Search

Mires are specific freshwater habitats with great importance for global biodiversity. The present study investigated diatoms in different habitats of a Đon Močvar mire and their relationship with environmental parameters, as well as the use of diatom indicator values and the German Red List for conservation purposes. The study was conducted monthly from January to November 2012. Diatoms were sampled simultaneously with water for physical and chemical properties in three different habitats. A total of 50 diatom taxa were identified. Based on their relative abundance and diversity, habitat-related environmental factors shaped the diatom community when seasonal dynamics were less important. Multivariate analysis showed that chemical oxygen demand (COD) and conductivity were the most significant environmental variables describing diatom communities. The indicator values characterized the diatoms as a typical mire community and proved to be a reliable starting point for future monitoring and management. Diatom classification by German Red List revealed a dominance of species with priority for conservation, suggesting that the Đon Močvar should have conservation status. This study brings a better understanding of the response of diatoms to living in specific habitats and the basis for future studies on ecological characteristics of new or rare taxa.

Introduction. Codonoblepharon forsteri (Dicks.) Goffinet is a rare epiphytic moss characteristically associated with water-filled holes in trees. We reviewed its range and population and assessed effects of climate change. Methods. An inventory of sites from where Codonoblepharon forsteri has been recorded was compiled. Extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) were calculated. Population size was estimated, treating an occupied tree as an ‘individual-equivalent’ of the moss. Climatic conditions of the species’ current distribution were characterised, and an ensemble model of its distribution was generated. The latter was projected onto present and future climatic layers. Key results. Codonoblepharon forsteri has been recorded from 19 countries and 205 sites in Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia. It has been undergoing an overall decline. Most sites have few occupied trees, and a world population of 1000–10, 000 individual-equivalents is estimated. Model projections suggest that the species will experience a range increase of +0.36–0.65 by 2050 and +0.35–0.68 by 2070, especially in its northwest range, particularly across France and the UK. Range loss is predicted to be between – 0.20 and –0.39 in 2050 and –0.21 and –0.65 in 2070, affecting the driest areas of the current range around the Mediterranean, especially in North Africa. Conclusions. Codonoblepharon forsteri has a relatively large EOO but relatively small AOO, probably due to habitat specialism. A major reason for recent declines appears to be widespread abandonment of traditional ‘pollarding’ of trees. The potential climatic range of the species will shift significantly northwards over the next few decades.

A comprehensive survey of Croatian watercourses covering the whole of the national territory and investigating inherent watercourse heterogeneity was conducted to explore the ecological responses of the most frequent freshwater bryophytes with respect to water chemistry variables and land use within the catchment area. Direct multivariate ordination (CCA) of vegetation data paired with 18 environmental variables revealed that freshwater bryophytes and their assemblages were segregated along the gradients of water chemistry and the proportion of natural and urban area within the catchment. Generalized additive models (GAM) were employed to explore the ecological responses of individual species. The results showed that most of the investigated species preferred natural, clean, well-oxygenated watercourses, with low nutrient and organic matter content, as well as with low electrical conductivity. Species such as Palustriella falcata, Eucladium vertcillatum, Dichodontium flavescens and Jungermannia atrovirens had narrow ecological niches and were restricted to pristine watercourses, while the most frequent and widely distributed species, such as Fontinalis antipyretica, Rhynchostegium riparioides, Cratoneuron filicinum, Fissidens crassipes, Cinclidotus fontinaloides and C. riparius, had a wide ecological tolerance. Riccia fluitans and Leptodyctium riparium had wide ecological ranges, but with optima in hypereutrophic waters with high nutrient and organic content, as well as high electrical conductivity. Furthermore, these two species were frequently associated with a high share of intensive agriculture and a low share of natural land within the catchment.

The vascular flora of the geomorphological natural monument Crveno jezero, located in the Dalmatian hinterland, was studied during 2017 for the first time. A total of 149 plant taxa belonging to 52 families were recorded, with Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, and Poaceae being the most abundant families. The dominance of Mediterranean, South-European, and Eurasian floral elements indicates that the study area is under the influence of both oceanic and continental climates, which is in accordance with the specific location of the study area. We noted a diversity of life form strategies, with the five main strategies having a share of at least 10% of the total number of species. Most species in the study area had competitive or stress-tolerant strategies, as well as the capacity for vegetative propagation, which was to be expected in this fairly unfavorable environment. No fewer than 15 recorded species are protected by law, including 11 endemic species, which represent 7.4% of the total flora. Most of the endemic species are Illyrian-Adriatic and Illyrian-Balkanic endemics. The results of the present study greatly contribute to the knowledge of the flora of Crveno jezero and the Imotski region, and they can be used as a basis for the future conservation of the area.

Eight new localities of the rare, strictly protected macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis have been recorded during a comprehensive survey of water bodies in Croatia. One record is located in the Mediterranean Region, in Butoniga Reservoir, while the remaining records are from the Continental Region, the majority of them situated along the Kupa River. Vallisneria spiralis occurred in slightly basic and alkaline environments and in a wide range of nutrient availability. In Continental localities, the species was present within Myriophyllo-Nupharetum luteae of the alliance Nymphaeion-albae, while in Butoniga, it occurred within the vegetation of the alliance Potamogetonion. Prior to our research, the species was recorded in Croatia only twice, with the older record dating back to the 19th century and the second from recent years, but neither one was confirmed in later surveys. The low number of records of V. spiralis, in spite of a wide-ranging search through hundreds of localities, confirmed the rare status of this species, although the reasons for such limited distribution remain unclear, especially bearing in mind that suitable aquatic habitats are quite widespread in the country.

Pseudoamblystegium subtile (Hedw.) Vanderp. & Hedenäs. CONTRIBUTORS: R. Gabriel, M. Kubová, C. Sérgio and I. Soares Albergaria. PORTUGAL, AZORES: Terceira Island, Angra do Heroísmo, municipal garden ‘Jardim Duque da Terceira’, 38° 39′ 24.0′′N, 27°13′ 05.99′′W, 31 m a.s.l, on the base of a shrub, in acidic conditions, 7 April 2017, leg. Michaela Kubová s.n. (AZU). A new understanding of the pleurocarpous moss species Pseudoamblystegium subtile was proposed by Vanderpoorten and Hedenäs (2009). The new genus is separated from the other Amblystegiaceae primarily due to its phylogenetic consistency and is characterised by the possession of leaves with a very short nerve, and erect capsules (Vanderpoorten and Hedenäs 2009). (excerpt) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This paper summarises all available data on the flora of freshwater rhodophytes in Croatia, comprising 18 species from 13 genera—Audouinella, Bangia, Batrachospermum, Chroodactylon, Compsopogon, Hildenbrandia, Lemanea, Paralemanea, Pneophyllum, Polysiphonia, Porphyridium, Sirodotia and Thorea. Presented data are mostly a result of a comprehensive survey undertaken from 2009 to 2019 and including more than 600 freshwater locations—channels, streams, rivers, natural and artificial lakes. Additionally, all available published historical data, dating from 1890 onwards, as well as herbarium material from the ZA collection was overviewed and included in this study.

