergreen forest; Vietnam.

255 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Niittynen P.

Oral Presentation Contrasting productivity and snow persistence trends among the vegetation types of mountain tundra Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Pekka O. Niittynen* and Miska Luoto University of Helsinki *Presenting author: [email protected]

Remote sensing has been widely used to monitor the vegetation and environmental change of different biomes. Circum-Arctic studies have shown trends of earlier melting of snow cover and ‘greening’ of the vegetation across the Arctic. Still, fine resolution studies have been largely missing and no comparison of the changes between multiple arctic vegetation communities has been conducted. Here, we used unsupervised clustering methods to classify a vegetation dataset containing 1200 study sites and records of 463 vascular plant, moss, and lichen species into 14 vegetation classes. The data have been collected in mountain tundra of Northern Scandinavia in a relatively small area that contains wide environmental gradients. We described different vegetation classes by their indicator species, community properties, and environmental conditions. We utilized 33-year time-series of fine-scale satellite imagery (Landsat) to quantify the pixel-level change in productivity (NDVI) and snow cover persistence, and combined those changes with the observed vegetation types. There were clear overall trends toward higher productivity and earlier melting but no strong spatial link between them. Our results showed that the observed change differs significantly between the vegetation types. Snowbed communities and dwarf-shrub heaths showed the most pronounced change, whereas mountain birch forests have experienced only slight changes. Our results indicate that tundra communities have different responses to climate change and some types may be more resilient than others. We also showed that changes in snow conditions have not been uniform across the landscapes and thus, the magnitude of climate change differs from place to place in relatively small distances.

256 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Noroozi J.

Oral Presentation Areas of endemism in the Iranian plateau identified based on the hyperdiverse plant family Asteraceae Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Jalil Noroozi1 *, Amir Talebi2, Sabine Rumpf1, Moslem Doostmohamadi2 and Gerald M. Schneeweiss1 1Department of botany and biodiversity research, University of Vienna and 2Department of plant science, University of Tehran *Presenting author: [email protected]

Areas of endemism are fundamental entities of analysis in evolutionary biogeography and many basic questions of historical biogeography concern areas of endemism and their interrelationships. The Iranian plateau is one of the most diverse regions of Southwest Asia with respect to both organismal as well as landscape diversity, but little is known about factors responsible for this high diversity. Here we investigate and describe patterns of endemic richness across this region as well as identify areas of endemism and their ecological and/or historical correlates. To this end, we have chosen the hyperdiverse plant family Asteraceae, which includes 634 endemic and subendemic taxa from 5984 localities. Applying Endemicity Analysis, we identified five areas of endemism. These are limited to the major mountain ranges of the region. The areas of endemism are positively correlated with topographic heterogeneity and elevational range, suggesting that geographic isolation and high habitat diversity, due to high heterogeneity and extensive altitudinal gradients, played an important role in the evolution of Iranian endemics.

257 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nott J. A.

Poster nr. 005 Impact of a rainfall gradient on above and below ground carbon in the North-eastern Namibian dry woodland ecosystem Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Amber J. Nott*, Nichola M. Knox and Vera de Cauwer Namibia University of Science and Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Namibia is currently a signatory on the United Nations Framework Conven- tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a non-Annex I party. As a non-Annex I party, Namibia is required to ‘provide information on greenhouse gas inventories’, but they currently lack sufficient baseline data. The objective of this study is to start with the creation of a baseline of carbon storage data in the dry woodland ecosystem in the Northeast of Namibia. The study aims to answer whether increased rainfall increases the amount of carbon stored above and below ground for two important timber species (Pterocarpus angolensis and Burkea africana) found along the natural rainfall gradient in North-eastern Namibia. Four study sites along this rainfall gradient (Long term average rainfall – LTAR) were chosen (Nkurenkuru where the LTAR amount falls between 550-600 ml, Mashare where the LTAR falls between 500-550 ml, Di- vundu where the LTAR amounts falls between 550-600 ml and Katima Muli- lo where the LTAR is greater than 600 ml). Non-destructive sampling was conducted at all sites, at these sites multiple tree parameters (height, crown, stump diameter, etc) were measured in 5 dbh classes from 5cm - >45cm. In addition at one site destructive sampling was conducted where the above and below ground woody components where weighed, from which the wet and dry biomass have been calculated. From this site allometric biomass models were derived and extrapolated using the measured non-destructive parameters to the remaining 3 sites. We will present the findings from this analysis and discuss the implications the rainfall gradient may have on the management of these timber trees, reporting of the carbon values, and finally how this may impact on Namibia as a potential carbon trader.

258 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Nowak A.

Poster nr. 067 Phytosociology and ecology of deciduous forests in Tajikistan (Midddle Asia) Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Arkadiusz Nowak1 *, Sylwia Nowak1, Marcin Nobis2 and Agnieszka Nobis2 1University of Opole and 2Jagiellonian University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The paper presents the results of a phytosociological research on mesophilous deciduousforests of the Pamir-Alai Mountains in Tajikistan. In total, 201 phytosociological relevés were sampled during field studies conducted between 2008‒2013, applying the Braun-Blanquet method. Plant communities of typical broad-leaved, riparian and gallery woods inhabiting mainly the lowland, colline, montane and subalpine zone in several mountains and river valleys are herein described. A hierarchical syntaxonomic synopsis of deciduous forests in Tajikistan is provided. The sampled vegetation plots represent the majority of the phytocoenoses of riparian, mesophilous and gallery woods across the altitudinal gradient in the Pamir Alai Mts. Numeri- cal analyses of vegetation data resulted in the distinction of ten associations: Juglandetum regiae, Aceretum turkestanici, Violo suavis-Populetum albae, Swi- do darvasicae-Platanetum orientalis, Populetum pamiricae, Populetum talassicae, Salicetum turanico-pycnostachyae, Populetum pruinosae, Betuletum turkestani- co-tianschanicae and Fraxinetum sogdianae, which . have been assigned to four alliances: Acero turkestanici-Juglandion regiae for mesophilous broad-leaved forests, Populion afghanicae for montane riparian forests, Populion talassicae for subalpine riparian forests and Elaeagno-Populion pruinosae for gallery forests of the Middle Asian lowlands. The main factors determining the species composition of the studied associations are the salinity, soil humidity, altitude and slope exposition. A syntaxonomical synopsis of the decidious forest of the Pamir-Alai Mts is also proposed.

259 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Odriozola I.

Oral Presentation Patterns of species relatedness created by competitive exclusion depend on species niche differences: evidence from Iberian Atlantic grasslands Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Iñaki Odriozola*, Gonzalo García-Baquero, Ana Etxeberria and Arantza Aldezabal Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country *Presenting author: [email protected]

It is commonly assumed that closely related species share more similar niches than do distantly related species, thus limiting their ability to coexist and leading to patterns of phylogenetic over-dispersion. On the contrary, recent theoretical developments argue that competitive exclusion may lead to patterns of either over-dispersion, clustering or randomness, depending on the relative importance of niche differences and interspecific competitive ability differences. In this study, we utilized semi-natural grassland communities to test the hypothesis that the pattern of species relatedness generated by competitive exclusion depends on species niche differences. Instead of inferring processes from observed patterns, we experimentally manipulated grassland plots to test the effects of competitive exclusion. We compared grazed plots (in which grazing functioned as an equalizing mechanism and suppressed aboveground competition) with neighbouring plots experimentally excluded from grazing over the course of nine years (in which aboveground competition was not prevented). Weak niche differences between species allowed competitive exclusion to generate phylogenetic clustering, because phylogenetically structured plant canopy height and capacity for lateral spread conferred superior competitive ability to grasses that outcompeted species in all dicot branches. By contrast, moderate niche differences allowed competitive exclusion to result in a random pattern of phylogenetic species assembly, because species niche differences partially counterbalanced competitive exclusion by superior competitors in the grass family. We conclude that patterns of species relatedness created by competitive exclusion in Iberian Atlantic grasslands depend on species niche differences. Competitive exclusion may cause differential patterns of phylogenetic assembly.

260 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Oliveira P.

Poster nr. 058 Can germination explain tree species distribution in a wetland? Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Patricia Carla 1,2 *, Pia Parolin3 and Fabian Borghetti2 1Federal University of Mato Grosso;2University of Brasilia and 3University of Hamburg *Presenting author: [email protected]

The seed - seedling transition represents the first and most determinant bottle- neck in the plant life span, establishing both the ecological niche and the geographical occupation amplitude. Tolerance and sensitivity to environmental filters arise first in the regeneration niche, mostly in the germination process. Relationship between germination and ecological niche has been assessed by matching germination characteristics and environmental features. We do the same in the flooding context for tree species occurring in the biggest savanna wetland in the world – the Pantanal. The relationship between germination and tree occurrence in the Pantanal wetland was investigated. We hypothesize that Pantanal tree seeds are tolerant to flooding, despite their origin is presumed for the neighbor savanna in the Brazilian central plateau (Cerrado). We also ask whether the level of tolerance of the seeds to flooding explains tree distribution along a flooding gradient. Seeds from species occurring in areas subjected to different flooding intensities were collected: Copaifera langsdorffii, Curatella ameri- cana, Dipteryx alata, Guazuma ulmifolia, Hymenaea stigonocarpa, Magonia pubescens, Plathymenia reticulata, Qualea grandiflora, and Tabebuia aurea. The germination characteristics of these seeds, subjected to different levels of flooding simulated in laboratory, were evaluated. Our results show that seeds of most species tolerated flooding, which helps to explain the presence and large distribution of these savanna species in a wetland. Nevertheless, survival functions based on germination parameters show similarity between species with wide and restricted distribution along flooding gradient. Wide distribution comprises species which occur in areas subjected to low as well to high flooding intensity. Restrict distribution comprises species which occur only in areas subjected to low level of flooding. Given the similarity found, the distribution of tree species along the flooding gradient cannot be explained only by their germination characteristics. We conclude that seed tolerance to flooding as one of the regeneration niche compounds was determinant of tree occurrence and distribution at regional scale, from savanna to wetland, but not for local scale along an flooding gradient. Keywords: seed tolerance, Pantanal, regeneration niche, survival analysis.

261 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Olsen S. L.

Oral Presentation Fragmentation affects species and trait composition of plants and hoppers in calcareous grasslands Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Siri L. Olsen*, Marianne Evju and Anders Endrestøl Norwegian Institute for Nature Research *Presenting author: [email protected]

Habitat fragmentation resulting from anthropogenic land-use change may negatively affect both biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. However, susceptibility to fragmentation varies between species and may be influenced by for instance specialization, functional traits and trophic level. We examined how total and specialist species richness, species composition and functional trait composition at two trophic levels (vascular plants and sap-feeding hoppers) vary with habitat fragmentation (patch size and connectivity) in dry calcareous grasslands in southeast Norway. We found that fragmentation affected plant and hopper species composition both totally and of habitat specialists, but with a net species loss only for the specialists, indicating greater susceptibility of specialized species. Reductions in patch size and increasing isolation negatively affected plant specialists with different sets of traits, effectively reducing the number of species with trait combinations suitable to persist in small and isolated patches. Fragmentation influenced trait composition of the total hopper community, but not of habitat specialists, possibly due to a higher dependency of the hoppers on dry and warm conditions, which could also prevail in other habitat types, rather than on the specialist plants of the calcareous grasslands. A lesser degree of habitat association could also explain why hoppers, despite belonging to a higher tropic level, seemed to be less susceptible to fragmentation than plants. Nonetheless, our study shows that habitat fragmentation affects both species richness, species composition and trait composition of plants and hoppers, indicating that fragmentation leads not only to a loss of species, but also alters dominance hierarchies and the functional composition of grassland communities.

262 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Olvera-Vargas M.

Oral Presentation Spatial patterns of a range-restricted species in a cloud forest of the Mex- ican Neotropics Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Miguel Olvera-Vargas*, Blanca Lorena Figueroa-Rangel, Enock Castorena and Jose G. Morales Arias Universidad de Guadalajara. Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales *Presenting author: [email protected]

Cloud forests of the Mexican Neotropics harbor many range-restricted species due to their unique habitat conditions. One of these species is Quercus oocarpa, a critically imperilled species included in the red list of Mexican cloud forest trees since their acorns are used in handicrafts, for they are the largest of the Fagaceae family. However despite recent advances in understanding the ecology of spatial-restricted species, little is known about their patterns of distribution and the underlying mechanisms over small-spatial scales. This research examines how patterns of species diversity associated to Q. oocarpa change over small spatial-scale. Our particular aims were to discern which environmental variables explain the spatial structure of Q. oocarpa and to describe patterns of species composition based on distance decay similarity. We used 24 circular plots, 500 m2 each, located from 1030 to 1460 m asl, representing the habitat distribution of the species in the study area. In each plot, we describe structure and species composition of all woody tree species including adult, saplings and seedlings. We recorded relevant environmental variables: altitude, slope, azimuth, litter, organic matter, soil elemental composition, crown competition and number of strata. Analysis consisted of generalized linear models to explain spatial structure based on the environmental variables and the Mantel test to estimate the correlation between floristic compositional similarity with geographical and environmental distance. Our results revealed that the cloud forest embracing the population of Q. oocarpa is a highly diverse with 50 tree species. The most dominat species in terms of abundance were Ardisia compresa, Matudea trinervia and Styrax radianes. Rare species included: Tabebuia donnell-smithii, Quercus castanea, Lysiloma microphyllum, Ficus crocata, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Lonchocarpus salvadorensis and Rheadia edulis. Adult tress of Q. oocarpa, which comprises around 82.5 individuals per ha, increases with altitude, the only significant environmental variable explaining differences in structure. Seedlings were not significant related to the environment while saplings were present in only one plot. Floristic composition similarity de- cayed as geographical and environmental distance increased. We concluded that altitude is constraining the occurrence of Q. oocarpa and that dispersal limitation seems to explain the diverse community of this range-restricted species.

263 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Orrantia O.

Poster nr. 040 Ecologic Evaluation of a territory by means of its vegetation Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Oreina Orrantia, Mercedes Ortega and Javier Loidi* University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Bilbao, Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

An ecologic evaluation of a protected area in the Basque Country is performed. The value of the different vegetation units present in it has been assessed applying a method which considers the following six criteria: naturalness, resilience, threat, floristic-phytocoenotic value, rarity and the territorial need for ecosystem protection. The adition of the first five result in the Biological Value (B) and with the latter factor they make the Conservation Interest (CI). These criteria are applied on the patches of a previously existing vegetation map. The survey area is in the Golako watershed (3,460 ha) in Biscay. We have surveyed ten quadrats of 25 ha each, regularly distributed in the watershed in order to encompass all the existing vegetation units. Quadrats have been visited and 158 vegetation fragments evaluated for Biological value (B) and Conservation Interest (CI). The data have been treated statistically to compare surface vs. altitude and slope by means of ANOVA and ANCOVA, and slope by means of Squared Chi and lineal regression. Cartographically, GIS and DEM have been used. The initial results yielded that the landscape is highly fragmented and that the most represented vegetation units, the artificial plantations, obtain the lowest scores. Quercus robur forests showed small fragment size (73.7%≤ 1 ha), and appeared at the highest elevations and steepest slopes, conifer plantations at mid elevations and meadows at flat lowlands and both with larger sizes. Biological values show the highest scores in forest types (>50% of maximum B) and the lowest in tree plantations of pines and Eucalyptus (10 to 18%), but in those quadrats where fragmentation into small patches is higher, B increases. When focusing on B scores obtained for forests patches, it has been seen that a size of 2.5 ha is a threshold above which biological value does not increase substantially. This can be used as a conservation criterion to select fragments of high value. In any case, this has to be complemented with the conservation of the smaller patches, much more abundant and evenly distributed, because they provide permeability to the landscape, allowing migration between patches.

264 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Overbeck G.

Oral Presentation The Brazilian Pampa biome: exploring floristic composition and similarity to neighboring regions Special Session: Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Gerhard O. Overbeck*, Bianca O. Andrade and Camila L. Bonilha Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Graduate Program in Botany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Southeastern South America is characterized by extensive grasslands that are commonly called Rio de la Plata grasslands in the region, and are denominated Uru- guayan Savannas in the widely-used classification by Olson et al. 2001. The northern part of these grasslands is situated in Brazil, forming what is called ‘Pampa biome’ in the Brazilian vegetation classification. Terminology of these grasslands has been confusing, with inappropriate terms like ‘savanna’ or ‘steppe’, or even ‘steppe savanna’ being used in the past, reflecting poor understanding of ecology of these grasslands. This also complicates comparison with grasslands in other regions or the world. Floristic classifications until recently were inexistent for the region, and clearly not enough vegetation data is available to develop approaches such as those used in Central Europe based on large numbers of relevés. For the first time, regional-scale vegetation data is now available, allowing for identification of characteristic or indicator species and for comparison of South Brazilian grasslands with grasslands situated further to the North (Cerrado) or South (Uru- guayan and Argentinian Pastizales), or to grasslands situated under similar climatic conditions. Here we present dominant and indicator species for the entire South Brazilian grassland region, i.e. the Pampa grasslands and grasslands further to the North in the Atlantic Forest biome, and discuss floristic differences, their drivers and a resulting classification of the grasslands. We extend the analysis to the grassland further to the South, thus covering the Rio de la Plata region. Finally, we briefly compare the South Brazilian grasslands to grasslands in other regions in the world, pointing out similarities regarding both grassland physiognomies and on the plant genus level that are interesting for global comparisons or global systems of vegetation classification. We end with important aspects for a more consistent classification of the South Brazilian grasslands, including in the wider context of global vegetation classifications.

265 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

P. Carmona C.

Oral Presentation Agricultural intensification reduces functional trait variability in arable plant communities: results from a pan-European study. Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Carlos P. Carmona1 *, Irene Guerrero18, Juan J. Oñate2, Begoña Peco2, Manuel B. Morales2, Flavia Geiger8, Jan Bengtsson9, Frank Berendese8, Wolfgang W. Weiss- er10, Mark Emmerson11,12, Piotr Ceryngier13, Jaan Liira1, Teja Tscharntke14, Camilla Winqvist9, Sönke Eggers9, Riccardo Bommarco9, Tomas Pärt9, Vincent Bretagnolle15, Manuel Plantegenest16, Lars W. Clement10, Christopher Dennis11,12, Catherine Palm- er11,12, Violetta Hawro13, Tsipe Aavik1, Carsten Thies14, Andreas Flohre14, Sebastian Häanke14, Christina Fischer14, Paul W. Goedhart17 and Pablo Inchausti15 1Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia;2Terrestrial Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain;3Institute of Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast;4Georg-Au- gust-University, Gottingen;5Wageningen University, Wageningen;6Swedish University of Ag- ricultural Sciences;7School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universitat Munchen;- 8Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology Group,Wageningen University, Wageningen,The Netherlands;9Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden;10Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany;11Department of Zoology, Ecology and Plant Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland;12Environmen- tal Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland;13Centre for Ecological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lomianki, Poland;14Agroecology, Department of Crop Science, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany;15Centre for Biological Studies of Chize CNRS, Villiers-en-Bois, France;16UMR BiO3P 1099 INRA/Agrocampus Ouest/Universite Rennes 1, Rennes, France;17Biometris, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands and 18 INEA School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Valladolid, Biology, 47008 Valladolid, Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

Increasing land use intensification is eroding biodiversity worldwide, and this in turn can reduce the functioning of ecosystems. Functional trait diversity ‑variation of traits between the organisms in a community‑ is the aspect of biological diversity that is more strongly linked to ecosystem functioning. Consequently, studying changes in functional diversity associated to increasing agricultural intensification is vital for understanding and predicting the impacts of intensification on ecosystem services delivery. Arable plants are particularly interesting in this context, because they provide a range of functions in agricultural ecosystems. Here, we analyse the effects of agricultural intensification on the functional diversity of arable plants communities from a large-scale pan-European dataset.

266 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Agricultural intensification at the field and landscape level, as well as the species composition of arable plant communities were surveyed in >750 fields distributed in eight European countries. We obtained information for three key traits representing different aspects of plant strategies: plant height, specific leaf area (SLA) and seed mass. We then estimated different aspects of the functional structure of arable plant communities, including the community weighted mean (CWM), the Rao index of functional diversity (Rao), and functional redundancy. We used GAM models to estimate the effect of agricultural intensification at the two considered levels on the functional structure of arable plant communities. We found substantial effects of agricultural intensification in all the traits analysed, with important differences between traits. Vegetative traits (i.e. height and SLA) were strongly influenced by intensification at the field level than at the landscape level. Communities from more intensified fields presented on average taller plants with smaller SLA, as well as substantially less variability between species in these traits. On the other hand, seed mass was more importantly affected by intensification at the landscape level, with very substantial reductions in the average value and the among-species variability in seed mass in communities within highly intensified landscapes. Interestingly, our models revealed a prevalence of non-linear effects of intensification on functional diversity, with the greatest changes taking place in the first stages of intensification. Agricultural management deeply affects the functional structure of plant communities.

267 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Palpurina S.

Oral Presentation The species richness–productivity relationship in Eurasian dry grasslands depends on the type of nutrient limitation Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Salza Palpurina1 *, Milan Chytrý1, Norbert Hölzel2, Lubomír Tichý1, Martin Freitag2, Michal Hájek1, Michal Horsák1, Annika Brinkert2, Johannes Kamp2 and Jiří Danihelka1,3 1Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic;2Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstr. 2, D-48149 Münster, Germany and 3Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Acade- my of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200 Brno, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

Disentangling the effects of nutrient limitation and productivity on plant species richness can help propose adequate measures for maintaining and restoring species-rich plant communities, yet their interactive effect has not been rigorously tested in dry grasslands. Combining expectations of the humped-back model (Grime 1979) and the resource ratio hypothesis of species diversity (Braakhekke and Hooftman 1999), we suggest that, for a productivity gradient that is homogeneous in other factors than nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability, interspecific competition is more intense in N- and P-limited than in N&P co-limited vegetation. We, thus, hypothesize that the productivity level at which species richness peaks is higher in N&P co-limited than in purely N- or P-limited vegetation. We compiled a large dataset of >700 vegetation plots sampled in dry grasslands in 9 Eurasian regions spanning from Central Europe to East Siberia. We used number of vascular plants in 100-m2 plot as a measure of species richness, and above-ground biomass as an estimate of productivity. Nutri- ent concentrations in above-ground biomass were measured according to standard protocols. Type of nutrient limitation was determined by critical nutrient ratios taken from the literature. We modelled species richness as a function of productivity and the type of nutrient limitation using multiplica- tive mixed-effect linear models. In line with our hypothesis, we found a significant dependence of the species richness–productivity relationship on the type of nutrient limitation across Eur- asian dry grasslands. In purely N- or P-limited dry grasslands richness peaked at about 300–400 g.m-2 whereas in N&P co-limited grasslands species richness increased with productivitycontinuously to the upper limit of productivity in semidry calcareous grasslands, i.e. 500 g above-ground biomass per m2.

268 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Panitsa M.

Oral Presentation Patterns of ruderal plant species diversity in Greece: simple or complicated? Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Maria Panitsa1 *, Eleni Iliadou1, Ioannis Kokkoris1, Athanasios Kallimanis2, Constantia Patelodimou1, Arne Strid3, Thomas Raus4, Erwin Bergmeier5 and Panayotis Dimopou- los13 1University of Patras, Department of Biology, Division of Plant Biology, Panepistimiopolis, GR-26504 Rio, Greece ;2Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Biology, Department of Botany, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece ;3Bakkevej 6, DK-5853 Ørbæk, Denmark ;4Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 6–8, D-14195 Berlin, Germany and 5University of Göttingen, Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences, UntereKarspüle 2, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ruderal plant species typically occur and prevail in disturbed areas (especially in sites with pronounced direct or indirect human activity, such as on fields, plantations, roadsides, at rural sites and in urban parks). Their omnipresence in human settlements and their close association with disturbances leads to neglection and under appreciation of their contribution to regional biodiversity. Here we analyze the patterns of ruderal plant species diversity in the 13 phytogeographical regions of Greece. In Greece 1584 more or less ruderal taxa (both exclusive and occasional) have been reported, accounting for approximately 23.9% of all recorded taxa. Although many of the ruderal plant taxa are common and widespread, their contribution to the flora of each phytogeographical region varies and ranges between 27.8% and 41.6% in the North Central and the Cyclades region, respectively. If we focus on exclusively ruderal taxa (934 taxa, 14.1% of the Greek flora) the picture remains the same. A spatial distribution analysis (using a 10K grid cell) showed that the Cyclades, Crete and the East Aegean islands host a higher proportion of ruderal species, compared to other – mostly mainland – regions. As expected, a vast number of these species also occur in major urban areas, where human activity exceedingly affects ecological processes. The number of ruderal taxa per phytogeographical region is strongly correlated with the total number of taxa per region, which is expected, since both facets of biodiversity display strong correlation with each region’s surface area. Ruderals account for a greater proportion of taxa in species-poor regions than in species-rich ones. We further analyze and discuss the following aspects of ruderal diversity: a) Ruderals that are alien species represent 21.3% of the exclusive ruderal flora and, in turn, the majority of alien species in the Greek flora are ruderals (87% of all alien taxa observed in Greece); b) Among the ruderals there are taxa of conservation value including some Greek endemics (36 exclusive plus 51 occasional ruderals) and range-restricted taxa (53 exclusive plus 73 occasional ruderals).

269 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Papastergiadou E.

Oral Presentation Determining drivers of aquatic macrophyte assemblages and human impacts in Mediterranean lakes Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Eva Papastergiadou*, Kostas Stefanidis and Maria Sarika department of Biology, University of Patras *Presenting author: [email protected]

Aquatic plants constitute a key component of lake ecosystems with significant implications for several ecological processes. Additionally macrophytes are one of the biological quality elements in the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EE [WFD] for which status assessments must be defined. In this study, field survey data on aquatic vegetation, water chemistry, hydro geomorphology, and human pressures were collected from 18 freshwater Greek lakes. We examined how environmental characteristics affect the composition and abundance of macrophyte communities spatially and temporally. The investigated macrophyte assemblages also represent different stages of vegetation succession. Aquatic macrophyte abundance and water quality parameters were surveyed during multi-annual samplings from 1990 to 2008. Additional data were obtained from published sources. A series of metrics such as diversity indices, species richness, relative abundance, plant traits etc, were calculated. Information on the water quality and habitat types of each sampling lake was assessed for further statistical analysis. Correlations were run to test for significant relationships between the biological metrics and the environmental parameters. Ordination analyses (PCA, CCA) were performed to identify the main environmental gradients and to discriminate macrophyte assemblages according to their preference for specific habitat characteristics and water quality properties. The preliminary results of this study showed a differentiation of several macrophyte species according to environmental conditions and water quality. Charophytes were confirmed to show a preference for clear and nutrient poor waters while floating leaved macrophytes were mostly associated with more eutrophic sites. Submerged species generally prefer clear water, appeared to present a wide range of occurrence from oligotrophic to meso and eutrophic conditions which may be attributed to specific plant traits and underlying factors that affect the distribution of these taxa in the studied lakes. Decline of aquatic macrophytes from shallow waters and prevention of re-growth are also discussed. Key environmental drivers were identified and the results were discussed and compared with from previous studies in the Mediterranean region.

