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Diversity
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Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation
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Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 8393

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Claudia D. Nicolae

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ecology, Taxonomy and Nature Conservation Department, Institute of Biology Bucharest, Romanian Academy, 060031 București, Romania
Interests: biodiversity; conservation biology; species diversity; plant ecology; plant sociology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce this Special Issue of Diversity, dedicated to headlands and shrublands.

These types of habitats can be found in a wide variety of species communities, herbs, but especially woody plants between 8 cm and 2.5 m in height, almost all over the world, from the arctic to the desert latitudinally while altitudinal from the alpine area to the sea.

Climate conditions and hydrology are the main influences on habitat changes. In recent decades the disturbance regime is increasingly important, and shrubland has continuously decreased.

However, due to various environmental or/and human pressures, there are headland and shrub habitats in a state of greater or lesser degradation. Consequently, these habitats could also be monitored and conservated.

Therefore, in this Special Issue, all headland and shrub communities’ diversity or conservation status will be highlighted. The issue will also be focused on the floristic composition of these habitats.

Dr. Claudia D. Nicolae
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • headlands and shrublands
  • plant community
  • habitat conservation
  • plant diversity
  • conservation status

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3929 KiB  
Article
Factors Regulating Population Stand Structure in Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae), a Masting North American Desert Shrub
by Susan E. Meyer
Diversity 2023, 15(5), 619; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050619 - 02 May 2023
Viewed by 921
Abstract
Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima Torr.) is the dominant shrub on three million hectares across the transition zone between the western North American warm and cold deserts. This paper presents a study of blackbrush population structure at the stand level at sixteen sites across [...] Read more.
Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima Torr.) is the dominant shrub on three million hectares across the transition zone between the western North American warm and cold deserts. This paper presents a study of blackbrush population structure at the stand level at sixteen sites across the species range. New stand-level information is then integrated with what is already known about blackbrush population ecology to explore the stand-level consequences of several unusual features of blackbrush life history, including its masting reproductive strategy, its interactions with heteromyid rodents that are both seed predators and dispersers, and its ability to form ‘seedling banks’ of growth-suppressed individuals, often within the crowns of adult conspecifics. It complements earlier work showing that blackbrush stands are organized at both the inter-clump and intra-clump levels. Each clump represents an establishment nexus where younger individual genets replace older genets over an extended time period. Inter-clump structure is thus determined by the rate of establishment of new clumps rather than new individuals. This has resulted in contrasting stand structures in response to rodent community composition, disturbance regimes, and climatic variability at the leading and trailing edges of current blackbrush distribution in the eastern Mojave Desert and Colorado Plateau regions. Because blackbrush likely disperses too slowly to track anthropogenic climate change, assisted migration with wild-collected seeds may be necessary to promote its continued survival and dominance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation)
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30 pages, 4174 KiB  
Article
Eco-Coenotic and Diversity Patterns in Artemisia alba Open Scrubs from Romania within the Context of Similar Communities from Neighbouring Regions
by Gheorghe Coldea, Dan Gafta and Gavril Negrean
Diversity 2023, 15(4), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040475 - 24 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1552
Abstract
No information currently exists on the floristic structure and richness of the Artemisia alba scrubs in Romania and their regional/local environmental drivers. We aimed to fill these knowledge gaps by also considering physiognomically similar communities from Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria. A total of [...] Read more.
No information currently exists on the floristic structure and richness of the Artemisia alba scrubs in Romania and their regional/local environmental drivers. We aimed to fill these knowledge gaps by also considering physiognomically similar communities from Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria. A total of 89 phytosociological relevés, including 43 performed in Romania, were analysed through clustering, constrained ordination and generalised linear mixed models. The Carpathian and Pontic scrubs were clustered into three distinct groups, which were assigned to as many new syntaxa. Differences in the regional species pool and elevation have the strongest effects on floristic dissimilarities between all studied communities. As opposed to the bare soil fraction, the elevation and slope have positive but no singular effects on species richness in the Pontic-Carpathian coenoses. Species diversity declines steadily with increasing shrub cover in all these communities. The relative cover of annuals has contrasting effects on species richness, positive in the most xerophilous communities and negative in their most mesophilous counterparts. The relative number of annuals is only (negatively) related to overall species richness in the coenoses least affected by moisture deficit. Overall, species diversity is driven mainly by soil water availability and, to a lesser extent, by the relative abundance of shrubs and annuals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation)
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13 pages, 3949 KiB  
Article
Distribution of the Riparian Salix Communities in and around Romanian Carpathians
