The objective of this study was the determination of major and trace elements in the bee pollen samples from the whole territory of Republic of Kosovo. Pollen, as a natural plant product, is exposed ...to different contaminations absorbed by plants from the soil through the root system or with water intake, as well as to pollutants of different origins, including anthropogenic ones, deposited directly on pollen. In total 67 pollen samples were collected in 2019. The samples were analyzed for 27 macro and microelements by using ICP-AES and ICP-MS. The mean content of major elements in bee pollen was 4065, 3455, 1375 and 549 mg/kg for K, P, Ca and Mg, respectively. The range of the contents for some potentially toxic elements was 11.9-139.1, 1.9-16, 0.11-6.25, 0.01-0.329 and 0.001-0.38 mg/kg for Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and As, respectively. Three groups of elements of mixed origin were identified through factor analysis: the first and the third Factors, are mostly of geogenic origin (Ag, Li, Al, Fe, Ca, Sr, K, Mg and P and Co, Ni, Cr, Cu and Mn) and the second Factor association is related to anthropogenic processes (Sb, As, Pb, Tl, Sn and Cd).
The sedge-moss vegetation of the moderately to low calcium-rich slightly acidic fens of the
Caricion fuscae
alliance depends on a very specific combination of ecological and climatic conditions to ...thrive. Until recently, the classification of this vegetation group was complicated by its rarity on the southern edges of its range in Europe. As part of a larger database of phytocenological relevés carried out in Mt. Luboten, we came across an interesting group of 15 relevés on fen vegetation sites. We were curious to know if this plant community was a previously known association or if it might represent something new within this alliance. We compiled a separate dataset at JUICE that includes four plant communities from this alliance, along with our 15 original releves. The classification was based on modified TWINSPAN and beta-flexible clustering as a numerical classification method, with OPTIMCLASS determining the appropriate number of clusters. Five associations were clearly delineated, with the four associations taken from the literature sources clearly grouped individually and a new, fifth association appearing as separate, with completely unique characteristics. This new association:
Blysmo compressi-Eriophoretum latifoliae
occurs at elevations of ~ 1650 m a.s.l. on NE and NW slopes of the mountain. With this work we offer the description of a new high-mountain fen association. These associations may play an important syntaxonomic role as more Balkan data become available on this alliance. The sedge-moss and fen vegetation in the Balkans is particularly rare and characterised by a very diverse and specific vegetation, so it rightly deserves more attention from vegetation scientists and conservation authorities.
In Europe, the genus
is represented with three species:
,
and
. The first two are endemic Balkan species that are distributed also in Kosovo. These species grow in limestone as well as serpentine ...substrates, forming chasmophytic vegetation. The species
is found in Macedonia, Greece, Serbia and in two localities in Kosovo, in the Sharri Mountains (Luboten and Gotovushë).
forms the following plant associations in the serpentines of Macedonia:
and
, and the
in limestone substrates.
is charateristic species in
,
,
and
. This paper presents plant communities of
and
in a limestone habitat, where the proposed new plant association named
ass. nova. is described. This plant community belongs to the class
, order
and alliance
. It was found and described on the limestone substrate on Mt. Luboteni (at 960–982 m a.s.l.).
Basic patterns of most priority biodiversity areas of Kosovo that shall be considered for conservation studies are offered here. On this work, all plant taxa that are included in the Kosovarian Red ...list are analysed and their analogy is interpreted to conservation priority hotspots. Kosovo represents an important centre for Balkan biodiversity; therefore a quantitative evaluation of the importance of different priority areas for conserving plant diversity of Kosovo is very much needed. This study provides a detailed quantitative approach concerning the identification of priority areas for biodiversity conservation, using threatened and endangered plant taxa in well-known grid squares system. Used grid squares (20 × 20 km) were classified into four different groups in terms of their conservation importance. Valuation factors taken into account are IUCN based risk category, endemism as well as ecological and distributional attributes. The results indicated that there are four grid squares – D4 (0.4300), G7 (0.3910), G8 (0.2750) and E4 (0.2860), that have remarkable conservation importance. These grid squares are all located along mostly high-elevation areas of two National Parks in Kosovo. These national scale data should prove to be very appropriate and easy to follow evidence for environmental decision-making bodies as well as be used for further research.
Four species of
Gymnadenia
are native to Kosovo:
G. conopsea
,
G. frivaldii
,
G. nigra
, and G.
odoratissima
. In this study, field expedition data, phytosociological relevés, herbarium specimens ...along with extensive literature sources were used to analyse vegetation and ecological characteristics, habitat types, distributional patterns as well as provide notes on conservation.
Gymnadenia conopsea
is distributed throughout the country, from lowlands to the alpine belt. It was recorded in various plant communities.
Gymnadenia frivaldii
grows in the alpine zone of mountains, close to streams and in wet meadows. Its relevés belong to the class
Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae
. This species is classified as “Near Threatened” (NT) in Kosovo.
Gymnadenia nigra
grows in subalpine and alpine grassland on preferably calcareous substrate. It has been found in almost all mountains reaching >2000 m a.s.l., and occurs in different plant communities belonging to the class:
Elyno-Seslerietea
.
