Floristical and ecological characterization of the polar desert zone of Greenland

Abstract. Species composition and biomass of four plant communities were investigated in two coastal polar desert areas in eastern North Greenland, bordering the North East Water Polynya - an ice-free sea area kept open by upwelling - and compared with inland areas in North Greenland. Herb barren, the poorest type, has a species richness of 6 species/m², a cover of 0.7 %, and an aboveground biomass of 0.6 g/m² (vascular plants). The richest type, Saxifraga oppositifolia snowbed, has 10 species/m², 5.0 % cover, and 11.2 g/m² biomass. A floristic and vegetation boundary exists a few kilometres from the coast. The coastal areas bordering the North East Water Polynya had an impoverished flora and vegetation compared to areas near the ice-covered sea, possibly caused by very low summer temperatures and high frequency of clouds. A new delimitation of the polar deserts of Greenland is proposed on the basis of the number of vascular plant species, the occurrence of species with a specific inland distribution in North Greenland and the dominating life forms. At present the polar desert zone includes only areas within a zone up to ca. 15 km from the outer coast of high arctic Greenland - north of ca. 80° N. Large areas formerly classified as polar deserts in eastern North Greenland, as well as in Washington Land in western North Greenland, are excluded. New floristic data confirm that Greenland is correctly included in the Canadian province of the arctic polar deserts, whereas there is no reason for subdividing the polar deserts of the Canadian province.     

Early Holocene plant and animal remains from North-east Greenland

Aim The aim of this paper is to describe and interpret early Holocene floras and faunas. Location The floras and faunas come from various localities in North-east Greenland. Methods Sediment samples were wet sieved, and macrofossils picked out and dated by the AMS radiocarbon-dating method. Results Sediments, dated to the first centuries after the last glacial stage came to an abrupt end, contain a macroflora of bryophytes and a few herbs, and we suggest that these plant remains represent a pioneer vegetation entirely without woody plants. The named species of herbs are either confined to the northern parts of Greenland at present, or they become increasingly more important towards the north. Crowberry is the oldest woody plant recovered; it was present at 10.4 cal. ka BP , and it appears to have been common during the early Holocene in East Greenland. Main conclusions We suggest that the majority of the extant flora of vascular plants of East Greenland arrived by long distance dispersal during the Holocene. Some species may also have arrived during the late-glacial, and a few hardy species that are adapted to low summer temperatures may have survived the last glacial stage in nonglaciated areas. Some hardy animals may also have survived, but the majority of the fauna are considered Holocene immigrants. We suggest that migrating birds and storms, perhaps in combination, are under-appreciated dispersal vectors.     

A SUMMARY OF THE TAXA IN THE VASCULAR FLORA OF THE UNITED STATES,CANADA AND GREENLAND

A tabular summary, by family, of the 56,431 computerized names of those native and naturalized plant taxa included in the “Synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada and Greenland” (including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) indicates a flora of 21,588 species in 2,921 genera in 254 families. There are also 740 named hybrids and, under current concepts, 2,491 subspecies and 8,008 varieties in our flora. There are 20,429 pertinent or “manual level” synonyms, with the number of synonyms exceeding the number of accepted names in many families (especially those families of high agricultural, horticultural or other economic importance).     

黄河三角洲贝壳堤岛自然保护区维管植物区系研究

为了给黄河三角洲贝壳堤岛自然保护区维管植物资源的开发和利用提供理论依据,对黄河三角洲贝壳堤岛自然保护区植物资源进行了调查和研究,初步统计本地区维管植物共有58科、149属、228种。其中,蕨类植物3科、5属、9种;裸子植物1科、1属、1种;被子植物54科、143属、218种。从科、属、种三个层次对其植物区系进行了统计分析后得出结论：该区植物多样性贫乏;区系属的分化程度高;地理成分复杂,分布类型多样;无特有现象。     

Woody flora as a predictor of vascular plant richness: An insight in Italy

A key problem in quantifying biodiversity is whether it is possible to infer the overall diversity using suitable data subsets. The aim of this article, based on the updated data on the native woody flora of Italy, is to evaluate the reliability of such data as a predictor of vascular plant richness at a medium scale represented by the 20 administrative regions. Woody taxa were divided in trees, shrubs and lianas. We used stepwise multiple regression and principal component analysis to analyse the correlation between environmental heterogeneity, vascular plant units (species and subspecies) richness and woody units’ richness. Woody flora of Italy consists of 61 families, 133 genera, 469 species and 509 units. Shrubs constitute 74% of the woody flora, trees and lianas of 23% and 3%, respectively. Both stepwise multiple regression analysis and two principal component analyses strongly suggest that woody units, and trees in particular, are correlated with total vascular plant richness, at all hierarchical taxonomical levels. The environmental heterogeneity has been demonstrated to be much more important than the area for the biodiversity of Italian regions. Woody flora, as a surrogate of total flora, is extremely useful for rapid assessments of overall vascular plant diversity that may be exploited for monitoring purposes.     