270 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Pedrotti F.

Poster nr. 041 Interpretation and geobotanical significance of geoseries Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Franco Pedrotti* University of Camerino *Presenting author: [email protected]

A geoseries (or geosigmetum) is a chain unit of vegetation series developed in a given phytopographic unit of a given chorological sector (Géhu, 2006). Each phytotopographic unit is formed of just one type of lithological subtra- tum and by just one morphotype (slope, flat land, orographic terrace, etc.), and therefore is relatively homogeneous from the ecological point of view. It unites the complete sequence in the altitudinal direction (mountain reliefs) and latitudinal-longitudinal one (flat zones) of the zonal, extrazonal, intrazonal and a-zonal vegetation series and has a dual meaning, both vegetational and phytogeographical. According to the orography and the geomorphology, a geoseries can be continuous or discontinuous, that is, interrupted by other geoseries. A geoseries can be divided into smaller sectors on the basis of orography, ipsometry and exposure, termed “individuals of geoseries.” From the theoretical point of view, a geoseries is formed by the same number and type of series, variable in the individuals of geoseries because some series may be missing because of orographic, ipsometric and geologic reasons. A geoseries is complete when it is developed from sea level to 3000 m (the mountains of Europe) and reduced if it is cut off above or below when the altitudinal difference is lesser (low altitude mountain reliefs); it can also be reduced for geological reasons when there is an altitudinal alternation of different types of substratum; finally, it is interrupted if it is formed of detached sectors, that is, not contiguous, caused by an alternation of geological strata or morpho- types. Each geoseries is at least characterized by a vegetation series. The delimitation of the geoseries is done on the basis of geologic, geomorphologic and geographic boundaries, such as the line of watershed and watercourses. Identification of a geoseries is done by listing the vegetation series for the single “individuals of geoseries.” Geoseries cartography can be done in three ways: 1) with a single cartographic unit that includes all the series, indicated with just one color, to highlight the phytogeographic meaning of the geoseries; 2) with a cartographic unit divided into series, indicated with different colors, for the vegetational meaning; 3) with a cartographic unit divided into series, indicated with shades of the same color, for both vegetational and phytogeographical meaning.

271 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Penksza K.

Poster nr. 022 Studies on grassland regeneration and game browsing impact after shrub control in Parádóhuta (Mátra Mountains, NE Hungary) Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Károly Penksza1 *, Ádám Fehér2, Dénes Saláta3, Gergely Pápay1, Eszter S.-Fa- lusi1, Viktor Kerényi-Nagy1, Gábor Szabó1, Barnabás Wichmann1, László Sze- methy2 and Krisztián Katona2 1Szent István University, Institute of Botany and Plant Ecophysiology, Department of Botany, H-2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. Str. 1., Hungary;2Szent István University, Institute for Wildlife Con- servation, H-2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. Str. 1., Hungary and 3Szent István University, Institute of Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, H-2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. Str. 1., Hungary *Presenting author: [email protected]Ù

The spread of shrub species on valuable grasslands is a serious nature conservation problem. This problem is often solved with human intervention. We studied the vegetation of such grasslands on the Mátra Mountain (Parádóhuta). Mechanical shrub control was done in the area by the Bükk National Park Di- rectorate in 2012. The effects of this habitat management technique were investigated. The composition of vegetation and game browsing impact were studied in parallel in June 2016. Browsing impact was measured in a circle of radius 1.13 m (4 m2)with the ratio of browsed saplings of all occurring tree and shrub species: Coenological studies were carried out in the same 4 m2 circle shaped relevés. Cluster and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) were used during the assessment of data. Our results indicated high browsing intensity inthe sample area. Browsed saplings were found in each sample circle. The average ratio of browsed saplings was 65±20%,which varied between 14% and 100% inthe sample circles. Our coenological results showed that natural grassland vegetation has been formed after shrub control although the area has not been moved. Tree and shrub species have not became dominant, they have remained subordinated. Our study showed that between human interventions the role of ungulate game species can be significant as well inthe control of tree and shrub species on valuable grasslands.

272 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Petruzzellis F.

Oral Presentation Sampling intraspecific variability in leaf functional traits: practical suggestions to maximize collected information Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Francesco Petruzzellis1 *, Chiara Palandrani1,2, Tadeja Savi1, Roberto Alberti1, Andrea Nardini1 and Giovanni Bacaro1 1University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy and 2University of Udine, Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, via delle Scienze 206, 33100, Udine, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

One of the most controversial issue in trait-based ecology regards the choice of the best sampling strategy to capture mean values of functional traits for a species/population, while maintaining information about traits’ variability and minimizing the sampling size and effort. Recent studies reported that intraspecific variability (ITV) of functional traits strongly influences sampling size and effort. However, while adequate information is available about intraspecific variability between individuals (ITVBI) and among populations (ITVPOP), relatively few studies have analyzed intraspecific variability within individuals (ITVWI).

Here, we provide an analysis of ITVWI of two foliar traits, namely SLA and os- motic potential (or π), in a population of Quercus ilex L. (Holm oak). We assessed the baseline ITVWI level of variation between the two traits and provided the minimum and optimal sampling size in order to take into account ITVWI, comparing sampling optimization outputs with those previously proposed in the literature. Different factors, related to the spatial structure of individuals in the study area, accounted for different amount of variance of the two traits. SLA variance was mostly spread within individuals (43.4% of the total variance), while π variance was mainly spread between individuals (43.2%). Strategies that did not account for all the canopy strata produced mean values not representative of the sampled population The minimum size to adequately capture the studied functional traits corresponded to 5 leaves taken randomly from 5 individuals, while the most accurate and feasible sampling size was 4 leaves taken randomly from 10 individuals. We demonstrate that the spatial structure of the canopy could significantly affect traits variability. Moreover, different strategies for different traits could be implemented during sampling surveys. We partially confirm sampling sizes previously proposed in the recent literature, and encourage future analysis involving different traits.

273 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Piernik A.

Poster nr. 046 Diversity of the inland salt-marsh vegetation in the gradient of soil properties Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Agnieszka Piernik1 * and Cheistaine Evers2 1Faculty of Biology and Environment Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Po- land and 2Institute for Plant Biology, Technical University, Braunschweig, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Inland salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia, inland part) are included into Natura 2000 network as endangered and priority important habitats in Eu- rope. This study aims to answer the questions: How soil properties are relevant to differentiation and composition of species diversity along the environmental changes? What are driving factors for internal a, a- and b- diversity patterns? Research has been done at six nature reserves of inland salt-marsh vegetation in Germany. In order to describe the vegetation 83 phytosociological relevés were recorded. In each relevé soil samples (0-25 cm) for chemical analyses were taken. The physico-chemical properties of these samples were determined. Diversity along the environmental gradients was analyzed on three levels: first – internal a-diversity, second - a-diversity on the community level and third - b-diversity. DCA, CCA, CVA and GAM methods were used. Internal a-diversity in the sense of Shannon index and species richness was directly negatively correlated to soil salinity (ECe) however there were no significant pattern of species evenness. On the community level the same factor

– total soil salinity (ECe) was responsible for plant community differentiation and their diversity. Analysis additionally demonstrates that soil salinity influences species evenness what was not detected by the internal a-diversity pattern. Species turnover along first DCA axis were greater than 4 SD. For the species turn-over and length of gradient important were rare species. Results implies that the most important for diversity protection of investigated habitats is preservation of the water regime to have more or less stable, natural soil salinity level.

274 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Pioli S.

Poster nr. 122 Diversity of fungal communities in dead logs: effects of forest structure and substrate quality in four unmanaged italian forests Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Silvia Pioli1 *, Alessia Bani1, Luigimaria Borruso1, Lorenzo Brusetti1 and Roberto Tognetti2 1Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Italy and 2Department of Biosci- ences and Territory, University of Molise, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Wood-inhabiting fungi are the major decomposers of organic matter in forest environments, playing a crucial role for the maintenance of critical ecosystem processes. Despite their importance, very few studies have investigated wood-inhabiting fungi with molecular techniques, especially in Southern Europe. In our study, dead wood quality along with stand structural attributes and ecological parameters were used to disentangle the relationships between forest habitat characteristics and fungal community structure. Wood samples we collected from 72 lying dead logs in four old-growth forest reserves located along a latitudinal transect in the Italian Peninsula. The sites differed in tree species composition, management history and successional stage. The fungal community was investigated through fingerprinting analysis while physical properties of logs and structural attributes of the stands were assessed in the field. In addition, lignin, carbon and nitrogen content were analysed for each sampled dead log. Our results indicate that the combination of structural and morphological aspects of the study areas played a great role in differentiating the fungal communities across these old-growth forests. Moreover, evergreen and deciduous tree species hosted different fungal communities. Among the wood chemical characteristics, only lignin content significantly affected the overall community structure. On the other hand, the climatic factors likely exerted a major influence regarding fungal species diversity that was positively influenced by mean annual precipitation and negatively influenced by annual temperature delta. Our findings suggest that the structural and ecological heterogeneity of forest systems subjected to natural dynamics for a longer period may support a more diverse fungal community. We conclude that the conservation of old- growth forest stands can be an effective strategy for increasing forest biodiversity in Mediterranean mountain areas.

275 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Plue J.

Oral Presentation Interspecific variation in ploidy as an overriding plant trait outlining extinction risks, species distributions and community structure in fragmented landscapes Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Jan Plue1,3 *, Adam Kimberley1 and Tanja Slotte2 1Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University;2Department of Ecology, Environ- ment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University and 3School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Polyploidy is associated with a plethora of phenotypic and genetic changes yielding transformative effects on their life-history and ecology compared to diploids. These biological attributes can contribute to the ecological success of polyploids, as observed in the invasion success or rapid environmental and climatic adaptation of polyploids. However, so far there has been a distinct lack of empirical evidence linking species extinction risk, species distributions and community structure in fragmented landscapes with interspecific variation in ploidy. Plant community and landscape data were collected from semi-natural grassland fragments from South-Central Sweden. Plant community structure, species distributions and trait interactions were analyzed to connect how interspecific variation in ploidy and dispersal- and persistence-related life-history interact to outline plant diversity and community responses to habitat fragmentation. Interspecific variation in ploidy proved the strongest predictor of community diversity and turn-over across grassland fragments, with decreasing extinction risks as ploidy increased. Ploidy outweighted the combined explanatory power of commonly used life-history traits suspected to be key predictors of plant species distributions across fragmented landscapes. Our evidence highlights the importance of genomic traits as ploidy and chro- mosome numbers to be key factors overriding other crucial life-history traits in determining extinction risks and survival likelihood in fragmented landscapes.

276 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Poli Marchese E.

Poster nr. 082 The vegetation dynamic on lava flows of the natural park of mont etna (italy) Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Emilia Poli Marchese* University Catania *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Mount Etna is the highest and the most active volcano of Europe. It reaches 3330 m a.s.l. and its slopes are widely covered by many lava flows of different age. On each lava flow there are plant colonization processes characterized by different dynamic stages. The aim of this study is to point out the dynamic stages of the vegetation colonizing lava flows of the same century ( 17th century) and to highlight how the vegetation dynamic changes when slope exposure and altitude change. The study was carried out on four lava flows, selected on slopes facing north, east, south and west respectively. vegetation was sampled through phytosociological relevés, according to the Braun-Blanquet method (Braun-Blanquet 1964). On each lava flow the relevés have been made in selected plots located at different altitudes. The data obtained allow to point out that on each lava flow the plant colonization process is represented by all dynamic stages: from cryptogam stages to stages dominated by annual and perennial herbaceous species and to shrub and arboreal ones. Within the herbaceous stages, some vegetation types of slopes facing south and east and located at different altitudes reach the highest cover value ( 90 %); the stages with the highest floristic richness lie in the southern slope, in plots located at 975 and 1745 m a.s.l. Within the shrub vegetation a stage, located at 880 m a.s.l., on the northern slope, reaches the highest cover value (95 %) and the highest floristic richness; whereas the highest shrub stage is located at 915 m a.s.l., on the western slope. Within the arboreal vegetation a stage of the southern slope, located at 975 m a. s. l., reaches the highest cover value (95 %) and the highest species richness. A stage, located on the slope facing north, at 1665 m a.s.l., and reaching an high of 12-15 m, is the highest arborealstage. The different dynamic successions can have disturbances by human activities, which can change the natural dynamic processes. But safeguard actions by the Etnean natural park can avoid the establishment of human induced successions.

277 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Pratasiene K.

Poster nr. 091 The invasive alien amelanchier spicata impact on plant communities diversity, abundance and composition in lithuanian forests Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Kristina Pratasiene* and Vitas Marozas Institute of Environment and Ecology, University of Aleksandras Stulginskis university *Presenting author: [email protected]

The interest of invasive plant species has increased significantly over the past few decades together with growing in afforestation, climate and land use change. Invasive woody plant species can affect all components of an environment, from ecosystem processes to community structure and biodiversity patterns, may cause impacts on native forests biodiversity through hybridization, change nutrient cycling and water filtration, decreased water sup- plies for nearby communities, they can limit native plant growth or change species composition. In view of the increased attention of invasive plant species, this study presents the distribution, vegetation and site types parameters of the Amelanchier spicata (Lam.) K. Koch and it‘s impact on forests plant communities diversity and species composition structure in Lithuania. It was found that Amelanchier spicata dominated in high productivity, pine forests stand and had negative influence on species composition structure.

278 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Prokhorov V.

Poster nr. 128 Potential distribution of the rare endemic plant, Cicerbita uralensis (As- teraceae), under climate change: from the past to the future Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Vadim E. Prokhorov* and Razil R. Mardanov Kazan Federal University *Presenting author: [email protected]

Cicerbita uralensis (Rouy) Beauverd is a rare endemic plant species included in several regional Red Data Books in Russia. Its range is constantly changing after the climate change during the last hundreds of thousands years. The distribution of the ancestor of this plant was associated with forests. Pliocene broadleaf forests and was significantly decreased and fragmented under the Pleistocene glaciations effect. After the last glaciation, the plant survived in several refugia, including the Southern Urals. In the modern interglacial period a new endemic species formed in the Urals has spread to the west. It is obvious that the distribution of C.uralensis will again undergo changes due to the global climate change in the future. How climate determines distribution of species over space and time is an important question for its conservation. We use species distribution models (SDMs) to reconstruct the distribution in the past, to predict the current potential distribution and the possible range shifts in response to climate change in the future. This method is currently widely used in ecology to predict impacts of global environmental change on biodiversity. SDMs were developed using the maximum entropy method (MaxEnt) with the bioclimatic variables available in WorldClim database and a total of 297 occurrence points of C. uralensis, including georeferenced records from literature, herbaria and our sampled localities. The results of the model were projected to the Global Circulation Model (we used CCSM4) for Mid-Holocene, Last Glacial Maximum and Last inter-glacial periods. The future potential distribution of C. uralensis was predicted under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs of 2.6 and 8.5) in 2050 and 2070. The reconstruction of C. uralensis potential distribution in the past showed how the change in its size, shape and location in space and time took place. Both future scenarios demonstrated that the distribution range would decrease significantly, shifting northwards and upward in altitude.

279 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Puy J.

Oral Presentation Transgenerational effects in plant interactions: does parental competition improves offspring adaptability? Special Session: Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Javier Puy1 *, Hana Dvořáková1, Inga Hiiesalu2, Francesco de Bello1,3, Vít Latzel4 and Car- los P. Carmona2 1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté Stoce 1, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic;2Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005, Tartu, Estonia;3Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Science, Dukelská 135, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic and 4Institute of Botany, Czech Acad- emy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

Heritable epigenetic mechanisms enable plants to remember their former interactions with the environment, adjust their phenotype accordingly, and transmit the acquired knowledge to their offspring, promoting local adaptation. Such transgenerational effects play an important role in plants subjected to different abiotic stresses and are especially crucial during the seedling stage. However, the role of biotic interactions in mediating transgenerational effects is still largely unknown. Here we test whether the effect of parental plant-plant competition could influence adult offspring performance and whether these parental effects are adaptive. We conducted a pot experiment where genetically identical individuals of Taraxacum brevicorniculatum were grown, for one season, alone or in competition with different species and itself. Above- and belowground vegetative traits, seed output per plant, average seed mass and total biomass were measured at the time of harvest and used to estimate the level of competition experienced by the focal Taraxacum. Subsequently, we conducted another experiment the following year where the offspring from the first experiment were grown in the same condition as the mother or experiencing the rest different levels of the competition. Again, the same traits as previous year were measured at the time of harvest and used to estimate the level of competition experienced by this second generation. We analyzed the relationship between the intensity of competition in the first generation and the offspring performance. Additionally, we analyzed if the intensity of competition suffered changed between generations depending on the parental condition. The results show that parental competition affected adult offspring phenotype and performance besides the prevailing effect of the present competition. More interestingly, we found that offspring suffered less than parents with higher level of competition experienced by the parental plant. Our experiment suggests that adaptive epigenetic adjustments driven by competition can be transmitted to next generations and could influence plant-plant interactions and local adaptation.

280 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Raath M.

Oral Presentation Do positive plant-plant interactions expand the upper distributional limits of vascular plant species on Marion Island? Session: Vegetation diversity on islands Morgan J. Raath* and Peter C. le Roux Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa *Presenting author: [email protected]

While the impact of the abiotic environment on species distributions has been well-established, the influence of biotic interactions, particularly positive (e.g. facilitative) interactions, on species ranges remains poorly assessed. Indeed, biotic interactions may strongly shape species’ distributions as they contribute to determining species’ realized niches, potentially either constraining or expanding the range of conditions under which species occur. This study examined whether biotic interactions at fine-scales (i.e. plant- plant interactions) scale up to shape species distributions. We used Azorella selago, a widespread cushion plant (compact, hemispherical plants that create favourable microhabitats by ameliorating abiotic disturbances and stresses), and the rest of the vascular flora from sub-Antarctic Marion Island as a model system. The elevational distribution of vascular plant species when growing in association or away from A. selago was assessed to test how the interaction with this cushion plant species affect species’ ranges. The upper distributional limits of most species did not differ significantly in the presence and absence of A. selago.However, A. selago had a strong positive effect on the upper range limit of one species, Colobanthus kerguelensis (+119.38 m) and a marginally significant positive effect on another,Lycopodium saururus (+30.82 m). Therefore, even though A. selago strongly impacts some species occurrence and performance at fine-scales, these local impacts only scale up to shape the distribution of a few vascular plant species. Although the effect of positive plant-plant interactions may be species-specific, they have the potential to expand species’ upper distributional limits.

281 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rabena M.

Poster nr. 098 Vegetation composition and structure of a tropical montane forest in ifugao rice terraces lansdcapes, northern luzon, philippines Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Mark Anthony F. Rabena1,2 * and Damasa M. Macandog1 1University of the Philippines Los Banos and 2University of the Philippines Open University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Philippines is one of the most famous landscapes in the Asia-Pacific Region and also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. At least five land uses can be found across the landscape namely community forest (inalahan), privately-owned forest (muyong), rice terraces (payoh), human settlement areas (boble), swidden farms (uma) and grasslands (magulon). The establishment and conservation of these land-uses including traditional resource management by the local people contributed to the continuous existence and viability of the heritage site. Meanwhile, muyong has a significant role within the landscape. It serves primarily as a water recharge zone for the rice terraces found below it. Protection of its biodiversity could sustain its ecological function and even its socio-cultural value. The objective of this study is to evaluate the vegetation composition and structure of the muyong. A total of 52 woody plant species were recorded in the ten 10m x 10m quadrats established in Brgy. Kinakin, Banaue, Ifugao, Northern Luzon Island, Philippines. The most represented family is Euphorbiaceae (11%). The results of vegetation inventory showed close affinity of themuyong to the lower montane forest formation of the Philippines. Moreover, 20% of the woody species are endemic and majority are pioneer tree species. These species are used by the local people as important biological resources for socio-cultural and economic purposes which lead to their protection and conservation. However, the present study on horizontal and vertical structure showed that more than 50% of the stands are on very early stage of succession as shown by the abundance of short stature (<10 m) and low DBH trees (<10 cm), low species richness and Shannon’s index of diversity and presence of less than 60% canopy closure. Thus, there is a possible threat on the sustainability of the muyong possibly due to faster extraction than regeneration. There is also the introduction of exotic species.

282 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Radula M.

Poster nr. 116 Topographic wetness index predicts soil moisture better than bioindica- tion with Ellenberg’s indicator values Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Małgorzata Raduła1 *, Tomasz Szymura1 and Magdalena Szymura2 1Department of Ecology, Biogeochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland and 2Department of Agroecosystems and Green Areas Management of Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl. Grunwaldzki 24A, 53-363 Wrocław *Presenting author: [email protected]

Topography is an important determinant of soil moisture (SM) distribution and thus drives the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, including vegetation composition and structure. To assess soil water spatial variability, a number of indices have been used. In this study, we compared the ability of the topographic wetness index (TWI) and Ellenberg’s indicator values (EIV) to explain the spatial variation of SM in central European forests. Further, we tested the potential heat load (HL) and soil water capacity (SWC) as additional factors that could potentially improve the regressions with SM. TWI was calculated using 10 different flow routing algorithms. The average EIV for SM were calculated on the basis of the presence or absence of plant species data. We observed that the flow routing algorithms explain SM variability better than the average EIV. The strongest relationship between TWI and SM was obtained by the MFD-md algorithm of Qin et al. The inclusion of SWC increased the explanatory power of both TWI and EIV, while the HL did not improve the regressions. The relative increase in the explanatory ability by SWC was particularly pronounced in case of EIV. We interpreted this to be a result of the fact that EIV reflect the synergistic effect of multiple environmental gradients on plant distribution. TWI calculated by any of the flow routing algorithms remains a better explanatory factor of SM than EIV, even if the latter was enhanced by the addition of SWC.

283 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ranta P.

Oral Presentation Boreal cities against invasive alien species. How resilient? Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Pertti Ranta* Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Helsinki *Presenting author: [email protected]

Cities are rich in plant species, both native and alien. Boreal zone resists invasions, because the dominant boreal coniferous forests on acidic soils, hard siliceous rocks and nutrient poor bogs are not susceptible to alien species. Our study material consists of 500 000 plant observations in four studied boreal cities in Finland: Helsinki (lat. 60 N), Vantaa, Tampere and Oulu (lat. 65 N). The gradient from S to N is 600 km long. The official list of invasive aliens consists of 54 plant species in Finland. In our opinion the share of invasive plants of the total flora of a city, does not give a comprehensive picture of the invasion process. We suggest instead the share of the IAS of the total urban plant observations as a more informative index. All urban habitats are not equally susceptible to IAS, but in our material the share remains low: 2 – 4 % of all plant observations. Some habitat types like bogs are free of IAS. Highest shares were observed in roadsides and wastelands. In the whole material of 500 000 plant observations the share varies along the 600 km long gradient, lowest share in the north (Oulu) and highest in the south (Helsinki). The resilience of boreal cities against IAS is explained by the general structure of the boreal cities: seminatural vegetation like coniferous forests, bogs, wetlands and rocky outcrops can be found in all parts of the cities, also near the central business districts. The most common IAS are Galium album, Lupinus poly- phyllos, Rosa rugosa and Epilobium adenocaulon. Spatially the IAS cover about 5 % of the studied grid cells.

284 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rapinel S.

Poster nr. 107 Combined use of phytosociological relevés and Earth observation data for mapping sub-halophilous plant communities in old embanked coastal marshlands in western France Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Sebastien Rapinel1,2 *, Anne Bonis1 and Jan-Bernard Bouzillé1 1UMR 6553 CNRS ECOBIO, Université Rennes 1 and 2UMR 6554 CNRS LETG, Université Rennes 2 *Presenting author: [email protected]

Coastal marshes of western France cover more than 200 000 ha along the Atlan- tic coast. They were conquered on the sea since the middle Ages.The embank- ment of these saltmarshes results in soil desalination in most part of the area. However, in grazed meadows, soil salinity may persist locally, which allows the development of plant community dominated by Juncus gerardi that contributes to the habitat diversity of Natura 2000 sites. The spatial distribution of these sub-halophilous communities is however still poorly known because of their fragmented distribution and limited extent. In this context, this study aims to: (1) describe the floristic composition of various sub-halophilous communities encountered and their diversity; and (2) map vegetation patterns at a local scale. The method combines phytosociological and remote-sensing approaches. First, more than 600 phytosociological relevés were classified according to a semi-supervised kmeans algorithm. Then, these floristically defined plant communities were mapped at 1:10 000 scale from the classification of a Pléiades satellite image acquired at the peak standing crop and airborne topographic LiDAR data. Results show that around twenty grassland plant communities were identified including a sub-halophilous community and variants comprising some tolerant species like Puccinellia maritima, Spergularia marina, Juncus gerardi, Hordeum marinum, Parapholis strigosa, Alopecurus bulbosus. This highly original floristic cortege justifies the definition of a new plant association: Alopecuro bulbosi - Juncetum gerardii. The analysis of the phytosociological relevés at a landscape scale highlights that this sub-halophilous community is spread all over the surveyed marshes. At a finer scale, the classification of Pléiades image and LiDAR data (overall accuracy 70%) shows that sub-halophilous patterns are found on micro-slopes corresponding to areas belonging to historical tidal marshes.

285 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rasran L.

Poster nr. 135 Role of hydrochorous seed dispersal for the restored Traisen River area (Danube floodplain) Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Leonid Rasran*, Marc Trattnig, Kati Vogt and Karl Georg Bernhardt University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna *Presenting author: [email protected]

The downer Traisen-River area shortly before its entry into the Danube is part of the Natura 2000 area “Austrian Danube floodplain”. This area is currently affected by large scale restoration measures including changes of river bed (artificial meanders) and construction of large areas made assessable for regular floods. Hydrochorous seed dispersal is expected to be an important vector for the re-establishment of vegetation on bare soils after restoration of river bed and on the surrounding floodplain meadows and forests. We analysed, how this vector can affect the vegetation composition after the restoration in comparison with previous conditions (straitened river with restricted inundation area). For this purpose we sampled plant diaspores drifting in the river at two bridges of the Traisen (upstream and downstream the restoration area) over a period of nine weeks during the seasonal maxima of seed transport (Sep. – Nov. 2014) using aquatic seed traps (3 traps per bridge). The second phase of sampling is planned for late summer and autumn 2017 after the restoration project have been completed. Trapped material collected during one week separately per trap and bridge was divided into two parts: one half was laid out on sterile soil in a greenhouse, the other half was dried and examined manually, while plant diaspores were picked out, counted and determined. Preliminary results show, that river water as dispersal vector was already used by over 100 taxa, including some invasive species – Solidago gigantea, Ailanthus altissima, Acer negundo. Especially for species adapted to anemochory, hydrochory is an important additional way of dispersal. In contrast, endozoochorous (avichorous) species, although frequently found in the aquatic traps, lost their viability during drift and usually did not germinate after transport. In the second phase of the study we expect to find the effects of river restoration on seed transport. We hope that riverbed reconstruction and establishment of semi-natural flooding regime will increase the diversity of dispersed species and especially support the transport of species of pioneer riverbank communities and alluvial meadows and thus promote the re-establishment of these vegetation types in the conservation area.