During the summer of 2022 Rudbeckia triloba L. was recorded outside cultivation at four localities in the inland part of Croatia (Korana Selo, Vukova Gorica, Vugrovec and Slivonja Jarek) growing in anthropogenic habitats. This species, native to North America, was introduced to Europe as an ornamental and in several European countries is spreading mostly as garden escapee. The time of introduction into Croatia is not known. It can be considered a casual alien or a garden escapee ephemerophyte with an as yet unknown invasive potential.

descripción no proporcionada por scopus

A comprehensive field survey of 527 sites on 293 watercourses across Croatia revealed 76 sites (14.42%) in which bryophytes were the dominant part of the macrophyte vegetation. Using classification and ordination analyses, we obtained five community types segregated across the gradients of several climatic, physiographic and water chemistry parameters. The Didymodon tophaceus–Apopellia endiviifolia and the Berula erecta-Cratoneuron filicinum communities were mostly confined to the clean and basic karstic rivers of the Dinaric Ecoregion under the influence of the Mediterranean climate, with the Didymodon tophaceus–Apopellia endiviifolia community being a tufa-forming community associated with the seasonally dry watercourses of small catchment areas and cascades along the larger karstic rivers, while the Berula erecta–Cratoneuton filicinum community was mostly associated with rivers with larger catchment areas and permanent flow. On the other hand, the Oxyrrhynchium hians–Chiloscyphus pallescens community and the Fissidens pusillus–Veronica beccabunga community were associated with eutrophic water restricted to small rivers of the Pannonian Ecoregion under the influence of the temperate climate and flowing over silicate bedrock. The most represented and widespread in Croatia was the Cinclidotus community, displaying the widest ecological range in the study. It was mostly associated with the relatively clean karstic rivers of large catchment areas belonging to the Dinaric Ecoregion, with the majority of the sites under the influence of a temperate climate with higher precipitation during the warm period of the year. The geographical patterns of the freshwater bryophyte communities showed that the relatively clean, fast and cold karstic rivers belonging to the Dinaric Ecoregion provide habitats that harbour a greater diversity of bryophyte communities than the watercourses of the Pannonian Ecoregion, where bryophyte-dominated communities are restricted to a small number of small lowland and semi-montane rivers and predominantly occupy periodically flooded microhabitats such as river margins.

During a floristic survey carried out in the surroundings of the settlement of Sveti Rok (southern Mt Velebit, Croatia), some individuals of Cystopteris were collected and subsequently identified as C. dickieana. This record is the first for Croatian vascular flora and for the NW part of the Balkan area. It is a circumHolarctic species, although generally rare within its distribution area, and grows in the rock crevices. Due to the difficulty of distinguishing it within the C. fragilis species complex, its distribution at world level and its ecology are still not sufficiently known. Some notes on the environment in which the species was found, taxonomical details and identification key for Cystopteris taxa known for Croatia are also presented.

This paper reports for the first time the occurrence of Thorea hispida (Thore) Desvaux gametophyte stage as epizoic growth on aquatic gastropods, and also reports a new locality of T. hispida in Croatia and SE Europe. This is the second record for Croatia but first in which a population together with its microdiagnostic features is fully described. Thorea has been recorded in the Kupa River near Nebojan Village (central Croatia, SE Europe) on various size fractions of stones in the river sediment, and on shells of living aquatic gastropods. Specimens were attached to shell microdents, mostly on the apex, lip and shell sutures. Each shell hosted one large thallus, over 20 cm long, or 2–4 smaller thalli, less than 20 cm long. Comprehensive vegetation and riverbed surveys have been carried out in the investigated area, resulting in the finding of four populations of Thorea in a 300 metre-long section of the river. The discovery of its gametophyte stage on gas- tropods expands the knowledge about freshwater rhodophyte epizoic events, and also brings a new insight on the ability of aquatic gastropods to handle macroalgal overgrow from the perspective of gastropod mobility and the influence of water flow velocity on the selection of individuals in the population.

The bryophyte flora in the settlement Selina and the surrounding area (western Istria) was surveyed during the vegetation season of 2014. Altogether 66 mosses and 6 liverworts were recorded. Phytogeographically, the most abundant species are of the temperate zonobiome, i.e. circumpolar species, with respect to eastern limit categories. Analysis of bryophyte flora through habitat types shows that the highest species richness occurs by shaded rocks and in crevices, while the lowest richness occurs on arable land and occasionally the flooded banks of ponds. Regarding species composition, habitat types are clustered in four basic groups. Based on Ellenberg’s ecological indicator values for light, moisture, reaction of substrate and amount of nutrients, the differences between bryophyte floras of different habitats are explained using methods of descriptive and multivariate statistics., Flora mahovina istraživana je na području naselja Selina i okolici (zapadna Istra) tokom vegetacijske sezone 2014. Ukupno je zabilježeno 66 vrsta pravih mahovina i 6 vrsta jetrenjača. Fitogeografski, najbrojnije su vrste umjerenih zonobioma, odnosno cirkumpolarne vrste s obzirom na istočnu granicu areala. Analiza vrsta prema staništima ukazala je na najveće bogatstvo vrsta na zasjenjenim stijenama i pukotinama stijena, dok najmanje bogatstvo vrsta imaju obradive površine i povremeno plavljene obale lokvi. S obzirom na sastav vrsta staništa su se grupirala u četiri skupine. Na temelju Ellenbergovih ekoloških indikatorskih vrijednosti za svjetlost, vlagu, reakciju tla i količinu hranjivih tvari objašnjene su razlike u flori različitih staništa metodama deskriptivne i multivarijatne statistike.

A small population of the circumholoarctic species Glaux maritima L. (Primulaceae) was discovered in the Mediterranean part of Croatia, on the bank of the River Zrmanja. This is the first record of G. maritima in SE Europe, and the third record in the Mediterranean, apart from in Spain and the Asian part of Turkey. It was found on the open riverbank within sub-halophytic vegetation, forming a small population of several dozen erect stems, most probably clonally propagated. The site is characterized by a periodic intrusion of seawater. We propose to classify this species as critically endangered (CR) on a national level due to the small population size and the fragile habitat, which requires active protection and conservation.

