Abstract

Telekia speciosa (Schreb.) Baumg. was selected to investigate the phylogeography of tall-herb species, an ecological group in which the Quaternary history has been rarely studied. This species is a characteristic component of mountain forest communities in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. The analysis employing Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting has revealed a notable absence of a well-defined phylogeographical structure among the populations assessed. This finding implies that the various regions of the current distribution range of Telekia speciosa in the SE Carpathians have not undergone extended periods of isolation. Such a pattern suggests that this mountain tall-herb species might have experienced the possibility of long-term persistence along a wide altitudinal gradient in isolated mountain ranges, also encompassing the lowlands between them in glacial periods. Beside the unique vegetation history experienced during the most recent glaciation in the SE Carpathians, the observed weak phylogeographical structure of Telekia speciosa can be reasonably attributed to its inherent biological traits, particularly its proficiency in long-distance dispersal. Additionally, the species' ecological adaptations, which facilitated its survival in riparian zones of relatively low, forested mountain ranges, might contributed further to maintaining genetic connectivity among populations, thereby mitigating substantial genetic differentiation across its distribution. The study concludes that the genetic variation observed in T. speciosa is relatively evenly distributed across the species' distribution area. © 2024, Babes-Bolyai University, "Alexandru Borza" Botanic Garden. All rights reserved.

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 89 phytosociological releves, 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.

Abstract

Microsatellite markers previously developed for other leguminous species were tested for cross-genus transferability and evaluated for their potential usefulness in providing an improved assessment of the genetic relationships between two closely related taxa belonging to Onobrychis genus (Fabaceae). Candidate microsatellite markers were tested for polymorphism and replicability in sixteen populations of O. montana DC. subsp. transsilvanica (Simonk.) Jáv. and O. montana. Out of the 23 SSRs, there were identified seven polymorphic loci. In total 32 alleles were detected and the number of alleles per locus varied from two to six. PIC values ranged from 0.375 to 0.6454, and four SSRs displayed a PIC > 0.5. Relative uniform rates of genetic diversity were obtained. In case of O. montana DC. subsp. transsilvanica (Simonk.) Jáv. the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.100 to 0.952 and from 0.219 to 0.525, respectively, while for O. montana ranged from 0.166 to 0.750 and from 0.083 to 0.375, respectively. Seven polymorphic SSRs with clear and reproducible amplification were identified. These markers proved to be very efficient for unambiguous population discrimination based on both geographic and taxonomic criteria. Hereafter, these SSR markers can be used as tools for evolutionary studies in Onobrychis genus, as well in providing knowledge on patterns of the species phylogeography. © Articles by the authors.

Abstract

Two new Juniperus communis subsp. communis syntaxa from Romania are presented from floristic, ecological and syntaxonomic points of view, completing the picture of the European distribution area of these shrubby communities. The phytocoenoses of Thymio odoratissimi-Juniperetum communis ass. nova are present on calcareous substrates and are rich in continental Eurasian, meso-xerophilous species, for which reason we assigned it to alliance Brachypodio pinnati-Juniperion communis Mucina et al. 2016, and class Crataego-Prunetea Tx. 1962. The communities belonging to Vaccinio myrtilli-Juniperetum communis Kovács ex Filipaș et al. campanuletosum abietinae subass. nova occur on acidic substrates, crystalline schists and gresous formations, and are rich in acidophilous species, characteristic for the class Calluno-Ulicetea Br.-Bl. et Tx. ex Klika et Hadač 1944. We assigned this new syntaxon to alliance Vaccinio-Juniperion communis Passage in Passage et G. Hoffman 1968 because of the high presence of Vaccinium species (V. myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea) in the sub-shrub layer of these phytocoenoses. © 2023, Babes-Bolyai University, "Alexandru Borza" Botanic Garden. All rights reserved.

Abstract

Onobrychis montana DC. Subsp. transsilvanica (Simonk.) Jáv. (Fabaceae) is a plant taxon, endemic to the South-Eastern Carpathians, whose taxonomic status is treated inconsistently by the classic taxonomy based on morphological traits. In a previous study, by sequencing several chloroplast DNA regions and AFLP genotyping, we tried to elucidate the controversy concerning its taxonomic status in relation to the more widespread O. montana DC., and determined its phylogeographic structure within the Carpathians. The present study, based on DNA fingerprinting by seven SSR markers, brings more insights on this problematic taxon by conferring higher resolution and sub-clustering previously identified phylogeographic groups. However, the newly SSR genetic data are in agreement with molecular evidence revealed by AFLP and chloroplastic SNPs and do not support O. montana DC. Subsp. transsilvanica (Simonk.) Jáv. As a distinct species from O. montana DC. © 2023, Horticulture and Forestry Society from Transylvania. All rights reserved.