世界上已知维管植物有多少种? 基于多个全球植物数据库的整合

维管植物是地球上生物多样性的重要组成部分, 拥有超过200年的研究历史。然而, 世界上有多少种维管植物, 其中有多少种已被发现和描述等问题迄今仍未很好回答。本文整合分析了全球4个主要植物数据库, 以期回答全球已发现和描述了多少物种的问题。结果表明, 全球已发现和描述的维管植物有376,366种(包括自然杂交种)。排除自然杂交种后, 全球共包含369,054种维管植物, 其中广义蕨类植物13,810种, 裸子植物1,172种, 被子植物354,072种。我们的结果比已有的4个数据库中的任何一个的物种数都至少要多17,700种。     

Diversity and distribution of foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta) in West Greenland: a link between the North Atlantic and North Pacific

Greenland is a continental island in the northern part of the North Atlantic where the foliose Bangiales flora is poorly known. It is an important area for the study of algal biogeography because of the region’s glacial history, in which Greenland has been alternately exposed to or isolated from the North Pacific via the Bering Strait. A molecular study using 3′ rbcL + 5′ rbcL–S sequences was undertaken to assess the diversity of foliose Bangiales on the west coast of Greenland and rbcL sequences were used to study the Greenland flora in a larger phylogenetic and floristic context. New and historic collections document seven species in four genera from the west coast of Greenland. All species had a close link to North Pacific species, being either conspecific with them or North Atlantic–North Pacific vicariant counterparts.     

浙江丽水生态示范区植物的分布特点

1999年底被国务院批准设立为全国第4个生态示范区的丽水市（包括莲都区,缙云县,云和县,松阳县,遂昌县,庆元县,青田县,龙泉市和景宁畲族自治县）,由于地形复杂,原生,次生林等保存较好,生态环境保持良好,植物资源极为丰富。笔者根据多年来对该地区的资源调查和标本采集统计,已知有维管束植物206科,94属,2881种,其中蕨类植物的种类和数量在中国东半部仅次于台湾和海南,尤其是鳞毛蕨属和复叶耳蕨属可以认为是在我国的一个分布中心,种子植物的种类和数量与邻近周边地相比也占有明显优势,区内珍衡濒危植物众多,区系起源古老,不乏古老的种,属及残遗种,且区系成分复杂,来源于多种地理成分。     

广东大瑶山维管植物区系的基本特征

广东大瑶山地处南岭山脉南部的中亚热带地区, 25°11'18"N, 113°13'02"E,有野生维管植物1411种(含变种),隶属于194科701属。其中蕨类植物132种,所占比例较大,表明植物区系起源古老。区系表征科与植被优势科为壳斗科、山茶科、樟科、木兰科、金缕梅科、桑科、紫金牛科、山矾科等,说明该地域是华夏植物区系的重要组成部分。种子植物属的分布区类型中泛热带分布占优势,同时热带、温带区系成分均有不同程度地侵入,区系成分复杂,充分体现出其原始古老的自然性与植物种类的多样性。     

Phytogeography of the Kaieteur Falls, Potaro Plateau, Guyana: floral distributions and affinities

Aim The plant diversity of one location on the Guiana Shield, Kaieteur National Park in Guyana, is used to examine the various hypothesized origins of the flora and to evaluate which may best explain the current plant distributions. Location Kaieteur National Park is located on eastern edge of the Potaro Plateau in central Guyana, South America. The species examined have distributions that vary from local to global. Methods The distribution patterns of the families, genera and species known from Kaieteur are examined using generalized distribution patterns. Results Data on distribution patterns, elevation and habitat were gathered from 131 flowering plant families, 517 genera and 1227 species. These plants represent all taxa that are currently known to occur in the area of the original Kaieteur National Park. Families tend to have cosmopolitan or pantropical distribution, genera are mostly neotropical and at the species level, most species are restricted to the Guiana Shield (c. 40%), northern South America (69%) or neotropical (96%) in distribution, each level inclusive of the previous. Conclusions The flora at the study site in Kaieteur National Park has its strongest affinity with the Guiana Shield; 42.1% of the species have a distribution that corresponds with the Shield or is more restricted within the Shield. There is a distinct flora on the Guiana Shield and its affinities lie with the flora of northern South American and beyond that, the neotropics. The flora is not closely affiliated with the floras of the Brazilian Shield, the Amazon, the Andes, the eastern coastal forests of Brazil, southern South America, or Africa as has been previous suggested.     