286 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ravanbakhsh H.

Poster nr. 103 Population distribution and sociability of phanerophytes in the southern part of Alborz Mountains (Iran) and their application in landscape design Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Hooman Ravanbakhsh* and Paria Yaghoobi Kia Semnan University, Semnan, Iran *Presenting author: [email protected]

Irano-Turanian region is a significant biodiversity reservoir which is highly at the danger of destruction and anthropogenic activities. The phanerophytes in this area are in greater elimination risk as they constitute a small portion of Irano-Turanian flora. In this research, the distribution and sociability of woody species of semi-arid Alborz were investigated to be possibly used for reforesta- tion and closed to nature landscape design. Totally, 41 native tree and shrub species were identified and their habitats were determined and analyzed. The population distribution was described in three status (clumped, random and even) and sociability was ranked based on phytosociology codes (1-5). These two parameters complementary to each other can describe the distribution patterns of species and suggest the best way to combine plants for a sustainable plantation and landscape design. According to the results, 83% of the species were distributed in a clumped form; 10% randomly and 7% evenly. The 24% of clumped species showed a strip pattern, they were mostly hygrophytes and found along the rivers or wet valleys (i.e. Salix spp., Populus spp. and Fraxinus rotundifolia). The most sociable species were Juniperus excelsa, Pistacia atlantica (Rank 5), Amygdalus lycioides and A. scoparia (Rank 4), all with the clumped distribution, either in small or in large clumps. Moreover, 27 species were categorized in the rank 2 of sociability with clumped distribution (i.e. Berberis inte- gerrima, Colutea persica, Cotoneaster spp., Atraphaxis spinosa and Ephedra major). Finally, seven species had the lowest sociability (Rank 1), four of them were distributed randomly (i.e. Prunus divartica and Cerasus pseudoprostrata) and three of them evenly (i.e. Crataegus spp. and Elaeagnus angustifolia). These outcomes combined with morphological characteristics and ecological demands, were applied to suggest the best plant composition for the landscape design in the southern Alborz areas.

287 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Reitalu T.

Oral Presentation Patterns of pollen diversity as a proxy for large-scale plant diversity across Europe Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Triin Reitalu1 *, Anne E. Bjune2,7, Ansis Blaus1, Pille Gerhold5, Thomas Giesecke3, Aveliina Helm5, Jhonny C. Massante5, Isabelle Matthias3, Sakari J. Salonen4, Heikki Seppä4, Vivika Väli6 and H. John B. Birks2 1Institute of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia;2Department of Biology and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;3Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Heller Institute for Plant Sciences, Univer- sity of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany;4 Department of Geosciences and Geography, Universi- ty of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;5Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia;6Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia and 7Uni Research Climate, Bergen, Norway *Presenting author: [email protected]

Sedimentary pollen data provides potentially a valuable source of information about past vegetation diversity. However, diversity is seldom considered in palaeo-vegetation studies, mainly because the relationships between plant diversity and sedimentary proxy-based diversity are poorly understood. Present study aims to improve the methods for assessing and interpreting plant diversity from sedimentary pollen. We compare measures reflecting taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity for modern sediment pollen data with equivalent measures for vegetation data and clarify which measures of pollen diversity are adequate proxies of plant diversity. The stuy area covers northern Europe and western Siberia (52-80 º N ; 5-65 º E). The pollen sample dataset consists of 633 pollen surface samples from small and medium-sized lakes (24 ha on average). Plant data for the lake locations comes from pan-European plant distribution atlas with 50 × 50 km resolution. Standardized effects size of the mean pairwise distance (SES MPD) in the phylogenetic tree was used as a measure of the phylogenetic diversity. WorldClim climate data and a global land cover dataset are used to provide background environmental data for diversity estimates based on pollen and plant data. Species richness and pollen richness are significantly positively correlated (r=0.50, p<0.001). The association is even stronger when only wind-pollinated taxa are considered (r=0.74, p<0.001). At the same time, the richness of insect pollinated taxa was not reflected in the pollen data (r=0.009, p=0.016). Phylogenet- ic diversity(SES MPD) in pollen data is significantly positively associated with phylogenetic diversity in plant data (r=0.35, p<0.001). Out of climate variables, minimum temperature of the coldest months is strongly positively correlated

288 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 with richness and negatively with phylodiversity of both pollen and plant data. Our preliminary results show that pollen data can be used as proxy for large- scale plant diversity. Because pollen of the wind-pollinated taxa has better dispersal capacities and higher proportions in the pollen samples, it is reflecting the large-scale plant diversity patterns better than the pollen of insect-pollinated taxa which is probably more associated with local-scale plant diversity.

289 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rejžek M.

Oral Presentation Tackling shrub encroachment by roller-chopping preserves woody plants diversity and composition in a dry subtropical forest. Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Martin Rejžek1 *, Rubén D. Coria2, Carlos Kunst2, Martin Svátek1, Jakub Kvasnica1, Marcelo Navall2, Roxana Ledesma2, Adriana Gómez2 and Radim Matula1 1Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic and 2National Agricultural Technology Institute, Santiago del Estero Agricultural Experiment Station, Santiago del Estero, Argentina *Presenting author: [email protected]

In the dry forests of Argentine Chaco ecoregion affected by shrub encroachment, the growing demand for grazing areas has led to the creation of a silvopastoral system. Under the Chaco silvopastoral system, commonly used treatment to disrupt excessive shrub layer and promote the grasses is the roller-chopping by blades-armed iron drum pulled by a tractor. While previous studies evaluating roller-chopping effects on diversity have focused mostly on herbaceous stratum as the primary source of forage, much less is known about roller-chopping effects on woody plants. To fill this gap, we assessed alpha and beta diversity of woody plants of shrub layer in experiment with different frequencies of so-called low intensity roller-chopping in northern Argentina. The low intensity roller-chopping, unlike conventional roller-chopping, uses the disturbance theory to plan the intensity, severity and frequency of treatment to keep viable populations of woody species in treated areas. The alpha diversity did not differ among treatments and beta diversity of roller-chopped treatments was generally higher compared to untreated plots. The woody plant species composition of roller-chopped plots differed little from control plots and the difference was only expressed in few species. Our study revealed a little overall effect of roller-chopping on species diversity and composition of woody plants. The transformation of Chaco forest degraded by shrub encroachment to the silvopastoral system by roller-chopping leads to changes in the structure of forest but keeps to a large extent the presence and the relative abundances of woody plant species. We conclude that low intensity roller-chopping is a good management tool to reduce woody plant encroachment and create silvopastoral system, while preserving ecosystem functions. (The study was supported by a project “The active involvement of Czech scientists in international research activities of the IALE – International Asso- ciation for Landscape Ecology” (LG15034, INGO II Project)).

290 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Remigiusz P.

Poster nr. 008 Plant species richness in riparian forests: Longitudinal pattern, influence of topography and role of rare species Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Remigiusz Pielech* Department of Forest Biodiversity, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

The most species-rich riparian forests are usually associated with river mid-reaches. Although a unimodal distribution of species richness along the longitudinal gradient is the most common, other patterns have also been reported, including either an increase or decrease in plant species richness from the spring towards the river mouth. Moreover, many studies have provided evidence for a positive relationship between topographic complexity and species richness within the riparian zone. However, most of these studies are based on single rivers and do not explore the above mentioned patterns and relationships in a broad context of catchment or river network. What is more, only streamside forests were considered in previous studies, while forests in spring-fed areas were neglected. The goals of this study are covered by the following questions: What is the general pattern of species richness along the longitudinal gradient? How do different topographic factors influence species richness? What is the role of rare species in shaping species richness in river networks? To address these questions, a dataset of vegetation plots sampled along 100 rivers in the Sudetes (SW Poland, Central Europe) was used. In addition, a 10 meter resolution DEM was processed to calculate five topographic variables, including the elevation, slope, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), and potential solar radiation. The location of each particular plot was referred to by a longitudinal gradient by calculating both its distance from the source of the river and the river order. In addition to the 142 plots of streamside forest, a subset of 31 forests sampled within spring- fed areas was included in the analyses. Different regression techniques were used to explore the longitudinal patterns of species richness, as well as the relationships between topography and both streamside and spring-fed forests. Finally, the contribution of ‘rare species,’ which were defined as the species with less than a 1% frequency in a whole dataset, was analyzed. Analyses revealed the unimodal response of species richness along the river course: forests associated with mid-reaches were the richest in plant species. However, forests from spring-fed areas harbor on average the same number of species and the plots that were the richest in species belonged to this

291 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 group. In spite of the fact that spring forests usually occupy only relatively small spring-fed areas, they are a very important part of regional biodiversity. Further analyses showed that in streamside forests the number of plant species increased with altitude, while in spring forests the number of species increased with solar radiation. Out of a total of 323 plant species noted in a whole dataset, 98 (30.3%) were rare species. Analyses of their origin and demography enabled them to be distinguished into eight uniform groups.

292 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Riibak K.

Poster nr. 061 Seeds with intermediate dispersal distances have the highest rates of survival Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Kersti Riibak1 *, Habacuc Flores-Moreno2,3, Fiona J. Thomson4,5, Riin Tamme5, Meelis Pärtel1 and Angela T. Moles5 1Department of Botany, University of Tartu;2Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota;3Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota;4Ecosys- tems & Global Change Team, Landcare Research, Lincoln and 5Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney *Presenting author: [email protected]

Theory says that dispersal may reduce mortality by helping plants to escape from natural enemies shared with their parents and by limiting intraspecific competition. However, seeds dispersed further from the parent plants are also more likely to arrive at unsuitable habitats. We conduct the first global scale cross-species analysis to test if species with intermediate levels of seed dispersal distance have the highest survival success. Species´ mean and maximum seed dispersal distances were obtained from the literature or estimated using plant traits (including dispersal syndrome and seed characteristics). Data about survival through germination (seed to seedling survival) and early seedling survival (survival through one week from seedling emergence) under natural conditions were collated from the literature. Species´ germination success was not related to seed dispersal distance across all species, however, the species with intermediate maximum dispersal distance values had overall higher seedling survival in the early stages of recruitment. In tropical forests, we found a positive relationship between germination success and maximum dispersal distance, whereas early seedling survival was not related to dispersal distance. In contrast, a hump-shaped relationship between early seedling survival and maximum dispersal distance was evident for species growing in temperate open habitats, whereas no relationship was found for seed germination. We conclude that dispersal to intermediate distances guarantees the highest early seedling survival rates for plant species. Community structure and species interactions shape largely the relationship between seed dispersal distance and survival. In tropical forests, where intraspecific competition is expected to be less important, dispersal has a particularly strong benefit for seed survival, whereas in densely vegetated open habitats in temperate zone, dispersal has stronger impacts on the survival of seedlings. These findings improve our understanding of the complex relationship between seed dispersal curves and survival success in plant communities.

293 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rivaes R.

Oral Presentation Zonation over succession: a particularity of mediterranean riparian ecosystems Special Session: Long-term changes of fluvial landscapes: evolutionary trajectories of vegetation patterns Rui P. Rivaes1 *, António N. Pinheiro2, Gregory Egger3,4 and Teresa Ferreira1 1Forest Research Centre, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal;2CERIS, Civil Engineering Research Innovation and Sustainability Centre, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal;3Environmental Consulting Klagenfurt, Bahnhofstrasse 39, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria and 4Institute of Floodplain Ecology, Karlsruher Institute of Technology, Josefstrasse 1, 76437 Rastatt, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

We investigated the specific paths by which fluvial disturbance drive riparian landscape patterns in three Portuguese Mediterranean rivers. We used the location and shape of the patches as proxies for the riparian landscape characterization and we decomposed fluvial disturbance in its two main factors, namely, groundwater hydrology and morphodynamic disturbance. We assessed the interactions between riparian landscape features and fluvial disturbance via confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling. We started by conceptualizing two different models regarding the location and shape of the patches, based on the existing literature and the authors expert knowledge. The two theoretical models were then tested against empirical data collected from 220 patches at four different study sites. The patch location model was successfully fitted and achieved a good adjustment for the observed data according to different approximate fit indexes. This model explained approximately 80% of the patch location variance and revealed that the location of the riparian patches is mainly driven by the groundwater hydrology. Morphodynamic disturbance had very little or none effect in the location of the patches. In a multigroup analysis by succession phase the model explained about 68% of the variance of the data and corroborated the results of the general model. These results seem to indicate a predominant zonation rather than an ecological succession of the different vegetation phases. On the other hand, although successfully fitted, the patch shape model only explained 13% of the patch shape variability. Although in this case less influence can be attributed to fluvial disturbance, the groundwater hydrology still is the main driver between the two disturbance factors. Nonetheless, the influence of morphodynamic disturbance increased to about a third of the groundwater hydrology effect. A multigroup analysis of this model was furthermore impossible since the population and model-estimated covariances were significantly different and approximate fit indexes agreed in a poor adjustment to the observed data. The outcome of these analyses indicates that riparian vegetation in Mediterranean rivers is more likely driven in a particular different way, which must be accounted for during flow regime management towards the restoration of such ecosystems.

294 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rocchini D.

Oral Presentation Modelling plant species distribution patterns under ecological complexity: explicitly accounting for sampling effort bias Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Duccio Rocchini1,2 *, Carol X. Garzon-Lopez3, Matteo Marcantonio4, Valerio Amici5, Giovanni Bacaro6, Neil Brummitt7, Daniele Da Re6, Kate S. He8, Alessandro Lo Cacciato9, Carlo Ricotta10 and Alessandro Chiarucci9 1University of Trento, Center Agriculture Food Environment, Italy;2Fondazione Ed- mund Mach, Dept. Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Italy;3Los Andes University, Colombia;4University of California Davis, Department of Pathology, USA;5University of Siena, Department of Life Sciences, Italy;6University of Trieste, Department of Life Sciences, Italy;7Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, UK;8Murray State University, Department of Biological Sciences, USA;9University of Bologna, De- partment of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Italy and 10University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Department of Environmental Biology, italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

In macroecology, analysing spatial variations of species distributions in space and time is necessary for effective biodiversity conservation and for prioritising management interventions. This is especially true when considering invasive species. In such a case, anticipating their spread is important to effectively plan management actions. However, considering uncertainty in the output of species distribution models is critical for correctly interpreting results and avoiding inappropriate decision-making. In particular, when dealing with species inventories, the bias resulting from sampling effort may lead to an over- or under-estimation of the local density of occurrences of a species. In this paper we propose an innovative method to i) map sampling effort bias using cartogram models and ii) explicitly consider such uncertainty in the modeling procedure under a Bayesian framework, which allows the integration of multilevel input data with prior information to improve the anticipation species distributions.

295 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rodríguez N.

Oral Presentation Updated data on the genus sarcocornia a.J. Scott (chenopodiaceae) and its plant communities in west europe Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Daniel P.C. Sánchez-Mata1, Lourdes Rufo2, Nuria Rodríguez3 * and Vicenta de la Fuente4 1Plant Biology II Department, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain;2Pharma- cy Department, Francisco de Vitoria University, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain;3Center of Astrobiology (Applied Microbiology Unit, INTA-CSIC), Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), Spain and 4Biology Department (Botany), Faculty of Sciences, Au- tonomous University, Cantoblanco (Madrid), Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

The latest contribution on the taxonomy of Sarcocornia in western European countries using a combination of morphological, karyological and phylogenetic analyses have led to the recognition of several species in the Mediterra- nean and Atlantic territories. Updated data had clarified the distribution of the following species: Sarcocornia perennis and S. pruinosa from Atlantic littoral salt marsh; S. pruinosa -systematically confused with S. fruticosa- in the Atlantic French coasts (Bretagne, Loire, etc.); S. alpini from western Atlantic and eastern and western Mediterranean estuarine coastal salt marshes; S. lagascae found in Mediterranean coastal areas on the Ibe- rian Peninsula and Balearic Islands; S. hispanica from Mediterranean semi-arid inland and coastal salt pans; and S. carinata, endemic in continental inland salt pans on the Iberian Peninsula. Sarcocornia fruticosa has been found to be absent from Iberian territories; our last data suggest it is distributed along Mediterra- nean coasts of France, Italy and Greece. In view of the new Sarcocornia taxonomy proposals we reviewed the current syntaxonomy of the Sarcocornia plant communities for both coastal and inland saline territories in West Europe. We compiled and processed more than 700 phytosociological relevés selected from our unpublished field notes and from many bibliographical sources of vegetation studies. We performed a multivariate statistical analysis (K-means and correspondence analysis). After this overview new nomenclatural proposals, including two new orders: Sarcocornio pruinosae-Halimionetalia portulacoidis and Arthrocnemo macrostachyi-Suaedetalia braun-blanquetii, were proposed.

296 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rodwell J.

Oral Presentation The European Red List of Terrestrial and Freshwater habitats Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment John Rodwell1 *, John Janssen2, Mariana Garcia Criado3, Susan Gubbay1, Thom- as Haynes4, Ana Nieto3, Natalie Sanders4 and 185 Authors/data providers5 1Independent Consultant;2Alterra Netherlands;3IUCN;4NatureBureau and 5Various *Presenting author: [email protected]

The European Red List of Habitats presents the first comprehensive and systematic assessment of the threat level of all terrestrial and freshwater habitats across Europe. Funded by the European Commission, the project was a collaboration of over 150 experts across the EU28 plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the Balkans. Using a typology based on the EUNIS habitat classification at level 3 (crosswalked to the alliances of the EuroVegChecklist) and a modified version of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems assessment methodology, it provides information on 228 habitats (233 in EU28+) including habitat definition, images, distribution, trends in quantity and quality over the past 50 years, long-term and future trends, pressures and threats, conservation measures, data sources and supporting literature. Assessment revealed that 36% of the habitats (31% for the EU28+) were in the three top IUCN threat categories of Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable across Europe as whole. Most generally threatened were mires, grasslands, freshwaters and coastal habitats. Forest, heaths & scrubs and sparsely vegetated habitats were generally less threatened but often still of ongoing concern. Reasons for decline in extent and quality were numerous but most important overall were intensification of agriculture, abandonment, drainage and pollution, invasion of alien plants and animals, urbanisation and associated infrastructure development. This paper will provide details of the assessment methodology and results, outline applications of the work and indicate the online availability of project deliverables: the European Red List of Habitats report and powerpoint; and for every habitat a pdf fact-sheet, images, GIS distribution maps and full territorial data. A parallel Red List assessment has been carried out for 257 European marine habitats in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas and the North-East Atlantic.

297 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Roman A.

Poster nr. 094 Linking current vegetation patterns to the ancient cultural landscapes: the case of Porolissum Roman archaeological site Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Sorana Muncaciu1, Marius Bărbos1, Dan Gafta2 * and Vasile Cristea2 1GTMCO, Calea Mănăștur 85/99, 400372 Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and 2Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, ”Babeş-Bolyai” University, 42 Republic Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca (Romania) *Presenting author: [email protected]

We hypothesized that both species composition and richness of xerophilous grasslands would be negatively affected by their overexploitation and by the edge effects from the adjacent ruderal/anthropogenic habitats. All grasslands within an area of about 415 km2 located in the central part of the Transylvanian intra-Carpathian lowlands (Romania) were floristically inventoried, mapped and further digitised in ArcGIS. Of the 58 grassland patches distinguished at alliance level, 22 were assigned to Festucion valesiacae (Fv). In the category of threatened species all rare, endangered or vulnerable vascular taxa at national or European level were included. We employed GLMM, partial db-RDA and GAM to assess the importance of predictors on species richness and composition as well as single species response along the main ecological gradient. The relative contribution of nestedness and turnover to floristic dissimilarity was assessed by reference to a null model of random assembly of species within patches. The effects ofFv patch area and spatial autocorrelation were filtered out in all numerical analyses. Total species richness increased significantly with the relative length of boundary shared with Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnati patches, whereas the number of threatened species increased with the proportion of abandoned pastures. The first ordination axis (db-RDA1) was significantly related with the fraction of overgrazed pastures and the relative length of boundary shared with crops, butthe proportionfrom total variation in species composition explained by the two variables waslow. The effect size of species nestedness was more than three-fold larger than that of species turnover along db-RDA1 axis (35.2 versus 9.9). Contrasting responses (steady increase versus monotonic decrease) along the gradient represented by db-RDA1 axis were detected in some character species of Festucetalia valesiacae (e.g., Campanula sibirica, Allium flavum) and some ruderal species (Polygonum aviculare, Melilotus officinalis), respectively. Our results bring forward the negative impact of the common practice of overgrazing on threatened species occurrence and overall species composition of Fvgrasslands. Although of minor importance, the proximity to anthropogenic habitats enables the invasion by ruderal plant taxa, which in time can lead to floristic degeneration through loss of character (specialist) species.

298 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rossatto D. R.

Oral Presentation Medium-term fire absence increases non-arboreal species richness and functional diversity at local scales in Brazilian savannas Session: Tropical grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Davi Rodrigo Rossatto* Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UN- ESP-FCAV *Presenting author: [email protected]

Fire is the main abiotic factor sustaining the savanna structure and its diverse composition of non-arboreal plants. Nearby sites under distinct fire regimes can diverge in their species composition and functional diversity. Under fire absence, an increase in the establishment and growth of fire sensitive plants is expected, which in turn will increase richness and functional diversity. Here I studied differences on species richness, functional traits and diversity of savanna sites under fire absence for more than 20 years, in relation to sites where fire was frequent. This study was conducted at Reserva Ecológica do IBGE, Brasília–DF, Brazil. Species composition was evaluated using ten 20m2 plots for each condition: fire absence (FA) x frequent fire (FF). All non-arboreal species were sampled. Margalef species richness index were calculated using the Past 2.0 software. I measured leaf traits dealing with plant persistence and growth in each species: specific leaf area (SLA), maximum photosynthesis (Amax), leaf C and leaf N. Functional richness (Frich) was calculated using the FDiversity software. Comparison between conditions were performed using an ANOVA (F-test). Eighty-seven species were found in 70 genus and 33 families. Twenty-one species were exclusively found at FF sites, where only 15 at FA. Sites differed in their species richness, with FA having 21% higher richness than FF sites (5.95 vs 4.89, F = 5.45 P = 0.048). Plants under FF had higher Amax rates (27.14 vs 23.55 mmol CO2 m2 s-1, F = 3.90 P = 0.02), lower SLA (81.88 vs. 92.41 cm2.g-1, F = 5.32 P = 0.04), similar leaf C and leaf N (F = 0.89 P =0.41). Frich was higher at FA than in FF (802.49 vs. 593.87, F = 6.34 P = 0.03). Savanna communities under frequent fire possess lower functional diversity, pointing to an effect on functional convergence given fire presence. However, plants in these sites showed higher rates of carbon exchange, which may be a response to the fire frequency and the need to accumulate reserves in underground organs to resprout after fire. Under fire absence, functional diversity is increased with the presence of plants with higher SLA.

299 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rove I.

Oral Presentation Changes in tree species composition of riparian forests in river catchment basins and trends in structures of forest habitats Special Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Ieva Rove* and Juris Zarins AS “Latvijas valsts meži”, The Joint Stock Company “Latvia’s State Forests” *Presenting author: [email protected]

All types of riparian zone forests of Fraxinus excelsior and Alnus glutinosa, arbo- rescent galleries of tall trees (Salix ssp., Alnus ssp.) as well as forests of hardwood trees of the major part of the river bed, liable to flooding during regular rising of water level or, of low areas liable to flooding following the raising of the water table, are crucial factor for the protection of watercourses from surface element leakage. These areas contain high biodiversity and function as movement corridors for species at the landscape ecological planning context. In accordance with the Latvian National law, protection of water courses has been set up in order to maintain the characteristic of local landscape. Since 1999, information about changes in forest tree composition is analysed using the State forest service forest register, the National forest inventory and Corine land cover data. Values connected to biodiversity are assessed on the basis of certain connected criteria from the State forest register - taxation formulas etc. Also, the data about vertical and horizontal dead wood – important component of biologically valuable forest, tree species composition of forest stand and information about tree dimensions are analysed from the State monitoring results. Evaluation of the data shows that the forests along watercourses are increased in area. So, the area of forests in riparian forest protection zones are increased by 3.3%. Openings in riparian forest areas is reduced in number and size, and canopy of trees become more closed compared to the rest of the Watercourse Catchment area. Land use diversity is decreasing mainly vanishing grasslands and sandy areas. Since 1999 variety of tree species composition of forest stands as well as diversity of tree dimensions are increasing in all the catchment areas. Nevertheless, some differences occur within quality of mapped European Union forest habitats as well as within richness of dead wood.

300 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Rupprecht D.

Oral Presentation Successful restoration: 19 years of vegetation sampling reveal unexpected dynamics in development towards a species-rich flood meadow Special Session: Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Denise Rupprecht* and Norbert Hölzel Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group, Institute of Landscape Ecology, Univer- sity of Münster *Presenting author: [email protected]

We monitored vegetation development of a restored flood meadow situated in the Northern Upper Rhine valley in Germany that had been converted from arable land to grassland in 1997. This was done by removal of the upper soil layers and byintroduction of diaspores through transfer of green hay from intact flood meadows nearby. Now, after nearly 20 years of continuous vegetation sampling, valuable insights into vegetation development under different abiotic influences are possible. As could be expected there was a strong dominance of annual ruderal species in the first years after the measurement, followed by a period in which common resident grassland species as well as some perennial herbs were prevalent. Starting with such high covers of non-target species, surprisingly the number of species transferred by the hay application increased steadily, from zero to 50 % in the first 5 years and to nearly 100 % cover up to now. Depending on groundwater levels, which were outstandingly high in some years, vegetation composition was also influenced by flooding events. In some years legumes reached unusually high covers, while only since the last three years rudges and sedges have moderately increased in cover. Interestingly, the cover of target species on stripes without hay treatment has still not reached the same level as on stripes with hay treatment, although they are in direct vicinity. These results emphasize that a successful restoration needs time and vegetation development might not be stable even after several decades. We can conclude that the introduction of target species through hay transfer was crucial as restoration success in flood meadows has been provento be largely dispersal limited.

301 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sabatini F.

Oral Presentation Finding the last wild forests: understanding the distribution of primary forest in Europe Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Francesco Maria Sabatini1 *, Sabina Burrascano2, William S. Keeton3, Christian Le- vers1, Marcus Lindner4, Florian Pötzschner1, Hans Verkerk4 and Tobias Kuemmerle1 1Department of Geography, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin;2Department of Environ- mental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome;3School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont and 4European Forest Institute *Presenting author: [email protected]

Historical deforestation and forest exploitation have led to the almost complete disappearance of primary forest from Europe. However, when not intensively managed, forests can recover compositional and structural features typically associated with virgin stands. In the last decades, changes in silviculture, the agricultural abandonment of marginal areas, and the expansion of the fraction of set-aside land led in many European countries to an increase in the proportion of forests with features that as such are of high conservation value. Yet, many virgin and late-successional forests, here jointly referred to as ‘primary forests’, remain undis- covered and unprotected. We produced the first map of known European primary forests aggregating information from the literature, via an online questionnaire, and collecting spatial datasets supplied by forest scientists from 24 countries. In total, we gathered information for 1.4 Mha of primary forest in 38 European countries, of which only 46% are currently strictly protected. Using these data, we then developed a spatially-explicit model to understand the spatial determinants of primary forest distribution in Europe and to identify areas where unmapped stands with similar characteristics to known stands might be found. Our results showed that the spatial patterns of known primary forest is the result of centuries of land-use pressures, but also of specific local events and contingencies. Primary forest distribution was unevenly distributed across countries, biogeographical regions and forest types, and was relatively well explained by socio-economic factors, mainly site accessibility and population density. Primary forests occurred most likely in ‘high and far’ locations, i.e. in remote, underpopulated areas in the mountains or at high latitudes where land-use pressure is low. In the profitable lowland regions of central and southern Europe, instead, primary forests were few, small, and often fragmented in man-dominated landscapes. Notwithstanding the high opportunity cost, the restoration of a dynamic population of functionally connected primary forest stands in lowlands should be considered a conservation priority.

302 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sabino G.

Poster nr. 083 Tree community in six human-modified tropical forests (HMTFs): Diver- sity and structure of Atlantic Rainforest fragments in southeastern Brazil Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Gabriel Pavan Sabino1 *, Vitor de Andrade Kamimura1, Marco Antônio Assis1, An- dré Luis Rochelle2 and Carlos Alfredo Joly2 1State University of São Paulo (UNESP) and 2State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) *Presenting author: [email protected]

Few studies integrate landscape metrics to phytosociological parameters to try to find out what is the role of forest remnants to the diversity and flora maintenance. In this sense, the aim of this study was to conduct a survey of the floristc structure and composition in tree communities of six fragments of Dense Ombrophilous Forest, and also to verify if the structure and composition are relative to the fragments size, connectivity and recovery time. The study was developed in São Luiz do Paraitinga city, in southeastern of Brazil. In order to make a floristic and phytosociological survey, a transect (10X250m) was allocated within each fragment, with 25 subplots of 10X10m, being the tree community (DBH>4,8cm) sampled, including palm trees and tree ferns. We calculated structural paremeters, diversity indexes (e.g. Shan- non-Wiener, Jacknife) for the region and for each fragment. Two similarity analyzes were performed, both using the Ward’s method and the Bray-Cur- tisindex. One of the analyzes included only the studied fragments, to verify if there is variation of the floristic composition and structure to the landscape metrics (area, connectivity and the recovery time). The other similarity analysis verified the resemblance of the six fragments and nine other studies developed in Dense Ombrophilous Forest and Seasonal Semideciduous Forest. The studied fragments have sizes ranging from 12.2ha to 94.6ha, three of them with high connectivity and three with low connectivity. 3048 trees were sampled and the results showed high regional diversity and richness, being found 271 species, 62 families and H’= 4,65nat.ind-1. Diversities and richness for each fragment varied from 44 species (H ‘= 2.55) to 112 species (H’ = 4.09), showing heterogeneous communities with low floristic similarity between them. For the structure data, we found a significant difference for the increase of number of live trees and the recovery time of the fragments. The similarity analysis among other studies, showed a clustering of the fragments to the studies developed in more influenced Seasonal Semideciduous Forest areas.

303 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sakamoto K.

Oral Presentation Effects of large-sized forest fire and illegal cutting on the regeneration of a boreal forest in Mongolia. Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Misaki Tomonari1, Takashi Otoda1, Erika Katagiri1, Uyanga Ariya2, Muneto Hirobe1, Baatarbileg Natin2 and Keiji Sakamoto1 * 1Okayama University and 2National University of Mongolia *Presenting author: [email protected]

Forest fire is an important trigger for regeneration and succession in boreal forests. The boreal forests in Mongolia are often distributed as forest-steppe, and recently the forest fire tends to be larger because of climate change and to be often accompanied by illegal cutting, which is thought to cause degradation of the forests. However, the degradation mechanisms have not been ecologically clarified. Therefore, the objective of this study is to demonstrate the effects of large-sized forest fire with illegal cutting on the regeneration of major tree species, Picea obovata, Pinus sibirica, Larix sibirica, and Betula platyphylla, and discuss the restoration of boreal forests in Mongolia. We established several study plots in a large post-fire site and the neighboring forest 12 years after forest fire, according to presence or absence of forest fire and illegal cutting, and the distance from the neighboring forest that was not burnt, and then investigated the structure of tree sapling population. The results demonstrated that P. obovata and P. sibirica can be regenerated probably by advance regeneration in the undisturbed forest floor after the disturbance only by cutting, on the other hand, L. sibirica and B. platyphylla can be regenerated in the disturbed forest floor by forest fire. It is likely that, in the post-forest fire site, regeneration of B. platyphylla depends on seeds supplied from the neighboring forest because seeds are light, and regeneration of L. sibirica depends on seeds supplied by the mother trees resisting forest fire because of thick bark even though the seeds are heavier than those of B. platyphylla. However, in the parts of the post-forest fire site that is remote from the neighboring forest and accompanied by illegal cutting, even the light seeds of B. platyphylla could not be dispersed and the living mother trees of L. sibirica are cut. Additionally, development of herbaceous plant community probably reduces the regeneration of these tree species. Therefore, it is likely that there is a risk that the forests will not be restored and will be changed into herbaceous community in the post-fire sites after large- sized forest fire with illegal cutting.

304 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sakio H.

Poster nr. 129 The advancing alpine treeline on Mt. Fuji in Japan Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Hitoshi Sakio1 *, Konomi Ohishi2 and Takehiro Masuzawa2 1Niigata University and 2Shizuoka University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The alpine treeline of Mt. Fuji in central Japan is located approximately 2400– 2500 m above sea level. Over a 30-year period (1978–2008), we monitored its vegetation dynamics using a transect at a site impacted by the 1707 volcanic eruption. Vegetation near the treeline changed from a herbaceous to a shrub community, and larch and coniferous stands moved from the upper to the lower part of the treeline. In addition, vegetation advanced rapidly upwards during this time. At the most upper portion of the treeline, the herbaceous community was dominated by Carex doenitzii, and its cover increased during the study period; Larix kaempferi coveralso increased during this time. The number of trees (Alnus maximowiczii, Salix reinii, and L. kaempferi) on the upper part of the treeline rapidly increased over the 30 years, but the number of trees (L. kaempferi, Abies veitchii) below the treeline did not change. Domi- nant trees (1.3 m in height) on upper part of the treeline (A. maximowiczii, S. reinii, and L. kaempferi) invaded areas of higher altitude. In particular, many L. kaempferi seedlings were observed at the border of the advancing treeline, and results of tree age analysis indicated that Larix was the first canopy tree species to invade this area. Because it is drought-resistant, this species can occupy severely dry sites. On upper part of the treeline, vegetation patches act as nurse plants to invading tree seedlings. We observed Larixseedlings that had established very close to patch edges of S. reinii and Hedysarum vicioides subsp. japonicum var. japonicum. We also observed a change in the shape of Larix trees during the study period. In 1978, this species, in the upper portion of the treeline, was table-shaped, but individuals that have invaded since then have grown upright. We predict that the upward advance of the alpine timberline is a recovery process following the volcanic eruption, and that climate change may accelerate this advance.

305 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sánchez-Mata D.

Oral Presentation Geobotany and biogeography: an approach for california ultramafic landscapes Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Daniel P.c. Sánchez-Mata1 *, María Del Pilar Rodríguez-Rojo2, Vicenta De La Fuente3 And Lourdes Rufo4 1Plant Biology II Department, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain;2Institute for Environmental Sciences (ICAM), University of Castile-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain;3Biology Department (Botany), Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University, Cantoblanco (Madrid), Spain and 4Pharmacy Department, Francisco de Vitoria Uni- versity, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ultramafic rocks are found worldwide. Their specialized chemical composition result in ultramafic soils where a distinctive vegetation can be distin- guised. The ecological restrictions and fragmentation of these peculiar habitats generate a large group of endemics both plant species and communities. Ultramafic landscapesare very well represented throughout the Pacific Northwest territories of North America being California a privileged state. Its varied climate together with the proliferation of a massive local occurrence of ultramafics have created a true hotspot of biodiversity. For our purposes, geobotanical approach (including Bioclimatology, Biogeography and Plant Sociology) is being used to gain a general understanding of the specialized vegetation developed on these characteristic sites, and specifically the potential natural vegetation (considered as a xero-edaphic climax). The main focus of our research project is to characterize the different vegetation types and vegetation series that are closely related to ultramafic soils. As a preliminary step an accurate prospection for mature stands of ultramafic vegetation was developed identifying different seral plant communities, and dynamic patterns. Our present contribution includes a complete geobotanical overview for one of the most typical ultramafic vegetation types in the studied territory: the Cal- ifornia ultramafic (serpentine) chaparrals. All these chaparrals were framed within the alliance Quercion duratae Sánchez-Mata, Barbour & Rodríguez-Rojo [in Rivas-Martínez] 1997. This phytosociological unit was proposed in order to group mainly the climax scrub communities (xero-edaphic climax) growing on all kinds of undisturbed California ultramafic soils.

306 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Satoshi I.

Poster nr. 096 Plant species diversity around forest edges in farmland-agroforestry mosaics East Java, Indonesia Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Satoshi Ito1 *, Momoka Matsukura1, Ryoko Hirata1, Yasushi Mitsuda1, Yasa Palaguna Umar1, Tsuyoshi Kajisa2, Kurniawan Wicaksono3, Hagus Tarno3 and Arifin Noor3 1University of Miyazaki;2Kagoshima University and 3University of Brawijaya *Presenting author: [email protected]

Plant species diversity in sub-urban habitats strongly depends on the spatial and temporal patterns of forest or farmland patches. In particular, the effects of edges of adjoining patches must play an important role to determine the pattern of plant species diversity in mosaic landscapes. In this study, we focused on farmland-agroforestry mixture landscapes in Indonesia that are the hotspots of secondary nature, and clarified the trends of plant species diversity around the edge in patch mosaics. Field survey was conducted in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. We selected three edges; 1) a pine forest - sugarcane edge in the Brawijaya Universtiy For- est (UB), and 2) a pine forest - teak forest edge and 3) a pine forest - orchard edge in BATU district. Three two or line transects of 100 m in length crossing the edges were placed and all vascular plant species in ground vegetation were recorded with their coverage. Altogether 85 and 69 plant species were found in UB and BATU, respectively. In UB (pine-sugarcane edge), species richness was generally higher in the open-habitat (sugarcane field) attributed by large number of grassland and wetland species. The edge effect in terms of the gradual alteration of open-habitat and forest interior species along the distance from the edge was clear in open habitat, but less evident toward forest interior. In BATU district, PT edge showed clear decline of species richness from the pine to the teak stand, probably due to the thick canopy and the heavy ground cover by large leaf litter in the teak stand. The change of species richness along the distance from the edge was more gradual under a brighter condition in the pine stand than a darker condition in the teak stand. The pine-orchard edge showed the highest species richness at the edge with lower richness of the pine stand and the orchard. These results suggested that edge effect is clearer and more gradual toward open habitats than forest interiors in this case study, and may contribute to maintain forest interior species in brighter habitats.

307 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sautkin I.

Poster nr. 034 Experience in evaluation of ecosystem services based on species diversity and ecosystem productivity of protected Raifa forest ecosystems Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Ilya Sautkin* and Tatiana Rogova Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia *Presenting author: [email protected]

The research is devoted to the practical experience in ecosystem services (ES) valuation based on using indicators of species diversity and primary production by the example of forest ecosystems of Volga-Kama State Nature Bio- sphere Reserve (Russia). In the research were used 295 vegetation-plots from Vegetation Database of Tatarstan GIVD ID EU-RU-011 (http://www.givd. info/ID/EU-RU-011) and forest inventory taxation data of Raifa forestry on the territory of the reserve. Assessment of biodiversity composition and primary production were carried out for each of the three forest formations with dominance of Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula and Tilia cordata. The aim of the correlation analysis was to identify the links between the indicators of biodiversity (tree stand composition) and primary production (wood biomass by field data and taxation data). A strong positive correlation was found between the composition of the stand and the timber biomass from taxation data, the coefficient of multiple correlation is 0.73. For ES costs assessment, together with primary production were used data of species diversity and eco-cenotic species composition of evaluated ecosystems. For monetary ecosystem services valuation was used the recommendations of 5th National report “Conservation of biodiversity in the Russian Federation” (2016). For more accurate estimates we propose a method for determining the correction coefficient based on the presence of vascular plants. This coefficient includes data on the proportion of forest and ruderal species, as well as rare and endangered species. The use of the correction factor has allowed to obtain more accurate values of ecosystem services. This method can be recommended as a practical operating tool for environmental and economical assessment of species diversity and ecosystem services of forest areas both as at the protected areas and anthropogenic landscapes also.

308 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Schmidtlein S.

Oral Presentation An Android app to do relevé Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Sebastian Schmidtlein* Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Geography and Geoecology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Remark: This is a software presentation The presented Android app “Vegetation Survey” (VS) is a tool for collecting vegetation data in plots (relevés). Supported export formats include a generic text format, Turboveg- and VegX-xml. The entry of species is facilitated by synonymized checklists that can be loaded from a web reposito- ry or hand-crafted by users. There are currently few checklists available but there will be more over time. Ad-hoc species entries are possible as well. The spatial position of a plot can be retrieved from the internal GPS module of the Android device and visualized on a map. Individual projects are linked to settings profiles that allow the user to pick relevant data entry fields, set default values to avoid repetitive inputs during a survey and to define vegetation layers. It is planned to publish VS at no cost for non-commercial use. A current version can be tested on request.

309 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sharma L. N.

Oral Presentation Land use change in mountain pastures: ecological changes and social challenges Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Lila Nath Sharma* Forest Action *Presenting author: [email protected]

Grassland pastures are important livelihood resources for local people in high mountain areas of Nepal. The character of these pastures, as part of cultural landscape, result from historical interaction of human activities and local ecological processes. Fire and grazing are two important landscape drivers that have a direct impact on the structure, diversity and composition of pastures. Recent land use changes in the pastures have also changed the intensity and pattern of traditional management regime. In these mountain pastures, ecological changes associated with land use change are either over- looked or underexplored. In this context, this study explores the main ecological consequences of land use change in the grasslands of Nepalese mountain and discusses the management challenges associated with these ecological changes. This study brings data using tools of vegetation and social science- herders’ interview, focus group discussion and vegetation sampling in the grasslands and forest grassland ecotones. It is found that land abandonment as an overriding land use change has profound ecological and social consequences. During the last four decades livestock number has been reduced by two thirds. Intensity and frequency of traditional management practices has been reduced notably. Grassland pastures are encroached by thorny bushes and trees. Forest-grassland ecotone is moving towards grassland center. Increased woody cover and reduced forage cover in the grasslands have exacerbated livelihood of herders who are surviving hard. Maintaining traditional management could maintain the ecological function of the landscape, however, recent policy documents fail to address the challenges faced by these marginal grasslands and herders. This study recommends some of the approaches that can help maintain the grasslands ecological functions and suggests for larger scale analyses on how biodiversity has been impacted in these grasslands in response to land use change.

310 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Shidolo E.

Poster nr. 132 Vegetation trends of woody plants and grasses along the Kalahari, northeast Namibia Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Emma L K Shidolo* and Ben J. Strohbach Department of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek *Presenting author: [email protected]

Change in climatic condition has a considerable potential to cause change in vegetation structure and functioning of ecosystems. Savanna ecosystems in southern Africa are however threatened by reduced rainfalls and wet seasons, coupled with frequent and extended periods of drought. Vegetation patterns was assessed on a total of 368 permanent plots using a Braun blanquet method, each plot was 1000 m2 between 2001 and 2015. The changes in woody and grass cover was assessed using 95th percentile trend-lines and driving factors were determined by ordinations using the Non-metric multidimensional Scaling. The one-way ANOVA revealed a significant changes in the decreasing Shannon-Wiener diversity index and species richness along the study area and within specific sample sites over the years. This changes was corresponding to the decreasing rainfall patterns recorded. Furthermore, there was a strong shifting movement observed in arid vegetation distribution which was advancing further up the north-eastern region despite it being recognised as an open woodland savanna area due to high rainfall. The shrub vegetation for both broad-leafed and fine-leafed was increasing over the year thought the study area, which caused decrease in grass cover due to high shrub-grass competition for resources. Reduces cover could make the unconsolidated Kalahari top soil highly vulnerable to soil erosion by either wind or water. Consequently, this could trigger remobilization of dune and altering of the landscape. Although long-term monitoring of vegetation in Namibia is a fairly recent concept, the results of this research advocates for the importance of such studies. As a way to provide us with information for conservation purposes as well as information to plan ahead in response to threats caused by climate change.

311 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Shiono T.

Oral Presentation Effect of selective extinction and range shift on diversity patterns of temperate flora through the Cenozoic Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Takayuki Shiono1 *, Buntarou Kusumoto1, Moriaki Yasuhara2 and Yasuhiro Kubota1 1Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus and 2School of Biological Sciences and Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong *Presenting author: [email protected]

To develop a better understanding of large-scale biodiversity patterns, we focused on historical diversification processes of Cenozoic diversity patternsin- Tertiary relict temperate flora.We first compiled Cenozoic fossil and modern records for angiosperm woody genera to reconstruct plant diversity patternsin the East Asian continental islands.In addition, we collected global latitudinal range edge data for each woody genus, in combination with their phylogenetic and physiological-trait information. Based on combined approaches of macroecology, paleoecology, and phylogeny, weevaluated the importance of historical climatic filtering (survival) and dispersal related to niche conservatism.We found greater diversity at lower latitudes in modern-day flora and no significant diversity–latitude relationship during warmer periods of the Neogene and Paleogene. This indicatedpost-Pliocene development of a latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) in the temperate region. Such distinct modern-day diversity patterns have developed regionally by selective, local higher-latitude extinction or range contraction of less freezing-tolerant and/or evolutionarily older taxa. Evolutionarily younger temperate woody angiosperm taxa dispersed from the extratropics to lower latitudes after the Neogene. Our findings demonstrate the roles oftropical niche conservatism and dispersal of temperate taxa in shaping latitudinal diversity gradient in temperate flora. Cenozoic dynamics of angiosperm woody biodiversity suggest the importance of high-latitude processes related to temperate/tropical taxa-specific survival and range shift.

312 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sitpayeva G.

Poster nr. 095 Main botanical garden of almaty scientific, educational and cultural centre of the megapolis Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Gulnara Sitpayeva* and Polina Vesselova Institute of Botany & Phytoinroduction, Republic of Kazakhstan *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Main Botanical Garden (MBG) is located in the center of Almaty city, the southern capital of Kazakhstan. It is one of the first academic institutions of the Republic. It was founded in 1932 as an academic and research Institute in a place of apple tree gardens. The botanical and geographic principle served as the basis for the structure of the expositions of the established MBG. Starting from the 2006, the MBG territory which area is 103 hectares has en- joyed the status of the specially protected natural territory of republican importance. As the head botanical institution of the country, MBG is involved in the study, preservation, reproduction and rational use of the plant world. It possesses the unique collection funds (green collections; Herbarium (AA), the Seed bank of the natural flora of Kazakhstan). The research undertaken by MBG staff is in line with the world trends, related to botany development and are directed at attaining the objectives, set by the RK Government, and by International organizations, ensuring the preservation of biological diversity and the resolution of the Food security issues. MBG has developed the natural scientific feasibility study – which is the sub- stantiation for the establishment of the State Botanical Garden in the Astana city, the capital of Kazakhstan. In 2014 there was published the 2nd edition of the Red Data Book of plants of Kazakhstan. From 2015 MBG has been implementing 18 research projects on important directions of botany, and the targeted state scientific and technical program, ensuring sustainable management of the genetic resources of botanical gardens in conditions of transition to “green economy”. Within its framework, the academic results of MBG’s work were presented in 2016, at the International EXPO-2016 exhibition in Antalya / Turkey, where the Kazakhstani pavilion placed 3rd. From the year 2013, MBG has started the stage-by-stage modernization of the Garden, with the participation of MES, and the Public Foundation for MBG Development and the city administration, which aim is to turn MGB into the world’s academic, social and cultural centre, in line with the international trends in the development.

313 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Skvorc Z.

Poster nr. 064 Floristic composition of wet meadows dominated by Alopecurus pratensis in the NW Balkan Peninsula Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Željko Škvorc1 *, Andraž Čarni2,3, Mirjana Krstivojević Ćuk4, Jozo Franjić1, Ružica Igić4, Daniel Krstonošić1, Dragana Vukov4 and Miloš Ilić4 1Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb;2Institute of Biology, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts;3University of Nova Gorica and 4Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad *Presenting author: [email protected]

Floristic composition and phytosociological classification of meadows in NW Balkan Peninsula have been intensively studied, but classification and ecological characterization of wet meadows dominated by Alopecurus pratensis is not entirely clear and needs further consideration. Alopecurus pratensis dominated communities are classified differently in different countries and we tried to establish if this different classification reflects also different floristic composition, ecological conditions and geographical position. Our research took place in the northern part of the NW Balkan (NE Slovenia, N Croatia and N Serbia), where are mountains gradually passes to the Pannonian plain. In this area, we can find a strong macroclimatic gradient from wet (sub)Atlanic climate in the west to dry (continetal) climate in the east. The analysis is based on own and literature data. The ordination diagram with passively projected with ecological indicator values and climate data show the influence of climate and site conditions on species composition. The Alopecurus pratensis dominated communities in the west part are linked to mesic, eutrophic grasslands, but the east these communities appear in various habitats. They show a typical Central European feature in the western part, but changes their floristic composition and ecological conditions towards the eastern part. Our analysis show also that it is sometimes difficult to unify different phytosociological classification systems in different countries, as communities dominated by a certain species can appear in different ecological conditions in different regions that reflect their different sinsystematic affiliation.

314 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sonkoly J.

Oral Presentation A new aspect of grassland vegetation dynamics: Cyanobacteria can affect the establishment success of plants Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Judit Sonkoly1 *, Orsolya Valkó2, Balázs Deák2, Tamás Miglécz1, Katalin Tóth1, Szilvia Radócz1, András Kelemen3,1, Milán Riba4, Gábor Vasas4, Béla Tóthmérész1,2 and Péter Török2 1Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, H-4032 Hungary;2MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, H-4032 Hungary;3MTA’s Post Doctoral Research Program, MTA TKI, Budapest, Hungary and 4University of Debrecen, Department of Botany, Egye- tem tér 1, Debrecen, H-4032 Hungary *Presenting author: [email protected]

Cyanobacteria can be abundant in several terrestrial habitats such as deserts and alkali grasslands, where they may have considerable effects on community functioning, mostly because they produce various metabolites that adversely affect other organisms. In spite of this, their effects on the vegetation have only been studied in arid environments where they occur as constituents of soil crusts, and the effects of their macroscopic colonies on temperate grasslands remained largely unknown so far. Our aim was to synthesise existing knowledge about the effects of toxic cyanobacteria on the germination and growth of terrestrial plants. We also aimed to test the chemical effects of aNostoc (Cyanobacteria) extract on the germination and growth of species of alkali habitats to investigate whether cyanobacteria can alter community structure and diversity via affecting the establishment success of plants. We conducted a literature search to gather existing knowledge about the effects of toxic cyanobacteria on the germination and growth of terrestrial plants. To test their effects on grassland plants, we used field-collected Nos- toc (Cyanobacteria) colonies to prepare a cell-free water extract, which we tested on 3×100 seeds of nine alkali grassland species, along with control experiments (watering with tap water). After five weeks, we recorded seedling number, seedling length and fresh and dry weight and calculated dry matter content. We have found that previous papers have studied 27 species in this respect, but they were mostly focused on crops irrigated with cyanobacteria-containing water. Thus, their effects on floras native to natural ecosystems remained largely unknown. Species identity and treatment had a significant effect on almost all variables in the germination experiment, but only germination rate and fresh weight were affected by their interaction. Fresh weight decreased significantly only in the invasive Hor- deum jubatum, but germination rate of five species decreased significantly. Based on these results, terrestrial cyanobacteria can have an effect on the establishment success of grassland plants; thus, they may be important in determining which species can be incorporated into the community. This means that cyanobacteria may be important in shaping the structure, species composition and diversity of natural plant communities.

315 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sperandii M. G.

Poster nr. 133 What has happened to coastal dune vegetation in the last decade? A diachronic analysis based on random plots. Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Marta Gaia Sperandii1 *, Irene Prisco1,2 and Alicia T.R. Acosta1 1Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre and 2Envix-Lab, Dipar- timento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise *Presenting author: [email protected]

Introduction and aims: Multi-temporal studies are invaluable tools for monitoring changes in biodiversity through time, evaluating invasion levels and assessing the conservation status of particular habitats. We investigated temporal trends in coastal dunes analyzing a set of 858 randomly-sampled georeferenced relevés performed between 2002 and 2015 along Central Ita- ly’s sandy coastlines. Specifically, we explored temporal changes in species richness and cover of selected psammophilous habitats, along with temporal patterns of invasion, by means of regression techniques. Results and discussion: We observed a significant decrease in species richness and cover of EU Annex I Habitat 2230. Such a trend was confirmed by the species-level analysis, which showed a decline in two diagnostic species of dune grasslands, Cutandia maritima and Medicago littoralis. A similar pattern could be detected for Crucianella maritima, an endangered chamaephyte characterizing the landscape of transition dunes, and for Ammophila arenaria subsp. australis, key species of mobile dunes. Anyway, the most striking trends emerged analyzing patterns in alien species, with Carpobrotus sp. cover featuring a concerning growth in shifting dunes while declining in disturbed plots. In conclusion, our analyses revealed changes at habitat level and raised concerns over the fate of dune grasslands, where recovery processes should be promoted. That being said, changes in annual communities such as dune grasslands can be detected in the course of a few years, whereas the observation of similar dynamics in perennial communities might require longer-term observations, though “early warnings” of degradation processes can be identified in the decline of single target species. Therefore, monitoring activities should also focus on well-preserved habitats experiencing recent alien invasion, such as shifting dunes.