Groenlandia densa is globally a widely distributed species ; it has been recorded in the majority of the countries of the Western Balkans, however, the knowledge on its extant distribution in this particular area is limited and even controversial. In order to address this issue by tracking changes in species distribution over time and elucidating its current status in this area, we carried out a comprehensive survey of available literature sources and herbarium data, and performed field surveys. In Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia the species is most probably regionally extinct, while in Albania, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia G. densa occurs with only sparse records. Therefore, the most recent overview confirms this species as exceptionally rare in the Western Balkans. In Northern Europe the populations are declining due to various factors such as changes in climate and hydrology, prolonged periods of drought and irregular flooding, inappropriate water management, urbanisation, eutrophication, etc., and in the Western Balkans we have observed the same general trend. As a threatened species, G. densa urges for active conservation measures and thus our recommendation would be to re-assess this species on European level.

Invasive alien species Ludwigia peploides, Reynoutria sachalinensis and Nicotiana glauca, currently registered in Croatia with small number of records, were found during fieldwork undertaken mostly through the national monitoring of waters from 2018 to 2020. Ludwigia peploides was previously recorded only once in the River Ilova, the existing data for R. sachalinensis indicate only three confirmed findings, in Čabar, Karlovac and Donja Stubica, while the previous data for N. glauca include several localities in Central and Southern Dalmatia. The new records are as follows: two findings of L. peploides refer to the River Česma (Obedišće and Sišćani); three records of R. sachalinensis refer to Gorski Kotar (Gerovo and Čabar), while N. glauca is newly recorded in the Neretva River Valley (Krvavac) and the island of Krk. Despite their potential invasiveness, all three are still locally naturalized and currently their spread is very slow and limited in Croatia.

A new site for stonewort Chara kokeilii A.Braun was recorded in a Mediterranean shallow lake Prolosko Blato Retention, Croatia, SE Europe. The species was associated with the vegetation alliance Potamogetonion graminei Westhoff & Den Held. This record has been compared with four other sites (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro) from which the species was recorded in SE Europe, regarding the species morphological traits, environmental parameters and vegetation types. It is possible that the main distribution area of this species is in Southeast Europe, a statement that is supported by previous micropaleontological research. This research provides new data on distribution and ecological affiliation of the critically endangered C. kokeilii (IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria).

Bulgaria. Samokov Region, Rila Mountains, Rila National Park, N slopes of peak Deno, on granite slabs and scree, collected with occasional sporophytes, 42.19709°N, 23.60322°E, 2780 m a.s.l, 17 September 2019, leg./det. R. Natcheva s.n. (SOM 9811-B). This arctic-alpine species has a north Holarctic circumpolar distribution and this is the first report of Andreaea blyttii for SE Europe. It is its southernmost locality and extends its range further south in Europe. The Rila Mountains are the highest in the Balkan peninsula and A. blyttii was found near the highest summit (Mussala, 2925 m a.s.l.). In Bulgaria the genus Andreaea is also represented by A. alpestris (Thed.) Schimp. and A. rupestris Hedw., both of which occur in the Rila Mountains.

The first record of the terrestrial green alga Trentepohlia aurea for Croatia was made in 1890 in the area of the Krka River, and has remained until this day the only record of this globally widespread species in the country. During studies related to aquatic vegetation, the species was finally rediscovered from the area of Plitvice Lakes, in the Gorski kotar region and near Vukova Gorica village, after 130 years during which no records were made. All recorded populations formed round, woolly, orange-red patches on the surface of rocks and concrete walls, partly forming a community with bryophytes and lichens. In some cases in these mixed communities, Trentepohlia thalli overgrew bryophytes blocking their access to nutrients, water and light. This long period of lack of records of T. aurea in Croatia is mostly a consequence of the discontinuity in research on certain algal groups in Croatia., Prvi nalaz kopnene zelene alge Trentepohlia aurea u Hrvatskoj potječe iz 1890. godine iz područja uz rijeku Krku, i do danas je to za Hrvatsku bio jedini nalaz ove globalno raširene vrste. Tijekom istraživanja vodene vegetacije vrsta je ponovno, nakon 130 godina, pronađena na području Plitvičkih jezera, u Gorskom kotaru, i blizu sela Vukova Gorica. Sve zabilježene populacije činile su okrugle, vunaste, narančasto-crvene nakupine na površini stijena i betonskih zidova, čineći djelomično zajednicu s mahovinama i lišajevima. U nekim slučajevima ovih miješanih zajednica, talusi alge Trentepohlia prerastali su mahovine, blokirajući im pristup nutrijentima, vodi i svjetlu. Dugački period bez nalaza alge T. aurea u Hrvatskoj većinom je posljedica prekida u istraživanjima nekih skupina algi.

Aims: To examin if the P. paniculata subsp. paniculata dominated grasslands from Northern Velebit can gain independent syntaxonomical status in comparsion to other grassland types in the area, and to investigate are these grasslands from north-western Dinarides different from the other P. paniculata subsp. paniculata dominated grasslands of the Balkans, Alps and the Apennines. Study area: Northern Velebit Mt (north-western Dinarides), Croatia, Western Balkan. Methods: The species composition, diversity and ecology of grasslands were studied based on 37 vegetation relevés ranging from 1250 to 1400 m a. s. l. For each community we detected diagnostic species according to their fidelity index (phi coefficient), and diversity indices were calculated. Ecological preferences of each community were examined by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), using Ellenberg’s indicator values. To compare the newly described grassland with Alpine, Balkan and Apennine ones, a joint synoptic table was prepared using previously published relevés and subjected to cluster analysis. Results and conclusions: Based on the floristic composition, we can distinguish three main grassland types in the uvalas of Northern Velebit, differing in both plant diversity and ecological features. P. paniculata dominated grasslands, not previously described in this area, are showing the intermediate position between Festucetum pungentis and Nardetum strictae with peculiar species composition ; therefore we attribute them to the Festuco bosniacae-Patzkeetum paniculatae. Comparison of the described community with the ones from other Balkan mountains, the Apennines and the Alps shows a unique composition of species, distinguishing this community from the others. Phytogeographically it belongs to the Illyrian province and represents the connection between the Alpine and Balkan P. paniculata dominated grasslands.

As a result of the first research on macrofungi on peat moss habitats in Montenegro, three species new to the Montenegrin mycobiota are presented and described: Entoloma conferendum, Hygrocybe coccineocrenata, and Hypholoma ericaeum. The descriptions are accompanied by photographs of the basidiomata on site and some microscopic characters. Additionally, the second Montenegrin record of Bovista paludosa is presented and described, for the first time with locality and habitat data. Species identifications were checked by comparing ITS rDNA sequences from samples with the sequences in GenBank.