广东肇庆石灰岩植物区系的基本特征

肇庆石灰岩共有维管植物９１科２２６属３０３种。经过对种子植物、蕨类植物地理成分分析和与邻近植物区系比较,表明肇庆石灰岩植物区系服从植物地理分带规律,以热带－亚热带分布成分为主体,表现出明显的南亚热带南缘植物区系性质;同时显示出岩溶基质特点;与紧邻的土山植物区系具有完全迥异的表征科。区系区划上属于华南植物区,位于粤中亚区与粤西－桂中亚区的汇合点     

A new species of Aethionema (Brassicaceae) from the Bulgarian flora

Aethionema rhodopaeum D. Pavlova is described as a new species from the eastern Rhodope Mountains. The plant was found growing only on serpentines, in two localities, at an altitude of approximately 400 m. The localities are typical open habitats with sparsely colonized debris. The plant communities, composed mainly of xerophytes with a mosaic distribution, contain a large number of rare and endemic species for the Bulgarian flora. The new species belongs to the Aethionema saxatile group and is quite close to the species A. saxatile (L.) R. Br., in particular to ssp. creticum and ssp. graecum . The following diagnostic features are given for the new species: inner filament length always greater than half the petal length, lack of teeth of the filaments, longer [2–3(3.5) mm] style than that of A. saxatile subspecies, and dark purple petals. All leaves are broadly elliptical to suborbicular, obtuse, and fleshy. The chromosome number of the new species is 2 n  = 24. The differences between the new species and related taxa are also discussed.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 155 , 533–540.     

Quaternary marine macroalgae from Greenland

Four species of brown algae, Sphacelaria arctica, S. plumosa, Desmarestia aculeata , and midribs of a Fucus species have been found in Holocene and interstadial deposits in Greenland. The green alga Chlorochytrium dermatocolax and the red alga Audoui-nella cfr. microscopica are reported for the first time in such deposits. All species are present in the extant flora of marine, benthic algae from Greenland. They are very well preserved and can be identified to species level.     

The Atlantic elements in the Swiss flora: distribution, diversity, and conservation status

The purpose of this study was to examine the composition, distribution, ecology, and conservation status of the Atlantic elements of the Swiss flora. About 195 Atlantic and 80 Mediterranean–Atlantic vascular plant species of the European flora have been used as the basis for our analysis. The complete list of 3,143 taxa has been used as the reference for the Swiss flora. The distributions of the species are illustrated in coincidence maps based on the computer database of the Data Centre of the Swiss Flora in Geneva, Switzerland. Our study demonstrates clearly that the Atlantic flora of Europe requires a new biogeographical appraisal. The Swiss flora comprises 66 Atlantic and Mediterranean–Atlantic taxa, which are taxonomically and ecologically highly diverse. Switzerland contains 44% of all European Sub-Atlantic plants. This confirms the Sub-Atlantic geographical position of Switzerland. Only one Eu-Atlantic species growing in Switzerland, Vicia orobus, can be classified as native with certainty. This species is critically endangered and merits the highest conservation priority. Although a very alpine country, Switzerland has a relatively large number of Mediterranean–Atlantic species. The Atlantic and Mediterranean–Atlantic plants are a very threatened group in Switzerland, with wetland plants the most imperilled ecological group. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

北京湿地维管植物区系研究

记录了分布于北京地区的典型湿地维管植物266种7变种1变型,共274个分类群,隶属于58科144属。从种一级的水平对这274个分类群进行分析,可分为14个分布区类型,其中温带性质的种187种,为整个区系成分的主体,另有世界广布种45种,热带性质的种30种,中国特有种12种。就北京湿地维管植物区系特征而言,其种类组成与华北其他地区湿地存在着相似性,温带成分占优势地位,并存在一些古老孑遗种类及特有种。此外,还对区系成分中的受危种和外来种进行了讨论。     

Adaptation of the flora to anthropogenic impact in the southern Volga Upland

Analysis of the flora has been performed in the main types of anthropogenic biotopes in the south of the Volga Upland (within the Saratov Region), including urbanized areas, technogenic sites, forest plantations, and agrocenoses. The results show that only 908 out of 1379 vascular plant species listed for the study region occur in such biotopes, their number reaching a maximum of 636 in technogenic sites and decreasing to a minimum of 438 in agrocenoses. It is hypothesized that the aboriginal flora of the southern Volga Upland has a buffer capacity and will retain its basic structural pattern even if two-thirds of its constituent species are lost.     

