Assessment of Herbaceous Plant Composition, Diversity, and Indicator Species in the Juniperus drupacea Forest Openings of the Mountain Parnonas in Greece

Alexandra D. Solomou (), Evangelia Korakaki, Evangelia V. Avramidou, Stefanos Boutsios, Spyridon Oikonomidis and Evangelia Daskalakou
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Alexandra D. Solomou: Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (ELDO DIMITRA), P.O. Box 14180, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece
Evangelia Korakaki: Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (ELDO DIMITRA), P.O. Box 14180, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece
Evangelia V. Avramidou: Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (ELDO DIMITRA), P.O. Box 14180, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece
Stefanos Boutsios: Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (ELDO DIMITRA), P.O. Box 14180, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece
Spyridon Oikonomidis: Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (ELDO DIMITRA), P.O. Box 14180, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece
Evangelia Daskalakou: Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (ELDO DIMITRA), P.O. Box 14180, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, Greece

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-20

Abstract: A significant challenge in community ecology is the establishment of ecological baselines, which permit the evaluation of the variations in ecological dynamics at different temporal and spatial scales. To our best knowledge, few studies have been conducted in the forest openings of Mt. Parnon to establish a baseline for future monitoring. Hence, a floristic study of the herbaceous plant species composition, diversity, cover, and biomass was conducted in the forest openings of the Mt. Parnon-Natura 2000 Site in Greece to develop an ecological baseline that could be utilized in decision making for conservation and the sustainable use of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services in the forest ecosystem of Mt. Parnon. In the spring season, a thorough floristic survey was performed on Mt. Parnon for two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. Herbaceous plant composition, diversity, cover, biomass, and plant indicator species (indicator value analysis) in the forest openings of Mt. Parnon were assessed. In the studied area, 63 plant species belonging to 58 genera from 20 families were recorded. The most numerous families were Asteraceae and Poaceae, followed by Fabaceae. Variable plant diversity, herbaceous plant cover, and produced biomass were recorded in different sites. It is noteworthy that some plant species could be regarded as indicators of the sites in the study area [ Geranium molle L., Cerastium candidissimum Correns, Vicia villosa Roth, Euphorbia myrsinites L., Odontarrhena muralis (Waldst. & Kit.) Endl., Medicago lupulina L., Lotus corniculatus L., Crepis fraasii Sch. Bip., Bellis sylvestris Cirillo, and Trifolium stellatum L.], and information about these indicators, including Ellenberg type indicator values, is also provided. This study contributes to the understanding of the relevant ecological topics and provides key elements that could be utilized in decision making for the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services on Mt. Parnon.

Keywords: forest; biodiversity; cover; biomass; Ind Val; Natura 2000; Greece (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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