316 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 splot team

Poster nr. 137 An invitation to join sPlot, the global vegetation database Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses sPlot Consortium. Contact persons: Borja Jiménez-Alfaro1,2,* Jürgen Dengler1,3, Flori- an Jansen4, Milan Chytrý5, Valério D. Pillar6 & Helge Bruelheide1,2 (1) German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Ger- many (2) Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany (3) University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany (4) Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Rostock, Germany (5) Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (6) Department of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil *Presenting author: [email protected] sPlot is the first vegetation-plot database with global coverage and standardised plant nomenclature. The current version, sPlot 2.1, contains more than one million vegetation plots that have been contributed by regional, national and continental databases. The data has been harmonized with the global trait database (TRY) and is currently being used to perform first studies on global vegetation patterns. However, sPlot is still geographically unbalanced, with many gaps outside Eu- rope and the United States. Here we make an open call to vegetation databases for joining sPlot 3.0, which is expected to cover major gaps across continents and biomes, and will be the basis for a new generation of studies on plant diversity patterns at community level. We are particularly seeking vegetation plots from Latin America, South Asia, Africa, Oceania and the boreal zone. In the tropics and subtropics we are particularly interested in plots where both trees and herbaceous plants have been recorded. If you have such data and wish to become a member of the sPlot Consortium, you are invited to join this poster and the open sPlot meet- ing that will be announced during the conference. We will show the geographic distribution of the data currently available, the regions that need to be covered, and the main steps for becoming part of the sPlot Consortium.

317 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sternberg M.

Oral Presentation Soil seed banks as buffers of climatic unpredictability: a long-term study combining empirical and modelling approaches Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Marcelo Sternberg* and Alexander Zogas School of Plant Sciences & Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Israel *Presenting author: [email protected]

Soil seed banks are of crucial importance in highly variable and unpredictable environments. They play a determinant role in plant community dynamics, as differential plant germination strategies buffer against inter-annual variability in growing conditions. Thus, understanding the role of soil seed banks in determining the composition and structure of plant communities under future climatic scenarios becomes an important task in order to understand future global changes. Natural climatic gradients, which are represented by changes in environmental conditions provides an excellent framework for studying the effects of climate change on the factors that regulate the structure and dynamics of soil seed banks. Particularly, the strong climatic gradient in Israel, provides an excellent opportunity to test predictions regarding the effects of global climate change on plant community dynamics. Climate change scenarios were experimentally tested with manipulations of rainfall amount using rainout shelters and irrigation systems during nine consecutive years. Results were also modelled using different future scenarios of rainfall amount and variability. The results indicated significant differences in seedling densities among the study sites along the aridity gradient. Seedling density increased with increasing rainfall conditions. Important differences among years were clearly noted as response of rainfall conditions of the year when seeds were produced. The results showed important differences in the germinable seed bank along the gradient. Additionally, the results collected showed no clear response of the soil seed bank to the rainfall manipulations. According to our expectations we should have observed a decreased in seed density and diversity under drought conditions and a higher number following increasing rainfall through irrigation. The results were not consistent and in some cases opposite to expected. The results indicated a high resistance of the system to the rainfall treatment imposed (30% drought and irrigation). Modelling of the results showed that only under extreme drought conditions a change in the soil seed bank may be expected. The results strength the idea that in ecosystems characterized by high climatic variability the soil seed bank plays a critical role as buffer against increasing uncertainty as expected by climate change scenarios for the region.

318 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Storm C.

Poster nr. 019 Long-term monitoring of steppic grasslands: stress effects, resilience and nature conservation management Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Christian Storm1 *, Rainer Cezanne2, Marion Eichler2 and Angelika Schwabe1 1Technische Universität Darmstadt and 2Institut für angewandte Vegetationskunde und Landschaftsökologie *Presenting author: [email protected]

Questions: Steppic grasslands in central Europe are of high nature conservation value. They are endangered, and livestock grazing regimes are thought to be beneficial for maintaining phytodiversity. However, data on long-term effects of grazing are scarce. Natural stress factors (drought, rabbit overpopulation) occur over longer time periods. Here, we address the effects of such stress factors and resilience against them. Specifically, we analyse the influence of grazing and its potential effects on nature conservation. Methods: Our experimental area is situated in the upper Rhine valley, Ger- many (70 ha). A stratified randomised block design of grazing exclosures and adjacent grazed permanent plots was studied over 17 years. Additional plots excluding livestock and rabbits were established in year six. Main habitat types were Koelerion glaucae and Armerio-Festucetum trachyphyllae, including subtypes of stands with grass encroachment. Livestock management was initially static and relatively ineffective. Vegetation relevés were taken annually and analysed with ordination methods and mixed linear models. Results: 1. Drought events lead to a marked drop in species numbers. How- ever, there was hidden phytodiversity during such events: most of the species recovered quickly. 2. Rabbit overpopulation had a major impact on structural variables: open soil increased, litter and vegetation height decreased. However, phytodiversity was not affected. After decline of the rabbit population, these variables returned to previous levels. 3. Grazing by livestock had detectable effects only in the last years. Early on, grazing intensity was (too) low; in the middle of monitoring, rabbit grazing overlaid livestock effects. Since 2011, grazed plots showed both, higher numbers and cover of target species and higher proportion of small species. 4. Despite stress and grazing, the plant community composition remained relatively stable, except for plots with exclusion of rabbits and livestock, which showed encroachment of competitive graminoids. Conclusions: Although the studied system was susceptible to stress factors, it also showed high resilience. In consequence, many variables were characterised by fluctuations. Livestock grazing is an effective tool for nature conservation, provided proper management and low rabbit densities. Without any grazers, succession results in grass encroachment. The study emphasizes the necessity and importance of long-term studies.

319 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Sun G.

Poster nr. 009 Projections of soil carbon under CMIP5 RCP4.5 in North-South Transect of Eastern China Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Guodong Sun* Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

Soil plays a key role in land-atmosphere carbon exchange as the largest carbon pool in terrestrial ecosystems. Because of the uncertainty in predictions of soil carbon storage, understanding the magnitude and spatial and temporal patterns of terrestrial carbon sinks and sources is difficult. In this study, the response of soil carbon to future climate change scenarios, which were provided by 10 general circulation models (GCMs) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario, was explored with the Lund-Potsdam-Jena (LPJ) model for a North-South Tran- sect of Eastern China (NSTEC). Additionally, the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation related to parameters (CNOP-P) approach was used to provide two scenarios to evaluate the possible maximal uncertainties of soil carbon response to future climate change. Based on the 10 GCMs from 2011 to 2100, the mean soil carbon was from 75.6 Gt C to 86.7 Gt C. As a result of the two climate change scenarios using the CNOP-P approach, soil carbon stocks were respectively 93.1 Gt C and 84.1 Gt C, which were larger than those using the 10 GCMs. The primary difference was determined by the difference in middle and high latitudes (30o N-35o N; 40o N-45o N) of the NSTEC region according to zonal analysis. Soil carbon associated with different plant functional types was also analyzed. The primary contributors to the augmentation of soil carbon under the CNOP-P-type scenario were the increases in soil carbon for temperate broad-leaved summer-green trees and temperate grasslands. As these numerical results indicated, uncertainty was found in the predictions of soil carbon, and the future soil carbon will increase in NSTEC region compared to 1961-1990. This implied that the soil will play role of carbon sink. And, the CNOP-P approach might offer a possible future upper limit for the evaluation of soil carbon with the LPJ model.

320 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Suwal M. K.

Posternr. 045 Determinant climatic variables of Rhododendron sister taxa distribution and their distributional overlap in the Himalaya Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Madan K. Suwal* and Ole R. Vetaas Department of Geography, University of Bergen *Presenting author: [email protected]

Aims: Endemic species in the mountains are vulnerable to rapid change in climate. We elucidated the climatic variables and distributional overlap of two rare endemic sister taxa of Rhododendron and their presumed ancestor with respect to current and future climate. Our research questions are (i) which climatic factors separate the distribution of sister taxa (Rhododendron cowanianum, R. lepidotum and R. lowndesii)? (ii) How large is their geographic overlap in the current and future distribution? And (iii) how they will respond to projected climate change? Methodology: The presence only Rhododendron data were converted to binomial data by random pseudoabsences and rhododendron constrained absence values (target versus all other Rhododendron taxa = absence). Tukey’s Honest Significant Difference was tested for differences of environmental ranges between species. A total of 22 variables (set I) and GLM forward-back- ward selected variables (set II) were used to fit the Random Forest (RF) species distribution models for each species. The most important variables for the species distribution were extracted from RF. The deviances explained by temperature and precipitation variables were calculated from GLM optimum model. The predicted distributional overlap between and within species in current and future climate were evaluated by ENMTools. Results: Random pseudoabsence and set I variables performed better than counterparts. Precipitation variables best explained R. lowndesii distribution, whereas temperature variables explained two other species’ distribution. The average distributional overlap between species is 55 – 63% (set I), 46 – 68% (set II) and predicted to be 68 – 77 % (set I), 53 – 74% (set II). In future climate, R. lepidotum and R. cowanianum seem to move uphill while R. lowndesii tends to stay behind. Conclusion: The sister taxa distributional distinction is explained by precipitation variables. Their distributions partially overlap as they keep the uniqueness with some climatic variables and increase in distributional overlap is predicted with warming in future.

321 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Swacha G.

Poster nr. 017 Impact of management on species composition and soil properties in species-rich grasslands Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Grzegorz Swacha1 *, Zoltán Botta-Dukát2, Zygmunt Kącki1, Daniel Pruchniewicz3 and Ludwik Żołnierz3 1Department of Vegetation Ecology, Przybyszewskiego 63, 51-148 Wrocław, Po- land;2MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkot- mány út. 2-4, 2163 Vácrátót, Hungary and 3Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl. Grunwaldzki 24a, 50-363 Wrocław, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

In this study, we investigated the impact of land use change on species composition and soil properties in species-rich grasslands of the alliance Molinion using a chronosequence approach (space for time substitution). The study area comprises extensively managed meadows (mown once a year, in the late summer) and meadows unmanaged for 10 years. In total, 120 and 80 vegetation plots with environmental measurements were sampled respectively from managed and unmanaged sites. The effect of soil variables and land-use management on vegetation was analysed using db-RDA. To determine the explanatory power of direct effect of soil variables as well as the direct and indirect effect of land-use we used variation partitioning method. The two groups of variables (soil and management) included in the model differed considerably in their ability to explain variation in species data. Land use had a relatively low explanatory power while soil variables explained almost four-fold more variation in species composition. The content of soil organic matter, moisture (expressed as maximum dryness of soil), N total and exchangeable forms of K, Ca, Mg were significantly higher in managed than in unmanaged sites. The db-RDA model revealed that soil organic matter was the most affected component of the soil followed by the content of moisture, Mg, Ca and K. The abandonment of agricultural management resulted in a decrease in the average number of species per plot and the average species diversity. The land use change affected the number and proportion of selected functional plant groups, invasive and woody plants, in particular, that would have feedback on soil properties.

322 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Szabó G.

Poster nr. 016 Diversity and reliability of biomass production in different grassland types in Hungary Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Gábor Szabó1 *, Zita Zimmermann1,2, Andraž Čarni3, András István Csathó4, Judit Házi5, Nikoletta Kálmán6, Cecília Komoly1, Róbert Kun6, Katalin Margóczi7, Andrea Mojzes1, Mátyás Szépligeti8 and Sándor Bartha1 1MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, H-2163 Vácrátót, Alkotmány Str. 2-4., Hungary;2Szent István University, MKK Institute of Botany and Ecophysiology, H-2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. Str. 1., Hungary;3Jovan Hadži Institute of Bi- ology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg. 2., 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia;4Körös-Maros National Park, H-5540 Szarvas, Anna-liget 1., Hun- gary;5University of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Botany, H-1077 Budapest, Rot- tenbiller Str. 50., Hungary;6SZIE, MKK TTI Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, H-2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. Str.. 1., Hungary;7University of Szeged, TTIK Department of Ecology, H-6726 Szeged, Közép fasor 52., Hungary and 8Őrségi National Park, H-9941 Őriszentpéter, Siskaszer 26/A., Hungary *Presenting author: [email protected]

For planning agricultural activities that are based on fitomass production in grasslands (related to grazing or mowing), it is very important to know the expected biomass yields as precisely as possible. In our research we compared biomass-production of grasslands and old fields in several habitat types together with coenological characteristics. We applied standard sampling protocols used in agricultural practice. However, unlike to grassland management practice, we did not collected bulk samples but every sample was measured and assessed individually. Biomass was sampled along 60 m long transects in 31 50 cm x 50 cm quadrats together with coenological relevées. In three grasslands the sampling was repeated monthly over the whole vegetation period. In other habitats production was assessed during the biomass peak. We studied open and closed sandy grasslands, loess grasslands, steppes, meadows , alkaline grassland, and old fields (comparing 46 transects, sampled between 2013 és 2016). For data analyses Shannon-diversity and the coefficient of spatial variation (CV%) were used. With the latter we characterized the inner spatial heterogeneity of grasslands. In natural grasslands, the coefficient of spatial variation decreased (i.e. the amount of expected production became more balanced and more reliable) with increasing mean biomass. Diversi- ty showed similar patterns, varying less in more species rich communities. How- ever, these trends did not appear in old field vegetation. In old fields, the CV% of biomass was consistently higher than the CV% of biomass in corresponding natural grasslands. Our results suggest that community level functioning is better regulated in natural, undisturbed grasslands and the related functional patterns are potentially applicable to indicate dynamical states and naturalness. The survey was founded by the OTKA K 105608 project.

323 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Szwagrzyk J.

Oral Presentation High rates of forest regeneration after wind disturbance in a mixed temperate forest in SE Poland Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Jerzy Szwagrzyk1 *, Anna Gazda1, Zbigniew Maciejewski2 and Ewa Maciejewska2 1Department of Forest Biodiveristy, University of Agriculture in Krakow and 2Roz- tocze National Park, Zwierzyniec, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Natural disturbances in temperate forests very seldom affect the already established permanent sample plots. Such situation occurred in Roztocze National Park, where a 0.5 ha plot was hit by a windstorm in August 2008, one year after completing series of measurements. The entire are of windthrow was set aside for research purposes. Forest stand prior to the disturbance had a basal area of 40 m2/ha and was dominated by Pinus sylvestris (47% of BA), Fagus sylvatica (31%) and Carpinus betulus (16%). The density of seedling bank prior to the windstorm was 6.7 ind./m2, and the dominant species there were Acer pseudoplatanus (56%) followed by Fagus (33%). The density of saplings before the windstorm was 0.14 ind. /m2, and Fagus was a dominant (89%). The windstorm killed 40% of trees, which amounted to 49% of basal area. Mortality in Fagus was the highest (61%), and in Pinus (55%), while in Carpinus it was very low (9%). Natural regeneration following the disturbance was rapid; seedlings present in the seedling bank got released and their growth rates sometimes exceeded 100 cm per year. New seedlings got established, especially in Carpi- nus; the density of seedlings has increased to 8.1 ind./m2 in 2010, and then declined to 1.2 ind./m2 in 2015. Sum of heights of seedlings and saplings has increased from 1.97 m/m2 in 2009 to 13.75 m/m2 in 2015. According to the sum of heights, the most important species in natural regeneration was Acer pseudoplatanus (5.5 m/m2) followed by Carpinus (4.4) and Fagus (3.5). Pinus appeared among seedlings in 2010 (1.1 ind./m2) but was eliminated by the year 2015. Pioneer species like Betula pendula and Salix caprea arrived in low numbers and soon disappeared. In the year 2016, the canopy cover of young trees over the entire area of former windthrow was almost full.

324 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Taccoen A.

Oral Presentation Assessing the potential impact of climate change on tree mortality in temperate forest in France through a spatial approach Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Adrien A. Taccoen1,2 *, Christian Piedallu1,2, Jean-Claude Gégout1,2, Ingrid Seynave1,2, Anne Gégout-Petit3 and Vincent Perez2 1AgroParisTech, UMR1092, Laboratoire d’Étude des Ressources Forêt-Bois (LER- FoB), ENGREF, 14 rue Girardet, CS14216, FR-54042 Nancy Cedex, France;2IN- RA,UMR1092, Laboratoire d’Étude des Ressources, Forêt-Bois (LERFoB), Centre INRA de Nancy, F-54280 Champenoux, France and 3Institut Elie Cartan, Université de Lorraine, F-54506, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France *Presenting author: [email protected]

Uncertainties about the potential impact of climate change on trees mortality in temperate forests are high. Studies are pointing out increases of mortality rates in a context of global change, however the relation between non-cata- strophic tree mortality and climate evolution has not been statistically evaluated yet. The aim of this study is to empirically assess this correlation for the main tree species in France. Tree mortality is expected to be mainly explained by forest management practices, stands and trees dynamics while soil properties, climate and its evolution are expected to explain a lower share of the observed mortality, this being highly species-dependent. We use the French National Forest Inventory dataset which contains temporary sample plots measured from 2006 to 2015, with 67 178 plots and 763 217 trees, including 80 215 dead trees. As climate evolution dataset, we use homogenized rainfall and temperature records from Météo France over the 1961-2015 period. The main French species in terms of forest cover and economic importance are studied (20 species). Computation and modelling are made using a generalized linear model both at the stand and tree scale. Stand and tree dynamics are the most important and consistent factors to explain mortality, while soil, climate and climate evolution effects are more species-dependent and account for a lower proportion of the explained deviance. Results show a significant effect of climate change on 11 of the 20 considered species. The most important climate change effects are the increase of low temperatures in winter for 10 species and the decrease of rainfall in summer for 4 species, with both a positive impact on mortality. The results of our study demonstrate that, taken into account non-climatic factors, for 11 species, observed mortality rates are significantly higher in areas where climate has changed the most in French temperate forest.

325 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tamás R.

Poster nr. 3 Drought stress induced changes of the assembly rules in a semiarid grassland. Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Tamás Rédei*, Anikó Csecserits, Attila Lengyel, Barbara Lhotsky and Zoltán Botta-Dukát Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Ecology and Botany (MTA ÖK ÖBI) *Presenting author: [email protected]

We tested the stability of the assembly rules in an open Pannonian sand grassland. From 2000 to 2015 we repeated 7 times a series of 200 randomly located phytosociological releves in a 50 ha area of seminatural grassland in the Kiskunság National Park in Hungary. In this period the area suffered 3 times the effects of extremely low annual precipitation. The similarity, turnover and richess difference components were analysed by the method of Podani & Schmera, three one-dimensional simplices are derived corresponding to different contrasts: beta diversity versus similarity, species replacement versus nestedness and, finally, richness difference versus richness agreement. Furthemore the trait convergence and divergence values were tested by a rando- misation test. Mean and dispersion of the trait values of the plots were quantified by community weighted mean and Rao’s quaratic entropy, respectively. The climate induced intensive annual changes of abundance of the annuals dominated in our results. Repeating the analysis without the annuals our results show the effects of the drought on the assembly rules. The perennials survived in common refuges increasing the nestedness, and recolonisated in the more temperate years increasing richness agreement. Divergence of some traits connected to the drought tolerance increased, however some other traits showed continuously increasing convergence.

326 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tavakoli S.

Oral Presentation Using lambda index for evaluating the stability of different classification methods of real community data set of a Hyrcanian forest Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Samaneh Tavakoli1 *, Hamid Ejtehadi1 and Omid Esmailzadeh2 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mash- had, Iran and 2Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources & Marine Sci- ences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Iran. *Presenting author: [email protected]

Nowadays, there are several methods of classification as an appropriate tool for the description of multivariate objects in community ecology but selection of the best method(s) is the most important phase. The process of the classification stability evaluating led to this goal to be achieved. So we are going to assess the stability of different classification methods of real community data set of a Hyrcanian forest. A total of 197 phytosociological releves were collected from 150 to 1700 m a.s.l. We recorded vascular plant species cover based on van der Maarel cover scales. The mid values of each cover classes were square-root transformed. Community classification were carried out by k-means, beta-flexible clustering with β=-0.25, complete linkage and average linkage methods. Classification stability were calculated by using Goodman-Kruskal,s lambda index (λ) for 6 to 20 clusters in each method. All calculations were performed in the R software program. Results showed that value of λ index at all levels of classification or number of clusters in k- means method has always been a higher level than the other methods. Our data also showed that the λ value for the number of clusters has a trend of increasing and then decreasing. So, determination of the optimal number of groups (clusters) by λ index can be optimistic. According to this, 8 plant groups resulting from k- means method can be introduced as an optimal classification of plant groups in area of study.

327 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tetsu S.

Poster nr. 011 Site conditions and species richness of coastal grasslands on the Miura Peninsula, Kanagawa, eastern Japan Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Shintaro Tetsu1 * and Yoshinobu Hoshino2 1United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and 2Institude of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Coastal grasslands on rocky coasts provide habitats for rare natural grassland vegetation in Japan. In this study, we aimed to describe site conditions and plant diversity of the coastal grasslands on the Miura Peninsula, which is an important habitat for many endemic plants of the southern part of Kanto district. Materials & Methods: The study area was the natural rocky coast of the Miura Peninsula. Vegeta- tion types were identified and mapped along the study area, using satellite images taken in 2015. In seven headlands on the west side of the peninsula, ratios of each vegetation type within 100 m from the coastline were calculated. In nine grassland patches, herbaceous and shrub species and their habitats were recorded in the spring and autumn of 2016-2017. Main Results & Interpretations: Five vegetation types were identified along the rocky coast: Miscanthus condensatus community, Zoysia japonica community, herbaceous wetland vegetation, Pleioblatus spp. community, and laurel forest. In four headlands that did not have another headland to their south, three herbaceous vegetation types and the dwarf bamboo community were formed unevenly on the west and south side, and the laurel forest was dominant on the north side. In contrast, on three headlands that had another headland to their south, only laurel forest was dominant on all sides. In the study area, the prevailing wind direction was south or southwest during spring and summer. Therefore, the coastal grasslands are considered to be affected by strong environmental stress (e.g. wind pressure and sea spray) caused by seasonal wind during the growing season. In the flora survey, 229 herbaceous and shrub species were recorded in nine grassland patches. Species richness of each patch was positively correlated with the area of the patch; the species richness ranged from 26 to 132. All grassland patches were dominated by the M. condensatus community. In addition, the Z. japonica community and/or wetland vegetation covered 0.1% to 9.8% of each area in patches larger than 3,000 m2. Many species occurred in only these vegetation types. Therefore, these sparse vegetation types are considered to be an important source of plant diversity in the coastal grasslands in this area.

328 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tetyana D.

Poster nr. 088 Invasive aquatic macrophytes of Ukrainen Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Dubyna Dmytro1, Dziuba Tetyana1 * and Bahatska Tetyana2 1department of geobotany and ecology, M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine and 2department of natural flora, M.M. Gryshko National botanical garden NAS of Ukraine *Presenting author: [email protected]

Aquatic macrophytes phytoinvasions in Ukraine’s reservoirs of is topical issue. Most of indigenous macrophytes are not evolutionarily adapted to reduce the area of its habitats, including with immigration of invasive species into hydro- topes. They are determined by many environmental and biotic factors and observed by low coenotic bonds due to historical reasons. It makes them extremely vulnerable to phytoinvasions with the increasing of anthropogenic effect on reservoirs and climate changes. Aquatic invasive macrophytes (Azolla carolini- ana, A. filiculoides, Elodea canadensis, E. nuttallii, Vallisneria spiralis, Egeria densa, Pistia stratiotes, Phragmites altissimus і Zizania latifolia) are environmentally more plastic, its attributes associated with the pressure of adverse environmental conditions in its new habitats quickly evolve, its biochemical (allelopathic) impact inhibits the development of native vegetation water. All of this and also the lack of direct enemies, give it competition capacity and dispersal and therefore leads to loss of biodiversity, also to structural and functional changes in natural hydroecosystems. The most dangerous for Ukraine’s reservoirs on present-day production growth are Elodea canadensis, E. nuttallii, Egeria densa та Pistia stratiotes. These species cope phytocoenotic barrier, have a broad ecological amplitude and high invasive potential in a way that facilitates to expansion in all types of reservoirs Ukraine. An impact of invasive species on indigenous members of hydroecosystems at the species level is shown by the hybridization of native and alien plants and direct displacement of native species from their habitats. At the coenotic level phytoinvasive species change the direction and trends of succession occurring in natural conditions under the influence of environmental factors and lead to structural rearrangements of communities. There are changes associated with change of reservoirs saprobity and trophicity due to incrieasing of biogenous matters in water, which carry by phytomass of phytoinvasive species, by temperature and light regime changes etc at the ecosystem (hydroecosystem) level. It is reduced an integral hydrosystem productivity and irreversible changes in the structural and functional organization of native plant communities up to replace it with others. The main threats of future phytoinvasions first of all are technological Ukraine’s reservoirs impact.

329 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Theurillat J. P.

Oral Presentation Symphytosociology, a tool for landscape monitoring: a case study from the Swiss Alps Special Session: Vegetation patterns in relation to multiscale levels of ecological complexity: from associations to geoseries Jean-Paul Theurillat1,*, Michele Di Musciano3, Olivier Duckert4 and Claude Béguin5 1Centre Alpien of Phytogeography, Fondation Aubert, Champex;2Section of Biology, Uni- versity of Geneva, Geneva;3Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Uni- versity of L’Aquila, L’Aquila;4Grenat Sarl, Chamoson and 5Chaumont *Presenting author: [email protected]

Symphytosociology is the study of the vegetation complexes of a landscape on a phytosociological basis. It is based on the comparison of quantitative relevés of all the vegetation units occurring in a portion of a landscape within an operational geographic unit (OGU). Abstract types of landscape, called sigmassociations, can be established to build a landscape typology. According to the complexity of the landscape itself and the size of the OGU, different organisational levels have been distinguished. In the first organisational level only one climax community would potentially occupy the OGU, be it primary or secondary vegetation. In 1981-1982 a symphytocoenological approach was followed along an elevation transect in the Aletsch region (Swiss Alps) from the bottom of the Rhone river valley at 700 m asl up to the crest at the tree line at 2230 m asl and going down towards the Aletsch glacier at 1600 m asl. The study area was divided in homogenous OGUs (land units) the size of 1 to 8 hectares with the help of 1:10 000 map and aerial views, following criteria of slope, aspect and vegetation structure. The quantified relevés of the OGUs included also geomorphological elements (e.g. terrain roughness, screes, aquatic elements), main land use and all kind of elements linked to anthropogenic activities (e.g. constructions, roads, ski runs) beside vegetation units and vegetation structure. In 2013-2014 the upper part of the transect above 2000 m asl on both sides (northwest/ southeast) of the crest was resurveyed in order to assess if a change occurred following an increase of the mean air temperature of 1.5 K since the 1980s. A significant change in the vegetation units was observed in 34 (56%) of the 61 surveyed OGUs. On the northwest side, mostly undisturbed since 1933, there is an increase of the cover of the stone pine forest (Pinus cembra L.) and, in the upper part, the disappearance of the cryophilous vegetation units dominated by dwarf heaths. In addition, disturbance by the deer is also visible. On the southeast side, mainly covered by a mixture of dwarf heaths and subalpine swards regularly pastured until the 1990s, the tree cover increased in the lower part, mainly by spruce (Picea abies (l.) Karsten). The landscape remained stable in the upper part. The resurvey shows that symphytosociological relevés are a promising tool for landscape monitoring and conservation purposes.

