Naslov (eng)

Distribution, population size, ecology and variability of autumn flowering snowdrop (Galanthus reginae-olgae Orph.) along the northern limit of its Balkan distribution (Croatia, SE Europe)

Autor

Šegota, Vedran
Jovanović, Filip
Ilić, Bariša
Doboš, Marko
Bučar, Marija
Rimac, Anja

Publisher

Opis (eng)

Galanthus reginae-olgae Orph. is an autumn- to early winter flowering snowdrop species, with leaves absent or very short at the onset of flowering, first discovered in the Taigetos Mts. in southern Greece and described by T. G. Orphanides in 1876. To date, it was found in Greece, Corfu, Ionian Islands, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Sicily and Croatia. The field study in 2023 revealed as many as 35 populations in southern Croatia, some of them counting up to 100,000 specimens. Most of the populations exhibit semi-sciophyte behavior within transitional habitats (ecotons) from insolated grassland to shaded eu- and sub-Mediterranean thickets and forests, and are found in the elevational range from the sea level to 664 m a.s.l., at the average distance of 5.44 km from the sea. Based on the bioclimatic CHELSA 2.1. model, the studied population prefer Mediterranean conditions with a mean annual air temperature of 14.61 ⁰C and mild winters without frost events. The high average annual precipitation that exceeds 1.600 mm, although limited to the winter period, is beneficial for this invernal geophyte. The analyses of the temporal-thermic data gave us clear insight into environmental circumstances that could serve as triggers for the onset and duration of snowdrop anthesis. Finally, based on observed leaf length and flowering time (from December to February), the investigated population could be designated as Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis Kamari. Considering that the Croatian populations are rare and scattered along the northern border of the species range, future monitoring would give us insight into the adaptibility of the species to habitat changes and clarify in what way the species adapts its phenology (emerging, flowering, pollination, and fruiting) to evident climate changes in the Mediterranean region.

Jezik

engleski

Datum

2024

Licenca

© All rights reserved

Predmet

anthesis, bioclimatic model, Croatia, Galanthus reginae olgae subsp. vernalis, invernal species, transitional habitats

Deo kolekcije (1)

o:1347

Radovi Instituta za šumarstvo