In this study, we explored the potential of the payment-by-results approach in supporting the maintenance of High Nature Value (HNV) grasslands in a typical HNV farming system and Natura 2000 site in ...Slovenia (Europe) with a high share of small farms, fragmented land ownership and long-term process of land abandonment. We tested the applicability of a hypothetical result-based scheme (RBS) for the conservation of dry grasslands and a set of associated plant indicators, and identified key obstacles to its implementation. Based on a statistical analysis of a survey with 263 farmers and a thematic data analysis of 62 farmer interviews and 10 in-depth interviews and focus groups with researchers, public officials and agricultural advisors, we found that a majority of both farmers and experts support the introduction of RBSs. The selected plant indicators were well-known among the local farmers and monitoring of their presence was preferred over the current system, which demands keeping records on the implementation of farming practices. However, although the RBSs seem to be a superior alternative to the current management-based schemes, their introduction might not be enough to ensure HNV farming systems’ successful conservation. Our results indicate a lack of institutional capacity to implement RBSs on a larger scale, particularly in terms of data support and qualified staff in the advisory service and monitoring agencies. Furthermore, experience to date and mistrust among stakeholders indicate a questionable ability and motivation of authorities to develop locally-based, flexible and innovative agri-environmental measures. RBSs alone also do not adequately address some of the root causes for the disappearance of HNV grasslands, particularly: the lack of knowledge regarding the appropriate modern farming system(s) to ensure their sustainable management in line with conservation goals; specific needs of small farmers; and the need for a socially acceptable land policy reform to enable easier access to land. We argue that systematic investment in closing the existing data and research gaps as well as in increasing the capacity of key institutions at the national and local levels are needed, particularly in European regions of high conservation priority. Furthermore, better integration of nature conservation in different rural policies and a holistic developmental approach in (remote) rural areas are necessary to prevent further abandonment of HNV farming and enable the adoption of biodiversity-friendly farming models.
•A result-based scheme for Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands was developed.•Farmers recognised plant indicators well and most supported introduction of RBSs.•Lack of institutional capacity may hamper large scale implementation of RBSs.•AEMs alone are not enough to reverse the abandonment of HNV farming systems.•RBSs do not seem better suited than existing AEMs to address needs of small farmers.
Current climate change has led to latitudinal and altitudinal range expansions of numerous species. During such range expansions, plant species are expected to experience changes in interactions with ...other organisms, especially with belowground biota that have a limited dispersal capacity. Nematodes form a key component of the belowground food web as they include bacterivores, fungivores, omnivores and root herbivores. However, their community composition under climate change‐driven intracontinental range‐expanding plants has been studied almost exclusively under controlled conditions, whereas little is known about actual patterns in the field. Here, we use novel molecular sequencing techniques combined with morphological quantification in order to examine nematode communities in the rhizospheres of four range‐expanding and four congeneric native species along a 2,000 km latitudinal transect from South‐Eastern to North‐Western Europe. We tested the hypotheses that latitudinal shifts in nematode community composition are stronger in range‐expanding plant species than in congeneric natives and that in their new range, range‐expanding plant species accumulate fewest root‐feeding nematodes. Our results show latitudinal variation in nematode community composition of both range expanders and native plant species, while operational taxonomic unit richness remained the same across ranges. Therefore, range‐expanding plant species face different nematode communities at higher latitudes, but this is also the case for widespread native plant species. Only one of the four range‐expanding plant species showed a stronger shift in nematode community composition than its congeneric native and accumulated fewer root‐feeding nematodes in its new range. We conclude that variation in nematode community composition with increasing latitude occurs for both range‐expanding and native plant species and that some range‐expanding plant species may become released from root‐feeding nematodes in the new range.
In Europe, we explored latitudinal community shifts for nematodes—abundant soil organisms that include root herbivores—in the rhizospheres of climate change‐driven range‐expanding plant species. We sampled nematode communities of several range‐expanding plant species along their expansion trajectory and compared these nematode communities with those of related plant species that are native along the entire expansion gradient. We show that nematode communities change with latitude, but that the strength of nematode community shifts strongly depends on range‐expanding plant species.
