1. Bryophyte diversity, composition and functional traits in relation to bedrock and tree species composition in close-to-nature managed forestsLado Kutnar, Janez Kermavnar, Marko S. Sabovljević, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Bryophytes respond to a variety of environmental factors, including tree species composition and geological conditions, which are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors. Bryophytes growing on a variety of substrates were identified in ICP Forests monitoring plots in a wide range of close-to-nature managed forests, from lowland to high mountain areas in Slovenia. Based on data on tree layer composition (broadleaves vs. conifers) and on bedrock and soil type (calcareous vs. siliceous bedrock), all study plots were classified into five groups representing forest types. Different ordination analyses and statistical tests were used to represent differences between forest types in bryophyte composition, richness and functional traits. Almost 200 bryophyte species were identified in managed forests, with the most common being Hypnum cupressiforme, Brachytheciastrum velutinum and Polytrichum formosum. Bryophyte species composition varied considerably along the tree species composition and edaphic gradients represented by the selected forest types. Bryophyte species richness was significantly higher on calcareous bedrock than on siliceous bedrock. The higher occurrence of rocks on the ground surface may significantly increase the availability of various microhabitats for bryophytes. Bedrock had a significant influence on the functional diversity and composition of bryophytes, while tree species composition had less influence. Bedrock and tree species composition are important drivers of bryophyte species composition and diversity at taxonomic and functional trait levels. The high diversity of bryophyte species in Slovenian forests can also be attributed to close-to-nature and sustainable forest management practices that preserve favourable microclimatic conditions in forest stands and maintain diverse substrates. Ključne besede: mosses, species richness, functional diversity, site conditions, overstory, sustainable managed forests, European temperate zone Objavljeno v DiRROS: 31.07.2024; Ogledov: 114; Prenosov: 153
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2. Machine learning approaches identify male body size as the most accurate predictor of species richnessKlemen Čandek, Urška Pristovšek, Matjaž Kuntner, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background
A major challenge in biodiversity science is to understand the factors contributing to the variability of species richness –the number of different species in a community or region - among comparable taxonomic lineages. Multiple biotic and abiotic factors have been hypothesized to have an effect on species richness and have been used as its predictors, but identifying accurate predictors is not straightforward. Spiders are a highly diverse group, with some 48,000 species in 120 families; yet nearly 75% of all species are found within just the ten most speciose families. Here we use a Random Forest machine learning algorithm to test the predictive power of different variables hypothesized to affect species richness of spider genera.
Results
We test the predictive power of 22 variables from spiders’ morphological, genetic, geographic, ecological and behavioral landscapes on species richness of 45 genera selected to represent the phylogenetic and biological breath of Araneae. Among the variables, Random Forest analyses find body size (specifically, minimum male body size) to best predict species richness. Multiple Correspondence analysis confirms this outcome through a negative relationship between male body size and species richness. Multiple Correspondence analyses furthermore establish that geographic distribution of congeneric species is positively associated with genus diversity, and that genera from phylogenetically older lineages are species poorer. Of the spider-specific traits, neither the presence of ballooning behavior, nor sexual size dimorphism, can predict species richness.
