rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Biodiversity Research and Conservationhttps://sciendo.com/journal/BIORChttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/6470d71771e4585e08aa6d3a/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/BIORC140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.2<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The group of apophytes (native synanthropic plants) in the Seymskiy Regional Landscape Park (Sumy Oblast, northern Ukraine) has been studied with respect to its species composition and other features. This group in the park includes 285 species from 193 genera and 63 families. Among them, the most numerously represented families are the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Poaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Lamiaceae, Rosaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Polygonaceae, Boraginaceae, Cyperaceae, and Ranunculaceae, while the major genera are <italic>Trifolium</italic>, <italic>Veronica</italic>, <italic>Carex</italic>, <italic>Galium</italic>, <italic>Poa</italic>, <italic>Artemisia</italic>, <italic>Centaurea</italic>, <italic>Plantago</italic>, <italic>Potentilla</italic>, <italic>Rumex</italic>, <italic>Verbascum</italic>, and <italic>Viola</italic>. This study shows that hemicryptophytes dominate among plant life-forms, and most species are mesophytes. Meadow species of apophytes are the most numerous ecological group. The core of the group of apophytes consists of species of European-West Asian, Eurasian, European, and circumpolar distribution. According to the latitudinal types of distribution range, dominant positions are occupied by temperate-submeridional, boreal-submeridional, boreal-meridional, and temperate-meridional species. Hemiapophytes make up 41.4% of apophyte species, while accidental apophytes (38.2%), and euapophytes (20.4%) are less numerous. In the flora of the park, apophytes prevail over the adventive fraction (alien species introduced accidentally or intentionally). This contrasts with the contribution of apophytes to the flora of Ukraine and other protected areas.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.22024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.4<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>We present new data on the distribution of <italic>Lactuca </italic>species and review the currently documented data on the genus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). <italic>L. serriola </italic>L. is recorded for the first time from Abu Dhabi Emirate. <italic>L. dissecta </italic>D. Don, <italic>L. serriola</italic>, and <italic>L. orientalis </italic>(Boiss.) Boiss. were already reported from other emirates. Detailed morphological descriptions, types, distribution maps, and a key to <italic>Lactuca </italic>species in the UAE are included. We also highlight the deficiency of the documentation with herbarium specimens in the UAE.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.42024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.1<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The medieval Castle Kolno, situated near the village of Stare Kolnie, served as a custom house at the confluence of the rivers Budkowiczanka and Stobrawa. Numerous diaspores of plants were found in archaeological excavations, in the layers of the 14th-15th centuries AD. The excavations were located near the former access road, where increased human activity has affected the composition of the fossil macroremains of plants. Two <italic>Brassica </italic>species (cabbage <italic>B. oleracea </italic>and black mustard <italic>B. nigra</italic>) cultivated in small fields near the castle were recognised. Diaspores of weeds and ruderal plants were also deposited at the site. The most frequent were: <italic>Solanum nigrum</italic>, <italic>Setaria pumila</italic>, <italic>Chenopodium album</italic>, <italic>Rumex acetosella</italic>, <italic>Persicaria lapathifolia</italic>, and <italic>Urtica dioica</italic>. The collected set of fossil diaspores is composed of plant species associated with anthropogenic habitats and shows the dispersal dynamics in various micro-niches within them.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.12024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.3<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In the spring of 2022, botanical surveys carried out in the Belezma National Park allowed the rediscovery of <italic>Tulipa sylvestris </italic>subsp. <italic>primulina</italic>, a rare and endemic Algerian-Moroccan species. The provided photographs as well as an accurate description of the plant facilitate its identification. The added map shows its distribution throughout Algeria.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.71.32024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.2<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p><italic>Cryptomycina pteridis </italic>(Ascomycota, class Sordariomycetes) is a highly host-specific fungus, infecting only a native, fern <italic>Pteridium aquilinum. </italic>This endophyte is usually overlooked, although it is easy to recognise due to its characteristic symptoms on bracken fern fronds, especially advanced narrowing and shrivelling of pinnae and pinnules. Infested plants have pinnae and pinnules curling upwards, and dark stromata along the veins on the undersides of pinnules. The fungus is an obligate systemic endophyte, which disturbs fern growth. The paper presents some old and new records of <italic>C. pteridis </italic>in Poland.