The species was collected in the Pannonian region of Croatia, on sandy banks in the lower course of the Garešnica River, a tributary of the Ilova, belonging tot he Sava River catchment and Black Sea Basin. At the site, the river has a lowland character, but the river bed is heavily regulated and recent channelisation has resulted in extremely steep banks and the complete loss of aquatic vegetation. Several tufts of Physcomitrium sphaericum were found in the narrow open zone along the river where a pioneer ephemeral dwarf- cyperaceous vegetation of periodically flooded habitats had developed on exposed sand. The plants were typically developed, about 4 mm high including seta and semiglobose capsules, displaying characteristic leaf morphology with margins entire or obscurely crenulate above, leaf apex blunt with costa ending below the apex. Physcomitrium sphaericum is an ephemeral species of rare and sporadic occurrence, dependant on seasonally exposed mud on the margins of rivers, ponds, lakes and reservoirs It belongs in the vegetation class Isoëto- Nanojuncetea Br.-Bl. et Tx. in Br.-Bl. et al. Physcomitrium sphaericum was found along with other typical species of this vegetation type: Cyperus michelianus (L.) Link, C. fuscus L., C. glomeratus L., Gnaphalium uliginosum L., Gypsophila muralis L., Lindernia dubia (L.) Pennell, L. procumbens (Krock.) Philcox, Ludwigia palustris (L.) Elliott and a terrestrial form of Riccia fluitans L. Physcomitrium sphaericum is a Eurasian Temperate element, distributed throughout Europe, but rarely found in Southeastern Europe, where it has been reported only from Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, being considered Vulnerable in the latter. Our record is the first for Croatia.

Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid. is the most widespread invasive moss species in Europe. Originating from the Southern Hemisphere, it is nowadays causing serious changes in coastal sand habitats of Western Europe and invading various anthropogenic habitats in Central Europe. In South-Eastern Europe, the species was initially found in Croatia in 2013, in the Dinaric region in the karst plain Vrhovinsko polje, on leached bare soil and pine bark remnants. In 2015, another stand of similar size was found in the peri-Pannonian region, on Mt Papuk, on a gneiss cliff in an acidophilous sessile oak forest. These two localities are on the South-Eastern frontline of the species' invasion within Europe. The oldest individuals were three to four years old, and sporophytes were not found. At the moment, it seems that the invasive moss is not a threat to native flora in the Dinaric region. Nevertheless, special attention should be given to the peri-Pannonian and Eastern Balkan regions, since its expansion could threaten the habitats of native moss and lichen species growing in similar acidic forests. Since the bryoflora of South-Eastern Europe is still largely undersampled, directed surveys and monitoring programs should be promptly established.

Two new sites for benthic freshwater alga Hydrurus foetidus (Villars) Trevisan have been recorded in karst watercourses in Dinaric Ecoregion of Croatia: Kupa River and Slušnica River. Both sites are non-shadowed aquatic habitats, with developed vegetation characteristic for clear, running waters. The alga was found during summer months at its disintegration stage, and during autumn at the beginning of its growing stage. In the Kupa River, incrusted calcium carbonate was found within the thalli of H. foetidus. After the first known record in Bijela Rijeka River from 2015, our findings represent the second and the third known localities of this species in Croatia. Even though the vegetation composition indicates high ecological status of the sites, future anthropogenic impacts and climatic changes could become a threat to this underexplored species in Croatia.

Croatia is among the most ecologically diverse and floristically rich countries in Europe, with a great variety of communities. The vegetation elaboration according to the standard central European method was initiated in Croatia at the beginning of the 20thcentury. In previous overviews of Croatian vegetation, the number of classes and alliances was underrepresented in relation to the country’s floristic richness. Furthermore, the level of knowledge and the amount of available data varied greatly among the various types of vegetation. The aims of this paper are mainly to compile a stabile syntaxonomic list of classes, orders and alliances dominated by vascular plants in Croatia and to adjust Croatian vegetation to the new European syntaxonomic system (EuroVegChecklist). It introduces a consistent description of high-rank syntaxa in Croatian. In conclusion, the vegetation of Croatia comprises 66 classes, 121 orders and 201 alliances. The number of syntaxa shows vegetation diversity that is rather high compared to most other European countries; this is related to the high floristic richness and endemism. The list points out the obvious problems and gaps in our knowledge of vegetation in Croatia and can serve as a baseline for the future vegetation studies.

Hornworts are globally the least diverse bryophyte group with respect to species number, with only eight species known from Europe. As for Croatia, only two species are listed in the available literature, with most recent record being more than 85 years old. Our study carried out in Central Croatia identified three new species for the hornwort flora, including two new genera – Notothylas Sull. ex. A. Gray and Anthoceros L. Our finding of very rare Natura 2000 species Notothylas orbicularis (Schwein.) A. Gray, reported hitherto only from four Central European countries, is the first in Southeast Europe and the southernmost in Europe. Furthermore, we recorded Anthoceros agrestis Paton and Phaeoceros carolinianus (Michx.) Prosk., which are either very rare or, more likely, overlooked and understudied in Southeast Europe.