Climate change is accelerating the spread of plants and their associated species to new ranges. The differences in range shift capacity of the various types of species may disrupt long-term ...co-evolved relationships especially those belowground, however, this may be less so for seed-borne endophytic microbes. We collected seeds and soil of the range-expanding
and the congeneric
from three populations growing in Slovenia (native range of both
species) and the Netherlands (expanded range of
, native range of
). We isolated and identified endophytic fungi directly from seeds, as well as from roots of the plants grown in Slovenian, Dutch or sterilized soil to compare fungal endophyte composition. Furthermore, we investigated whether
hosts a reduced community composition of endophytes in the expanded range due to release from plant-species specific fungi while endophyte communities in
in both ranges are similar. We cultivated 46 unique and phylogenetically diverse endophytes. A majority of the seed endophytes resembled potential pathogens, while most root endophytes were not likely to be pathogenic. Only one endophyte was found in both roots and seeds, but was isolated from different plant species. Unexpectedly, seed endophyte diversity of southern
populations was lower than of populations from the north, while the seed endophyte community composition of northern
populations was significantly different southern
as well as northern and southern
populations. Root endophyte diversity was considerably lower in
than in
independent of plant and soil origin, but this difference disappeared when plants were grown in sterile soils. We conclude that the community composition of fungal endophytes not only differs between related plant species but also between populations of plants that expand their range compared to their native habitat. Our results suggest that fungal endophytes of two
species are not able to systemically infect plants. We highlight that endophytes remain poorly studied and further work should investigate the functional importance of endophytes.
Plant range expansion is occurring at a rapid pace, largely in response to human-induced climate warming. Although the movement of plants along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients is ...well-documented, effects on belowground microbial communities remain largely unknown. Furthermore, for range expansion, not all plant species are equal: in a new range, the relatedness between range-expanding plant species and native flora can influence plant-microorganism interactions. Here we use a latitudinal gradient spanning 3,000 km across Europe to examine bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and surrounding soils of range-expanding plant species. We selected range-expanding plants with and without congeneric native species in the new range and, as a control, the congeneric native species, totalling 382 plant individuals collected across Europe. In general, the status of a plant as a range-expanding plant was a weak predictor of the composition of bacterial and fungal communities. However, microbial communities of range-expanding plant species became more similar to each other further from their original range. Range-expanding plants that were unrelated to the native community also experienced a decrease in the ratio of plant pathogens to symbionts, giving weak support to the enemy release hypothesis. Even at a continental scale, the effects of plant range expansion on the belowground microbiome are detectable, although changes to specific taxa remain difficult to decipher.
Species occupying habitats subjected to frequent natural and/or anthropogenic changes are a challenge for conservation management. We studied one such species, Viola uliginosa, an endangered ...perennial wetland species typically inhabiting sporadically flooded meadows alongside rivers/lakes. In order to estimate genomic diversity, population structure, and history, we sampled five sites in Finland, three in Estonia, and one each in Slovenia, Belarus, and Poland using genomic SNP data with double‐digest restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD‐seq). We found monophyletic populations, high levels of inbreeding (mean population FSNP = 0.407–0.945), low effective population sizes (Ne = 0.8–50.9), indications of past demographic expansion, and rare long‐distance dispersal. Our results are important in implementing conservation strategies for V. uliginosa, which should include founding of seed banks, ex situ cultivations, and reintroductions with individuals of proper origin, combined with continuous population monitoring and habitat management.
We investigated endangered and nonendangered populations of a violet, Viola uliginosa, to estimate genomic diversity, population structure, and history from genomic data. We found monophyletic populations, high levels of inbreeding, and low effective population sizes and indications of past demographic expansion and rare long‐distance dispersal. These are proposed to include the founding of seed banks, ex situ cultivations, and reintroductions with individuals of proper origin, combined with continuous population monitoring and habitat management.
In this article, we describe two restoration efforts (raising and lowering the water table) in a transitional mire and use vegetation survey data (from 1987, 1999, and 2015) to evaluate restoration ...success. We used historical and current vegetation relevés and vegetation maps to identify target plant communities and track changes in vegetation over time. Ordination plot (NMDS) and the Sankey diagram were used to detect changes in plant community composition and overall vegetation. The first restoration (1993) was not planned according to the standards and was unsuccessful because of a very rapid rise in the water level. It caused the destruction of bog and mire plant communities and the emergence of new wetland stands. Subsequent restoration (in 2000), with a gradual lowering of the water table, allowed natural restoration of mire communities, but certain species remain absent. Our study demonstrated the importance of careful restoration planning, selection of target plant communities, and the importance of vegetation survey for monitoring.