The vascular flora of Rome

The aim of this paper is to document plant diversity in the metropolitan area of Rome (Italy) by providing a comprehensive inventory of the present-day vascular flora and an overview of its composition and species diversity. We compiled the floristic catalogue by including all vascular plant entities that occur spontaneously within the administrative boundaries of the Rome municipality. The data, which were gathered from extensive field surveys, from a broad review of the literature and from herbaria records, were updated and integrated in a comprehensive account. The inventory of the flora of metropolitan Rome lists 1649 entities, from 139 families and 677 genera. The flora contains 228 taxa that are non-native to the Italian flora, 81 of which are established in the study area. The overview of flora reveals a remarkable species diversity and outlines the main characteristics of the flora of Rome, which may be summarized as (1) a large number of taxa of high conservation value which occur in remnants of near-natural vegetation, (2) the loss or decline of some species, particularly of native freshwater plants, (3) a remarkably high native species richness within the urban area, which includes many native woody species and (4) a rich ruderal flora, prevalently composed of native species that are well adapted to human disturbance, along with a variety of taxa of non-native or uncertain origin. The large set of data and the overview presented in this paper represent a fundamental framework for future research and for the conservation of plant diversity in metropolitan Rome.     

惠州西湖风景名胜区维管植物资源与多样性研究

为了明确惠州西湖风景名胜区维管植物资源及多样性特征,该研究通过野外实地调查和文献查阅,统计惠州西湖风景名胜区维管植物种类构成及其科、属、种层面的具体组成,并分析其分布区类型、濒危物种、药用植物和水生植物状况。结果表明:(1)惠州西湖风景名胜区共有维管植物169科650属1 061种,其中被子植物种类最丰富,有145科613属1 002种,科、属、种数分别占总数的85.80%、94.30%、94.44%;裸子植物9科20属36种,科、属、种数分别占总数的5.33%、3.10%、3.39%;蕨类植物15科17属23种,科、属和种数分别占总数的8.88%、2.60%、2.17%。(2)惠州西湖风景名胜区植物资源的优势科明显,含10种及以上的科有29科653种,占总种数的61.55%,其中菊科最多(有63种),禾本科次之(有60种);研究区有单属、种的植物442种,表明单种或少数种的科在研究区维管植物中占大多数。(3)惠州西湖风景名胜区有种子植物154科,分属13个分布区类型,其中泛热带分布区类型有60科,所占的比例最高(55.56%),表明该区种子植物具有明显的热带特性,其种子植物区系以热带分布为主。(4)惠州西湖风景名胜区有珍稀濒危植物29种(其中国家保护植物26种),药用植物702种,水生植物150种。研究表明,惠州西湖风景名胜区维管植物资源种类丰富,多样性程度高,应特别加强植物资源的保护和利用以及生态景观的建设。     

Chemical polymorphism of essential oil in Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus (Lamiaceae) from Greenland

The chemistry of the essential oil of Thymus praecox Opiz ssp. arcticus (E. Durand) Jalas from Greenland was studied with the intention of comparing it with the results obtained earlier from Icelandic material. All the 17 samples collected at different localities of South–West Greenland were found to contain linalyl acetate as main component besides some sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and some oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The variable content of the sesquiterpene alcohols, nerolidol and hedycaryol in the essential oil gave reason to define four different chemotypes. The pattern of the chemotype characterizing compounds was identical with that of four of the seven chemotypes found earlier to be the most widely distributed in Iceland, namely chemotypes B, C, D, and F. No correlation between the occurrence of a certain type and special environmental conditions was found. That the essential oil chemistry and the appearance of polychemism in the Greenland Thymus plants accords so well with that of the Icelandic ones, indicates that the distance of nearly 300 km between Iceland and Greenland has not led to locally limited "chemical races" within Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus. These findings are contrary to the results obtained in some Mediterranean Thymus species.     

辽东半岛仙人洞自然保护区植物区系多样性分析

物种多样性分析与研究对于全球生物多样性保护具有重要的意义,运用植物地理学理论,结合外业调查、多样性指数、相关分析和聚类模型等方法,对辽宁仙人洞植物区系多样性进行定量分析,以揭示山地区系生物多样性的特点及规律。结果表明:(1)本区野生植物种类组成丰富,共有维管植物109科379属803种,其中蕨类植物13科17属39种,裸子植物5科12属18种,被子植物91科350属746种,优势科现象明显,单种属和少种属占比率较高,表现出一定古老残遗性;种的区系分布型多样,区系组成复杂,但特有现象不明显;温带成分占主体,表明本区温带植物区系历史起源。(2)仙人洞与邻近山地相比较,植物区系Shannon-Wiener指数差异明显(1.736~2.053),其中仙人洞和徂徕山较高,白石砬子和长白山较低,而Simpson指数差异并不明显(0.711 4~0.825 3)。(3)经相关性分析,不同山地植物区系之间相似程度显著(P0.01),相关系数达0.811~0.997,聚类分析显示仙人洞、凤凰山、千山、五台山及小五台山区系关系较近,支持仙人洞划归华北植物区系山地植物亚地区较为合适。