330 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tichý L.

Oral Presentation A complex expert system language for vegetation classification and semi-automated optimisation of diagnostic species groups Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Lubomír Tichý*, Milan Chytrý and Flavia Landucci Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, Czech Republic *Presenting author: [email protected]

Major steps have been made recently towards the development of a common vegetation classification system for Europe. The existence of new, huge resources of ecological information, coupled with the lack of comprehensive classification system applicable on the continental scale calls for the development of expert system language for the formal description of vegetation classification. We have introduced complex, but visually understandable structure and syntax of expert system for vegetation classification based on logical formulas for automatic identification of vegetation types. With this approach, we can simplify and clearly describe general definitions of vegetation units, which are able to match the units of the traditional expert-based classification, or to define new vegetation types. The expert system is now so flexible that it can be used for definitions of all hierarchical levels of vegetation classification system. We got a scientific tool, which is highly efficient, fast and flexible. In addition, currently it can be automatically or semi-automatically improved to increase the success of the correct classification. The whole expert system tool is included as a function of the JUICE program (http:\\www.sci.muni.cz\botany\juice.htm).

331 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tokarsky V.

Poster nr. 020 Pasture ecosystems of eastern Ukraine are on the verge of extinction Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Tokarsky Victor* V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Steppe, being the most transformed natural zone of Ukraine, occupies 40% of the country. No more than 3-5% of the territory has remained in its natural state, and only less than 1% of these virgin areas have been included in the network of objects of the Nature Conservation Fund. Flora of Velikiy Burluk and Chuguev districts of Kharkov region, of about 10 thousand hectares reflects the characteristics of steppes of this region. Meadow steppes of the central part of Leftbank Forest Steppe and real steppes of the extreme eastern part of Ukraine (Middle-Russian Forest Steppe subprovince) with considerable participation of groups of low steppe bushes and feather grasses are presented here. Despite the great efforts of scientific community, degradation of environment, caused by intensive human economic activities, continues to destroy natural ecosystems, which results in the decrease of number or disappearance of many species of animals and plants. The mammal species such as beaver, marmot, bad- ger, steppe polecat, marbled polecat, great jerboa used to be common in Eastern Ukraine. At the end of 20th century many of them disappeared. Many species which were called pests such as the ground squirrel and common hamster have been exterminated. But since the impact of domesticated ungulates on the ecosystem is still regarded as negative anthropogenic effect, association of marmots with pastures for a long time was considered as forced. Certainly, in the twentieth century it could not be estimated otherwise: from the middle of the XVII century steppe gradually became the arable land. Where sheep breeding intensively developed (e.g., steppe zone at the Black Sea coastal region), remaining virgin lands quickly turned into the tramped pasture (Kirikov, 1959). So the former European steppe ecosystems were gradually destroyed or significantly changed by human. These changes have primarily been associated with significant changes in species composition, not only animals but also plants that are the forage base of marmots. Significant changes in the nature management and, above all, reduction of the livestock sector and pasturing areas occur everywhere, over the whole area of

332 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 the European subspecies of the steppe marmot. In our opinion, cattle grazing in combination with ravine and gully relief are a key environmental factor forming the environment for many herbivores steppe species, this affects the size and density of its population. The phenomenon of the revival of the steppe marmot sheds light on the role of large ungulates (in historical times large domesticated ungulates) in the formation and maintenance of steppe ecosystems stability). Currently, since the 90s, we observe a sharp depression of the steppe marmot population. Reducing the number of families in settlements, reduction in the number of families per unit of area we associate with the decrease of grazing pressure on the steppe marmot habitat (Ronkin, Savchenko, 2000).

333 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tölgyesi C.

Oral Presentation Peculiarities of tree-herb interactions in the Kazakh forest-steppe Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Csaba Tölgyesi1 *, Tatyana M. Bragina2, Zoltán Bátori1, Orsolya Valkó3, Balázs Deák3 and András Kelemen4,5 1Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Hungary;2Kostanay State Pedagogical In- stitute & Southern Federal University, Kostanay, Kazakhstan;3MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary;4MTA’s Post Doctoral Research Program, MTA TKI, Budapest, Hungary and 5Department of Ecology, University of De- brecen, Debrecen, Hungary *Presenting author: [email protected]

Tree-herb interactions are among the most complex mechanisms in vegetation science. Although they can be traced back to the most elementary ecological relationships like competition, facilitation or ecosystem engineering, the net effects are very diverse and can determine biodiversity patterns in tiny patches to biome-wide regions all over the globe. The focus of our study was more on the latter extreme of the spectrum, as we aimed to understand how steppe vegetation gives way to forests in the forest-steppes of Northern Kazakhstan. We compared the soil moisture, air temperature and relative humidity of grasslands and groves in the main forest-steppe variants, sandy and edaphically unconstrained zonal forest steppes. We also compared various descriptors of the vegetation of the habitat types using 135 large (5x5m) relevés. Surprisingly, the soil tended to be drier in the forested patches than in the surrounding grasslands. Air temperature had lower daily oscillations in the groves than in the grasslands but the air was drier in the sandy groves than in the sandy steppes, while the difference was opposite in the zonal forest-steppe. The total cover of the vegetation and the species richness were lower in the groves than in the surrounding grasslands. Forest specific species formed a subordinate group in the forested patches; sandy and zonal groves were dominated by sandy grassland and zonal steppe species, respectively. Mesic grassland species also occurred; their cover was similar to the forest specific species. We conclude that forest patches in northern Kazakh- stan and presumably in most of the forest-steppe belt are not “real” forests in the strict sense. The ecosystem engineering effect of trees regarding some abiotic parameters was opposite of the usual direction. As a result, these groves cannot maintain forest-specific undergrowth but can host only assemblages resembling xero-mesic grasslands. Our findings also indicate the vulnerability of forest floor vegetation in the southern fringes of the temperate forest belt to future climate changes. We expect that the changing macroclimate will affect tree-herb interactions, causing the transformation of the herbaceous forest floor vegetation, possibly well before the landscape pattern would turn into forest-steppe-like.

334 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tomaselli V.

Poster nr. 126 Habitat mapping and change detection in Natura2000 coastal sites in Southern Apulia Session: Habitat monitoring and conservation assessment Valeria Tomaselli¹*, Giuseppe Veronico¹, Palma Blonda² 1 CNR IBBR, Italy, Bari, via G.Amendola 165/A 2 CNR IIA, Italy, Bari, via G. Amendola 165/A *Presenting author: [email protected]

Monitoring biodiversity at habitat and landscape level is becoming widespread in Europe and elsewhere as countries establish national and international habitat conservation policies and monitoring systems. Long-term habitat mapping and change detection are essential for the management of coastal wetlands as well as for evaluating the impact of conservation policies. Earth observation (EO) data and techniques are a valuable resource for long-term habitat mapping, through direct mapping of habitats or by integrating Land Cover/Use (LC/LU) maps with contextual spatial information and in situ data. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) has been identified as the most effective for translating EO-derived LC/LU classes to habitat types, since it allows a better description of natural habitats in comparison to other classification systems; moreover, LCCS has proven to be a effective tool in change detection, both at the level of conversion and modification (Tomaselli et al., 2013; Adamo et al 2014). As regards the present contribution, vegetation, LC and habitat mapping has been performed on three coastal sites belonging to the Natura 2000 and located in Southern Apulia (Italy), in years 2007 and 2015. Vegetation maps represented the baseline position for natural and semi-natural types, defined as phytosociological units in accordance with the Zurich-Montpellier method. Vegetation units were then reclassified in habitat types (according to the Annex I to the 92/43 EEC Directive and EUNIS) and in LC classes (according to Corine Land Cover and LCCS). The adopted landscape classification procedure refers to a hierarchical model with three different information levels: the vegetation unit, the habitat type, and the LC type. The mapping products were then compared, in the different acquisitions, in order to point out the ability of different taxonomies in detecting changes in vegetation and habitat types. LCCS turned out to be the most effective, highlighting changes such as height, structure and density, which were not evidenced with other classification systems.

335 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tonin R.

Poster nr. 043 An intraspecific analysis of functional traits variability to understand snowbed plant response to advanced snowmelt induced by climate warming Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Rita Tonin1 *, Renato Gerdol2, Marcello Tomaselli3, Alessandro Petraglia3, Michele Carbognani3 and Camilla Wellstein1 1Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Uni- versità 5, I-39100 Bolzano, Italy;2Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I d’Este 32, I-44100 Ferrara, Italy and 3Department of Life Science, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Alpine snowbed habitats, i.e. topographical depressions in the alpine zone covered by snow for the most of the year, are particularly sensitive to climate warming and can be considered as model vegetation unit for the research on the consequences of climate change on alpine vegetation. One fruitful way for studying climate effects on plant species is through the analysis of their functional traits.Functional traits are individual characteristics able to influence plant performance under climate change. Through the study of intraspecific trait variability of plants species growing in alpine snowbeds we want to investigate how species react to earlier snowmelt induced by climate warming. We identified four snowbeds in Italian eastern Alps, two on siliceous bedrock and two on calcareous bedrock, respectively. Based on soil temperature measured continuously through data loggers, two areas were identified in each site, i.e. early-snowmelt and late-snowmelt. In each area we sampled 30 individuals per population of 9 target species, some more generalist, some strictly chionophilous. For each individual we measured whole plant, leaf and seed traits. Preliminary results of the single-trait analysis performed applying linear mixed models show different responses of the species according to their functional group, substrate and specialization to the habitat. Successive multi-trait analysis per species will probably distinguish the role of environmental variables (temperature, substrate, snowmelt date) in shaping traits variability.

336 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tordoni E.

Poster nr. 4 Ecological drivers of plant diversity patterns in remnants coastal sand dune ecosystems along the northern Adriatic coastline Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communitiess Enrico Tordoni1 *, Rossella Napolitano1, Daniele Da Re1, Annelore Bezzi2 and Giovan- ni Bacaro1 1Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy and 2Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, University of Trieste, via E. Weiss 2, 34128, Trieste, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

Sand dune ecosystems represent fragile environments that in last decades suffered heavy loss of biodiversity and habitat simplification. Despite they naturally coexist with harsh conditions (e.g. sand burial and marine aerosol), recently have also experienced additional threats such as anthropic disturbances (tourism, urbanization), accelerated shoreline erosion, and biological invasions. The latter is particularly fierce; since coastal ecosystems are deemed as one of the most invaded ecosystems in Europe and one on which alien species are exerting the heaviest ecological impacts. In this study, we sampled vegetation in two coastal sites along the northern Adriatic coastline. We used a systematic sampling design by placing 21 random transects according to a sea-inland gradient for a total of 261 plots. Plant species richness and their abundance (% visual cover estimation) were assessed in each plot. Each species was then classified as native or alien. For both groups, species richness and complementarity patterns were compared among habitats (classified in fore- dunes, interdunes and fixed dunes). Species complementarity was further explored by partitioning beta diversity in its spatial components (richness and replacement). A Generalized Linear Model was also computed to assess the main environmental factors that may promote invasiveness in these ecosystems. For the area investigated, our results highlight how alien species show on average a lower complementarity among habitats compared to the native species. Spe- cifically, community seems to be more diversified at transect level than at plot or site scale. Beta diversity in both groups seems to be more dominated by the richness component respect to the replacement one. Binomial model on alien presence shows that geomorphological predictors more than climatic variables drive alien occurrences in our surveys. These results may be useful to public managers to promote better management strategies in these fragile environments aiming at preserving their integrity in terms of both biodiversity and community composition, thus paying also attention on how global changes can influence the variation in geomorphological processes.

337 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Török P.

Oral Presentation New frontiers in restoration: Ecological theories provide strong support to develop and sustain green infrastructure Session: Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Péter Török1 * and Aveliina Helm2 1University of Debrecen and 2University of Tartu *Presenting author: [email protected]

To sustain human well-being and the quality of life, it is essential to develop and support green infrastructure (i.e. strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services). For developing and sustaining green infrastructure the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in natural and traditionally managed habitats is crucial. Species-rich landscapes and natural habitats are facing large-scale degradation caused by the intensified land-use. The loss of biodiversity also strongly affected the landscape functionality via the decreased levels of pollination and biological pest control. Habitat restoration is a powerful tool to counteract degradation by the recovery of former species richness and area of natural habitats and by creating a habitat network and connectivity in landscapes dominated by human influence. Thus, habitat restoration has a top priority both in scientific research and in practice. There is a strong demand to seek cost-effective habitat management and recovery strategies, because of the high costs of technical restoration. Incorporating findings of theoretical ecology into practical restoration can address this request. Our ultimate goal was to develop and test ways to link biodiversity conservation, sustainable management and restoration in order to meet the major challenges related to land use, climate change adaptation and human well-being.

338 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Tóthmérész B.

Oral Presentation Ecological network of green habitat patches in and around Debrecen city (Hungary) Session: Green infrastructures and vegetation science Béla Tóthmérész1 *, Szilárd Szabó2, Bernadett Hüse1 and Balázs Deák1 1MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group and 2University of Debrecen, of Debrecen, Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics *Presenting author: [email protected]

Urbanisation is a leading process on the Globe causing a massive loss of natural habitats. In parallel variety of habitats were created in urban environments, which may also support species diversity. Our aim was to identify urban green areas and their connections with the Regional Ecological Net- work surrounding the city of Debrecen (East-Hungary), and to explore the biodiversity potential of the network of these parks. We found that whilst industrial areas, airport and mixed land covered a relatively large area, parks and other functional green spaces had a relatively small extent. However the green space system of the city is well connected to the Regional Ecological Network. We also surveyed the functional and potential green spaces in the city and in the studied patches of the Regional Ecological Network in and around the city. We found that 65% of the functional green spaces are potentially connected thus there is a possibility for species typical to semi-natural open habitats to disperse between the green spaces of the city. Based on the survey of the spontaneous flora and planted ornamentals we found that the ratio of native species was high in the studied urban parks. We found that native species were the most typical (>50%) in the spontaneous flora of the studied urban parks, although the ratio of archaeophytes and neophytes were also high. Among ornamental plants, both the proportion of native species and neophytes were considerable in each park, and the proportion of archaeophytes was low. Our results suggest that the studied urban habitats have some biodiversity conservation potential; they mostly harbour species which can cope with the local environmental conditions of the city parks, such as increased temperature, drought and nutrient enrichment.

339 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Toussaint A.

Oral Presentation Global mismatch between the species richness of vascular plants and symbiosis fungi across biogeographic realms Session: Plant diversity patterns across biomes, habitats and communities Aurele Toussaint* and Meelis Pärtel Department of Botany, University of Tartu *Presenting author: [email protected]

Loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystems globally but we still lack knowledge on the processes underlying spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns at the global scale. However, global distribution of biodiversity is extremely challenging due to very high complexity considering several taxonomic groups together. Toward this objective, cross-taxon congruence allows to detect relationships between several taxonomic groups helping to understand the processes underlying biodiversity distribution. Here, we studied the congruence in species richness between vascular plants and symbiosis fungi (Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Ectomy- corrhizal Fungi (ECM)) from 449 localities distributed worldwide. Global- ly, we found a negative correlation between species richness of plants and ECM (Rho = -0.507, P < 0.05), non-significant correlation between plants and AMF and negative correlation between ECM and AMF (Rho = -0.321, P < 0.01). However, theses global relationships hide strong disparities between biogeographic realms both in terms of direction and intensity between the three taxonomic groups. According to the realm and the taxonomic group, all types of correlations (i.e. positive, negative or not significant) were observed. Whereas plants and ECM are negatively or not correlated in the six biogeographic realms, plants and AMF are highly variable according to the realm. For instance, in Neotropical plants and AMF are strongly negatively correlated (Rho=-0.88, P < 0.01) whereas they are positively correlations in Europe and North-America (0.69 and 0.67). The correlation between ECM and AMF species richness is also variable from strongly negative in North-America (Rho=-0.82, P < 0.01) to strongly positive in Neotropical (Rho=0.83, P < 0.01) and even not significant in Europe and Africa. These high variabilities suggest that vascular plants and symbiotic fungi respond differently to environmental factors according to biogeographic realms. For instance, historical glaciation in Europe and North-America may favour a common response explaining a positive correlation. Further studies will need to focus at regional scale identifying more carefully how isolation have led to different evolution of symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi.

340 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Valencia E.

Oral Presentation Are compensatory dynamics a rare mechanism of temporal community stability? A plant global scale analysis of permanent plot data Session: Macroecological analysis and modelling of vegetation patterns Enrique Valencia1 *, Francesco de Bello1,2, Thomas Galland1,2, Jan Lepš1, Anna Vojt- kó1,2, Roel van Klink3, Carlos P. Carmona1 and Lars Götzenberger2 1Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 1, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic;2Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 37982 Třeboň, Czech Republic and 3Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, P.O.Box 11103, 9700AA Groningen, The Netherlands *Presenting author: [email protected]

The maintenance of biological diversity in a global change context is a crucial issue in ecology. Despite the historical interest on temporal biological stability, the main factors that maintenance this stability and their relative importance remains unclear. Among the mechanisms that could maintain temporal stability, the literature highlighted: compensatory dynamics (i.e. increases or decreases in the relative abundance of some species are offset by changes in the relative abundance of others, varying in an asynchronic way) and a common response to environmental factors of most species (synchrony). Previous studies have suggested that compensatory dynamics are rare in natural ecological communities. However, the intuitive idea that high levels of asynchrony in species abundance fluctuation increase ecosystem stability has not been discarded, and other studies have found prevalence of compensatory dynamics. Here, we used measures of synchrony to assess whether patterns of synchrony or asynchrony are prevailing in natural plant communities. We then evaluated which biotic and abiotic factors, such as climatic variables, type of data, sampling methods or type of habitat, drive patterns of synchronous and asynchronous fluctuations. Finally, we assessed how abiotic conditions, synchrony-asynchrony patterns, and biodiversity impact temporal stability. To do so, we collected data from sixty-four existing temporal plant community datasets with at least six time points, resulting in all together data on almost 10500 individual plots. We expected that greater biodiversity allows different species to compensate each other in time and thereby stabilise the total abundance of communities over time. Assessing synchrony measures showed that compensatory dynamics are not rare and are even a dominant mechanism in some plant communities. Biodiversity and synchrony-asynchrony patterns are the major drivers of the temporal stability.

341 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Valkó O.

Oral Presentation Prospects of grassland management by dormant-season prescribed burning Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Orsolya Valkó1 *, Balázs Deák1, Tibor Magura2, Péter Török2, András Kelemen2, Katalin Tóth1, Roland Horváth2, Dávid D. Nagy1, Zsuzsanna Debnár1, György Zsig- rai3, István Kapocsi4 and Béla Tóthmérész1 1MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group;2University of De- brecen, Department of Ecology;3Hungarian Institute for Oenology and Viticulture and 4Hortobágy National Park Directorate *Presenting author: [email protected]

There are different opinions on the feasibility of prescribed burning management in European grasslands. On the one hand, fire can be a proper tool for the management of open landscapes, controlling dominant species, reducing accumulated litter or decreasing wildfire risk. On the other hand, burning can have a detrimental impact on grassland biodiversity by supporting competitor grasses and by threatening several rare and endangered species, especially arthropods. We studied the effects of prescribed burning in dry alkaline grasslands of high conservation interest. Our aim was to test whether dormant-season prescribed burning can be an alternative conservation measure in these grasslands. We selected six sites in East-Hungary: in three sites, a prescribed fire was applied in November 2011, while three sites remained unburnt. We studied the effects of burning on soil properties, phytomass and on the composition of vegetation and ground-dwelling arthropod assemblages (isopods, spiders, ground beetles and rove beetles). Soil pH, organic matter, potassium and phosphorous did not change, but soluble salt content increased significantly in the burned sites. Prescribed burning had several positive effects from the nature conservation viewpoint. Plant diversity and the number of flowering shoots were higher, and the cover of the dominant grass Festuca pseudovina was lower in the burnt sites. Graminoid phytomass was lower, while total, green and forb phytomass were higher in the burnt plots compared to the control. The key finding of our study was that prescribed burning did not decrease the abundance and diversity of arthropod taxa. Species-level analyses showed that out of the most abundant invertebrate species, 10 were not affected, 1 was negatively and 1 was positively affected by burning. Our results demonstrated that fire can be a feasible management tool in open landscapes, since dormant-season prescribed burning leaving unburnt patches supports plant diversity and does not threaten arthropods.

342 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Van Calster H.

Oral Presentation Point-to-plant distances and integral occurrence probability: reliable detection of change in vegetation in an adaptive management planning framework Special Session: Theory-based habitat conservation and restoration Hans Van Calster1 *, Els De Bie1, Els Lommelen1, Patrik Oosterlynck1 and Christian Frølund Damgaard2 1Department of Biometry, Methodology and Quality Assurance, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels and 2Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Silkeborg *Presenting author: [email protected]

In Van Calster & Damgaard (2017) we introduced a method that allows estimation of an integral occurrence probability (IOP). The IOP for a plant integrates species’ presence-absence patterns in all circular areas centred around a sample of points and up to a maximum search distance. It discriminates among a wide range of plant spatial distribution patterns and allows easy aggregation across species to obtain either expected species richness patterns or IOP for a species group. We focus in this talk on its potential for conservation management monitoring, which is a corner stone of adaptive management planning. We will use both field data and simulated data to show how IOP compares to more traditional abundance measures such as cover and relative frequency. With data from a field trial in Nardetea grassland we show how aggregation across species works and discuss some practical aspects of the method (sample size considerations, reproducibility, …). We also give an example how the data can be presented as a distance-to-target for a vegetation target of conservation management. Next, we compare visual estimation of cover, and IOP in terms of their performance to detect the spread of a plant species through time. This is important in the context of the management of species that are able to outcompete target species or to monitor the recovery of target species. It will be shown that IOP detects spread earlier than cover. Using simulated data of plant species that react to an environmental gradient, we explore which measurements are most suitable to detect the environmental effect on the vegetation. With point-to-plant distance measurements, we have the opportunity to tailor the measurement scale from a strict focus on cover up to a broad focus on relative shoot frequency using a large plot size and to aggregate across species that are expected to respond similarly. Because IOP integrates across measurement scales, it is a good all-round measure of choice. Reference: Van Calster H., & Damgaard C. (2017). Integral occurrence probability: combining cover and relative shoot frequencies based on bounded point-to-plant distances. Journal of Vegetation Science doi: 10.1111/jvs.12527.

343 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 van der Merwe S.

Oral Presentation Do plant-plant interactions affect functional traits? Session: Vegetation, traits and ecosystem services valuation Stephni van der Merwe*, Michelle Greve and Peter C. le Roux University of Pretoria *Presenting author: [email protected]

Plant-plant interactions may strongly affect population and community dynamics and can be key determinants of species distributions. Despite this, little research has focused on how interspecific interactions between plants affect the expression of functional traits, which in turn can influence vegetation patterns. Cushion plants are good model systems for the study of ecological interactions because, as ecosystem engineers, they modify their immediate microhabitat. Where these modifications decrease abiotic stress, cushion plants may promote the survival and growth of other plant species within, or on the perimeter of, the cushion. This positive effect is predicted to be particularly pronounced in abiotically-extreme environments, with stronger net positive impacts at higher altitudes and latitudes. Therefore, we tested in two different systems if interacting with a cushion plant affects the functional traits of plant species growing within them, and whether this changes with altitude. Six functional traits were measured on vascular plant species growing in the cushion plants Azorella selago and Euphorbia clavarioides and in adjacent open ground, across different elevations on sub-Antarctic Marion Island and in the South African Drakensberg Mountains respectively. On Marion Island, only leaf area and leaf toughness were affected by the interaction with cushion plants, while in the Drakensberg only leaf toughness was impacted. Altitude had a significant effect on the majority of traits in both systems, andthis effect did not differ between plants growing on and off cushions. Therefore, while altitude was related to most traits, plant-plant interactions had limited impacts on functional trait expression. This result highlights that while cushion plantsoften positively affect many co-occurring plant species, the mechanism by which cushionsfacilitate other plant speciesis likely not through their impact on functional trait expression. Thus, contrary to expectation, functional traits may not be as sensitive to biotic interactions as are population and community characteristics.

344 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Vandvik V.

Oral Presentation Integrating experimental and gradient approaches to climate change impacts on plant populations and communities Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Vigdis Vandvik1 *, Kari Klanderud2, Olav Skarpaas4, Richard J. Telford1 and Joachim Töpper3,1 1University of Bergen;2Norwegian University of Life Sciences;3Norwegian Insitute of Na- ture Research and 4University of Oslo *Presenting author: [email protected]

Predicting the rate and magnitude of ecological change in response to global environmental change drivers is one of the most important challenges of modern ecology. This underlies any approach to assess risk of loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functions services in the face of changes in climate, land use, pollution, and harvesting of biological resources. Both experimental and gradient (space-for-time) approaches are making important contributions to our understanding of global change impacts, but these research approaches differ in scope, strengths, and more fundamentally, in theun- derlying ecological questions asked. This can lead to differences in the outcomes of, and predictions arising from, different kinds of studies, and to discussions and concerns about the comparability and even validity of different approaches for answering pressing global change questions, but also to calls for integrated approaches and the development of an ‘experimental macroecology’. Here we present an example of such an integrated approach to studying climate change impacts on plant populations and communities. We conducted temperature and precipitation manipulation experiments, and replicated these across broad-scale temperature and precipitation gradients in Western Norway. Based on our findings we discuss similarities and differences in plant population and community responses in the experiments and along gradients, and use these results to illustrate how ‘experimental macroecology’ can further our understanding of the ecological responses to climate change – focusing on context-dependencies, time-scales of responses, the interplay between direct and indirect responses to climate change, and interactive effects of temperature and precipitation change.

345 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Velbert F.