The
genus is characterized by great variability and, consequently, they easily hybridize. The petals of
,
and their hybrid
×
, collected in western Slovenia, were included in the research. We ...performed morphometric analysis using keys to determine roses and genetic analysis to determine the genome size. The phenolic compound content in petals of all rose flowers was measured by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Using flow cytometry, we could confirm the native hybridization process due to the amount of 2C DNA. The value of
was 1.71 pg, of
1.60 pg and of the hybrid 1.62 pg. The value for the hybrid was close to values measured for parent plants and, at the same time, those values of parent plants significantly differed from each other. Our results showed that the content of phenolic compounds in petals decreased after crossing. We found that the highest total phenolic content (178.9 g/kg FW) was measured in
, the lowest content was analyzed for the hybrid (84.36 g/kg FW) and the content for
was between these two values (110.58 g/kg FW). The content of flavanols and flavonols was lowest in the hybrid petals, whereas the content of anthocyanins was highest in the hybrid petals.
The medicinal value of rose hips largely depends on the contents of vitamin C and flavonoids. Rose hips contain more vitamin C than most fruits and vegetables. We were particularly interested in how ...the bioactive substances of rose hips are inherited from main rose species. The aim of the study was to compare the contents of ascorbic acid, organic acids, and phenolics in the fruits, rose hips, of Rosa pendulina L. and the hybrid Rosa pendulina L. × spinosissima L. The contents of ascorbic acid in the studied hips were higher in R. pendulina × spinosissima than in R. pendulina. The contents of total organic acids were higher in the hips of R. pendulina × spinosissima than in the hips of R. pendulina. The contents of phenolics in the hybrid were significantly higher in flesh with skin and in seeds. The contents of cyanidin-3-glucoside were higher in R. pendulina × spinosissima. We can conclude that the contents of bioactive substances in our samples is rich and could potentially be used for human consumption. The results will help to increase transparency about which rose species provide rose hips that are the most suitable for nutritional purposes.
Based on field research from the years 2001-2021, it has been discovered that the Slender Sedge (Carex lasiocarpa) is in fact more widely distributed than the previous scientific publications have ...shown. We have come to new conclusions regarding it‘s habitat and the diversity of communities in which the species appears in Slovenia.
Keywords: flora, vegetation, transitional mires, Carex lasiocarpa, Slovenia
Izvleček
Na podlagi terenskih raziskav v letih 2001-2021 smo ugotovili, da je dlakavoplodni šaš (Carex lasiocarpa) bolj razširjen, kot je bilo znano iz dosedanjih literaturnih objav. Prišli smo do novih spoznanj o njegovih rastiščih ter pestrosti habitatov oziroma združb v katerih raste v Sloveniji.
Ključne besede: flora, vegetacija, prehodna barja, Carex lasiocarpa, Slovenija
Knowledge of the ecology of pre-adult stages of an organism at its species’ range margins is a prerequisite for conserving species, especially for understanding its responses to future climate ...changes. Largely sedentary premature life stages require specific living conditions within a relatively small area. Such conditions are created by vegetation structure heterogeneity and a microclimate gradient, generated by varying microtopography. We investigated the microhabitat selection patterns of egg-laying females and overwintering caterpillars of peatland butterfly
Coenonympha tullia
relative to vegetation composition, water quantity and microclimatic conditions across microtopographic zones of transition mire at the species’ southern range margin. We showed that (1) small-scale variability in mire microtopography determines oviposition site selection and larval presence; (2) microhabitats of pre-adult stages were largely confined to the intermediate microtopographic zone of the transition mire (flats); (3) egg-laying females and overwintered larvae preferred microsites with high coverage of main hostplants (
Trichophorum alpinum, Carex lasiocarpa, C. limosa, C. panicea
), and those with more humid and cooler summertime conditions than on hummocks; (4) females and larvae avoided shallow hollows permanently filled with water. The vegetation structure of flats enables the females to select spots with sufficient humidity for egg development, and allows the larvae to change their location according to suitable thermal and moisture conditions. We also discuss poor prospects for species in view of impacts of future climate changes on mire ecosystems.
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