Cent. Eur. J. Biol. • 3(4) • 2008 • 461–470 DOI: 10.2478/s11535-008-0036-3 Central European Journal of Biology New chorological data for flora of the Pannonian region of Serbia Research Article Dragiša Savić1, Goran Anačkov2*, Pal Boža2 1 National Park Fruška Gora, 21208 Sremska Kamenica, Serbia 2 Department for Biology and Ecology, Science-Mathematics Faculty, University in Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia Received 26 November 2007; Accepted 2 June 2008 Abstract: ThenorthernpartofSerbia,knownasPannonianSerbia,isalowlandregion.Theautochthonous(indigenous)floraisclassifiedas eithersteppe,forest-steppe,sandduneorsaltflat.Mostoftheareahasbeendevelopedagriculturally,therebyreducingtheamount oflandcontainingpreservedhabitats.Thefloraofthisregionwascollectedoveraperiodofseveralyears,supplyingnewdataon thedistributionofnumerousplantspecies.ThefirstdataonthedistributionofflorainPannonianSerbiaforHumulus scandens and Ophris scolopax subsp. Cornutaispresentedinthisstudy.Thelocalregionscitedwerethefirsttimepreciselyrecordedregionswere madeafteraperiodofover100years,forCardamine impatiens, Monotropa hypopitys subsp. hypopitys, Ononis pusilla, Globularia punctata, Gymnadenia odoratissima and Carex brevicollis. The groups, Peucedanum carvifola and Galium tenuissimum, quite rare in thenorthernpartofSerbia,werefoundatnewlocalities.Inordertopresentthedata,theauthorsusedthemethodofindirectmapping onUTMgrid,with10x10kmasthebasicunit.ThismethodiscompatiblewiththeeditionAtlas Florae Europaeae. Keywords: Pannonian Plain • Flora • Mapping • UTM network © Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. 1. Introduction of Pannonian Serbia, the Fruška Gora (539 meters asl) and Vršačke Planine (641 meters asl). The island characteristics of solitary massifs in the Pannonian The northern part of Serbia, also called Pannonian Plain, combined with orographic factors, resulted in Serbia, is administrated by the Province of Vojvodina. the development of extrazonal forest vegetation of It consists of three regions: Banat, from the river Tisa a mesophilous character (Queercion pubescentis- eastwards to the Romanian border, Bačka, from the petraeae, Fagenion illyricum – Fruška Gora and Fagenion river Tisa westwards to the Croatian border, and Srem, dacicum – Vršačke Planine). In a biogeographical sense from the river Danube southwards to the administrative it represents one part of a specially defined Pannonian border of the Province within the Republic of Serbia province, a middle European Balkan-Illyrian subregion, (Figure 1). This region includes two biogeographical with middle European floristic-vegetation [1]. units. Most of the territory is covered with combinations Since the area has lowland character, and the of steppe (Festucion rupicolae), forest-steppe (Aceri pedological substrate is mostly the chernozem type of tatarici-Quercion) and sand dune (Festucion vaginatae) soil, a large percentage of the territory was turned into varieties, including the intrazonal halobiomes (Cypero- agricultural ecosystems with rather extensive farming. Spergularion, Puccinellion limosae and Puccinellion Several centuries of agricultural development caused peisonis) representing key features of the Pannonian the gradual disappearance of autochthonous habitats Province, Pannonian-Vlach subregion, Pontian floristic- of loess, sand or salty soils, which were diversified vegetation regions [1]. Two mountains stand out as centers of Pannonian flora, so today they are narrow, distinct geomorphologic units in the southern parts * E-mail: [email protected] 461 New chorological data for flora of the Pannonian region of Serbia Therefore, certain plant taxa, represented in other parts of Europe and the rest of the World in adequate numbers and quite viable populations, are not included in lists of endangered species, regardless of their status in other areas where they are an integral part of vulnerable ecosystems and the last oases of previously widespread flora and vegetation. Thus, the existing system for the preservation of such species demonstrates serious weakness, and if this problem is not addressed, they will disappear from their habitats. This kind of problem occurs in countries with high basic ecosystem diversity, such as Serbia. The population numbers and the state of populations of certain species, is determined at the state level and used as an indicator for initiation of habitat conservation. As a result, in certain parts of the country, some very valuable habitats and plant species end up not protected because the same species is Figure 1. Position of the Pannonian part of Serbia (Province of Vojvodina) in Europe, and the UTM network of zone 34T not threatened to the same degree in other parts of that includes the studied territory. the country. The