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.22024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.5<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p><italic>Impatiens pseudolaevigata </italic>Gogoi, B. B. T. Tham &amp; Lidén was collected in August 2019 from the broadleaved forest of Zhemgang district, and is reported as new to the flora of Bhutan. Detailed descriptions, remarks on ecology, field notes, and images of the species are provided.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.52024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.4<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Mediterranean coastal dunes have an undeniable value in terms of floristic diversity as a result of their well-adapted plant species, such as psammophytes and halophytes. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are often disturbed by anthropogenic activities, such as the use of bathing settlements and trampling, the construction of paths or roads, and grazing by livestock. In this paper, these environmental factors were considered to determine their relative influences on several Algerian coastal dune systems undergoing ecological disturbance, by measuring in these systems various ecological gradients. Using ecological indices, multivariate analysis of data, and the analysis of variance, we compared the composition of the flora of 7 study sites that were subjected to various scales and types of disturbances. A total of 83 plant species were identified, reflecting the floristic richness of the sites. They seemed to be unevenly distributed and considerably modified according to environmental and human impact descriptors. The composition, abundance, and distribution of plant diversity are positively correlated with the height and width of the dunes. Regrettably, the floristic diversity of coastal dunes is more and more degraded by disturbance pressures (particularly grazing).</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.42024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.3<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p><italic>Haloxylon scoparium </italic>(syn. <italic>Hammada scoparia</italic>, in Arabic: <italic>remth</italic>) is a steppe species characteristic of the Saharan Atlas and belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. An ethnobotanical survey on <italic>H. scoparia </italic>was carried out in the local population of the Naâma region. Using 200 questionnaire forms, this ethnobotanical study made it possible to identify the different uses of the species against various health problems. The results show that <italic>H. scoparia </italic>is well known by the population for its therapeutic virtues, with a level of knowledge of 96% and a fidelity index of 42%. As many as 192 respondents reported its use against 18 conditions, including diseases of the digestive system, injuries, skin inflammation, diabetes, and scorpion stings, which occupy the first place with a rate of 43%. Leaves have an intraspecific use value of 55.6%, and decoction of the leaves followed by the powder alone or in combination is the most used preparation method. This steppe species deserves to be valued on a large scale for its socio-economic and ecological aspects but also for its therapeutic effects.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.32024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.1<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Plant species diversity was studied in 20 sandy wadis of the northern Algerian Sahara (Ghardaïa region). Based on subjective sampling, 20 floristic surveys were carried out in the various sandy biotopes in February-April 2022. Through an ascending hierarchical analysis, we distinguished 3 phytoecological groups and assessed their functional, biogeographic, and abundance characteristics. The recorded plants represented 15 species (296 individuals) belonging to 15 genera of 10 botanical families. The most represented families were the Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Brassicaceae, and Poaceae. In terms of the real plant-life spectrum, hemicryptophytes (51.7% of individuals) dominated the sandy wadis, followed by chamaephytes (33.1%) and phanerophytes (15.2%). In the real dispersal spectrum, the barochores prevailed (60%). The real phytogeographic spectrum shows that the Saharan endemic element reached the highest share (32.7%). In terms of abundance, an analysis of the real spectrum revealed that very common species (52%) dominate in the Ghardaïa region, but some fairly rare plants were also found. Indeed, the sandy biotopes of the wadis of the Ghardaïa region are valuable habitats for the conservation of plant species in the northern Algerian Sahara.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.72.12024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.2<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The variability of fruit stone characteristics of medieval fossil forms and modern ones was analysed in a small <italic>Prunus spinosa </italic>(blackthorn) population in the vicinity of Castle Kolno near Stare Kolnie in Opole Province. A modern putative hybrid resulting from natural crossing with cultivated plums was discovered, corresponding to some fossil morphotypes. The analysis of the correlations of features indicated developmental relationships between them. The pattern of variability of the examined stones in the ordination space confirmed the development of the <italic>Prunus spinosa</italic>-<italic>Prunus domestica </italic>complex as an element of a dynamic syngameon. The population also showed variations in leaf morphotypes, which may be used in taxonomic analysis.