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In this Report, three previously published nomenclatural proposals are discussed, and recommendations on acceptance or rejection of these proposals are provided. The proposals concern the following syntaxa: Berberidion Braun-Blanquet 1950, Aceretalia pseudoplatani Moor 1976 and Festucetalia valesiacae Braun-Blanquet et Tüxen ex Braun-Blanquet 1950. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To link the Braun-Blanquet units of the EuroVegChecklist (EVC) with the upper levels of the International Vegetation Classification (IVC), and to propose a division level classification for Europe. Study area: Europe. Methods: We established a tabular linkage between EVC classes and IVC formations and identified mismatches between these two levels. We then proposed IVC division level units to organize EVC classes. Results: We organized the EVC classes into 21 formations and 30 divisions. We flagged classes that did not fit comfortably within an existing formation, either because its content corresponded to more than one formation or because it did not fit any formation description. In a few cases, we split EVC classes because they seemed too heterogenous to be assigned to a single formation. Conclusions: The IVC approach adds a set of physiognomic and ecological criteria that effectively organizes the EVC classes, which are already being increasingly informed by physiognomy. Therefore, the formation concepts are relatively natural extensions of concepts already embedded in the classes. However, physiognomic placement of Braun-Blanquet classes can be difficult when the sampling of the vegetation is at finer grain than usual in the respective formation (tall-scrub, annual pioneer communities). Some EVC classes seem too heterogenous to fit into the IVC formation system. Delimitation of these classes has often been a matter of debate for many decades, and the IVC perspective might help to solve these intricate issues. In other cases, mismatches between phytosociological classes and IVC formations might better be solved by emending the current formation concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We studied the syntaxonomic position, biodiversity, ecological features, nature conservation value and current status of dry grasslands investigated by Josias Braun-Blanquet more than 60 years ago. Study area: Inner-alpine valleys of Austria. Methods: We sampled 67 plots of 10 m2, following the standardized EDGG methodology. We subjected our plots to an unsupervised classification with the modified TWINSPAN algorithm and interpreted the branches of the dendrogram syntaxonomically. Biodiversity, structural and ecological characteristics of the resulting vegetation units at association and order level were compared by ANOVAs. Results: All the examined grasslands belong to the class Festuco-Brometea. From ten distinguished clusters, we could assign four clusters to validly published associations, while the remaining six clusters were named tentatively. We classified them into three orders: Stipo-Festucetalia pallentis (Armerio elongatae-Potentilletum arenariae, Phleo phleoidis-Pulsatilletum nigricantis, Medicago minima-Melica ciliata community, Koelerio pyramidatae-Teucrietum montani), Festucetalia valesiacae (Sempervivum tectorum-Festuca valesiaca community); Brachypodietalia pinnati (Astragalo onobrychidis-Brometum erecti, Agrostis capillaris-Avenula adsurgens community, Anthericum ramosum-Brachypodium pinnatum community, Ranunculus bulbosus-Festuca rubra community, Carduus defloratus-Brachypodium pinnatum community). Conclusions: The ten distinguished dry grassland communities of the Austrian inner-alpine valleys differ in their ecological affinities as well as their vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen diversity. We point out their high nature conservation importance, as each of them presents a unique habitat of high value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the completed first volume of Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS), which included ten Research Papers, six Short Database Reports, two Long Database Reports, two Forum Papers and one Report. We highlight three outstanding papers as examples of contributions of which we would like to see more in the future. Finally, we announce a new article type "VCS Methods" and report about the status of two upcoming Special Collections. Lists of colleagues who served as reviewers or linguistic editors in 2020 are included in appendices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alliance is the basic unit of the EuroVegChecklist, and it often serves as the lowest rank in broad-scale vegetation surveys. However, there is hardly any literature about the concept and definition of this syntaxonomic rank, leading to uncertainty in its application. Here, I explore the original association concept of Braun-Blanquet, which was based on absolute character species, and I show that this concept is more or less identical with the units that we now call alliances. By also incorporating the concept of central syntaxa, I propose the following definition: "An alliance is a moderately broad vegetation unit that either has one or several absolute character taxa or that can be interpreted as the central alliance of an order." The one-to-one relationship between character taxa and vegetation units gives the latter a clear biogeographical and evolutionary meaning. Restrictions to the validity of character taxa - either to certain geographical areas or to physiognomic types - cause theoretical and practical problems and should be avoided. Possible exceptions are species with similar frequency in two formations or species introduced to other continents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Vegetation Classification Committee (EVCC) was established in 2017 by the European Vegetation Survey to maintain and update a standard phytosociological classification of European vegetation. Vegetation scientists can send proposals for modification of specific parts of the EuroVegChecklist, which is used as a baseline. The proposals are accepted or rejected based on recommendations issued by a specialist group and after voting by EVCC members. Here we report the results of the first voting, which took place from 4 June to 4 July 2020. EVCC members voted on the recommendations issued for three proposals of change concerning spring and dune vegetation, and mediterranean grasslands. As a result, EVCC accepted to modify the classes Ammophiletea and Helichryso-Crucianelletea, but rejected to include the alliance Philonotidion seriatae and the class Charybdido pancratii-Asphodeletea ramosi. These rejections are not final, and similar proposals can be submitted again with new data supporting the proposed changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: We investigate whether (1) environmental predictors allow to delineate the distribution of discrete community types at the continental scale and (2) how data completeness influences model generalization in relation to the compositional variation of the modelled entities. Location: Europe. Methods: We used comprehensive datasets of two community types of conservation concern in Europe: acidophilous beech forests and base‐rich