fact that this practice is occurring in isolated regions. There is also evidence of considerable Europe, which has a well-developed botanical tradition, of invasive species into these already vulnerable is the cause of concern among botanical ecologists. ecosystems. The North American species - well-known in Chorological data presented in this paper Europe, Robinia pseudo-acacia L - is spreading without complements knowledge of the flora of preserved control, and is disrupting the composition of steppe and fragments of forest and forest-steppe vegetation in forest-steppe associations on loess and sands. Many the Southern borders of the Pannonian Plain. A very natural habitats in Pannonian Serbia are threatened important fact in selecting the taxa was that the newly by the spread of invasive weed species. Some of the recorded localities are included in the system, “Important species in the areas studied which had many invasive Plant Areas in Serbia” [7]. groups - with consequences already documented - are At the same time, the data complements the Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. [2], and Asclepias syriaca L. distribution maps as far as the published works of [3]. Atlas Florae Europaeae are concerned [8,9]. Data on As a consequence of all these factors, certain species the distribution of certain of the plants that have been - very important from a phytogeographic standpoint - have analyzed, either has not been included in Flora of Serbia disappeared from the flora of Pannonian part of Serbia. [10-12] or is an addition to data already collected. Flora At the same time, it has led to the reduction in floristic of Serbia includes data for the Pannonian part of Serbia diversity of the whole Pannonian Plain as a specific or drawn primarily from quite old literature, in either Latin, distinct geomorphologic and biogeographical unit in German and Hungarian languages [13-16] or edited Europe. For example, it has been several years since the editions of works [17] containing incorrect translations Pannonian endemic species Puccinellia peisonis (Beck) or data from localities outside of the Pannonian region Jáv. have been observed in saline habitats; it used to be of Serbia. These findings have to be considered in the one of the edifiers of the halophytic associations. Two species mapping of the Pannonian region of Serbia for species, Alyssum linifolium Steph ex Willd. and Salvia genera still not covered by Atlas Florae Europaeae. nutans L., have completely disappeared from Serbian habitats as they disappeared from their natural habitats in northern Serbia [4,5]. It is thought that the plant, 2. Experimental Procedures Astragalus varius S.G. Gmel., is now also absent from Serbia [6]. Chorological research of flora in the Pannonian region Disappearance of certain plant species from their of Serbia, during the last decade of the previous century natural habitats indicates the necessity of taking and the first decade of the current century, focused on measures in order to preserve them. The global the isolated fragments of preserved natural habitats. conservation systems often have not clearly defined Special attention was paid to the unique relationships in the relationships among the reduction of plant genes forest vegetation such as is the island mountain, Fruška found in specific regions such as the Pannonian Plain. Gora. Also, attention was paid to species that are 462 D. Savić, G. Anačkov, P. Boža Fam. Cannabaceae Humulus scandens (Loureiro) Merr. 1935 H. japonicus Siebold et Zucc. Chorological data (Figure 2): UTM: 34T DR 2 01 Novi Sad, ruderal humid habitat at the bank of channel Danube-Tisa-Danube, leg., det. Boža P., Anačkov G., September 1999. (BUNS). Fam. Brassicaceae Cardamine impatiens L. 1753 C. brachycarpa Opiz. Chorological data (Figure 3): In Vojvodina (Pannonian part of Serbia) it is less common, without a definite locality or source of data [20]. UTM: 34T CR 4 90 Testera (Fruška Gora), edge of polydominant Beech forests, leg., det. Boža P., June 1997. (BUNS); UTM: 34T DR 2 00 Iriški Venac (Fruška Gora), edge of forest, leg., det. Savić D., May 1997 (National Park Fruška Gora, herbarium collection); UTM: 34T CR 1 37 Island Lanc Siget near Bački Monoštor, leg. Grdinić B., det. Boža P., May 1995, (Teaching College in Sombor, herbarium collection). Table 1. New Chorological data of Distribution in Pannonian Part of Serbia (Cannabaceae and Brassicaceae). allochthonous on the Pannonian plain, and are included incompatibility of applied methodology. The Pannonian in the association of allochthonous vegetation. The field Plain covers the territory of several countries of central research data covered the period between 1995 and Europe. It is a center of flora diversity, characterized 2007. This data was then added