1. Seeing yew for the forest : a call to action for improving conservation and restoration of the European yew (Taxus baccata L.)Mélanie Saulnier, Necmi Aksoy, Claire Arnold, Dalibor Ballian, Tatiana Bebchuk, Sylvain Burri, Giacomo Calvia, Thomas Camagny, Yves Caraglio, Anna Cedro, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The European yew (Taxus baccata L.) is a long-lived conifer of ecological, cultural, and historical importance across Eurasia. Despite its remarkable resilience, wide distribution, and symbolic importance, the species has experienced a long-term decline due to a complex interplay of climatic fluctuations, megafaunal extinctions, human exploitation, and insufficient regeneration. Recent studies in palaeoecology, archaeology, dendroecology, and conservation have revealed a species with greater ecological plasticity and a broader historical distribution than previously assumed. However, many fundamental questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding its biogeographical history, population dynamics, recruitment processes, and the drivers of its decline. This review stems from prior investigations of yew in the French Pyrenees and, more broadly, across Europe. These efforts led to a transdisciplinary seminar and opened a collaboration uniting >30 researchers across Eurasia. By synthesizing a wide array of data and perspectives, the article highlights key knowledge gaps and outlines emerging research priorities. These are organized thematically—past, present, and future—and include 25 questions on the species' ecological niche, life-history strategies, human interactions, genetic resilience, and conservation under global change. The article advocates for a shift towards integrative and long-term conservation strategies that embrace the historical legacies of yew populations, the general ecology of the species along with local ecological context dependence, and the urgency of future threats. By identifying pressing research needs, this review seeks to lay the foundation for new collaborative initiatives and to support evidence-based conservation of this emblematic yet understudied species.
Ključne besede: Taxus baccata L., conservation, long-term history, current dynamics, ecological resilience, restoration ecology, priority research questions
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 27.02.2026; Ogledov: 521; Prenosov: 441
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2. Diversity of needle terpenes among Pinus taxaBiljana M. Nikolić, Dalibor Ballian, Zorica S. Mitić, 2025, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Essential oils are mixtures of volatile compounds often found in the leaves, wood, and fruits of coniferous trees and shrubs. The composition and abundance of individual oil components vary across different plant parts. Terpenes (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes) dominate in the essential oils of many plants. They are the most abundant class of secondary metabolites, with plants containing over a hundred of them at varying concentrations. The terpene profile of certain species consists of a few dominant (abundant) components and numerous less abundant ones. It is believed that the biological activity of essential oil mostly depends on the dominant terpene components. In most of the analyzed Pinus species, the most abundant terpene compounds are α-pinene, β-pinene, δ-3-carene, β-caryophyllene, limonene/β-phellandrene, and germacrene D. In certain taxa, additional dominant compounds include α-cedrol, bornyl acetate, caryophyllene oxide, α-phellandrene, trimethylbicyclo [3.1.1]hept-2-ene, 2H-benzocyclohepten-2-one, phenylethyl butyrate, 4-epi-isocembrol, β-thujene, and thunbergol. Moreover, compounds with abundances exceeding 15% include methyl chavicol (=estragole), geranylene, myrcene, γ-muurolene, sabinene, and abieta-7,13-diene. It can be concluded that the terpene profiles of the needles of the analyzed pine taxa depend on the type of chromatographic columns, the method of obtaining essential oils, the origin of the trees (in natural habitat or artificial plantation), the age of the needles, the variety, and the season in which the needles were collected.
Ključne besede: needles, essential oil, Pinus taxa, variability, terpene profiles, terpene classes
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 27.02.2026; Ogledov: 405; Prenosov: 321
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3. Native trees of the Mediterranean region : distribution, diversity and conservation challengesBruno Fady, Anna-Maria Farsakoglou, Maria Mercedes Caron, Khaled Abulaila, Jelena M. Aleksic, Sajad Alipour, Dalibor Ballian, Heba Bedair, Faruk Bogunić, Marwan Cheikh Albassatneh, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Purpose of Review While 38% of tree species are at risk of extinction worldwide, their inventory and occurrence at ecologically and biogeographically meaningful scales is lacking in many parts of the world, including the biodiversity-rich Mediterranean region. Here, we provide presence/absence, extinction risk, biogeography and genetic diversity data of trees in 39 climatically and ecologically Mediterranean territories (so-called “botanical territories”) in North Africa, Western Asia and Southern Europe. Recent Findings The inventory includes 496 species and 147 subspecies from 50 families and 111 genera, including 48 species and 8 subspecies previously not considered as trees. We show that native tree species distribution is highly skewed across the tree of life with a few species-rich families such as the Rosaceae and the majority with less than 1% of all species. Endemism was not evenly distributed among botanical territories and neither was extinction risk, an assessment of which was lacking in almost half of the species. While no geographic trends were detectable, species richness was found to be positively correlated with botanical territory area and, when standardized by area, with habitat heterogeneity. Information on genetic diversity was lacking in two thirds of the species inventoried and mostly focused on species with economic importance. Summary Our data are open access and can be used by researchers and stakeholders for a wide range of purposes, including conservation and restoration. Our findings identified major native tree richness hotspots as well as key knowledge gaps and biases related to extinction risk and genetic diversity. Our findings also emphasize the importance of increased collaboration to support the conservation of Mediterranean forest trees.