Abstract

The Carpathians represent not only a European hotspot of plant diversity for both species richness and endemism, but also an important stepping-stone area in historical migrations between the flora of the Asian and European mountain systems and a starting point of postglacial recolonizations for many species. Yet, until recent years, phylogeographical studies for alpine or arctic-alpine plants were focused on the Alps, whereas peripheral mountain ranges, including the Carpathians, were either neglected or insufficiently sampled. In this study, we aimed to complement the Alpine phylogeographic structure of an emblematic high-alpine European endemic taxon, Eritrichium nanum, by focusing on the Carpathian range of the species. We sampled nine populations from the South-Eastern Carpathians and performed ITS1 sequencing and AFLP fingerprinting. In case of ITS1 region, all the populations, no matter of their geographic origin, presented the same ribotype. The AFLP analysis indicated that, within the Carpathians, the extant populations of E. nanum comprised two major allopatric lineages. One important result of the research was the discovery that the species' sole important genetic break was located in the Southern Carpathians, separating populations of the Retezat Mountains from all the others in the Carpathians.

Abstract

Abstract

Oligotrophic peat bogs reach the southern boundary of their European distribution area in the Romanian Carpathians. They shelter boreal species considered glacial relicts, surviving from the Würmian III period. Such areas (habitats) conserving relict species have major phytohistorical importance. They provide insights into the history of forest vegetation in the region and past climatic conditions. Based on floristic, phytocoenological and phytogeographical data, we propose to include two active raised bogs, namely “Calul de Piatră” and “Izvorul văii Șoimului” in the ROSCI0116 Molhașurile Căpățânei site of community interest. The inclusion of the two bogs in the ROSCI0116 Molhașurile Căpățânei protected area will increase the peat bog surface in the Apuseni Mountains and will be beneficial for the conservation of the wetland habitats and their typical flora, both very vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. © 2022, Babes-Bolyai University, "Alexandru Borza" Botanic Garden. All rights reserved.

Abstract

We investigated the floristic dissimilarities and their ecological drivers between three regional groups of Scots pine woodlands from mires dispersed along a latitudinal gradient in Eastern Europe. Phytosociological data regarding such woodland communities from the Eastern Carpathians (Romania) and lowlands of Poland and Latvia were collected from 47 published releves. In spite of the small number of good discriminant species, the relative positions of the three regional groups of communities in the bi-dimensional ordination space roughly matched their geographical separation along latitude and longitude. When the spatial autocorrelation was filtered out, the three regional groups of communities appeared partly overlapping in the two-dimensional ordination space, whose axes correlated with the occurrences of some species that are typical of either open or wooded bogs and, respectively, either hummocks or hollows. The total herb cover was negatively and significantly correlated with both the first partial ordination axis and total shrub cover. We concluded that the observed, small floristic dissimilarities were mainly induced by weak, small-scale gradients of autogenic successional development and groundwater level/microtopography. Our results do not support the distinction of a montane, Eastern Carpathian vicariant of the syntaxon Vaccinio uliginosi-Pinetum sylvestris from the lowlands of Central and Baltic Europe.

Abstract

Background Previous investigations carried out in ultramafic habitats emphasized the greater importance of site conditions over soil toxic metal content for vegetation composition. Very little is known about the floristic structure of the Southern Carpathian ultramafic grasslands and there is no information on the local environmental drivers of their composition and coenotic features. Here, we aim to fill these knowledge gaps by referring to similar phytocoenoses described in the Balkan Peninsula and central Europe. In particular, we searched for: (i) floristic and ecological patterns supporting the classification and taxonomic assignment of these grasslands, and (ii) simple relationships between serpentine vegetation characteristics and its physiographic environment. A total of 120 phytosociological releves, of which 52 performed in the Southern Carpathians, were analysed through cluster, ordination and regression procedures. Results Despite some floristic similarities with their Balkan counterparts, the Southern Carpathian ultramafic grasslands were clustered into four distinct groups, which were assigned to as many new syntaxa: Plantago serpentinae-Armerietum halleri, Asplenio serpentini-Achnatheretum calamagrostis, Minuartio frutescentis-Plantaginetum holostei and Sileno saxifragae-Plantaginetum holostei. The latter was best individualised through the occurrence of several Carpathian endemic taxa. The first two ordination axes were significantly related with the terrain slope/presence of xerophilous species and respectively, with site elevation/presence of calcifugous species. The total plant cover showed a unimodal relationship with respect to site elevation. While controlling for the effect of the sampled area, species richness showed a unimodal response to both elevation and slope of the terrain, although their effects were not singular. Conclusions The syntaxonomic distinctiveness of the Southern Carpathian ultramafic grasslands is mainly supported by their overall species composition rather than regional differential species. The main limiting factors driving the composition, cover and species richness of all studied ultramafic grasslands are the water deficit at low elevation and on steep slopes, and the low soil fertility at higher elevations. Our results confirm the previous findings according to which physiographic conditions and, to a lesser extent, soil base nutrients are more important than heavy metal concentrations in structuring the ultramafic vegetation.