Oral Presentation Latitudinal shifts in plant functional traits in herbaceous vegetation along a 1.200 km transect in Kazakhstan and Western Siberia. Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Frederike Velbert1 *, Martin Freitag1, Annika Brinkert1, Immo Kämpf1, Wanja Mathar1, Tatyana Siderova2, Larissa Ivanova3, Johannes Kamp1 and Norbert Hölzel1 1Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Germany;2Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK), Astana, Kazakhstan and 3Botanical Garden, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia *Presenting author: [email protected]

Latitudinal gradients are particularly valuable to study the impact of current climate and future climate change on taxonomical and functional composition and diversity of vegetation. Therefore we studied vegetation along a gradient from the northern central Asian desert in Kazakhstan to the Western Siberian hemi-boreal forest zone (45°N to 57°N). As this bioregion is severely understudied and data on plant functional traits are rare except for the most northern part of the transect, we sampled own leaf trait and height measurements for 114 steppe grassland species. The dataset, comprising ca. 1.400 vegetation relevés and more than 800 species, spans a plant community gradient from dwarf-shrub dominated northern desert with Salsola arbusculiformis and Artemisia terrae-albae via true steppe communities with Stipa lessingiana and Festuca valesiaca to herb-rich meadow steppes dominated by Festuca rupico- la and Poa angustifolia. With increasing humidity and productivity towards the north, average vascular plant species richness per 100m² increases from around 10 to 35. Traitwise community weighted mean (CWM) of specific leaf area decreased steeply from the lush northern meadow-steppe to the more drought adapted leaves in the true steppe. The subsequent transition from still herbaceous dry steppes to dwarf shrub dominated semi-desert takes place around an aridity index of 0.3, where plant woodiness and C4-photo- sythetic pathway increases steeply. In addition to the main climatic gradient, changes in land-use are also expressed by shifts in functional traits. Post-soviet abandonment of arable land leads in early stages of succession to a higher seed mass and a higher SLA compared to secondary grasslands on older ex-arable land and pristine steppe. Due to the breakdown of wells in the steppe, concentration of livestock grazing around settlements leads to a decreased canopy height and an increase of short-lived ruderals. We discuss the so far largely unused potential of plant functional traits to predict the effects of climate and land-use change in Central Eurasia.

346 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Verma A.

Poster nr. 080 Regeneration of Oak in Central Himalaya: A hope for thriving future Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Abhishek Kumar Verma* and Satish Chandra Garkoti School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India *Presenting author: [email protected]

Present study is focused on population dynamics of regenerating oak (Quer- cus leucotricophora) and its carbon stock value in Lamgara (Almora) in Uttara- khand state. Oak is being suppressed by invasive pine (Pinus roxburghii) since the past many decades. However, our studies showed thriving future of Oak in the region. Phytosociological studies were done to assess the vegetation of the study sites. Species area curve method was used to determine the appropriate size (10m × 10 m) and number (10) of quadrats used. Oak dominates at all sites with higher IVI value varying from 126.96– 165.50 followed by IVI of pine 72.82– 128.14. Population structure shows higher presence of oak seedlings and saplings and young trees that favours the regeneration. Total basal area of sites varied from 17.0 m2ha-1 to 46.1 m2ha-1 where, oak contributed 5.5 m2ha-1-18.2 m2ha-1 and contribution of pine was found between 6.4 m2ha-1 and 26.1 m2ha-1. Lower tree density and high basal area indicate the presence of old pine trees while high tree density and lower basal area shows young population of oak. Oak also possesses higher carbon stock value than pine and this will enhance the carbon sequestration capacity in near future. Allometric equations were used to calculate biomass and carbon stock was estimated 47% of biomass. Biomass of sites was found between 137.03- 503.27 Mg ha-1 and carbon stock varied from 64.40- 236.54 Mg ha-1; thus these regenerating forests contribute significantly in carbon sequestration. This regeneration of oak could be influenced by many different factors such as nutrient availability (especially nitrogen), moderate disturbances and past forest fires. Soil characteristics, leaf litter dynamics, fine root dynamics is being studied along with remote sensing to find out the reasons behind the phenomena.

347 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Vesselova P.

Poster nr. 078 Maedow vegetation of the syrdarya river valley (kyzylorda area, kazakhstan) Session: Vegetation dynamics and human-induced successions Polina Vesselova* and Gulmira Kudabayeva Institute of Botany & Phytoinroduction, Republic of Kazakhstan *Presenting author: [email protected]

At present developing the arid territories of Kazakhstan is characterized by the intensification of desertification processes. Arid ecosystems are very vulnerable therefore over time irrational environmental management can lead to losing their social and economic importance. Water availability is the major limiting factor for development of vegetation in deserts. For the Kyzylorda area this problem is solved due to the water resources of the Syrdarya River. The main factors of anthropogenic transformation of vegetation are: the change in the flow regime of the Syrdarya River; unsustainable use of natural resources (water, land, biological); technogenic impacts (exploitation of the space center Baikonur, development of the oil industry, etc.). In the valleys of desert rivers of Kazakhstan, including the Syrdarya River, vegetation cover is represented by different types: swamp, meadow and tu- gai (riparian floodplain forest), a part of which are halophytic. The meadows of the Syrdarya River valley are distributed as certain massifs or as complexes and combinations with other plant communities. In the halophytic meadows grasses prevail: Puccinellia Parl. (P. distans (Jacq.) Parl., P. tenuissima Litv. ex V. Krecz., P. dolicholepis V. Krecz.), Aeluropus littoralis, Leymus multicaulis (Kar. et Kir.) Tzvel., and also a reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.). Among halophytic forbs are: Limonium gme- linii (Willd.) O. Kuntze, L. otolepis (Schrenk) O. Kuntze, Saussurea salsa (Pall. ex Bieb.) Spreng., Karelinia caspia (Pall.) Less. and annual saltworts: Suaeda acuminata (C.A. Mey.) Moq., S. linifolia Pall., Salicornia europaea L., Climacop- tera aralensis (Iljin) Botsch., C. lanata (Pall.) Botsch., etc. Halophilic shrubs and subshrubs appear in communities at decreasing of the groundwater level. Dominants and subdominants in communities of grass and forb-grass meadows are perennial rhizomatous grasses, such as: Elytrigia repens, Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth, C. pseudophragmites (Hall. fil.) Koel.), among forbs are: Gly- cyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., G. glabra L.). All these species often form polydomi- nant communities in various combinations. In the desertified meadows the dominat role in communities play species of phreatophyte forbs: Glycyrrhiza glabra, Karelinia caspia, Alhagi pseudalhagi, A. kirghisorum, Pseudosophora alopecuroides, P. pachycarpa. In communities of shrubby meadows the top layer is formed by floodplain species (Tamarix L., Halimodendron halodendron, Lycium ruthenicum Murr.) as well as desert plants (Haloxylon aphyllum, Krascheninnkovia ceratoides, K. ew- ersmanniana (Stschegl. ex Losinsk.) Grub.).

348 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Vetaas O. R.

Oral Presentation Macro ecological ordination across biomes: a test of Tropical Conservatism Hypothesis on diversity across biomes in mountain ranges Special Session: Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Ole R. Vetaas1 * and Jianmeng Feng1 1Department of Geography, University of Bergen, Post Box 7802, N-5020 Bergen, Norway and 1Department of Life science and Chemistry, Dali University, Dali 671003, Yuannan, PR China *Presenting author: [email protected]

Macro ecological ordination across biomes: a test of Tropical Conservatism Hypothesis on diversity across biomes in mountain ranges Objective: We aim to understand factors driving plant diversity patterns across biomes by testing the Tropical Conservatism Hypothesis (TCH). THC predicts older phylogenetic age of plant families in tropical biomes than in cooler biomes. It is likely that the underpinning driving mechanism of this pattern is the global distribution of solar energy, and therefore one may expect the latitudinal pattern to be repeated along any extensive temperature gradient, for instance the elevation gradient in tropical and subtropical mountains. Area: Location: China, Andes (Peru) and Himalayas (Nepal). Methods: Range data on elevation and temperature for all species belonging to 35 monophyletic families of plants were compiled for all regions. The plant families represent old, young and intermediate phylogenetic ages. We arranged the plant families along the temperature gradient based on their central tendency, i.e. maximum family members within 0.5 0C -intervals. These central tendencies of families along the temperature gradient were established by Correspondence Analyses and weighted average temperature (weighted by number of species). We correlated the rank order of families along the elevation-temperature gradient with the phylogenetic age of the families. Result: There were not any significant correlations between phylogenetic age of families and location along the tropical –alpine temperature gradient. The result was confirmed in all regions, and hence we rejected the TCH that predicts strong relationships between the phylogenetic age of families and their central tendency along temperature gradients. Conclusion: We found no support for TCH-hypothesis that older families preferred significantly warmer and lower elevations and younger families were more common in alpine and sub-arctic regions. Mountains have a special role in plant evolution due to isolation and short distance between temperature extremes, and this may have influenced the age family distribution.

349 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Vogiatzakis I.

Oral Presentation Short-term variation in species richness across an altitudinal gradient in Lef- ka Ori, Crete Session: Vegetation diversity on islands George Kazakis1, Dany Ghosn1, Electra Remoundou1 and Ioannis N. Vogiatzakis2,1 * 1Department of Geoinformation in Environmental Management, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies - Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (CIHEAM-MAICH), Greece and 2School of Pure & Applied Sciences, Open Uni- versity of Cyprus, PO Box 12794, 2252, Nicosia, Cyprus *Presenting author: [email protected]

The Mediterranean has already experienced a significant warning trend in the twentieth century while climate change projections suggest that it is among the most vulnerable regions in the world. Within the area high mountain zones are considered more vulnerable to climate change compared to those of lower altitudes. Lefka Ori massif on the island of Crete is a biodiversity hotspot of global importance which is a target region of the GLORIA Long-Term Monitoring Network (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments). The paper examines changes in species richness with respect to climate and altitude over a 7 year period at a range of spatial scales in a re-survey of 4 mountain summits in Lefka Ori (1664m - 2339m). At the whole summit scale 66 species were recorded in 2008, a decrease of 4 species compared to the 2001 survey. Across the summits there was a loss of 8 species since 2001 (3 of which endemics) and a gain of 4 species (one of which endemic). In these gains and losses perennial is the dominant life form. Diversity decreased at the two lower summits and increased at the upper summits. Mean species richness shows no pattern among summits and across scales with the exception of the highest summit where mean species richness increased. The highest turnover was observed in the middle altitudes. Future re-surveys of the summits are envisaged in order to assess whether these changes should be attributed to climate change.

350 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wagensommer R. P.

Oral Presentation Phytosociological investigation on the chasmophilous vegetation of the East- ern Mediterranean territories Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Robert P. Wagensommer*, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo and Salvatore Brullo Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via A. Longo 19, 95125 Catania, Italy *Presenting author: [email protected]

As part of an ongoing study aimed at the syntaxonomical revision of the Medi- terranean rupestrian vegetation, the preliminary results of a phytosociological investigation focused on the eastern Mediterranean thermophilous chasmophilous vegetation included in the Asplenietea trichomanis class. About 1,000 relevés (335 of which unpublished) were used for the analysis. The relevés were carried out in Italy, Croatia, Greece (mainland and 9 main islands), Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, and Libya. The nomenclature and the validity of all syntaxa described in literature were checked according to the ICPN (Weber et al. 2000). Many published names resulted invalid or incorrect. Then, some of them have been validated, as for example, by Bergmeier et al. (2011) and Terzi & Di Pietro (2016), but many names still remain invalid or incorrect. The following 4 orders are recognized: 1) Centaureo dalmaticae-Campanuletalia py- ramidalis, with 3 alliances occurring in Croatia and Italy (Trieste and Gargano); 2) Onosmetalia frutescentis, with 7 alliances in south-eastern Italy, Albania, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus; 3) Chiliadenetalia iphionoidis, with a single alliance found in Lebanon and Israel; 4) Chiliadenetalia candicantis, with 2 alliances in Libya. The unpublished relevés demonstrate that many rocky plant communities are not described to date, especially those ones occurring in Greece and Isra- el. Their phytosociological analysis will probably lead to the description of about 30 new associations.

Bergmeier E., Dimopoulos P., Mucina L. (2011). Validation of some alliances of the Aegean chasmophytic vegetation of the Asplenietea trichomanis. Laza- roa, 32: 183-186. Terzi M., Di Pietro R. (2016). Nomenclatural remarks on the chasmophytic vegetation of the Centaureo-Campanuletalia. Pl. Biosyst., 150(6): 1364-1369. Weber H.E., Moravec J., Theurillat J.P. (2000). International Code of Phytoso- ciological Nomenclature. 3rd edition. J. Veg. Sci., 11: 739-768.

351 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wang Y.

Oral Presentation Combined effects of livestock grazing and abiotic environment on vegetation and soils of grasslands across Tibet Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Yun Wang1 *, Gwendolyn Heberling2, Eugen Görzen3, Georg Miehe4, Elke Seeber4 and Karsten Wesche1, 1Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany;2Institute of Land- scape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany;3De- partment of Landscape Ecology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany;4Faculty of Geography, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany;5German Centre for Integrative Biodi- versity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany and 6International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Zittau, Germany *Presenting author: [email protected]

Questions Livestock-grazing and abiotic environmental factors both shape grassland systems; however, the relative importance of their impacts on plant species composition and soil fertility has rarely been investigated. Focusing on Tibet- an grasslands, which are of global ecological importance and exhibit broad climatic and elevational gradients, we asked whether grazing effects are pronounced in humid regions, while climate controls are overriding grazing effects in semi-arid regions. Location Twenty-eight sites across Tibetan pastures, China; elevation ranged from 2820 to 5150 m a.s.l. Methods We used multivariate analyses and General Mixed Linear Models to examine the effects of livestock activity (hotspots with excessive trampling and nutrient input, heavy, moderate and light grazing), habitat (meadow, steppe, steppe-meadow) and their interactions. We focused on plants species composition, richness and soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen and availability of other plant nutrients. Major environmental factors included precipitation, temperature and elevation. Plant indicator species sensitive to trampling and/or grazing were identified. Results Livestock-grazing changed plant species composition and overall soil fertility across habitats. However, effects were only pronounced in hotspots directly adjacent to herder camps, while differences between grazing intensity levels were

352 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 weak. Heavy grazing favoured annual species and reduced total soil carbon as well as total nitrogen in meadows. The environmental factors that control plant communities and soil conditions varied among habitats. Plants and soils were more tightly linked in steppes and steppe-meadows than in meadows. Conclusions Several plant species were identified frequently and reliably present in hotspots of livestock activity, thus are indicative for intensive trampling and excessive plant available nutrient inputs. Overall, plant species compositions and soil condition across Tibetan pastures were weakly affected by intensified grazing compared to that shaped by environmental factors. This clearly refutes the broadly held perception that increased grazing leads to grassland degradation. Such differing and strong abiotic impacts should be considered in future grassland management and conservation.

353 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Ward D.

Poster nr. 024 An African grassland responds similarly to long-term fertilization to the Park Grass experiment Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes David Ward1 * 1Kent State University and 2Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritz- burg, South Africa *Presenting author: [email protected]

We compared the results of a long-term (65 years) experiment in a South African grassland with the world’s longest-running experiment, the Park Grass study at Rothamsted, U.K. The climate is warm and humid in South Africa and cool and temperate in England. The African grassland has been fertilized with two forms of nitrogen applied at four levels, phosphorus and lime in a crossed design in 96 plots. In 1951, about 84% of plant cover consisted of Themeda triandra, Tristachya leucothrix and Setaria nigrirostris. Currently, the dominant species are Panicum maximum, Setaria sphacelata and Eragrostis curvula, making up 71% of total biomass. As in the Park Grass experiment, we found a significant (additive) interaction effect on ANPP of nitrogen and phosphorus, and a (marginally significant) negative correlation between ANPP and species richness. Unlike the Park Grass experiment, there was no correlation between ANPP and species richness when pH was included as a covariate. There was also a significant negative effect of nitrogen amount and nitrogen form and a positive effect of lime on species richness and species diversity. Soil pH had an important effect on species richness. Liming was insufficient to balance the negative effects on species richness of nitrogen fertilization. There was a significant effect of pH on biomass of three abundant species. There were also significant effects of light on the biomass of four species, with only Panicum maximum having a negative response to light. In all of the abundant species, adding total species richness and ANPP to the model increased the amount of variance explained. The biomass of Eragrostis curvula and P. maximum were negatively correlated with species richness while three other abundant species increased with species richness, suggesting that competition and facilitation were active. Consistent with the results from the Park Grass and other long-term fertilization experiments of grasslands, we found a positive effect of soil pH and a negative effect of nitrogen amount on species richness, a more acutely negative effect on species richness of acidic ammonium sulphate fertilizer than limestone ammonium nitrate, a negative relationship between species richness and biomass, and a positive effect on species richness of lime interacting with nitrogen.

354 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wardell-Johnson G.

Oral Presentation Interpreting the jewel in the crown: Patterns of rarity in the ancient subdued landscapes of south-western Australia’s Helena-Aurora Banded Ironstone Formation Range Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Grant W. Wardell-Johnson1,2,* Todd Robinson1,3, Giovanni Di Virgilio1,2,3 and Paul Nevill1,2 1Curtin University;2Department of Environment and Agriculture and 3Department of Spatial Science *Presenting author: [email protected]

The South West Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR) includes the oldest and most stable surfaces on Earth, and harbours an extraordinarily rich and endemic flora. From its western boundary, a series of banded ironstone formation ranges (BIFs) extend inland for over 750 km. These small, ancient ranges are floristically distinct from the surroundings, and many, including the Helena-Aurora (HAR) BIF Range - the jewel in the BIF crown, have unique floristic assemblages. High mining interest and conservation significance have prompted well-designed biodiversity surveys to inform environmental impact assessment. Digital elevation models, in- terpolated from very high resolution (c. 1 m) airborne LiDAR acquisitions, have enabled fine-scale modelling of vegetation and habitats. Recent genetic progress has enabled derivation of landscape patterns in genetic diversity for selected species. This paper outlines recent approaches to integrate site-based biodiversity and environmental data into biodiversity models for more informed decisions from pre-mining to rehabilitation in BIF landscapes. We derived a spatially explicit distribution of plant species richness, endemism, floristic assemblages, and 18 rare species in relation to micro-topographic variation across the 1736 km2 region. We gained insights into the landscape genetic structure of short-range endemics using resistance (cost) surfaces. Micro-topographic heterogeneity had stronger influence on richness and corrected weighted endemism than solar radiation intensity or topographic wetness. However, this influence was spatially variable across the HAR hillslopes, suggesting the effects of a warming climate will not manifest uni- formly in the region. Elevation, slope and solar radiation were the main contributors in the 18 derived species distribution models. Very rare species were restricted to ridgelines and summits - the rarest habitat in the BIF ranges. Species of lower conservation significance were more widespread across mid and low-elevation hillslopes and topographically heterogeneous plains. Particular landscape features were also more important than others in maintaining gene flow. These findings demonstrate the extraordinary evolutionary significance and conservation importance of minor topographic variation in ancient landscapes. From an assessment perspective, adoption of a predictive approach saves resources and provides a template for targeted survey. Further, assessment of future mining proposals can be framed within a broader context of biodiversity understanding.

355 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wellstein C.

Oral Presentation Extra zonal climatic niches as natural experiment to test plant adaptation towards climatic change Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients Camilla Wellstein1 *, Rita Tonin1, Emiliano Trucchi2, Armin O. Schmitt3 and Renato Gerdol2 1Free University of Bozen;2University of Ferrara and 3University of Göttingen *Presenting author: [email protected]

In the sub-Mediterranean climatic zone, ice hole biotopes occurring at low elevations (600 m a.s.l.) represent extra-zonal climatic niches that shelter alpine vegetation representative of higher elevations (2000 m a.s.l.) because of the presence of a permanent cold-air pool. The position of alpine plant species in a warmer climatic zone has exposed them probably over thousands of years to extra-ordinary abiotic conditions making ice-holes natural experiments for the study of long-term climate change effects on plant species. Plant species can adapt by two processes: phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation. This intraspecific variability is a fundamental mechanism involved in organisms’ evolution. This study analyzes the effect size of functional plasticity and its possible relationship with genetic and epigenetic variation aiming at better understanding the complex process of plant adaptation. In this context, foliar traits are highly relevant. We study all five representative alpine species, i.e. Vaccinium myrtillus (VM), V. vitis-idaea (VV), Rhododendron ferrugineum (RF), R. hirsutum (RH), Homogyne alpina (HA) comparing populations from the alpine zone to the ones in ice holes habitats on siliceous as well as calcareous bedrock in the Italian region of Trentino Alto-Adige. We selected Vaccinium vitis-idaea as model species for the genetic differentiation. The findings on functional traits variability will be associated with genetic and epigenetic variation detected by means of the bsRADSeq technique. General and similar trends appeared for leaf phosphorous and nitrogen content with higher levels obtained by plants in ice holes compared to alpine sites on siliceous bedrock. Interestingly, the opposite was seen on calcareous bedrock. Judging from SLA and LDMC, siliceous bedrock species (RF, VM) followed the above trend in having higher SLA and lower LDMC in ice holes whereas VV and HA showed slightly opposite behavior, RH showed no differences. These findings indicate that several species most likely profited from the altered conditions in the extra-zonal biotope and adapted towards a better growth performance. However, this positive effect also depends on bedrock geology, as calcareous extra-zonal sites appear to represent a more difficult environment for alpine plants. Further results on the genetic and epigenetic study will be presented.

356 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wiatrowska B.

Poster nr. 090 The adaptation of seeds to hydrochory and the invasive potential of Spiraea tomentosa L. Session:Invasive species: past, present and future trends Blanka Wiatrowska* and Władysław Danielewicz Department of Forest Botany, Faculty of Forestry, Poznań University of Life Sciences *Presenting author: [email protected]

Spiraea tomentosa (L.) is a shrub naturally occurring in North America. It’s range covers a wide area along the eastern coast of the continent (USDA – The Plants Database 2017). In Europe this species has been cultivated as an ornamental plant since the 18th century (Symes 1983). Currently new spontaneous sites have been discovered in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany and Poland where in the latter it’s population is observed at natural and semi-natural plant communities in the western part of the country (Dajdok et al. 2011). In Poland most sites of this shrub are located in the Lower Silesian Wilderness (Polish: Bory Dolnośląskie), where it’s expansion triggered some relevant environmental changes and imped- iments to forestry. The shrub appears in high numbers in highly insolated forest communities, unmanaged meadows and peat bogs. Sites along dense network of drainage ditches and natural streams are especially numerous. Plants dispersed along streams have some significant properties such as adaptation of the diaspores to hydrochory, that facilitate the migration and colonization of new offshore communities. In order to determine the seed buoyancy and vitality after remaining in water, in 2012 mature seeds of S. tomentosa were gathered and after 30 days of cold stratification were placed in vessels filled with distillated water at a temperature of 4°C. Subsequently, the number of floating seeds and the vitality of submerged and partially submerged seeds was defined. It was proven that S. tomentosa seeds retain their ability to sprout for approx. 3 years after partial submersion and more than a year after full submersion. About 80% of the diaspores float freely on the water surface for a minimum period of 30 months. As indicated among others by Fumanall et al. (2007), prolonged buoyancy facilitates the efficient spreading of diaspores along with flowing water (Rouifed et al. 2011). This property is conducive to the transfer of seeds by birds migrating between water reservoirs (Amezaga 2002; Soons et al. 2008). It may also facilitate the colonization of offshore communities, as they have been proven to be dominated by species with the longest floating diaspores (Johansson et al. 1996; Nilsson et al. 2002). The seed dispersal and their prolonged germination after flooding are therefore conducive to rapid and massive migration of the S. tomentosa seeds. It can also be a factor facilitating the colonization of new posts, within and outside the area occupied by the past.

357 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wildi O.

Oral Presentation An ordination of ordinations: comparing the predictive power of ordinations to evaluate methodological decisions Session: Ecological informatics and facilitating vegetation syntheses Otto Wildi* Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, WSL Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Ordinations visualize the similarity pattern of plot by species data. Below I argue that the best ordination is the one easiest to interpret in terms of environmental factors. I hypothesize that the best method is case specific to be identified only by comparing alternative solutions in real world examples. The number of widely used ordination methods is limited. However, many of these handle different resemblance functions some of which transforming data intrinsically. Furthermore, species performance scores can be transformed preceding the analysis, typically to cover percentage, presence-absence or any intermediate level boosting the number of potential solutions. In my examples I evaluate 88 different ordinations of one sample at a time based on measured site factors. Initially the 88 ordinations are displayed graphically in three dimensions (1) and then compared pairwise by mantel correlation (2). The resulting lower triangular matrix is transformed to a distance matrix and further processed to an ordination of ordinations by principal coordinate analysis (3). The respective scatter diagram (with 88 data points) illustrates the similarity pattern of solutions. For each ordination I determine the percentage of variance site factors account for, using non-parametric multiple analysis of variance (4). This percentage is fitted to the ordination of ordinations by trend surface analysis identifying the ordinations performing best (5). A first small example of wetland data (n=63) reveals that some methods strongly respond to data transformation whereas others remain almost invariant. Most methods deliver rather similar results for presence-absence data. No single ordination performs best in overall comparison, the result depending on the site factor used as reference. A second data set of forests (n=726) illustrates how some methods fail when systems are more complex, getting sensitive to outliers (PCA and CA, for instance), whereas others are successful in revealing major trends (DCA and NMDS, for instance). In the third example of wetland data (n=1496) many well established methods (FSPA, CA, DCA, etc.) fail to succeed because of extreme sensitivity to outliers. In conclusion the best ordination method is found only by comparing alternatives applied to the data set under consideration.

358 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Willner W.

Oral Presentation How to classify forests? Bridging the gap between floristic and physiognomic units Special Session: Rethinking biomes – towards a consistent high-level classification of global vegetation Wolfgang Willner1,2 * 1Vienna Institute for Nature Conservation and Analyses and 2Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna *Presenting author: [email protected]

Forests form the zonal vegetation of many biomes around the world, from the boreal taiga to the tropical rain forests. Therefore, the delimitation of biomes relies on a consistent classification of forest communities. Unfortunately, hardly any vegetation type has been treated in more different ways than forests, leading to totally different and largely incompatible classification schemes. In the Braun-Blanquet approach, authors have treated forests in a notoriously inconsistent way, sometimes giving the dominant tree species higher weight, sometimes completely ignoring them. The problem is especially obvious in temperate and boreal forests, where the herb layer is typically much richer in species than the tree layer. In my talk, I will outline a consistent classification method that was developed for the survey of the Austrian forest communities (published in 2007) but not fully formalised at that time. It enables the integration of floristically defined forest units into a global formation system without using a-priori defined formations or structural types. To bridge the gap between the floristically defined lower levels and the formations, the intermediate units are defined by the species composition of the dominant growth form (i.e. the tree layer), not by the overall species composition. The number of hierarchical levels defined in this way (the “strato-floristic units” as I propose to call them) can not be fixed for all forest types but depends on the ecological amplitude of the tree character species. Only absolute (i.e. globally valid) character species should be used in these definitions, which automatically limits the number of strato-floristic units to a reasonable number. The application of this method will be illustrated using examples from European forests, and its advantages in comparison to other approaches will be discussed.

359 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wiser S.

