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Wide habitat preference found in a rare, regional endemic species: Iris brandzae Prodán (Iridaceae Juss., subgenus Limniris, series Spuriae) in Romania


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Iris brandzae is one of the most threatened plant species in Romania. The current distribution of this species is very fragmented, and the population size has been reduced in the last 30 years. Information on the habitat preferences of the species has not been summarized yet. In this context, this study aimed to identify the habitat preferences of the species I. brandzae in Romania. The study was carried out in the NE (Moldova) and SE (Muntenia) regions of Romania. For the vegetation analysis, a total of 46 relevés were used. To classify the vegetation, we applied the hierarchical agglomerative clustering method, using the ß-flexible algorithm with ß = -0.25 and the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity. The data were represented as mean percentage values, according to the the Braun-Blanquet scale . Relationships between floristic composition and environmental variables were analyzed with Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). The vegetation analysis showed that I. brandzae grows in xerophilous, mesophilous and halophilous grasslands and ash-alpine alluvial forests. The species occurs in the communities of the Stipion lessingianae alliance, of the Festucetalia valesiacae order, mainly. The results of the CCA analysis indicate that the variation of the floristic composition of I. brandzae is influenced by the annual mean temperature (BIO1).

eISSN:
1854-9829
Idioma:
Inglés
Calendario de la edición:
2 veces al año
Temas de la revista:
Life Sciences, Plant Science, Ecology, other