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.22024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.5<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p><italic>Ophiorrhiza ripicola </italic>Craib (Rubiaceae) is reported here for the first time from Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is differing from other Indian <italic>Ophiorrhiza </italic>species by having triangular stipules, cuneate lamina base, corolla white-purple, 32 mm long, glabrous outside and pubescent inside, and filaments 14 mm long. Detailed description, digital images, distribution, habitat and ecology are presented for easy identification.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.52024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.1<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p><italic>Polygonatum tessellatum </italic>F. T. Wang &amp; Tang (Asparagaceae) was rediscovered in Manipur after a gap of 97 years. Description, image, and current population size are provided on the basis of recent botanical explorations.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.12024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.4<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The herb <italic>Euphorbia hypericifolia </italic>L. was recorded for the first time in the flora of Libya. The species was collected in Tobruk city in north-eastern Libya in 2022. It is presented here with updated nomenclature, taxonomic description, geographical distribution, and the place of occurrence in Libya. A coloured photograph taken in the field is also provided. The voucher specimens have been deposited in the Herbarium of Botany Department (ULT), Faculty of Sciences, University of Tripoli, Libya.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.42024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.3<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Our ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants native to Numidia aimed to investigate traditional therapeutic and cosmetic uses reported by the local population, traditional practitioners, and herbalists of this region. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out using questionnaires on <italic>Calendula suffruticosa </italic>Vahl (shrub-like marigold) and <italic>Fumaria capreolata </italic>L. (climbing fumitory) in 2017-2018 in 5 cities of north-eastern Algeria. We studied the profile of 100 respondents, their knowledge of local plant names, therapeutic uses, the parts used, and the mode of use of each plant. The data collected show 62.0% of local people use these plants for several reasons, while 38% use it only for therapeutic purposes. The aerial part is the most usable for both species, especially the flower for marigold (82.0% of those who use it). According to the surveys conducted, it appears that the local communities in these cities make use of various medical properties of marigold: anti-inflammatory (37.0%), antibacterial (16.2%), against oedema (8.6%), anti-ulcer (6.1%), sedative, cholesterol-lowering (3.4%), antihypertensive, i.e. lowering blood pressure (2.6%). In contrast, the use of fumitory is rare, due to its toxicity in larger doses. In most cases, the method of administration of the remedies varies, e.g. as an infusion (72.1% of those who use fumitory), decoction (10.0%), compresses (10.8%), cream or ointment based on decoction (7.0%). This study shows the great importance of medicinal plants in the local traditional medicine of north-eastern Algeria.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.70.32024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.69.1<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The syntaxonomical diversity of the ruderal vegetation of the class <italic>Artemisietea vulgaris </italic>in the territory of Ukraine has been studied in 2015-2020. It is established that this class includes 58 associations from six alliances (<italic>Convolvulo arvensis- Agropyrion repentis</italic>, <italic>Arction lappae</italic>, <italic>Dauco-Melilotion</italic>, <italic>Onopordion acanthii</italic>, <italic>Medicagini falcatae-Diplotaxion tenuifoliae </italic>and <italic>Rorippo austriacae-Falcarion vulgaris</italic>) and two orders (<italic>Agropyretalia intermedio-repentis </italic>and <italic>Onopordetalia acanthii</italic>). Based on the results of the DCA-ordination analysis, it was found that the distribution of this type of ruderal vegetation is determined by the concentration of mineral nitrogen, the degree of aeration of the substrate, and the variability of moisture. At the level of high-rank syntaxa we didn’t find only vegetation that was specific for sub-Mediterranean and Mediterranean regions as well as for eastern part of European russia. At the same time, we determined specific vegetation on the European scale from the territory of Ukraine. This is Crimean submediterranean xero-mesophytic ruderal vegetation and semiruderal meso-xerophytic vegetation united into two alliances – <italic>Medicagini falcatae-Diplotaxion tenuifoliae </italic>and <italic>Rorippo austriacae-Falcarion vulgaris</italic>. All associations within these alliances are also specific only for the territory of Crimea, characterized by the specific floristic structure and diagnostic species core, and didn’t find in other regions of Ukraine.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.69.12024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.69.2<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The study presents the current status of trees in urban landscapes of the Nilgiris district. In this study, 171 species belonging to 127 genera and 59 families were identified. The angiosperms were represented by 156 species and the gymnosperms by 15 species, identified as potential urban trees, including both wild and ornamental tree species. Among the 171 species, the Fabaceae were the dominant family (19 species), followed by the Myrtaceae (13 species) and Cupressaceae (6 species). Ornamentals accounted for 24% of all the species. A complete list of the recorded urban trees is provided, supplemented with their potential economic value.