WOS: 000348594500007, …, Institute of Environmental Technologies - 'Research and Development for Innovations' Operational Programme [CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0100]; Structural Funds of the European Union; state budget of the Czech Republic; National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic [LO1208]; SYNTHESYS project [FR-TAF-3686]; University of Ostrava [SGS27/PRF/2014]; Polish National Centre of Science [N N 303 469 338]; Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences; Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy [RO1567-IBB03/2014]; Natural Environment Research Council; Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [111T359]; Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO); Flora Briofitica Iberica from MINECO [CGL2009-09530]; MINECO; Spanish 'Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion' [CGL2010-15959, CGL2009-07323]; FEDER; 'Ramon y Cajal' Subprogram (MICINN-European Social Fund); 'Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad' [CGL2012-30721]; MOVECLIM project (ANR under the Net-Biome call); RSF [14-14-00903, 14-24-00037]; RFBR [13-04-01427, 12-04-01476]; 'The Survey of new and unrecorded taxa in vascular plants (NIBR)' - Ministry of Environment of the Korean Government [2013-02-001]; Natural Environment Research Council [bas0100025], The contribution by V. Plasek is part of a research project of the Institute of Environmental Technologies, reg. no. CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0100, supported by the 'Research and Development for Innovations' Operational Programme, and financed by the Structural Funds of the European Union and by the state budget of the Czech Republic, Project LO1208 of the National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic, and SYNTHESYS project FR-TAF-3686. The contribution by L. Cihal is a part of grant project SGS27/PRF/2014 financed by University of Ostrava. The contributions by R. Ochyra have been financially supported by the Polish National Centre of Science through grant no. N N 303 469 338 and, in part, by the statutory fund of the Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He also thanks Helen J. Peat, Cambridge, for kindly allowing him to study the herbarium collections from AAS. S. Stefanut, acknowledges the support by project no. RO1567-IBB03/2014 through the Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy. J. Vana and K. K. Newsham acknowledge the logistics support that was provided by the British Antarctic Survey's Operations Group, officers and crew of the RRS Ernest Shackleton and staff at King Edward Point research station, and thank Helen J. Peat for the loan of AAS herbarium specimens. Funding was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council. All are gratefully acknowledged.; Peter Szucs and Andras Bidlo would like to thank Peter Erzberger for examining the specimen of Campylopus introflexus, and Gyorgy Pulger for his assistance in fieldwork. Tulay Ezer and Recep Kara are indebted to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for financial support (Project Code: 111T359).; M. J. Gil-Lopez, F. Puche, and J. G. Segarra-Moragues thank H. Kharbouch (SahaTours), F. Pacheco, J. P. Peralta, and F. Rivera for their help in field work. M. J. Gil-Lopez benefited from a FPU PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO). F. Puche acknowledges funds from project CGL2009-09530, Flora Briofitica Iberica from MINECO. J. G. Segarra-Moragues benefited from a 'Ramon y Cajal' post-doctoral contract from MINECO. Juan Larrain and Amalia B. Biasuso thank Reinaldo Vargas and Gotz Palfner for their company in the field. Marta Alonso and David Long acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish 'Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion' (projects CGL2010-15959 co-financed by FEDER) and 'Ramon y Cajal' Subprogram (MICINN-European Social Fund). We also thank Maria J. Cano and Juan A. Jimenez for their contribution to this work.; D. Rios, M. T. Gallego, and J. Guerra are grateful to Len Ellis for organising the loan of specimens and assistance during the visit of the first author to the BM herbarium. This research was carried out with financial support from the Spanish 'Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion' and 'Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad' [Projects CGL2009-07323 and CGL2012-30721, respectively].; Terry Hedderson is grateful to Jean-Yves Meyer, Ravahere Tuputuari, Claudine Ah-Peng, and Oliver Flores for field assistance and companionship and to the MOVECLIM project (ANR under the Net-Biome call) for funding the fieldwork on Tahiti. The study by E.V. Sofronova was supported by RSF (project no. 14-14-00903), that by Y.S. Mamontov was partly supported by RFBR (project no. 13-04-01427 and 12-04-01476), and that by A. D. Potemkin was supported by RSF (project no. 14-24-00037). The research by Yoon Young-Jun, Benito C. Tan and Byung-Yun Sun was supported by grants from 'The Survey of new and unrecorded taxa in vascular plants (NIBR No. 2013-02-001)' funded by the Ministry of Environment of the Korean Government.

Andreaea rothii has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. It is a boreo-temperate suboceanic species (Hill et al., 2007) relatively rare in SE Europe, since it is known only from Romania (Ellis et al., 2014d), Slovenia and Serbia (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Hodgetts, 2015). The species was found in the Papuk Mountains, situated in the mainly lowland area of NE Croatia. In this region Papuk is the largest and highest mountain range, with peaks between 800 and 900 m a.s.l. They are characterized by high geological diversity dominated by metamorphic rocks, such as different types of schists, as well as granites. The climate is temperate, moderately warm without an explicit dry period. About 60% of the almost totally forested area is covered by different communities of beech forests. The well-developed black patches of A. rothii cover an area ca 2 m× 0.5 m on a steep north-facing cliff on the edge of an acidothermophilic sessile oak (Quercus petraea agg.) forest. The specimens of A. rothii grew on the bare rock with the following bryophyte species: Cynodontium polycarpon (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp., Dicranum scoparium Hedw., Polytrichum piliferum Schreb. ex Hedw. and Rhabdoweisia (cf.) fugax (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. The population is very small with an extremely high risk of extinction, therefore we propose CR as Red List status for the taxon in Croatia. According to the last checklist of the moss flora of Croatia (Sabovljevic´, 2006), only Andreaea rupestris Hedw., collected from just one locality in 1927 (Horvat, 1932 and ZA), was reported for the genus. The locality is very interesting from the point of view of the vegetation of Croatia, because it is within 100 m of the second stand of Fagus sylvatica L.-Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. forest (Alegro et al., 2015). The second occurrence of Dicranum spurium Hedw. (Ellis et al., 2014d) and Rhabdoweisia fugax (Papp et al., 2013) in Croatia are also found here. Another interesting moss is S. capillifolium (Ehrh.) Hedw., that forms small red patches within the thick carpets of S. quinquefarium under the open oulder scree forest in the neighbourhood.

Understanding land abandonment and the resulting changes in land cover provides data for suitable reaction to habitat and species losses this process brings. This study aimed to define land- cover types and their biodiversity, record spatio-temporal changes and detect the trajectories and magnitude of these changes. The study was conducted on the island of Molat in the eastern Adriatic Sea. Land cover was defined for different years (1910, 1959, 1986, 2006) using remote sensing and recent vegetation sampling. The obtained land-cover maps were used for spatio-temporal analysis of land-cover change. Open vegetation units of rocky grassland, mesophilous grasslands and farm land dominated in 1910, covering 90% of the island. The observed changes occurred in trajectories through semi- open towards closed vegetation. In 2006, closed vegetation dominated, covering approximately 70% of the island area. The overall land-cover change was extreme, occurring over 90% of the island surface. Biodiversity analysis was related to the present land-cover types and change trajectories, and showed a considerable decline of species richness towards closed vegetation types. All observed changes were correlated to island depopulation and land abandonment. Re-population and encouragement of agro-pastoral activities should reduce habitat and species loss in the process of secondary succession.

A regionally extinct taxon, Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link subsp. arundinacea H. Lindb., has been rediscovered in the Croatian flora after 78 years. Previously it was known only from two coastal sand dune sites in Northern Dalmatia. The habitat at the locality of Crnika near Lopar on the northern Adriatic island of Rab is destroyed and A. arenaria subsp. arundinacea does not grow there anymore. At the second locality, on the sand dunes of Kraljičina plaža in the vicinity of the town of Nin, A. arenaria subsp. arundinacea was rediscovered and confirmed after 174 years. This is the only population of this taxon in Croatia, counting 48 mature individuals where the psammophylous habitat of Kraljičina plaža is under strong anthropogenic influence. This taxon is now classified as critically endangered (CR) and merits adequate active protection and conservation of its psammophylous habitat.

