• Energy Research

An integrated floristic and palynological approach was carried out at the site of national interest “Laghi di Mantova e Polo Chimico” to obtain an environmental assessment useful for monitoring polluted sites. The flora of highly contaminated sectors (area A and area B) was surveyed, and the floristic composition and ecological strategies of the species were compared with a control sector (area C). A total of 195 species were observed in the three sectors. Pollen preservation of six selected species was checked as a bioindicator of environmental health in the same sectors. Area A and area B likely share similar environmental pressures, including anthropogenic stressors such as pollution, geographical proximity and a similar set of habitats, leading to similarities in flora composition. Similarly, the incidence of pollen without cytoplasm is higher in area A (9.3%) and area B (7.6%) than in area C (2.5%). The floristic differences among the sectors and the quantity of empty or abnormal pollen, together with the CSR strategies adopted by the species, suggest that the effects of anthropogenic impact on local vegetation can be detected at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. The discovery of the protected species Narcissus pseudonarcissus in area C is noteworthy, which may be important in directing efforts towards the protection of plant communities in this sector.

AbstractAimsArable habitats (i.e. fields, orchards, vineyards, and their fallows) were created by humans and have been essential elements in Central European landscapes for several millennia. In recent decades, these habitats have been drastically altered by changes in land use as well as agricultural practices and, more recently, by climate change. These changes have precipitated substantial changes in vegetation and their spatial and temporal trajectories have not yet been exhaustively studied. Here, we present the AgriWeedClim database — a new resource of vegetation plot (relevé) data of arable habitats in Central Europe.LocationGermany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Hungary, Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia.MethodsVegetation plot data were obtained from large repositories (e.g. European Vegetation Archive), specialized regional databases, colleagues and the literature. Data were then checked for completeness and standardized (e.g. taxonomy, nomenclature, crop types). Species were assigned native, archaeophyte (i.e. alien species introduced before c. 1492 CE) or neophyte (i.e. alien species introduced after c. 1492 CE) status.ResultsThe AgriWeedClim database version 1.0 contains georeferenced data from 32,889 vegetation plots sampled from 1916 to 2019.ConclusionsWe provide an overview of this new resource and present example analyses to show its content and possible applications. We outline potential research questions including analysis of patterns and causes of vegetation changes in arable habitats from the early 20th century to the present.