Ključne besede: biogeography, biodiversity, natural variation in plants, plant ecology, seed distribution, tree biology, conservation strategies, Mediterranean plant biodiversity
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.02.2026; Ogledov: 514; Prenosov: 372
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4. Morpho-anatomical properties and terpene composition of Picea Omorika (Pančić) Purk. needles from Bosnia and HerzegovinaBiljana M. Nikolić, Zorica S. Mitić, Dalibor Ballian, Marina M. Todosijević, Jelena S. Nikolić, Stefan Ivanović, Vele Tešević, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Morpho-Anatomical Properties and Terpene Composition of Picea Omorika (Pančić) Purk. Needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina by Biljana M. Nikolić 1,*ORCID,Zorica S. Mitić 2ORCID,Dalibor Ballian 3,4,5ORCID,Marina M. Todosijević 6ORCID,Jelena S. Nikolić 2ORCID,Stefan Ivanović 7ORCID andVele V. Tešević 6ORCID 1 Institute of Forestry, Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding, Seed and Nursery Production, Kneza Višeslava 3, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 2 Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000 Niš, Serbia 3 Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Zagrebačka 20, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 5 Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bistrik 7, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12–16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 7 Laboratory of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Institute for Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Forests 2025, 16(5), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050791 Submission received: 1 April 2025 / Revised: 6 May 2025 / Accepted: 7 May 2025 / Published: 8 May 2025 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Specialized Metabolites and Structure of Woody Plants) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Abstract Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk., (Serbian spruce) is a relic, endemic, and vulnerable conifer that remains insufficiently studied to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the morpho-anatomical and phytochemical diversity of needles from three populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The length of two-year-old needles was measured with a digital caliper. The next six properties were measured based on cross-sections of the needles using a light microscope. An analysis of volatile compounds was carried out using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The highest values of needle traits were found in the Viogor population, with the lowest in the Tisovljak population, which was statistically confirmed. There was also a significant difference between needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina and those from Serbia. Bornyl acetate, camphene, limonene, and α-pinene were identified as the major terpene compounds. Multivariate analyses also suggested a tendency toward the separation of the Tisovljak population. A statistical comparison of three Bosnian and Herzegovinian and four Serbian populations (previously studied and published) revealed two distinct groups: (1) three Bosnian populations and the Vranjak population from Serbia, and (2) three populations from Serbia—Štula, Zmajevački Potok, and Mileševka Canyon. The general conclusions are that divergence in needle morpho-anatomy aligns with divergence in needle chemistry and that Bosnian and Herzegovinian populations are distinct from nearly all Serbian populations.
Ključne besede: Picea omorika, Serbian spruce, population, morpho-anatomy, terpenes, multivariate statistics
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.02.2026; Ogledov: 499; Prenosov: 272
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5. Microelements variability in needles of natural populations of Picea omorikaBiljana M. Nikolić, Jelena Božović, Dalibor Ballian, Saša Eremija, Zorica S. Mitić, Marija S. Marković, Nevena Čule, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: This is the first study of microelement variability in needles of seven natural populations of Picea omorika (Panč.) Purkyně from Serbia. Seven essential, three usefull, and six toxic microelements were analysed by ICP-Spectrometer. Their range was as follows: Mn > Fe > Zn > Al > Na > B > Cu > Ni > Cr > Cd > Co. The microelements Mo, As, Hg, Pb and Se were detected in traces. The amounts of Al, B, Co, Cr and Na were recorded in P. omorika needles for the first time. Among usefull microelements the most abundant was Al, while among toxic it was Cr. The most southern population, Mileševka canyon, had the highest amounts of Zn, Cu, Ni, Co and Cd and the lowest values of B. Discriminant and cluster analyses visualized that this population also showed the greatest separation from all other populations. Further research could usefully explore factors that affect the endangerment of P. omorika in its natural habitats or prevent its natural regeneration.