The aim of the study was to confirm the hybridogenous status of several populations of putative Serapias × todaroi along the eastern Adriatic coast, and identify the most useful morphological traits for recognizing the hybrid in the wild. We have performed a karyological study, and compared the morphology of the hybrids with the assumed parental species S. lingua and S. parviflora. The intermediate features of the studied populations, particularly chromosome number and shape of the base of the labellum, strongly support its hybridogenous origin. Although morphometric analysis found certain traits of the hybrid to be intermediate with respect to the parental species, in general the hybrid plants closely resembled S. lingua. The flowers of the hybrid were mostly influenced by S. lingua, while the vegetative traits were mostly influenced by S. parviflora. To distinguish the hybrid in the field successfully, most attention should be paid to the shape of the base of the labellum and plant height, while flower size (particularly of labellum) can also be useful to some extent.

Corrigiola litoralisis the only member of the genus in the Croatian flora. Most available data are more than 50 years old, and include only four localities in Croatia, exclusively in the islands of the Mediterranean region. During a floristic survey of the island of Molat (Northern Dalmatia) we recorded a small population in Zapuntelsko polje, in a damp, shallow depression, seasonally occurring as a temporary pond. Comparison with the existing literature shows thatC. litoralisoften occurs in Mediterranean temporary ponds and similar globally important and threatened habitats. We strongly believe that careful studies of populations ofC. litoralisand other species with similar ecologies are necessary in order to preserve these habitats and therefore propose actions to achieve this goal.

Polyploidization has played an important role in the diversification of the genus Sesleria (Poaceae), which comprises c. 48 species and subspecies mostly distributed in Europe. The genus' centre of diversity clearly is the Balkan Peninsula, harbouring about 80% of the species, half of which are endemic to this area. We employed chromosome counts, measurements of absolute genome size and determination of relative DNA-content for 460 populations belonging to 43 species of Sesleria. Our main aim was to provide essential baseline data for future molecular genetic reconstructions of the genus' evolutionary history. Relative genome size allowed for a mostly clear separation of four ploidy levels. The most frequent and widespread cytotypes are tetraploids followed by octoploids, while di- and dodecaploids were only found in a few species. We present first chromosome numbers for the tetraploid species S. doerfleri, S. phleoides, S. skipetarum and S. tuzsonii as well as for diploid S. ovata. Based on relative and partly also on absolute genome size measurements, ploidy level was determined in tetraploid S. rhodopaea and S. voronovii for the first time, and new cytotypes were identified in S. interrupta, S. kalnikensis and S. wettsteinii (tetraploids), S. caerulea, S. klasterskyi, S. latifolia, S. tenerrima, S. ujhelyii and S. vaginalis (octoploids), and S. albanica and S. vaginalis (dodecaploids). While most Sesleria species are ploidy-uniform, several comprise two or even, in the case of S. vaginalis, three ploidy levels. Genome downsizing after polyploidization was confirmed by significant negative correlation between ploidy level and monoploid genome size. Finally, we found a significant increase in monoploid relative genome size towards the margin of the genus' distribution area, which may be triggered by increased activity of transposable element in populations exposed to environmental or genomic stress. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 179, 126–143.

The Panicum capillare complex includes several taxa, among them P. capillare L., which is usually considered to be an established alien throughout Europe, whereas other species are recorded only as casuals. A new representative of the complex, P. riparium H. Scholz was described from Germany in 2002, and shortly after its description was recorded in several countries on the continent. In the course of herbarium revisions and recent field studies the authors documented several localities of the species in Croatia as well. The paper presents a new key for the determination of Croatian species of the complex and anticipates the invasion of P. riparium in the sub-Mediterranean regions of the Balkan Peninsula.

Circumpolar boreal-montane moss Buxbaumia aphylla is a new species for Croatia. We have found 58 capsules and 12 setae at the three sites: the smallest population (10 specimens) was located at Sokolina ; at the two other sites B. aphylla was more abundant (Svinjarevac: 29 specimens, Konjska smrt: 31 specimens). Ricciocarpos natans is reported from several localities. It was discovered during extensive surveys of the macrophytic vegetation throughout Croatia. Based on our recent findings, the species occurs in northern and eastern Croatia, mostly in backwaters, or areas subject to inundation, of the large rivers Danube, Drava and Mura. According to our observations, the species in Croatia occupies relatively small and rather shallow eutrophic stagnant waters.

Sesleria (Poaceae) is a species-rich, taxonomically difficult genus due to high morpho- anatomical variability and weak differentiation of many species. It is distributed throughout western Eurasia and North Africa with highest taxonomic diversity on the Balkan Peninsula. Of the more than 40 species only two are diploid, all others are tetra- to dodecaploid, and many species comprise several ploidy cytotypes. We sequenced the plastid trnL-ndhF region and produced amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) from a comprehensive, ploidy-cytotyped sampling including 292 populations, and produced nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences for a subsample. Our first aim was to determine the relationships among Sesleria and putatively closely related genera. Further, we explored whether diploid S. sphaerocephala and S. ovata should be treated as separate genera Sesleriella and Psilathera as proposed previously, or rather included in Sesleria, following most recent Floras. Finally, we tested previous hypotheses of infrageneric classifications. In the ITS phylogeny tetra- to dodecaploid Sesleria s.str. grouped with diploid S. ovata whereas diploid S. sphaerocephala was more distantly related. In contrast, in the plastid phylogeny Sesleria s.str. grouped with S. sphaerocephala, whereas S. ovata was sister to Echinaria. This suggests an allopolyploid origin of Sesleria s.str. with S. sphaerocephala acting as maternal and S. ovata as paternal species. The lack of monophyly of Sesleria s.l. thus supports the recognition of S. ovata and S. sphaerocephala as separate genera Psilathera and Sesleriella. Their segregation, which is also supported by morphology, increases the number of angiosperm genera endemic to the European Alps from three to five. In congruence with the plastid sequences, AFLPs resolved the traditionally recognized sections (sect. Argenteae, sect. Sesleria) as non-overlapping clusters and identified S. vaginalis as a probably recently evolved intersectional hybrid. Within the two sections, several informal species groups could be recognized, which show limited congruence with those proposed in the most comprehensive taxonomic treatment of the genus. From an evolutionary point of view it is obvious that ancient as well as recent hybridization coupled with polyploidisation have played a crucial role in diversification within Sesleria.