Oral Presentation Distance-decay in tree demographic responses to an earthquake Special Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Susan K. Wiser1*, Robert B. Allen1, Peter J` Bellingham1, Darryl I. MacKenzie3, David Coomes2, Jennifer Hurst1 and Elise Arnst1 1Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand;2Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge University, Cambridge and 3Proteus Wildlife Research Consultant, Outram, New Zealand *Presenting author: [email protected]

Understanding how disturbance influences the structure and function of natural forests is required to ensure they can be managed to provide services essential to society. Forests in tectonically active parts of the world often have a structure reflecting the historical impact of earthquakes. This is determined by many factors including the response of tree demographic rates. Here we investigate how tree demographic rates vary spatially and temporally in response to the 1994 Arthurs Pass Earthquake (Mw=6.7), Southern Alps, New Zealand. We have previously quantified the immediate impact of the earthquake relative to pre-earthquake conditions. This earthquake caused substantial tree mortality and injury 10 km from the epicentre but these impacts were not discernible at 30 km distance. We now examine the demographic consequences for 15 years after the event, using c. 5-yearly time intervals. We use joint survival and growth models within a Bayesian framework to examine the demography of 8518 individual trees tagged within 250 permanent plots (each 0.04 ha) as a function of stand-level and individual tree-level characteristics using 5-yearly measurements. We use these data to examine how tree survival and growth vary with tree-level and stand-level characteristics including distance from the earthquake’s epicentre. There was a pronounced effect of distance from the epicentre on the logarithm of survival, a relationship absent before the earthquake. This relationship was twice as strong for the first 5 years after the earthquake compared to the subsequent period. There was also a tree size and soil phosphorus effect on survival but their importance was less than half that of distance from the epicentre. A weak correlation between distance from the epicentre and soil phosphorus suggests these covariates largely had independent effects on survival. Growth was not affected by distance from the epicentre although there was a small positive mean growth response by trees in the first 5 years after the earthquake, particularly on low pH soils, but subsequently growth rates decline below pre-earthquake levels with the greatest effect on high pH soils. That growth was unrelated to distance from the epicentre may reflect potentially positive and negative effects of such a disturbance. Because our forest is naturally monospecific such analyses were performed without the con- founding effects of species.

360 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wójcik T.

Poster nr. 018 Influence of spring burning on Molinion meadows in Kraków (southern Poland) Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changes Maria Janicka1, Tomasz Wójcik2 * and Kinga Kostrakiewicz-Gierałt3 1Independent researcher, Kraków, Poland;2Department of Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland and 3Department of Plant Ecology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Spring meadows burning is a very popular practice, especially on the suburban areas in the Central Europe. Kraków is characterized by high biodiversity level, since species-rich wet meadows (Molinietalia alliance), termophilous grasslands (Festu- co-Brometea class) and forests (mainly Querco-Fagetea class) occupy more than 33% of the city area and are habitats for 52 rare and protected species. Many patches of semi-natural communities is excluded from agricultural using. In consequence, they overgrew by shrubs, tall perennials and expansive grasses. Studies of burning impact on Molinion meadows were conducted in the south-western part of the Kraków in 2015. New phytosociological relevés were compared with compatible data from 1986–91 gathered by Eugeniusz Dubiel. In our study, clear differences were noted in the species composition in stands that had been burnt in the previous year. The stands were characterized by the absence of scrub species, dominance of Molinia caerulea, great abundance of Inula salicina, Laserpitium prutenicum,and Sanguisorba officinalis, and presence of orchids (Epipactis palustris and Dactylorhiza incarnata), which did not grow in non-burnt stands. Similar observations were reported by Dubiel, who noted occurrence of tall perennials such as Galium boreale, Galium verum, Cen- taurea jacea, Lysimachia vulgaris, and Inula salicina in areas affected by burning. CCA shows statistical significance of first and second axes (both p=0.002, first axisex- plains 6.7% of variation, both 12.7%, given 94 species), which represent nutrient (fir- staxis) and moisture (secondaxis) gradients. Vegetation of burnt meadows, as well as the most species-rich plots were indicator of nutrient-poor, wet and moist soils in opposition to non-burnt meadows (nutrient-rich, moist and slightly moist soils) and archival plots (nutrient-poor, rather slightly moist soils). The process of overgrowth of some stands is impeded by grass burning, which should be regarded as a factor promoting conservation of endangered phytocoenoses. However, grass burning itself is insufficient for sustenance of the characteristic combination of species and could lead to changes in species interactions, mainly promoting concurrence of tall perennials. The burnt-dependent dynamic of some Molinion meadows’ species is still under question.

361 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Wojterska M.

Poster nr. 105 Factors determining floristic diversity in a small archipelago Session: Vegetation diversity on islands Maria Wojterska* and Andrzej Brzeg Department of Plant Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Biology Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznań, Umultowska 89, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

Geobotanical studies covered Seili (60o 14’ N of latitude and 21 o58’ E longitude), 12 smaller adjacent islands: Päiväluoto, Jäämäluoto, Högholmen, Lammasluoto, Kolkan, Katavaluoto, Ålderman, Björkholmen, Kalvgrundet, Saunasaari, Siikakari, Matinkari and several skerries, situated in the archipelago about 30 km SW of Turku (Finland), between Baltic Sea and Bothnian Bay. Aim of our studies was to investigate floristic diversity of islands on the background of their size, geological differentiation and human impact. The dominant geological formations were precambrian granite and gneiss rocks. The size of islands varied from 0,1 to 163 ha, with the highest one reaching over 50 m above sea level. Documented human influence dates back to 17th century and since that time the main island Seili was inhabited. Human settlements are present also on three other islands – the 16 remained uninhabit- ed. The analysis of floristic diversity comprised richness of species of vascular plants, their origin (native, archeophytes, established aliens, casual aliens and cultivated) and ecological groups (e.g. species of forests, meadows, forest margins, halophytes, xerothermic swards and ruderal communities). The number of species ranged from 32 to 599, with natives constituting from 54 up to 100%. Only 10 species occurred on all islands and they belonged to the ecological groups of halophytes and hydrophytes. To the highest richness of vascular plant species contributed, not only the area of the island, but also anthropogenic influence (cultivated species, archeophytes) and geological diversity (presence of sand, gravel, till and silt) whereas smaller, poorer in species islands were formed only of bedrock outcrops and their flora comprised mainly native species from coniferous forests, halophytes, coastal tall forbs and hydrophytes. Studies were supported by Archipelago Research Institute, University of Turku and grant of thePolish Committee of Scientific Research within the project No. 6PO4C02210.

362 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Woods K.

Oral Presentation Cross-continental comparisons of multi-decade tree mortality in old- growth temperate forests show convergent patterns of life-history differentiation and non-equilibrial dynamics. Session: Vegetation for conservation planning Kerry D. Woods1*, Thomas A. Nagel2, Bogdan Brzeziecki3, Stanislav Kucbel4, Zbigniew Maciejewski5, Yiching Lin7, Jerzy Szwagrzyk8 and C. Mark Cowell6 1Bennington College;2Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, University of Ljubljana;3Faculty of Forestry, Warsaw University of Life Sciences;4Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen;5Roztoczan´ski National Park;6Department of Geography, University of Missouri;7Tunghai University, Taiwan and 8Forest Biodiversity Institute, University of Agriculture, Kraków *Presenting author: [email protected]

Knowledge of demographic rates of tree populations is critical for understanding and prediction of dynamics in forest ecosystems. Competing models of community assembly and forest management strategies make different assumptions and predictions about stability and species differences in niche-related life-history traits. However, direct measurements of demographic rates for long-lived trees are rare, particularly in old-growth, and for older and larger stems, and most estimates of vital rates rely on assump- tion-laden space-for-time substitution or other indirect approaches. We collected long-term (20-75 yr, 3-8 measurements) data-sets from permanent-plot studies in 15 old-growth forests in Europe and North America and tracked mortality rates by size class for all tree species. We ask, specifically: 1) whether mortality rates from long-term monitoring are consistent with previous estimates for late-successional temperate forests; 2) how rates vary over decadal time-scales; 3) whether species-specific mortality patterns reflect life-history properties; 4) whether observed patterns offerinsight regardinglate-successional dynamics and stability in these forests; and 5) whether European and North American forests show convergent patterns. Observed mortality rates weregenerally higher than most prior estimates, averaging ca. 2%/yr overall. However, rates vary substantially with both species and measurement intervals within sites, with interactions between time and species. Only a handful of shade-tolerants (notably Tsuga) show mortality patterns consistent with potentially stable population structures. Most stand records, from both continents, reveal substantial, often species-specific, mortality ‘pulses’ that might be undetected by short-term studies; at least some of these are

363 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017 due to natural disturbances and suggest an important role in late succession for intermediate to severe disturbances. In nearly all study areas, some species show multi-decade trends of increasing mortality, suggesting persistent demographic legacies of environmental change or rare events and continued competition-driven change even in very late succession. Several consistent patterns are consistent withlife-history differentiation among tree species coexisting in old-growth forests. In general, our results are coherent across continents, and less consistent with conventional ‘quasi-equilibrial’ models of old-growth forest dynamics than with non-equilibrial models, where old- growth forest composition and dynamics remain strongly influencedby specific stand-histories and niche-structured species interactions.

364 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Yanpei G.

Poster nr. 119 Nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry of nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing shrubs in northern China Session: Open session Yanpei Guo1,2,*, Xian Yang1,3, Christian Schöb2 and Zhiyao Tang1 1Department of Ecology, Peking University;2Department of Evolutionary Biology and Envi- ronmental Studies, University of Zurich and 3School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

We explored differences in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry of different tissue types (leaf, stem and root) between N-fixing legumes and non-N-fixing plants from 299 broadleaved deciduous shrubland sites in northern China. After excluding effects of taxonomy and other environments, these two functional groups differed considerably in nutrient regulation. N concentrations and N:P ratios were higher in legumes than in non-N-fixers.N concentrations were positively correlated between the plants and soil for the non-N-fixers, but not for the legumes, indicating a stronger stoichiometric homeostasis in legumesthan in non-N-fixers. N concentrations were positively correlated among three tissue types for non-N-fixers, but not between leaves and non-leaf tissues for legumes, demonstrating that N concentrations were more dependent among tissues for non-N-fixers than for legumes. N and P concentrations were correlated within all tissues for both functional groups, but the regression slopes were flatter for legumes than the non-N- fixers, implying that legumes were more P limited than non-N-fixers. These results address significant differences in stoichiometry between legumes and non-N-fixers, and indicate the influence of symbiotic nitrogen fixation on plant stoichiometry. Overall, N-fixing legumes are higher and more stoichio- metrically homeostatic in N concentrations, which can raise their fitness in N-limited habitats. However, due to excess uptake of N, legumes may suffer from potential P limitation.

365 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Yeremenko N.

Poster nr. 097 The vegetation’s features of class Artemisietea vulgaris on the iron ore dumps in Kryvyi Rih region (Ukraine) Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Nathalia Yeremenko* Department of geobotany and ecology, M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv *Presenting author: [email protected]

The damping landscapes occupy an area more than 7 thousands ha in Kryvyi Rih region (Dnipropetrovska region) and have tend to increase. The plant cover is formed by natural vegetation colonization on substrates of waste production and rocks made during open bowels. The seral communities are characterized by undue variability of floral composition, also mosaic and complexity. Dumps vegetation represents by communities of ruderal classes of Artemisietea vulgaris Lohmeyer et al. ex von Rochow 1951 (communities occupied the largestar- ea), Stellarietea mediae Tüxen et al. ex von Rochow 1951, Robinitea Jurko 1963 and semi-natural steppe of Festuco-Brometea Braun-Blanquet et Tüxen ex Klika et Hadač 1944 (formed on the overburden grounds) (Yeremenko, 2017). With the application of program TURBOVEG compiled database that includes 296 relevés. Based on ecological-floristic approach using the software package JUICE the syntaxonomy of vegetation of class Artemisietea vulgaris in dump ecotypes in Kryvyi Rih region developed. With using Kopecký & Hejný deductive approach it is possible to distinguish basal and derivate communities [Kopecký & Hejný 1974]. It is evolved 23 associations, basal and 2 derivate communities belonging to 4 unions and 2 orders (39% of the associations of class in Ukraine). Association of Dauco-Centauretum dif- fusae Bagrikova, 2002 is given for the first time for investigate area (Yeremenko, 2017). Cenodivercity is quite high due to the formation within each of heaps different environmental habitats. It is identified key factors of eco-cenotic differentiation of communities of class, which are the type and structure of the substrate. Soil aeration, variability of damping, and humidity also have an impact. The adventization degree of vegetation of class Artemisietea vulgaris is clarified. There are 16 species of alien plants (7.7% of the floristic composition), 3 of which are transformers (Grinde- lia squarrosa (Pursh) Dun., Conyza canadensis L., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). They are often found on loess loams, on banded iron formation occur only a third part of the total. It is found that communities of class are both the initial and intermediate stages of overgrowing dumps.

366 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Yoshikawa M.

Poster nr. 093 Conservation priority at community level to preserve native flora in a suburban area of Japan Session: Land-use patterns and vegetation in cultural landscapes Masato Yoshikawa* Division of Environment Conservation, Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology *Presenting author: [email protected]

Qualitative estimation of plant communities is important to keep species richness of suburban area. This study aimed to clarify conservation priority of plant communities to preserve native flora from disorder development of suburban area effectively. The plant communities which should be conserved preferentially were extracted from all communities by drawing cumulative curve of species number to the communities. More than 1,800 vegetation relevé were collected in Fuchu city, ca. 20 km west of the central Tokyo. They were arranged in 22 vegetation tables, and 125 plant communities were differentiated by phytosociological table operation method. One third of them were dominated by alien plants. Total species number was 716 including 220 alien or escaped garden plants. The plant communities which had rich native species and their habitats were below: Quercus serrata - Q. actissima com. (deciduous coppice forest), Miscanthus sinensis - Pleioblautus chino com., Imperata cylindrica - Erigeron annuus com. (em- bankment grassland managed by mowing), Ixeris debilis - Lobelia chinensis com. (weed community on paths between rice fields), and Duchesnea chrysantha - Lapsana humilis com. (weed community of tree shades in parks and gardens). These five communities contained nearly 60% of the total native species of the city. Consequently, the habitats of those communities contribute to the species richness in the urbanized area around the metropolis. On the other hand, many communities had their own component species which occurred only in the concerned community. Tall herb and liana communities along forest edges, weed communities in paddy fields, and aquatic plant communities in irrigation channels contained their particular species, showing that they were irreplaceable communities for those species. Based on the above information, the cumulative curve of native species number to plant communities was drawn in order that all species were included in the minimum number of communities. As the result, 50 of whole 125 communities were selected as essential communities to keep all native species. The selected 50 communities suggested that wet and shady sites without artificial soil disturbance were important to preserve native flora in urbanized area.

367 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zegrar A.

Poster nr. 110 Multispectral analysis for forest mapping and identification of regeneration in area of the north west algeria Special Session: Remote Sensing for Vegetation Science Ahmed Zegrar* and Djamel Mansour Centre of Spaces Techniques *Presenting author: [email protected]

In the Mediterranean region especially in Forests ecosystem, have a fairly large ecological diversity. This ecological diversity of forests due to its con- stitution plays an important role in natural regeneration (post fires) due to natural calamities (fire, blow down phenomenon, logging...).Research in ecology has advanced knowledge about the functioning of forest ecosystems and the impact of human activities (fires, logging, Deforestation and land clearing). The man better measure the extent of the changes it makes to its environment. Not only can it improve its practices accordingly, but it is becoming increasingly conscious of the need - and, to some extent on its ability - to repair damaged areas. The approach we want to use in this study is to generate some satellite data (landsat5-Alsat) in some periods, combined with some observations to allow us to classify forest formations in region called TLEMCEN, in northwestern of Algeria. All classifications including supervised classification by the method of maximum likelihood is used to identify key training area for study. Indices: NDVI and MSAVI2, Index greenness IV are used to characterize forest formations and determined the changes. This treatment has allowed a detailed thematic analysis of forest ecosystems and provides a vegetation map of the study area.

368 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zelený D.

Oral Presentation Bias in community-weighted mean analysis of plant functional traits and species indicator values Session: Functional diversity along environmental gradients David Zelený* National Taiwan University *Presenting author: [email protected]

One way to analyze the relationship between species attributes and sample attributes via the matrix of species composition is to calculate the community-weighted mean of species attributes (CWM) and relate it to sample attributes by correlation, regression or ANOVA. This weighted-mean approach is frequently used by vegetation ecologists to relate species attributes like plant functional traits or Ellenberg-like species indicator values to sample attributes like measured environmental variables, biotic properties, species richness or sample scores in ordination analysis. The problem with the weighted-mean approach is that, in certain cases, it yields biased results in terms of both effect size and P-values, and this bias is contingent upon the beta diversity of the species composition data. The reason is that CWM values calculated from samples of communities sharing some species are not independent of each other. This influences the number of effective degrees of freedom, which is usually lower than the actual number of samples, and the difference further increases with decreasing beta diversity of the data set. The discrepancy between the number of effective degrees of freedom and the number of samples in analysis turns into biased effect sizes and an inflated Type I error rate in those cases where the significance of the relationship is tested by standard tests, a problem which is analogous to analysis of two spatially autocorrelated variables. Consequently, results of studies using rather homogeneous (although not necessarily small) compositional data sets may be overly optimistic, and effect sizes of studies based on data sets differing by their beta diversity are not directly comparable. Here, I introduce guidelines on how to decide in which situation the bias is actually a problem when interpreting results, recognizing that there are several types of species and sample attributes with different properties and that ecological hypotheses commonly tested by the weighted-mean approach fall into one of three broad categories. I also compare available analytical solutions accounting for the bias (modified permutation test and sequential permutation test using the fourth-corner statistic) and suggest rules for their use.

369 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zhang W.

Poster nr. 086 Impacts of alien black locust on species diversity: a comparison of native and alien plant communities in Shandong Province, China Session: Invasive species: past, present and future trends Wenxin Zhang*, Qiang Li, Xiao Liu, Ning Du and Renqing Wang Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Shandong University *Presenting author: [email protected]

The invasion of alien species is the main biological threats to biodiversity all over the world. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacaciaL.) is a widespread alien species commonly thought to influence natural ecosystems. However, the effects of black locust on the species diversity of plant communities are still controversial. The main aim of this study was to compare the species richness, species composition, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure between black locust communities and native communities dominated byQuercus acu- tissimato study the possible impacts of black locust on native ecosystems. 17 black locust and 17 paired native communities were selected and all plant species were surveyed in the 20m × 30m plots in mountainous area of Shan- dong Province, China. In this study, there was no significant difference in the species richness between black locust communities and native communities. However, we found that alien plants in black locust communities are more diverse than in native communities. Black locust may increases soil nitrogen stores enhancing the establishment of alien plants. Black locust communities have relatively low level of phylogenetic diversity. We also found that plant assemblages tended to become more phylogenetically clustered in black locust communities. This result indicates that environmental filtering is the main driver of plant community assembly in black locust stands. Black locust could influence community structure, soil properties and nutrient cycling, which makes the habitats become more homogenous. Plant species surviving in black locust communities are from few lineages that have evolved the ability to tolerance these habitats.

370 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zhu J.

Poster nr. 066 Influences of climate change on the distribution of Fagaceae species in China Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Jiangling Zhu* *Presenting author: [email protected]

Numerous studies based on historical documents, observations and experiments showed that climate change would profoundly change the patterns of species distribution by affecting species ranges. These changes not only influence the geographical zonality of biodiversity, but also may lead to species extinctions. For these reasons, predicting the possible changes of the species distribution under the future climate change scenarios is of great importance for both species protection and sustainable utilization of biological resources. Originated anciently, widely distributed in the temperate to tropical regions in the world, containing large number of species, as well as the weak spread ability of the seed, the beech family (Fagaceae) is of importance for the ecological and biogeographical studies. In this study, using a compiled comprehensive database on the distribution of 206 Fagaceae species in China and the species distribution models (SDM), I explored the distribution patterns and the underlying determinants of species richness in this family in China. I further predicted the changes of suitable habitats under the future (year of 2030, 2050 and 2080) climate change, and identified climatic variables responsible for current species richness andfu- ture local species turnover. The major results are summarized as follows: (1) Richness of all genera (except Fagus) presents lower species richness towards high latitudes, with their distribution centers located between 22°N and 26°N. (2) Both temperature and precipitation significantly influenced the spatial pattern of richness of the family Fagaceae. (3) Depending on the climate change scenario, suitable habitat for each genus of Fagace- ae was predicted to increase in most of the provinces of China, forming a significantly latitudinal pattern. (4) The sensitivity analysis showed that mean temperature in the coldest quarter represents the most important factors for the distribution of species form the Fagaceae family, serv- ing as limiting factor for almost half (99 out of the 206 species) of species from the Fagaceae family, followed by annual precipitation (33 species) and the precipitation of the warmest quarter (29 species), respectively.

371 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zibzeev E.

Poster nr. 069 The Salicetea herbaceae class in Altai-Sayan mountain system, Russian Fed- eration Session: Vegetation classification, vegetation management and restoration ecology Evgeny G. Zibzeev* Laboratory of Ecology and Geobotany, Central Siberian Botanical Garden SB RAS *Presenting author: [email protected]

Alpine-subnival snow-bed communities represent important elements of the alpine vegetation in the Altai-Sayan Mts. There are communities of psychroph- ilous and chionofilous polycarpics species. Currently, it is the least studied type of vegetation. The aim of this study was to elaborate classification of subnival snow-bed communities of the Salicetea herbaceae of Altai-Sayan Mts. and analyze the diagnostic features of associations, alliances and orders. The basis for classification was 86 relevés of the alpine meadows collected from different parts of Altai and Sayan. The classification of plant communities was carried out using the Braun-Blanquet approach. The relevés records were stored in the TURBOVEG database and classified by TWINSPAN. Subnival vegetation occurs along the whole Altai-Sayan Mts. and is weakly related to a certain bioclimatic type. It occupies long-lasting snow-beds and slopes irrigated by melt waters. Like in Europe, these communities are characterized by predominance of Sibbaldia procumbens and other species of the Salicetea herbaceae (Anthoxantum alpinum, Carex aterrima, Dichotodon cerastoides, Omalotheca nor- vegica, Polytrichum sexangulare, Ranunculus sulphureus). A characteristic feature of the Altai-Sayan subnival chionophytic meadows is an essential phytocoenotic role of small prostrate species of Salix (Salix turczaninowii, S. recjulis, S. berberifolia) as well as a similar role of a group including vicarious chionophilous species: Ra- nunculus altaicus – R. sulphureus, Deschampsia altaica – D. caespitosa, Salix turczaninowii – S. herbacea. The Altai-Sayan chionophilous communities contain a group of regional Asian alpine species (Aquilegia glandulosa, Carex altaica, Dracocephalum grandiflorum, Festuca kryloviana, Gentiana grandiflora, Hedysarum austrosibiricum, Luzula sibirica, Solidago dahurica, Tripleurospermum ambiguum, Veronica densiflora, Viola altaica). These species do not represent a characteristic element of the Salice- tea herbaceae because most of them show higher constancy values in the Juncetea trifidi alpine meadows. However they can be considered as an important geographical differential species group for the special regional order Sibbaldio– Ra- nunculetalia altaici (in press) uniting snow-bed vegetation of the South-Siberian Mountains. At present this order includes one alliance Salicion turczaninowiiIsh- birdin 1996 five associations and five subassociations.

372 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zimmermann Z.

Poster nr. 021 Spatial variation of soil respiration, as a potential indicator of functional reliability in grasslands Session: Grasslands, land uses and environmental changesy Zita Zimmermann1,2 *, Gábor Szabó2, Szilvia Fóti1, János Balogh1, Andraž Čarni3, András István Csathó4, Katalin Margóczi5 and Sándor Bartha2 1Szent István University, MKK Institute of Botany and Ecophysiology, H-2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. Str. 1., Hungary;2MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, H-2163 Vácrátót, Alkotmány Str. 2-4., Hungary;3Jovan Hadži Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg 2., 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia;4Körös-Maros National Park, H-5540 Szarvas, Anna-liget 1., Hungary and 5University of Szeged, TTIK Department of Ecology, H-6726 Szeged, Közép fasor 52., Hungary *Presenting author: [email protected]

Understanding the connection between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is one of the most important challenges in ecology. We are interested in a special aspect of this topic: the reliability of ecosystem functioning. An ecosystem can provide ecosystem services (e.g. biomass production, CO2 emission etc.) reliably if its functioning is relatively constant and predictable, i.e. the variation of functional attributes remains within given range despite of the fluctuations of environmental variables. According to our hypothesis, the highest functional reliability is expected in spatially well-organized plant communities with high structural complexity at fine scale. For comparing different degree of community organizations at wide range of ecological conditions, open sand grasslands, steppe meadows on sand and loess, wet meadows and old fields were sampled (more than 70 transects at 11 sites distributed across Hungary). In our comparative study, we used a specific sampling protocol developed for detecting relationships between fine-scale structural and functional patterns in grassland vegetation. The cover of plant species was estimated in 10 cm and 15 cm diameter circles at 75 positions (at every 20 cm) arranged along 15 m circular transects. We also took biomass samples and measured soil respiration, soil temperature and soil moisture from the same spatial positions. Fine-scale spatial patterns of species were sampled by recording the presence of rooting plant species in contiguous 5×5 cm and 10×10 cm microquadrats. Data were analyzed by geostatistics and information theory models. Lower relative spatial variability of soil respiration appeared in communities with higher structural diversity (higher maximum compositional diversity). This preliminary result supports our hypothesis that community level functioning is better regulated in communities with higher structural complexity and higher spatial organization. From practical point of view, these communities provide more reliable ecosystem services. This study was supported by the OTKA K 105608 project.

373 The 60th IAVS annual Symposium Palermo, June 20-24, 2017

Zywiec M.

Poster nr. 021 Spatial pattern of tree stand regeneration in the Carpathian subalpine spruce forest Special Session: Faces of hidden diversity: Dispersal and regeneration traits in vegetation dynamics Magdalena Żywiec1,2*, José M. Fedriani1,3, Przemysław Kurek4 and Jan Holeksa4,2 1Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agricul- ture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal;2W. Szafer In- stitute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31 512 Kraków, Poland;3De- partment of Conservation Biology, Estacion Biologica de Doñana (EBD – CSIC), c/ Americo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain and 4Adam Mickiewicz University, Facul- ty of Biology, Department of Plant Ecology and Environment Protection, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland *Presenting author: [email protected]

374 INDEX OF AUTHORS

Due to some last minute changes and the time constraints imposed by the print service, the alphabetical list of all the authors and the page numbers of their contributions will occur only in the online version of the abstract book, which can be downloaded at the following link: www.unipapress.it

Many thanks for your kind understanding. Visita il nostro catalogo:

Finito di stampare nel mese di Giugno 2017 Presso la ditta Fotograph s.r.l – Palermo Editing e typesetting: Edity Società Cooperativa per conto di NDF Progetto grafico copertina: Valeria Patti