Ključne besede: Serbian spruce, microelements, multivariate analyses, needles, population variability
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.02.2026; Ogledov: 433; Prenosov: 274
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6. Disentangling drivers behind fungal diversity gradients along altitude and latitudeFlorian Barbi, Tijana Martinović, Inaki Odriozola, Antonin Machac, Andrea Moravcová, Camelia Algora, Dalibor Ballian, Sebastian Barthold, Vendula Brabcová, Sandra Awokunle Hollá, Zander Rainier Human, Hojka Kraigher, Jelena Lazarević, Clémentine Lepinay, Lenka Mészárosová, Daniel Morais, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Gradients in species diversity across elevations and latitudes have fascinated biologists for decades. While these gradients have been well documented for macroorganisms, there is limited consensus about their universality, shape and drivers for microorganisms, such as fungi, despite the importance of fungal diversity for ecosystem functions and services. We conducted a comprehensive survey of fungal species richness in forests across 17 elevational transects along a latitudinal gradient covering the continental scale of Europe. Diversity patterns along elevational and latitudinal gradients differed among fungal ecological guilds. Diversity of saprotrophs declined with elevation while ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal diversity peaked in mid-elevations. Moreover, the diversity of root endophytic fungi increased with latitude but did not change with elevation. Bayesian species distribution modeling suggests that fungal diversity is structured by deterministic rather than stochastic drivers. Importantly, ECM fungal diversity pattern persists even after accounting for the effects of environmental conditions. These results suggest that environmental conditions differentially shape the diversity of fungal guilds along elevational and latitudinal gradients, but this goes beyond soil and climatic factors in the case of ECM fungi. This study paves the way toward a better understanding of fungal diversity gradients across elevations and latitudes, with possible implications for macroecological theory, conservation and management.
Ključne besede: fungal diversity, altitudinal, latitudinal, biogeography, climate
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.02.2026; Ogledov: 617; Prenosov: 409
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7. Dataset on Root-associated fungal communities in Douglas-fir plantations differ in composition but not ectomycorrhizal richness across stand agesNataša Šibanc, Philip Alan Brailey-Crane, Dalibor Ballian, Matjaž Čater, Tine Grebenc, 2026, zaključena znanstvena zbirka raziskovalnih podatkov Ključne besede: Douglas-fir, plantations, fungal communities, mycorrhizal
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.02.2026; Ogledov: 568; Prenosov: 0
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8. Smernice za gozdni genetski monitoring velikega jesena (Fraxinus excelsior L.)Marjana Westergren, Marko Bajc, Rok Damjanić, Barbara Fussi, Dalibor Ballian, Andrej Breznikar, Darius Kavaliauskas, Peter Železnik, Hojka Kraigher, 2020, ni določena Ključne besede: gozdovi, genetski monitoring, gozdna genetika, veliki jesen, Fraxinus excelsior L.
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 13.02.2026; Ogledov: 625; Prenosov: 177
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9. Smernice za gozdni genetski monitoring evropskega črnega topola (Populus nigra L.)Gregor Božič, Sandor Bordacs, Berthold Heinze, Marko Bajc, Filipos Aravanopoulos, Dalibor Ballian, Rok Damjanić, Barbara Fussi, Darius Kavaliauskas, Zvonimir Vujnović, Marjana Westergren, Hojka Kraigher, 2020, druge monografije in druga zaključena dela Ključne besede: gozdovi, genetski monitoring, gozdna genetika, evropski črni topol, Populus nigra L.
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10. Smernice za gozdni genetski monitoring bele jelke (Abies alba MIll.) in Borisove jelke (Abies borisii-regis Mattf.)Darius Kavaliauskas, Barbara Fussi, Dalibor Ballian, Paraskevi Alizoti, Nikolaos Tourvas, Gregor Božič, Evangelos Barbas, Marjana Westergren, Marko Bajc, Rok Damjanić, Natalija Dovč, Filipos Aravanopoulos, Hojka Kraigher, 2020, druge monografije in druga zaključena dela Ključne besede: gozdovi, genetski monitoring, gozdna genetika, bela jelka, Abies alba MIll., Borisova jelka, Abies borisii-regis Mattf.
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 13.02.2026; Ogledov: 707; Prenosov: 290
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