Phytosociological and numerical analyses of grasslands dominated by Sesleria juncifolia s.l. in Serbia were performed in order to resolve their syntaxonomy and nomenclature. Twelve releves were sampled on Mt. Mučanj (western Serbia), which were then compared with similar releves from other parts of the Balkan Peninsula by means of numerical analyses. The releves were classified using cluster analysis, while the ordination was conducted using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). The results suggest the occurrence of two floristically well defined Dinaric associations in Serbia: Seslerio juncifoliae-Edraianthetum graminifolii ass. nova from Mt. Mokra Gora (Oxytropidion urumovii, Elyno-Seslerietea) and Diantho petraeae-Seslerietum juncifoliae ass. nova (Chrysopogono-Saturejion, Festuco-Brometea) from Mt. Mučanj.

Four moss species were recorded during bryological studies for the first time in Montenegro in 2016 and 2017. Hookeria lucens (Hedw.) Sm., Plagiothecium undulatum (Hedw.) Schimp. and Sphagnum quinquefarium (Braithw.) Warnst. were found on Hajla Mt, while Nyholmiella gymnostoma (Bruch ex Brid.) Holmen & Warncke was found on Bjelasica Mt. Ecological and chorological remarks are given and the conservation status is discussed for each species. This noteworthy contribution to Montenegrin bryoflora upgraded the number of mosses to 555, while the number of overall bryophytes has reached 704 taxa.

Within the course of a recent, extensive bryophyte survey across the whole country, eight moss taxa have been recorded for the first time in Croatia: Conardia compacta (Drumm. ex Mull. Hal.) H. Rob., Cynodontium tenellum (Schimp.) Limpr., Dichodontium flavescens (Dicks.) Lindb., Fissidens fontanus (Bach. Pyl.) Steud., Orthotrichum philibertii Venturi, Rhabdoweisia crispata (Dicks.) Lindb., Schistidium trichodon (Brid.) Poelt var. trichodon and Tortella fasciculata (Culm.) Culm.. In addition, new localities of five rare taxa are presented: Didymodon tophaceus subsp. sicculus (M.J. Cano, Ros, Garcia-Zam. & J. Guerra) Jan Kucera, Ephemerum serratum (Hedw.) Hampe, Mannia triandra (Scop.) Grolle, Oxystegus tenuirostris (Hook. & Taylor) A.J.E. Sm. and Sphaerocarpos michelii Bellardi. Ecological and chorological data are provided for each of the reported taxa. Concluding, at the current state of knowledge, Croatian bryoflora includes 705 taxa, out of which 541 mosses, 162 liverworts and two hornworts.

This paper reports the occurrence of the freshwater brown alga Heribaudiella fluviatilis (Areschoug) Svedelius in four new localities in southeastern Europe, as well as the first records for Croatia. Additionally, we report here a new type of substrate for H. fluviatilis, on stones in karstic rivers characterized by tufa formations. Despite a generally low number of findings, this and previous studies indicate that the species is not as rare as generally perceived ; rather, it is overlooked, under-collected and therefore under-reported. The paper provides detailed diagnostic features of the thalli and habitats where the alga was found, with notes on corresponding vegetation, physical conditions and water chemistry. Additionally, along with the new records of the red alga Hildenbrandia rivularis (Liebmann) J. Agardh in Croatia, the associations of Heribaudiella-Hildenbrandia are reported for streams of Black Sea and Adriatic basins.

Syntrichia norvegica is a circumpolar arctic- montane species (Smith, 2004), rare at lower altitudes and in southern Europe (Frey et al., 2006). It is known from several south-eastern European countries (Sabovljevic et al., 2008) and now it is recorded for the first time in Croatia. Regarding its conservation status, S. norvegica is red listed in Great Britain (EN), Czech Republic (CR), Slovakia (VU), Bulgaria (NT), Hungary (DD), Romania (VU) and Estonia (VU) (Hodgetts, 2014). It was found in the northern Velebit Mountains, in an area with the most outstanding and extreme karst relief, with steep slopes, perpendicular rocks, screes and deep dolines. The locality is situated in the Pinus mugo Turra belt, but owing to its position in the shaded bottom of a deep, funnel-shaped doline with slopes inclined at more than 70u, the zonal vegetation is replaced by frigoriphilous communities. The main community on the very bottom is Drepanoclado uncinati-Heliospermetum pusillae Surina & Vres 2004, which encompasses many species of cold habitats characterized by long-lasting snow cover, e.g. Saxifraga sedoides L. subsp. prenja (Beck) Beck (glacial relict in the Velebit), Heliosperma pusillum (Waldst. & Kit.) Rchb., Polygonum viviparum L., Myosotis alpestris F.W.Schmidt, Poa alpina L. and Festuca nitida Kit. This community was spread over ca 250 m2 and was bordered by low shrubs of Salix waldsteiniana Willd., which form another frigoriphilous community Salicetum waldsteinianae Beger 1922. In the moss flora, another arctic- montane species, Cyrtomnium hymenophylloides (Huebener) T.J.Kop., is very abundant, and this is the only known locality in Croatia (Blockeel et al., 2009c). Further bryophytes that were present include Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske, Orhothecium rufescens (Dicks. ex Brid.) Schimp., Campylium protensum (Brid.) Kindb., Campylophyllum halleri (Hedw.) M.Fleisch., Sciuro-hypnum reflexum (Starke) Ignatov & Huttunen, Platydictya jungermannioides (Brid.) H.A.Crum, Hypnum bambergeri Schimp., Plagiopus oederianus (Sw.) H.A.Crum & L.E.Anderson, and Plagiochilla porelloides (Torr. ex Nees) Lindenb. among others. The population of S. norvegica was vigorous, forming dozens of dense patches of several dm2 on rocks and among other bryophytes and herbs. Plants were typically developed, deep green, with long, reddish leaf points, but capsules were not found.

In the paper 21 new bryophyte species for the flora of Croatia are presented. They originate from three regions in Croatia: Papuk Mt, Velebit Mt and Gorski kotar. For each species exact localities, habitats, and other data concerning conservation status, general distribution and distribution in the Balkans are provided.

Phytosociological characteristics of grassland communities above serpentines (order Halacsyetalia sendtneri H. Ritter-Studnčka 1970) in Serbia, are analyzed according to Braun-Blanquet methodology. In order to detect the basic floristic differentiation of analyzed communities ordinary correspondence analysiswas applied. Cluster analysiswas also performed to see the structure and separation of the communities based on the floristic composition. In order to determine diagnostic species, fidelity indices with presence/ absence data and the size of all groups standardized to equal size were calculated. The new association Stipetum novakii is described in open rocky serpentine grasslands in Brdjani Gorge.

Lindenia tetraphyllais a large, highly migratory dragonfly species representing an Iranoeremian faunal element. In Europe, the species has a disjunct distribution, mainly inhabiting large Mediterranean lakes, with relatively few strong permanent populations. In Croatia, the species was previously recorded as reproducing and forming five stable populations, mainly at large Mediterranean lakes. Additional reproducing sites have not previously been documented. Even though it is man-made, Vlačine Reservoir has suitable habitat conditions for species’ life cycle completion, i.e., a Mediterranean climate, high water temperature, mesotrophic water quality, good oxygen saturation, rich and diverse riparian and aquatic vegetation, shore sections without vegetation and a sandy substrate. Within this study, life cycle completion was recorded for another interesting Mediterranean species, Selysiothemis nigra.

The Illyrian-Balkan species Cardamine fialae Fritsch was found for the first time in Croatia. It belongs to C. maritima complex, which includes seven endemic species with very restricted distribution. Six of them occur on the Balkan peninsula (C. maritima Port. ex DC., C. adriatica Jar. Kučera, Lihová & Marhold, C. serbica Pančić, C. fialae Fritsch, C. montenegrina Jar. Kučera, Lihová & Marhold and C. rupestris (O.E. Schulz) K. Malý), since one is distributed on the Apennine peninsula (C. monteluccii Brilli-Catt. & Gubellini). During a floristic survey of northern slopes of the Matokit Mt in surrounding of the town Vrgorac in inland of southern Dalmatia, a peculiar population of Cardamine has been found. Regarding its morphology, general habit, type of leaves and fruits, collected plants were determined as C. fialae. Herbarium vouchers of collected plants are digitalized and deposited in the herbarium ZAGR. Type specimens of C. fialae are deposited in herbarium GZU and they were consulted and confronted with specimens from Croatia. C. fialae was described in 1897 from surrounding of the settlement Klobuk in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is eight kilometres air distance from the new locality on the Matokit Mt. Morphologically, C. fialae is similar to C. serbica, endemic in Serbia, with which it shares following characters: auricules at the base of lower cauline leaves, main stem and sepals hairy, stem and rosette leaves bipinnate, with serrate margin of leaflets. However, C. fialae differs by larger petals and sepals and by 1-2 lateral stem branches. On the Matokit Mt, C. fialae grows on lower altitudes in rocky crevices within the zone of sub-Mediterranean vegetation of forest fringes.

Questions: What is the current state of knowledge on the distribution of psammophytic vegetation along the eastern Adriatic coast? Which are the main vegetation types and how do they vary from a floristic and ecological point of view? Study area: The eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania. Methods: We collected all available vegetation releves (a total of 191, published and unpublished) and historical references of sand dune vegetation from the eastern Adriatic coast. Classification and ordination were performed on the dataset and a syntaxonomical overview of the different plant communities along a seashore-inland zonation and their geographical distribution is presented. Results: The classification of the phytosociological data show eight floristically and ecologically well-defined clusters. The first group of embryonic foredunes comprises of the Cakilo-Xanthietum, Euphorbia paralias community and Eryngio-Sporoboletum, whilst the second group is found on the more stable dunes with Euphorbio paraliae-Agropyretum junceiformis, Medicagini marinae-Ammophiletum australis and Scabiosa argentea-Ephedra distachya communities. The latter is newly described and is found only along the Albanian coast. The number of plant communities is lower than in surrounding countries, particularly on fixed dunes. The presence of the EU habitat type 'Crucianellion maritimae fixed beach dunes' (2210) is newly reported for Albania. Conclusions: Sand dunes are important habitats from a nature conservation point of view and they are endangered due to strong human impact. The protection of sand dune habitat types throughout the study area is urgent, since they are still in good condition in Albania, while sand dune plant communities are fragmented in Croatia and under strong human impact in Montenegro.

Astragalus croaticus Alegro, Bogdanovic, Brullo & Giusso sp. nova (Fabaceae) is described and illustrated from Dalmatia (Croatia). It. grows on the carbonatic mountains of Biokovo and Mosor on rocky stands. Morphologically, it shows close similari ties with A. sirinicus and A. angustifolius, two thorny species belonging to the sect. Melanocercis. However, A. croaticus has several distinguishing features chiefly in the leaves, flowers and legumes.

The European Mediterranean region is one of the world's major centres of biodiversity. Within the research of plant species diversity of this region, area along the eastern part of the Adriatic basin has been rather neglected in comparison to other Mediterranean areas. The main aims of this study, focused to this neglected area, were to complete the present lack of data and to discuss the species-area relationship, floristic richness and endemism of the Adriatic islands and coast at the preliminary level. Floristic data for 106 Croatian islands collected by different authors were integrated, systematized and presented in the form usable for other researches worldwide. Power (Arrhenius) function was used for the modeling (by non-linear regression) of species-area relationship. Residuals around regression curve (as indicators of floristic diversity without influence of island area) were calculated for each particular island. The proportion of endemics in total island flora varies from 0% up to 28.6% for total and 17.5% for narrow endemics. Floristic richness of the broader region was estimated (on the basis of SAR extrapolation) on 1807 species for all Croatian islands and on 2797 species for the entire Mediterranean area in Croatia.

Archaeobotanical analysis has been used to reconstruct the nest and diet of a small rodent from the Classical period (first century b.c. to second century a.d.) and most probably from Greece. The nest was found in the hollow interior of a very valuable bronze statue of a young athlete, recovered from the waters of the Northern Adriatic and named the Croatian Apoxyomenos. Apoxyomenos was probably the cargo of a Roman ship on one of highly frequented sea routes in ancient times, along which, among other things, a highly developed trade in artworks was maintained. All plant remains were non-carbonised and mineralised; encrusted with metallic salts, especially of copper, and preserved in excellent condition. The nest itself (wisps of “straw” found in the hollow interior of the left forearm of the statue) was mainly composed of stems and leaves of grasses (Poaceae), but also of laurel (Laurus nobilis) leaves and other plant remains. Along with “straw”, a further 837 individual plant remains were found and analysed and 41 different plant taxa were identified. Plant remains that presumably were part of the rodent’s diet belong to various wild and cultivated plants which indicate various anthropogenic habitats probably situated somewhere on the edge of human settlement. From zoological analysis of bite marks found on fruit stones of cherry and olive, and of the potential rodent fauna in the area the statue was assumed to be in prior to becoming submerged, it was established that the rodent was most probably one of the taxa of the Mus domesticus group.