by Claudia Bita-Nicolae
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030397 - 09 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1519
Abstract
Salix riparian communities are particularly diverse and of extraordinary ecological importance. This study will analyze the diversity of Salix riparian communities (S. alba, S. fragilis, S. purpurea and S. triandra), their distribution, ecological importance, and conservation. There were 444 [...] Read more.
Salix riparian communities are particularly diverse and of extraordinary ecological importance. This study will analyze the diversity of Salix riparian communities (S. alba, S. fragilis, S. purpurea and S. triandra), their distribution, ecological importance, and conservation. There were 444 records for S. alba, 417 for S. fragilis, 457 for S. purpurea, and 375 for S. triandra, both from the literature and herbaria. Thus, it can be seen that the distribution of the four Salix species studied is very widespread throughout the territory where this study was carried out. According to EIVE (Ecological Indicator Values of Europe) but also to the national list values for niche positions and niche widths, they were noted to be very close for all ecological indicators: M (soil moisture), L (light), and T (temperature), but not for the ecological indicator of soil nitrogen (N) availability or R (soil reaction). Obviously, those riparian Salix communities are important for the functions they indicate, primarily for climate change mitigation, but also for regulating water flow, improving water quality, and providing habitats for wildlife. Conservation and management of these important ecosystems are necessary to maintain their biodiversity, and ecological services and strategies that can be used to protect and manage these communities are outlined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation)
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17 pages, 1892 KiB  
Article
Reproductive Biology of Fritillaria aurea Schott (Liliaceae), a Rare Species Endemic to Turkey
by Faruk Yıldız, Meral Aslay, Ali Kandemir and Ozkan Kaya
Diversity 2022, 14(12), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14121052 - 01 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1881
Abstract
Fritillaria aurea, unlike other Fritillaria species, is a narrowly endemic species. It has a brown checkered speckled color on each tepal and also has regular yellow intense colors on the tepals. Its large bell-shaped appearance when the flower is open is one [...] Read more.
Fritillaria aurea, unlike other Fritillaria species, is a narrowly endemic species. It has a brown checkered speckled color on each tepal and also has regular yellow intense colors on the tepals. Its large bell-shaped appearance when the flower is open is one of its most striking ornamental features. However, F. aurea plant numbers are limited in their natural habitats, and their numbers are decreasing day by day; they are even confronted with the risk of extinction owing to the damage resulting from human activities. This detailed investigation of reproductive biology plays a vital role in determining the evolutionary success and survival of F. aurea, largely in determining the effectiveness of their reproductive performance. Our results indicate that the species exhibits a very low partial dichogamy and herkogamy structure, as well as self-incompatible pollination. The flowering period ranges from March to April. Average seed viability, average seed number, and seed germination were determined as 71%, 255, and 45%, respectively. The pollen viability, pollen grains, and stigma receptivity were found as 96%, 392.000, and 85%, respectively. The pollen/ovule ratio (P/O) and self-incompatibility index (SII) in the spontaneous cross-pollination were detected as 1537 and 0, respectively. Flowers of F. aurea were visited by several insect species, mostly honeybees (Apis mellifera); Bombus sp. and Vespa sp. also played a minor role in pollination. To sum up, these results not only lay a solid foundation for further reproductive biology investigations to more broadly reveal the mechanisms of F. aurea endangerment in the future but also provide a reliable theoretical basis for hybridization breeding of parents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation)
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11 pages, 3817 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity in Marginal Populations of Nitraria schoberi L. from Romania
by Ioana C. Paica, Cristian Banciu, Gabriel M. Maria, Mihnea Vladimirescu and Anca Manole
Diversity 2022, 14(10), 882; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14100882 - 18 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1593
Abstract
Nitraria schoberi L. (Nitrariaceae) is a halophytic plant with a continuous range in Central Asia and with only two populations in the westernmost distribution limit of species, in Romania. Currently, there is no documented explanation for the species’ presence in Europe, [...] Read more.
Nitraria schoberi L. (Nitrariaceae) is a halophytic plant with a continuous range in Central Asia and with only two populations in the westernmost distribution limit of species, in Romania. Currently, there is no documented explanation for the species’ presence in Europe, outside the main distribution area. Considering that marginal populations genetics are important in establishing range limits and species adaptative potential, genetic diversity was assessed using Inter-simple sequence repeat markers (ISSR). Both the Shannon’s Information Index (I) and Expected Heterozygosity (He) suggested a relatively low level of genetic diversity within the two populations. However, the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) dendrogram and Principal Coordinates Analysis clearly distinguished the two populations. Our presumptions, based on current results, are that the marginal westernmost population of N. schoberi was established due to the unique conditions from the “islands of desert” developed in a temperate continental climate. The European establishment of this species was likely accidental and probably due to ornithochory. Genetic relatedness between populations could be a consequence of their common origin, presumably from proximal Asian N. schoberi populations, while the separation can be explained by the lack of genetic material exchange between the two populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Conservation of Scrublands Flora and Vegetation)
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