Diversity drivers of inland saline vegetation -- what unites and divides
them?
- Zuzana Dite,
- Róbert Šuvada,
- Tibor Tóth,
- Daniel Dítě
Róbert Šuvada
Administration of the Slovenský kras National Park
Author ProfileTibor Tóth
HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research Institute for Soil Sciences
Author ProfileDaniel Dítě
Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre Slovak Academy of Sciences
Author ProfileAbstract
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Aim: The current knowledge of salt-affected vegetation has been advanced
in Europe, calling for a supra-regional assessment. We aim to evaluate
the drivers of spatial variability and species diversity of inland
saline habitats of the North German Plain, Pannonian Lowland and
Transylvanian Basin. Location: Central Europe Methods: We compare the
floristic and vegetation composition in 13 delineated subregions with
high occurrence of salt steppes and marshes. We analyse data from
extensive field surveys in the past 20 years and bioclimatic variables
by descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Principal components analysis was
performed to reduce the number of dimensions for each dataset, and
correlation analysis to identify the statistical dependence between the
species diversity of subregions and observed factors. Results: Despite
the general uniformity typical for saline habitats, the subregions are
more distinct than similar. Among the 107 native halophytic plant
specialists, they have in common one obligate halophyte, Puccinellia
distans agg., and seven facultative halophytes: Carex distans, Juncus
gerardi, Lotus tenuis, Plantago maritima, Schoenoplectus lacustris
subsp. glaucus and Trifolium fragiferum. The highest number of
halophytes have Alföld (88), Dunántúl (75), Seewinkel (68), Podunajská
nížina (65) and Câmpia Transilvaniei (65). Subregions Sachsen-Anhalt,
Kujawy, Thüringen, Mostecká pánev, Harghita and Spiš hold on average
half. The leading position in plant communities has Alföld. On larger
scale, Pannonian Lowland and Transylvanian Basin share 63 halophytes,
with the North German Plain 36 and 34 halophytes, respectively. A high
proportion of coastal species (71%) was revealed, high representation
have species of the Black Sea coast in the Pannonian region. Main
conclusions: We confirmed only three endemic halophytes compared to the
earlier assessments. The size of the subregion and its distance from the
nearest seas did not affect the overall variability; the high diversity
pattern is driven by the broader range of abiotic and biotic
prerequisites.16 Sep 2024Submitted to Ecology and Evolution 18 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
18 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
01 Oct 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
03 Nov 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending