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Some typical Festuco-Brometea species from inside the plots or nearby, from left to right: Laserpitium siler, Onobrychis montana, Campanula spicata and Armeria arenaria (Photos: J. Dengler, 2014/08).
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We sampled vascular plant composition and diversity of a meso-xeric and a xeric basiphilous grassland (class Festuco-Brometea) in Cogne, located in a side valley of the Aosta Valley (NW Italy) at an elevation of about 1900 m a.s.l. Using the standard method of the EDGG Field Workshops, we recorded species occurrence at seven spatial grain sizes fro...
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... evidenced by the strong prevalence of diagnostic species of that class (Fig. 4), all plots clearly belong to the Festuco-Brometea, albeit there is an admixture of some Koelerio - Corynephoretea species, particularly in the more open patches (Table 1). The two 100-m² plots clearly differed from each other in terms of species composition. The plot AO01 plot on the gentle slope had a much more meso-xeric character, ...
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... EDGG Event 9 P a l a e a r c t i c G r a s s l a n d s 6 0 (M a r c h 2 0 2 4 ) shops conducted in inner-alpine dry valleys ( Fig. 1 Angelini et al. 2024). Two EDGG biodiversity plots have already been sampled also in the Aosta Valley (Wiesner et al. 2015). ...
... This Field Workshop is the final one in a series of Field Work- Angelini et al. 2024). Two EDGG biodiversity plots have already been sampled also in the Aosta Valley (Wiesner et al. 2015). ...
... It is a mountainous area with an average elevation of c. 2100 m and numerous deep and narrow valleys. Strong contrasts are also observed in terms of precipitation distribution: the central parts of the region have low annual precipitation averages and host xerothermic vegetation (Wiesner et al., 2015), whereas the south-eastern periphery is warm and humid (D'Amico et al., 2020). As a result, diverse ecological niches exist, with high floristic richness, even if endemics are rare (Bovio, 2014). ...
The European Alps show a high degree of endemism associated mainly with the location of glacial refugia and environmental heterogeneity. Several Alpine endemics have evolved in the genus Alyssum. Here we study perennial Alyssum populations in the Western Alps, mainly distributed in the Aosta Valley region, which hosts high species diversity, although endemics are rare. We addressed the recently described stenoendemic A. rossetii and taxonomically uncertain populations usually attributed to A. montanum s.s. to clarify their phylogenetic position and morphological differentiation. The latter entity has been shown to be distinct from A. montanum s.s. and is described as a new species, Alyssum cognense, phylogenetically placed in the A. montanum-A. repens species complex. Both morphological and genetic patterns revealed that its closest relative occurs in the central Balkans. We present detailed ecological characteristics and morphological differentiation of A. cognense sp. nov. from its relatives and geographically closest species and speculate on its biogeographic origin. Genetic patterns (reduced diversity and nestedness) suggest long-distance dispersal from the central Balkan Peninsula. The second studied species, A. rossetii, is phylogenetically distant and belongs to the mainly Asian Alyssum section Gamosepalum lineage, which includes few representatives in southern and eastern Europe. The phylogenetically closest species of A. rossetii are Anatolian endemics, so this extreme disjunction remains puzzling. The present study illustrates the need for in-depth taxonomic and phylogenetic studies, even in well-explored Alpine regions, and also shows that the processes underlying the evolution of endemics can be complex and poorly understood.
... Phytosociological studies are well suited for evidence-based decisions in nature conservation. However, most studies of the inner-alpine dry valleys (Buschardt 1979;Wagner 1979;Kratochwil 2004, 2012;Wiesner et al. 2015;Dengler et al. 2019) focused on the more (south)western parts of the Alps with a severe summer drought, and merely touched the Eastern Alps, which have only a moderately continental climate that is influenced by cyclones from the Adriatic Sea. ...
... org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer; Biurrun et al. 2021). By contrast, our values for the first two orders (20.0 species for rocky grasslands, 26.9 species for xeric grasslands in 10 m²) were rather similar to richness data found for such types in the inner-alpine valleys of Italy (Wiesner et al. 2015: 25 species in 10 m²) and Switzerland (Dengler et al. 2019: 26.3 species for rocky and 24.3 species for xeric grasslands in 10 m²). Actually, if we exclude the high-elevation associations (transitional to Elyno-Seslerietea) of the meso-xeric grasslands also there the richness values were below average and similar to those found in Aosta Valley and Valais (Wiesner et al. 2015;Dengler et al. 2019). ...
... By contrast, our values for the first two orders (20.0 species for rocky grasslands, 26.9 species for xeric grasslands in 10 m²) were rather similar to richness data found for such types in the inner-alpine valleys of Italy (Wiesner et al. 2015: 25 species in 10 m²) and Switzerland (Dengler et al. 2019: 26.3 species for rocky and 24.3 species for xeric grasslands in 10 m²). Actually, if we exclude the high-elevation associations (transitional to Elyno-Seslerietea) of the meso-xeric grasslands also there the richness values were below average and similar to those found in Aosta Valley and Valais (Wiesner et al. 2015;Dengler et al. 2019). While for the Austrian stands one might be tempted to explain the low plot-scale richness with the small size of the majority of remaining patches, this is not the case for the two other regions where there are still large and well-managed dry grasslands persisting. ...
Aims : We studied the syntaxonomic position, biodiversity, ecological features, nature conservation value and current status of dry grasslands investigated by Josias Braun-Blanquet more than 60 years ago. Study area : Inner-alpine valleys of Austria. Methods : We sampled 67 plots of 10 m ² , following the standardized EDGG methodology. We subjected our plots to an unsupervised classification with the modified TWINSPAN algorithm and interpreted the branches of the dendrogram syntaxonomically. Biodiversity, structural and ecological characteristics of the resulting vegetation units at association and order level were compared by ANOVAs. Results : All the examined grasslands belong to the class Festuco-Brometea . From ten distinguished clusters, we could assign four clusters to validly published associations, while the remaining six clusters were named tentatively. We classified them into three orders: Stipo-Festucetalia pallentis ( Armerio elongatae-Potentilletum arenariae , Phleo phleoidis-Pulsatilletum nigricantis , Medicago minima-Melica ciliata community, Koelerio pyramidatae-Teucrietum montani ), Festucetalia valesiacae ( Sempervivum tectorum-Festuca valesiaca community); Brachypodietalia pinnati ( Astragalo onobrychidis-Brometum erecti , Agrostis capillaris-Avenula adsurgens community, Anthericum ramosum-Brachypodium pinnatum community, Ranunculus bulbosus-Festuca rubra community, Carduus defloratus-Brachypodium pinnatum community). Conclusions : The ten distinguished dry grassland communities of the Austrian inner-alpine valleys differ in their ecological affinities as well as their vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen diversity. We point out their high nature conservation importance, as each of them presents a unique habitat of high value.
Taxonomic reference : Names of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens follow Fischer et al. (2008), Frahm and Frey (2004) and Nimis et al. (2018), respectively.
Syntaxonomic reference : Names of orders and classes follow Mucina et al. (2016), references for associations and alliances are given in the text.
Abbreviations : ANOVA = analysis of variance; DCA: detrended correspondence analyses; EDGG: Eurasian Dry Grassland Group; EIV: ecological indicator value; FL: Fließ; GR: Griffen; GU: Gulsen; KA: Kaunerberg; LA: Laudegg castle in Ladis; MA: Marin; NM: Neumarkt in der Steiermark; OM: Obermauern; PÖ: Pöls; PU: Puxer Loch; TWINSPAN = Two-way indicator species analysis; ZS: Zinizachspitze.
... Preliminary averages of Festuco-Brometea grasslands across the Palaearctic realm were also clearly higher across all scales than the values from the Swiss inneralpine valleys, with 2.3 on 0.0001 m², 21.0 on 1 m², 34.9 on 10 m² and 54.1 on 100 m² (Dengler et al. 2018a). Comparably "low" vascular plant species richness in dry grasslands was found so far only (outside EDGG Field Workshops) in the Aosta valley (an extreme inneralpine valley of NW Italy, running parallel to the Rhône valley in Valais: 27.8 species on 10 m²: Wiesner et al. 2015), while the values on the hemiboreal islands of Öland and Saaremaa (24.2 and 24.0) and in the Pleistocene lowlands of NE Germany (19.8) were even lower (see Dengler et al. 2016a). Compared to most other habitats in Switzerland, dry grasslands are still particularly species rich. ...
The 12th EDGG Field Workshop took place from 11 to 19 May 2019, organised by the Vegetation Ecology Group of the Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Like in the 11th Field Workshop in Austria, the main target was the "Inneralpine Trockenvegetation" (Festuco-Brometea and Sedo-Scleranthetea), which was first extensively sampled by Josias Braun-Blanquet and collaborators during the fifties of the last century. We visited the Rhône valley in the cantons of Vaud and Valais, one of the most extreme xerothermic islands of the Alps and the Rhine and Inn valleys in the canton of Grison. In total, 30 nested-plot series (EDGG biodiversity plots) of 0.0001 to 100 m² and 82 plots of 10 m² were sampled in meso-xeric, xeric and rocky grasslands of 25 different sites, ranging from 500 to 1,656 m a.s.l., under different topographic, bedrock and landuse conditions. All vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens were recorded in each plot, along with their cover values. We found on average 28.9 vascular plants on 10 m²; which was the lowest mean species richness of any previous EDGG Field Workshop. These values are comparable to the average species richness values of dry grasslands of the Aosta valley. The data sampled will be used to understand the biodiversity patterns regionally and in the Palaearctic context as well as to place the Swiss dry grasslands in the modern European syntaxonomic system.
... High aridity, especially in the Alps, can influence species richness negatively. For example, Wiesner et al. (2015) pointed out the conspicuous species poorness of Festuco-Brometea grasslands in the Aosta Valley area. Of similar importance is the traditional management on the pastures and meadows practiced continuously until recent times in the Virgen Valley. ...
The 11 th EDGG Field Workshop was conducted from 6 to 13 July 2018 in Austria. Its aim was to revisit dry grasslands in the inneralpine dry valleys of Austria that were investigated in the late 1950s by Braun-Blanquet and to collect high-quality biodiversity data from these. We conducted our sampling in the Styrian Mur Valley, the Virgen Valley in East Tyrol, the Upper Inn Valley in Austrian Eastern Alps and Griffen in Carinthia. In total, we sampled 15 EDGG biodiversity plots and 37 additional 10 m 2 plots. Butterfly data were recorded in four biodiversity plots and two additional plots. We found maximum richness values of 49, 68 and 95 vascular plant species on 1, 10 and 100 m², while the corresponding values for the complete terrestrial vegetation were 56, 73 and 106 species. Maximum butterfly richness was 19, but it was in general quite low, and generalists dominated. Some of the areas studied by Braun-Blanquet were no dry grassland anymore, only few sites have remained largely unchanged. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) showed pronounced changes between the old (1950s and 1980s) and our current plots. It is rather obvious that without grazing or other human management activities, only very small cores of rocky dry grassland could survive in the comparatively humid Austrian inneralpine valleys. Finally, the sampled data raise questions about the syntaxonomic position of some of the grasslands, which needs to be addressed in a more comprehensive study, which is planned as next step.
... The average number of 23.3 vascular plant species found in this study is below the values reported for Festuco-Brometea communities in most European countries for 10-m 2 plots (Dengler et al., 2012Pedashenko et al., 2013;Kuzemko et al., 2016). However, they were similar to the values of species richness found by Dengler et al. (2019) at one location in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland (26.8 species), to those found by Wiesner et al. (2015) in the nearby Aosta valley in Italy (27.8 species) and the species numbers reported in Schwabe and Kratochwil (2004) from extremely dry Festuco-Brometea communities in the Aosta valley and Valais (range from 24 to 28). The lower species richness of our plots compared with those in other European regions is not surprising as the latter refer to basiphilous grasslands of the Brachypodietalia order which grow under more mesophilous conditions. ...
In Switzerland, steppe vegetation is restricted to inner alpine dry valleys in the West (Valais) and the East (Grisons). They harbour many specialist and threatened species. In 2011, a long-term program was established to monitor changes in Swiss habitats of national importance. Here, we studied patterns of vascular plant diversity in a subset of 148 steppe plots of 10 m2 from this program. Plots were either grazed or abandoned. On average, we found 23.3 species per plot. The proportion of steppe specialists and of threatened species out of the total species richness was 29.3% and 12.2%, respectively. The total number of species increased with elevation and peaked at intermediate productivity levels. In contrast, the proportion of threatened and steppe specialist species was generally negatively related to higher productivity and wood cover – two factors considered as indicators of habitat degradation. Abandonment vs. pasture had no effects on total species richness. Productivity was positively related to ecological indicator values for moisture, competition and ruderality, as well as the community mean traits of plant height and specific leaf area, but negatively with the indicator value for light. Similarly, wood cover was positively associated with higher ecological indicator values for productivity, moisture and competition, as well as the community mean trait of plant height, but negatively with the indicator value for light and ruderality. The negative response of threatened and steppe specialist vascular plant species to habitat degrading factors suggests their proportional richness to be a better indicator of habitat quality than the total species richness. We conclude that management regimes which guarantee low productivity and low wood cover and avoid intensification by fertilization and irrigation are essential for the conservation of steppe habitats. Beside periodic clearing of woody species, low-intensity grazing might prevent shrub encroachment.
... (Dengler et al. 2012, Wilson et al. 2012. However, they are very similar to those found in Festuco-Brometea communities of the Aosta valley, another inner-alpine dry valley of the Western Alps (Wiesner et al. 2015), where the average vascular plant species richness on 10 m² was 27.8. This finding might indicate that dry grasslands of the most extreme (continental) climates are less diverse than those of dry sites in more benign climates. ...
... While in Ausserberg the richness differences between the three orders were not significant for "all taxa" and "vascular plants" (Table 4), their richness ranking corresponds to the generally acknowledged pattern that semidry grasslands are much richer than either of the two xeric orders (e.g. Dengler et al. 2012;Wiesner et al. 2015). ...
The upper Rhone valley in the Swiss canton of Valais is one of the driest and most continental of the inner-alpine valleys and harbours a rich xerothermic flora. We studied syntaxonomy and ecology of dry grasslands and their species richness patterns. In 2018 we recorded 28 vegetation plots (10 m²) and three nested-plot series of 0.0001 to 100 m² on the south-facing slopes above the village of Ausserberg. Mean richness of all species ranged from 1.7 on 1 cm² to 47.3 on 100 m², with little contribution of bryophytes and lichens. Compared to similar communities in other parts of Europe, the studied ones were less diverse across all scales. The species-area relationship for total richness closely followed a power function. Modified TWINSPAN yielded a three-cluster solution, which could easily be matched with three orders of the class Festuco-Brometea: Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis (xeric, rocky), Festucetalia valesiacae (xeric, non-rocky) and Brachypodietalia pinnati (meso-xeric). The subdivision of the xeric types into two orders is new for Swiss dry grasslands, where these types up to now had been joined in a single alliance Stipo-Poion within the Festucetalia valesiacae.
... Understanding the biodiversity patterns is particularly interesting in comparison with the main distribution ranges of continental and subcontinental dry grasslands in Europe (Turtureanu et al. 2014;Kuzemko et al. 2016) and in the overall framework of the Palaearctic (see Dengler et al. 2016a). We are also curious whether our findings are similar to Austria (see Magnes et al. 2018) and the Aosta valley (Wiesner et al. 2015). ...
Since 2009 (Dengler et al. 2009; Turtureanu et al. 2014) the Field Workshops (formerly: Research Expeditions) are one of the major annual activities of EDGG. They aim to sample Palaearctic grasslands across multiple scales (0.0001–100 m²) and multiple taxa (vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens) to generate standardised high-quality biodiversity data, together with in situ environmental and structural data. The method of data sampling, first proposed by Dengler (2009), has been revised and improved from year to year and has been recently described in detail (Dengler et al. 2016b). Together with the generation of high-quality datasets, the exchange of knowledge between participants from different countries and with diverse scientific interests and backgrounds is an important aim of the EDGG Field Workshops.
Data collected in these expeditions have already been used for a series of regional studies on phytosociological classification (Dengler et al. 2012; Pedashenko et al. 2013; Kuzemko et al. 2014), patterns and drivers of plant diversity (Turtureanu et al. 2014; Kuzemko et al. 2016; Polyakova et al. 2016). Data have also been used for a comparative overview on mean and maximum richness values of Palaearctic grasslands (Dengler et al. 2016a). Recently, various animal taxa including spiders (Polchaninova et al. 2018), grasshoppers (see Dengler et al. 2016b) and leafhoppers (Filibeck et al. 2018) have also been collected on the same plots to allow multi-taxon studies beyond the original three groups (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens).
The multi-scale vegetation plot data from EDGG Field Workshops are fed into the “GrassPlot” database of EDGG (Dengler et al. 2018; http://bit.ly/2qKTQt2) to facilitate broader scientific utilization. This database is becoming a major source for macroecological studies, for example, on species-area relationships, alpha diversity, beta diversity or assembly rules. Finally, the Field Workshop data are also provided to national vegetation-plot databases, the European Vegetation Archive (EVA; Chytrý et al. 2016) and the global database “sPlot” (Bruelheide et al. 2019) to make them as useful as possible.
... Alyssum desertorum, Androsace maxima, Astragalus exscapus, Crocus variegatus, Goniolimon italicum, Salvia aethiopis, Sideritis italica, Stipa capillata (Conti & Bartolucci 2015;Morretti et al. 2015;Cancellieri et al. 2017a). The flora of these basins is thus somewhat similar to that of the wellknown Alpine "dry valleys" (Schwabe & Kratochwil 2004;Wiesner et al. 2015). However, while in the Alps the precipitation regime features a summer maximum, in the Apennines there is a sub-Mediterranean climate with a summer drought or at least with a summer rainfall minimum (Gerdol et al. 2008;Blasi et al. 2014;Filibeck et al. 2015), leading to an interesting mixture of steppic and Mediterranean elements in the grassland flora. ...
The 10th EDGG Field Workshop took place in a sector of the Central Apennine Mountains, Italy, in June 2017. Altogether, 22 researchers from nine European and Asian countries attended this Field Workshop. We sampled plant and insect biodiversity in sub-montane and lower-montane grasslands along a precipitation gradient, from the L’Aquila valley and the Fucino basin to the “Abruzzo, Lazio & Molise” National Park. The standardized EDGG sampling protocol, involving nested-plot series and additional 10-m² relevés, was used. In the course of seven days of intensive fieldwork, we sampled 20 biodiversity plots along with 57 additional normal plots (yielding a total dataset of 97 10-m² plots). Methodological additions tested in this workshop included the assessment of observer-related error (around 12% of the 10-m² plots was resurveyed by a different team). In all plots, vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens were sampled. At each nested-plot series, also insects (Auchenorrhyncha) were sampled by local specialists, who developed an ad-hoc sampling procedure.