Conclusions
We show that machine learning analyses can be used in deciphering the factors associated with diversity patterns. Since no spider-specific biology could predict species richness, but the biologically universal body size did, we believe these conclusions are worthy of broader biological testing. Future work on other groups of organisms will establish whether the detected associations of species richness with small body size and wide geographic ranges hold more broadly. Ključne besede: biodiversity, lineage diversity, species traits, spiders, phylogenetic diversity, species distribution, random forest, multiple correspondence analysis Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.07.2024; Ogledov: 260; Prenosov: 241
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3. New alien Mediterranean biodiversity records (August 2022)Francesco Tiralongo, Okan Akyol, Sara A. A. Al-Mabruk, Pietro Battaglia, Damla Beton, Banu Bitls, John Joseph Borg, Marc Bouchoucha, Melih Ertan Çinar, Fabio Crocetta, Branko Dragičević, Jakov Dulčić, Athanasios Evangelopoulos, Julian Evans, Ana Fortič, Robin P. M. Gauff, Constantinos Georgiadis, Mehmet Gökoğlu, Daniele Grech, Tamar Guy-Haim, Mehmet Fatih Huseyinoglu, Domen Trkov, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus; and the northernmost Mediterranean record of Lagocephalus sceleratus. The northernmost Mediterranean record was also reported for the sea urchin Diadema setosum. The portunid crab Thalamita poissonii was recorded for the first time in Libya. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus was recorded for the first time in the Marmara Sea. The polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. The alien anemone Diadumene lineata was recorded for the first time from Slovenia. The macroalgae Sargassum furcatum was recorded for the first time from Italy. The new Mediterranean records here reported help tracing abundance and distribution of alien and cryptic species in the Mediterranean Sea. Ključne besede: alien diversity, cryptogenic diversity, new species, Mediterranean Sea Objavljeno v DiRROS: 17.07.2024; Ogledov: 133; Prenosov: 131
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4. Congruence between vascular plants and bryophytes in response to ecological conditions in sustainably managed temperate forests (taxonomic- and trait-based levels)Lado Kutnar, Janez Kermavnar, Marko S. Sabovljević, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Vascular plant species (VP) and bryophytes (B) constitute a significant portion of forest biodiversity and respond to both management intensity and natural disturbances within forests. In this study, we investigated the cross-taxa congruence between understorey VP and B at both diversity and composition levels across a wide range of sustainably managed forests in Slovenia. The taxonomic and functional characteristics of the selected plant groups were studied, with a particular emphasis on ground-dwelling species. We employed a trait-based approach to examine the functional characteristics. On average, the species richness of B in sustainably managed temperate forests increased with the corresponding number of VP. Furthermore, a moderate positive correlation in species composition between the studied groups of ground-dwelling organisms was also observed. The ground-dwelling VP and B were congruent in terms of trait-based composition, which was influenced by soil reaction and nutrients and light availability, while trait-based diversity was only slightly similar in response to moisture. A negative correlation between the composition of stress-tolerant VP and B hemeroby was found, indicating forest environments with a low level of disturbance. This is likely due to the sustainable management of Slovenian forests, where climate change and natural disturbances have intensified in recent years. A cross-taxon comparison of the two groups at four different levels, namely taxonomic-based diversity and composition and trait-based diversity and composition, revealed varying degrees of congruence. It is therefore important to monitor the status and temporal trends of both groups from different aspects to draw reliable conclusions. Ključne besede: understory, mosses, terricolous species, diversity, composition, taxonomy, life-history traits, environmental gradients, managed forest, ICP Forests program, Slovenia Objavljeno v DiRROS: 10.10.2023; Ogledov: 676; Prenosov: 306
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5. Bryophyte diversity, composition and functional traits in relation to bedrock and tree species composition in close-to-nature managed forestsLado Kutnar, Janez Kermavnar, Marko S. Sabovljević, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Bryophytes respond to a variety of environmental factors, including tree species composition and geological conditions, which are influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors. Bryophytes growing on a variety of substrates were identified in ICP Forests monitoring plots in a wide range of close-to-nature managed forests, from lowland to high mountain areas in Slovenia. Based on data on tree layer composition (broadleaves vs. conifers) and on bedrock and soil type (calcareous vs. siliceous bedrock), all study plots were classified into five groups representing forest types. Different ordination analyses and statistical tests were used to represent differences between