Gymnadenia odoratissima
was recorded from one locality only in Kosovo, on the massif of Maja e Zezë, Sharri Mts. It was growing in degraded beech forest and meadows on silicate bedrock. Its floristically diverse relevés associate with the class:
Mulgedio-Aconitetea
. Of the four studied species,
G. frivaldii
deserves more conservation attention because of its fragile populations.
Macrophytes represent one part of the biological quality elements defined by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) as 'macrophytes and phytobenthos'. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ...reliability of ecological status classification by the use of macrophytes for lowland rivers with different habitat conditions, corresponding to EWFD requirements. The classification of water quality is based on the Ecological Quality Ratios (EQRs) which is proposed for the purpose of macrophyte-based classification for the WFD. To determine the ecological quality ratio, we calculated the following indices: River Macrophyte Nutrient Index (RMNI), River Macrophyte Hydraulic Index (RMHI), Macrophyte Index for Rivers (MIR), Number of macrophyte taxa which are not helophytes (NTAXA). Water sources that supply Lepenci River are located in alpine and subalpine areas of the Sharri mountain, which are considered as ecologically clean. Our results show that the water in spring area is clean but as a result of the anthropogenic activities downstream, the river becomes polluted by different pollution substances. This fact is also confirmed by the presence or absence of macrophytes that we used in this work as a biological indicator of water pollution. River Macrophyte Hydraulic Index (RMHI), has shown the highest value at SP6-Gërlicë, with a value of 8.74 that classifies this station downstream the river as the most polluted. The water flow velocity in this station is smooth and as such it is characterized with Macrophyte species associated with this type of water flow. According to the assessment of ecological status with RMNI index, the stations SP7-Kaçanik and SP8-Hani i Elezit, have good water quality and high ecological status and belong to first class (I), whereas the station with poorest water quality (fourth class) and poorest ecological status is rated SP5-Nikë. MIR index classify the quality of water as very good at S8-Hani i Elezit, whereas the values of this index at stations S5-Nikë and S6- Gërlicë indicate the bad water quality and poor ecological status. The largest number of macrophyte species that were not heliophytes was recorded in SP8-Hani i Elezit. We can conclude that the presence of macrophyte species in river varies from nutrient levels in water. Our results show that values of macrophyte based indices reflect the water quality in sampling stations therefore we can consider them as a reliable instrument for the assessment of the ecological status of the rivers.
During our study for assessment of ecological status of the Lepenci river basin, we used epilithic diatoms. Via this methodology, we also aimed to standardize the ecological assessment methodology ...and gradually make it applicable for all river basins of Kosovo. We relied on a hypothesis that epilithic diatom communities can serve as a reliable ecological tool to evaluate the quality of flowing waters in Kosovo. We have measured accordingly in eight sample-points thirteen water quality indexes (IBD, IPS, IDG, DESCY, SLA, IDSE, IDAP, EPID, CEE, WAT, TDI, IDP and SHE). From the conducted qualitative analysis, obtained results showed that water quality varies from upper parts of the basin (SP1, SP2, SP3 & SP4) characterized with higher water quality towards the lower parts (SP5, SP6 & SP7) where water quality was of the 2nd class and finally in Hani i Elezit (SP8) where index values showed that its water belongs to the 3rd class. The sample were taken in to 8 sampling sites, in river during year (2017), species Navicula viridula was the most dominant one, along with Cocconeis placentula var. lineate and Diatoma vulgaris. While between August and end of September we had the following species being dominant ones: Craticula ambigua, Navicula hintzii, Navicula viridula and Rhoicosphenia abbreviata.
This paper presents the results of the heavy metals accumulation (Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) in soils and plants (Typha angustifolia L., Urtica dioica L., Ranunculus sardous Crantz and Rumex ...Crispus L.) collected along the banks of the Sitnica River, which flows through various cities of Kosovo and is quite stressed due to the discharges of urban, industrial, and agricultural pollutants. The aim of this research was to verify the accumulation of heavy metals in water, soil and plants, since vegetables that used as food are cultivated in the vicinity of sample collection. The analyses were conducted with applied methodology in the analytic laboratory of Kosovo Agriculture Institute by using MP-AES 4200 for Cd and Cr, ASS-Scientific for Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn and Pb in plant samples, whereas 4100 MP-AES was used for determination of metals in soil. The results show variations in different metal values found in the samples of the analyzed soils and plants. The lowest values accumulation of the metals analyzed were recorded at A1 (Devetak Station) near the river source and did not contain anthropogenic influences, whereas the highest values were recorded at A3 (Kuzmin Station), which belongs to the middle flow of the Sitnica River that is polluted by wastewater (urban) discharges.
Tulipa luanica (Liliaceae) is illustrated and described as a new species. It was discovered on limestone substrate on Mt. Pashtriku (in the district of Prizren) in southern Kosovo near the border ...with Albania. It is compared with Tulipa australis, T. gesneriana, T. kosovarica, T. serbica (prevalent in Kosovo), and T. albanica (widespread in Albania). The chromosome formula is 2n = 2x = 24 (2 metacentric, 2 submetacentric and 8 subtelocentric).
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