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This study reports the forest vegetation community classification of the Sanzai area (Khentii range) in Mongolia using the phytosociological method. The forest vegetation has been classified into five major types characterized by the following associations: Larix sibirica community, Pinus sylvestris community, Betula fusca-Picea obovata community, Betula platyphylla community, and Pinus sibirica community. Ecological characteristics such as species composition, layer structure, vegetation ratio, and the distribution of individual trees based on their diameter at breast height (DBH) are slightly different among the plant communities. In all communities, the significant value was highest in the Larix sibirica with 74.6%, followed by Pinus sibirica (64.2%), Betula platyphylla (59.5%), Pinus sylvestris (53.9%), and Picea obovata (47.7%). Our results of DBH analysis show that the size-frequency distribution of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus sibirica, Larix sibirica, and Picea obovata was a binomial distribution in all the communities, suggesting that for the time being, these species dominate continuously. In addition, it is likely that Betula platyphylla will dominate rapidly because of its higher frequency of young individuals. This indicates the forest condition impairment in the forest of the Sanzai area.

The genus Limonium, commonly known as Sea Lavenders, is one of the most species-rich genera of the family Plumbaginaceae. In this study, two new plastomes for the genus Limonium, viz. L. tetragonum and L. bicolor, were sequenced and compared to available Limonium plastomes, viz. L. aureum and L. tenellum, to understand the gene content and structural variations within the family. The loss of the rpl16 intron and pseudogenisation of rpl23 was observed. This study reports, for the first time, expansion of the IRs to include the ycf1 gene in Limonium plastomes, incongruent with previous studies. Two positively selected genes, viz. ndhF and ycf2, were identified. Furthermore, putative barcodes are proposed for the genus, based on the nucleotide diversity of four Limonium plastomes.

The prevailing paradigm about the Quaternary ecological and evolutionary history of Central European ecosystems is that they were repeatedly impoverished by regional extinctions of most species during the glacial periods, followed by massive recolonizations from southern and eastern refugia during interglacial periods. Recent literature partially contradicts this view and provides evidence to re‐evaluate this Postglacial Recolonization Hypothesis and develop an alternative one. We examined the long‐term history of the flora of the Carpathian (Pannonian) Basin by synthesising recent advances in ecological, phylogeographical, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological research, and analysing the cold tolerance of the native flora of a test area (Hungary, the central part of the Carpathian Basin). We found that (1) many species have likely occurred there continuously since before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); (2) most of the present‐day native flora (1404 species, about 80%) can occur in climates as cold as or colder than the LGM (mean annual temperature ≤+3.5°C); and (3) grasslands and forests can be species‐rich under an LGM‐like cold climate. These arguments support an alternative hypothesis, which we call the Flora Continuity Hypothesis. It states that long‐term continuity of much of the flora in the Carpathian Basin is more plausible than regional extinctions during the LGM followed by massive postglacial recolonizations. The long‐term continuity of the region's flora may have fundamental implications not only for understanding local biogeography and ecology (e.g. the temporal scale of processes), but also for conservation strategies focusing on protecting ancient species‐rich ecosystems and local gene pools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, climate change has had a considerable impact on rangelands, available forage, and shifting boundaries of ecological zones in Mongolia. Additionally, long-term studies in the forest-steppe zone show that increasing livestock pressure impacts vegetation composition and cover. Evidence shows that the traditional ecological knowledge of Mongolian herders can serve as a valuable body of information relevant to observations about these ongoing ecological processes. Among other things, a deeper understanding of how herders perceive ecological changes would be useful for improving pasture management and promoting natural regeneration processes. We conducted indoor and outdoor structured and semi-structured interviews, with additional landscape walks and participatory fieldwork. In total we interviewed 33 people, all full-time herders. We found 32 indicators on how herders perceived landscape and vegetation changes for the 14 habitat types studied. Herders had deep knowledge of their landscape, and they attributed various changes to diverse drivers on their grasslands, wetlands, and forests. Among herders there was variation in the perceived importance of droughts and increasing livestock numbers. The perceived changes and indicators could be grouped into three main categories, namely long-term (decadal) trends, regenerative successions after disturbance, and recurrent fluctuations caused mainly by weather. Some of the long-term trends reported by herders are well-known, e.g., worsening of rangeland production, others, like the blackening of tussocks, or the impact of oilskin on yurt site regeneration, are rarely mentioned in the scientific literature, if at all. South-facing mountain slopes and flat areas in valleys were reported as the locations where vegetation change takes place most rapidly. To reverse adverse changes, herders wish to cooperate especially with each other to increase mobility, stop overgrazing, and help nature to regenerate their worsening pastures. We conclude that herders have a reliable and widely shared understanding of landscape and pasture changes that could help with this cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]