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.69.22024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.69.3<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Although both subspecies of <italic>Pteridium aquilinum </italic>(subsp. <italic>aquilinum </italic>and subsp. <italic>pinetorum</italic>) are widespread in Poland, our knowledge about the occurrence and significance of extrafloral nectaries on frond stipes (petioles) is very limited. Their location on the abaxial stipe surface in pairs at subsequent pinna-bases is often overlooked. The study concerns the morphological/ anatomical structure, distribution, and function of the bracken nectaries. Observations of sugar secretions of the nectaries and their local associations with ants indicated a dependence on frond age, seasonality, and environmental factors. The nectaries consist of a single layer of the epidermis with stomata, secretory parenchyma, and ground parenchyma cells lying above the vascular bundles, with a hypodermal sterome composed of fibres. The anatomy of the two examined subspecies revealed a close similarity, despite the morphological differences in size, shape, colour, and secretory activity. This paper provides also a review of published data on the nectaries in <italic>P. aquilinum </italic>and other fern species.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2023.69.32024-04-02T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2022.68.2<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>A new hybrid within the <italic>Hippochaete</italic> subgenus of <italic>Equisetum</italic> genus, <italic>Equisetum</italic> ×<italic>meridionale</italic> (Milde) Chiov. was discovered in Poland during the research conducted in 2022 at two locations in Kotlina Żywiecka (the Żywiec Basin) and Beskid Wyspowy (Island Beskids – Western Beskids) in the anthropogenic habitats in close proximity to <italic>Equisetum ramosissimum</italic>. The identity of the hybrid was unequivocally confirmed by macro-morphological observations, microscopic analysis and flow cytometry. The most pronounced macroscopic characteristics of the hybrid were the intermediate size of the shoots and leaf sheaths, which are black with long black teeth. The microscopic observations revealed that the hybrid has silica tubercles in the form of cross-bands, similarly as in the case of <italic>E. ramosissimum,</italic> but not in the form of two rows as in the case of <italic>E. variegatum.</italic> The measurements of the nuclear DNA content (2C values) revealed that the putative hybrid had a nuclear DNA content intermediate to that of the parental species, i.e. <italic>E. ramosissimum</italic> (56.13 pg) and <italic>E. variegatum</italic> (63.80 pg) obtained in the present studies and within the values previously reported for <italic>E.</italic> ×<italic>meridionale</italic> (60.7-61.2 pg).</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2022.68.22023-01-28T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2022.68.3<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In the Algerian steppe (Rogassa) overgrazing led to the reduction of the surface of the pasture land and its biodiversity. The objective of this work was to highlight the importance of the protected land in maintaining biodiversity and preserving the degraded areas. A mixed sampling for the two different sites was adopted, where fifty floristic surveys were conducted using the Braun-Blanquet method. The analysis of the real biological spectrum of the unprotected land was marked by the strong dominance of the therophytes. However, in the protected land the chamaephytes dominated all of the biological types. The analysis of the biogeographic spectra revealed the reappearance of the endemic species (+3%). The Shannon Index was very important in this matter (2.43). The Student’s t-test of the biodiversity’s index showed a highly significant difference between the two sites. The ascending hierarchical classification revealed that the protected land is subdivided into four groups dominated respectively by: <italic>Macrochloa tenacissima</italic>, <italic>Lygeum spartum</italic>, <italic>Artemisia erba-alba</italic> and <italic>Hordeum murinum</italic>. The results of the Jaccard dissimilarity index indicated a strong difference of the order of 80% between the two areas.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2022.68.32023-01-28T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2022.68.4<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>An ethnobotanical study was carried out in the Naâma region to gather information on the traditional therapeutic uses of a plant of medicinal interest, <italic>Saccocalyx satureioides</italic>, practiced by the local population. Using 40 questionnaires, ethnobotanical surveys were carried out in the province of Naâma between January and April 2015. The analysis of the data collected in the field made it possible to identify 17 diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, kidney problems, certain diseases of the digestive tract, in particular those of the colon and the stomach, treated with <italic>S. satureioides</italic>. The results show that different parts of the plant (leaves, flowers, fruits and roots) are used in the form of decoction, maceration; they are cooked and powdered in therapeutic preparations.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/biorc.2022.68.42023-01-28T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1