forest types in bryophyte composition, richness and functional traits. Almost 200 bryophyte species were identified in managed forests, with the most common being Hypnum cupressiforme, Brachytheciastrum velutinum and Polytrichum formosum. Bryophyte species composition varied considerably along the tree species composition and edaphic gradients represented by the selected forest types. Bryophyte species richness was significantly higher on calcareous bedrock than on siliceous bedrock. The higher occurrence of rocks on the ground surface may significantly increase the availability of various microhabitats for bryophytes. Bedrock had a significant influence on the functional diversity and composition of bryophytes, while tree species composition had less influence. Bedrock and tree species composition are important drivers of bryophyte species composition and diversity at taxonomic and functional trait levels. The high diversity of bryophyte species in Slovenian forests can also be attributed to close-to-nature and sustainable forest management practices that preserve favourable microclimatic conditions in forest stands and maintain diverse substrates. Ključne besede: mosses, species richness, functional diversity, site conditions, overstory, sustainable managed forests, European temperate zone Objavljeno v DiRROS: 05.04.2023; Ogledov: 709; Prenosov: 275
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6. Eutypella parasitica and other frequently isolated fungi in wood of dead branches of young Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) in SloveniaAna Brglez, Barbara Piškur, Nikica Ogris, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Eutypella parasitica R.W. Davidson and R.C. Lorenz is the causative agent of Eutypella canker of maple, a destructive disease of maples in Europe and North America. The fungus E. parasitica infects the trunk through a branch stub or bark wound. Because the fungal community may have an impact on infection and colonization by E. parasitica, the composition of fungi colonizing wood of dead branches of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) was investigated in five sampling sites in Slovenia. Forty samples from each sampling site were collected between the November 2017 and March 2018 period. Isolations were made from the wood in the outer part of dead branches and from discoloured wood in the trunk that originated from a dead branch. Pure cultures were divided into morphotypes, and one representative culture per morphotype was selected for further molecular identification. From a total of 2700 cultured subsamples, 1744 fungal cultures were obtained, which were grouped into 212 morphotypes. The investigated samples were colonized by a broad spectrum of fungi. The most frequently isolated species were Eutypa maura (Fr.) Sacc., Eutypa sp. Tul. and C. Tul., Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc., Neocucurbitaria acerina Wanas., Camporesi, E.B.G. Jones and K.D. Hyde and E. parasitica. In this study, we distinguished species diversity and the fungal community. There were no significant differences in the diversity of fungal species between the five sampling sites, and branch thickness did not prove to be a statistically significant factor in fungal species diversity. Nevertheless, relatively low Jaccard similarity index values suggested possible differences in the fungal communities from different sampling sites. This was confirmed by an analysis of similarities, which showed that the isolated fungal community distinctly differed between the five sampling sites and between the different isolation sources. Eutypella parasitica was isolated from all five investigated sampling sites, although Eutypella cankers were observed in only three sampling sites, indicating the possibility of asymptomatic infection. Ključne besede: fungal composition, invasive species, diversity, fungal communities, molecular identification, frequencies, Jaccard similarity index, Eutypella parasitica, analysis of similarities, colonization Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.05.2020; Ogledov: 2318; Prenosov: 1344
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7. Možnosti zaznavanja drevesnih vrst v okviru Monitoringa gozdov in gozdnih ekosistemovAnže Martin Pintar, Robert Brus, Mitja Skudnik, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Analizirali smo možnosti zaznavanja drevesnih vrst v okviru Monitoringa gozdov in gozdnih ekosistemov (MGGE) s poudarkom na manjšinskih in tujerodnih drevesnih vrstah ter možnosti zaznavanja razlik v pestrosti drevesnih vrst med posameznimi ekološkimi regijami. Zaznavanje minoritetnih in tujerodnih drevesnih vrst bi lahko izboljšali z obsežnejšim šifrantom drevesnih vrst, katerega dopolnitve smo predlagali. Take drevesne vrste bi zajeli z večjo verjetnostjo pri gostejši vzorčni mreži od obstoječe (4 km % 4 km). Opozorili smo tudi na pomen pravilne determinacije drevesne vrste na vzorčni ploskvi. V okviru MGGE smo ugotovili razlike v pestrosti drevesnih vrst med ekološkimi regijami; kot najpestrejša se je pokazala submediteranska ekološka regija. Ključne besede: monitoring gozdov, gozdna inventura, seznam drevesnih vrst, manjšinske drevesne vrste, tujerodne drevesne vrste, pestrost drevesnih vrst, tree species diversity, non-native tree species Objavljeno v DiRROS: 02.05.2020; Ogledov: 2621; Prenosov: 774
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