fens. We computed community distribution models (CDMs) calibrated with environmental predictors to predict the occurrence of both community types, evaluating geographical transferability, interpolation and extrapolation under different scenarios of sampling bias. We used generalized dissimilarity modelling (GDM) to assess the role of geographical and environmental drivers in compositional variation within the predicted distributions. Results: For the two community types, CDMs computed for the whole study area provided good performance when evaluated by random cross‐validation and external validation. Geographical transferability provided lower but relatively good performance, while model extrapolation performed poorly when compared with interpolation. Generalized dissimilarity modelling showed a predominant effect of geographical distance on compositional variation, complemented with the environmental predictors that also influenced habitat suitability. Main conclusions: Correlative approaches typically used for modelling the distribution of individual species are also useful for delineating the potential area of occupancy of community types at the continental scale, when using consistent definitions of the modelled entity and high data completeness. The combination of CDMs with GDM further improves the understanding of diversity patterns of plant communities, providing spatially explicit information for mapping vegetation diversity and related habitat types at large scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A historical overview of the phytosociological method in Europe is presented. Some methodological and procedural differences in the application of the Braun-Blanquet approach, from the selection of the sampling plots to the assignment of relevés to existing or newly described units, are briefly compared. The main advantages and limitations of the phytosociological vegetation classification are reviewed and discussed, also in light of their applications for vegetation mapping and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual Editorial of Phytocoenologia 2018 reflects on the topical coverage of the journal in the years 2015-2017. All continents except Antarctica were present, but contributions from Europe and Asia dominated, South America and Africa were moderately represented and North America and Australia underrepresented. In terms of vegetation types temperate grasslands and forests were the most frequent study subjects, while aquatic and weed communities were hardly addressed at all. We highlight the classification of the petrifying springs in Ireland (Lyons & Kelly 2017, Phytocoenologia 47: 13-32) as a prototypic study we would like to be published in the journal and thus acknowledge the authors with the Editors' Award 2017. Also the two permanent sections, Ecoinformatics (with Long and Short Database Reports) as well as Phytosociological Nomenclature (with nomenclatural proposals and nomenclatural revisions) are important and much used parts of Phytocoenologia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions Which are the main vegetation types of lowland hay meadows and pastures in Western and Central Europe? What are the main environmental gradients that drive patterns of species composition? Is it possible to classify these grasslands to phytosociological alliances that reflect management practices? Location Western and Central Europe (excluding the Alps and Carpathians). Methods A database of 21 400 vegetation plots of mesic grasslands across Western and Central Europe was compiled. After geographically stratified resampling, semi-supervised classification based on the K-means algorithm was applied to assign a subset of plots into 32 a priori association-level vegetation types and to search for new types within the subset of non-assigned plots. The vegetation plots assigned into the final vegetation types were submitted to another K-means classification to show the grouping into higher-level vegetation types. Results A total of 36 associations were distinguished in the resampled subset of 8277 vegetation plots and were grouped into four large groups: (1) eutrophic and intensively managed hay meadows and permanent pastures; (2) nutrient-rich grasslands developed from recently abandoned fields or managed under irregular practices of mowing and manuring; (3) non-eutrophic lowland and submontane hay meadows; (4) extensively managed pastures and Atlantic grazed hay meadows. A PCoA of the associations of these four groups showed that extensively managed pastures were floristically more similar to non-eutrophic hay meadows than to permanent intensively managed pastures, which was more obvious in the Atlantic region than in Central Europe. Species composition of the lowland hay meadows was clearly differentiated according to biogeographic sectors. Other floristic differences were related to climate, altitude, soil base status and topography. Conclusions This analysis challenges the traditional concept of mesic grassland alliances separating hay meadows from pastures. New classification should be based mainly on the differences in management intensity rather than in management practice. Consequently, nutrient-poor extensive pastures, which currently are not considered in the European Habitats Directive, should receive the same conservation attention as low-intensive hay meadows, because both types of vegetation can be equally species-rich and do not differ substantially in floristic composition from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This is the first attempt to describe the diversity of the thorn-cushion and snowbed vegetation of the high mountains of NW Iran. Our main aim was to identify plant communities occurring in these habitats, and to clarify their syntaxonomic position. We also explored the key environmental factors influencing the species composition of these communities. Study area: Sahand Mts. (3707 m a.s.l.), Sabalan Mts. (4810 m a.s.l.) and Bozqush Mts. (3302 m a.s.l.) in NW Iran. Methods: A total of 166 phytosociological relevés were sampled at elevations ranging from 2800 to 3700 m a.s.l. The data set was classified using the TWINSPAN algorithm, and the result of the numerical classification was interpreted through a syntaxonomic system. Floristic differences were evaluated using a Detrended Correspondence Analysis. Results: We distinguished two alliances of thorncushion grasslands: Astragalion polyanthi all. nov. on windswept sites (including three associations) and Astragalion sahendi all. nov. on sites with longer snow cover duration (including two associations). Snowbed communities were classified into seven associations and assigned to the previously described alliance Taraxaco brevirostris-Polygonion serpyllacei. Conclusions: The duration of snow cover (i.e. the time of snowmelt) strongly determines the distribution of the studied communities. Among other ecological factors affecting the species composition are elevation, aspect, slope inclination and soil structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims We study the high-mountain grasslands growing on siliceous substrata of the Iberian Peninsula to determine floristic patterns and affinities that best define the structure and phytosociological classification of this vegetation. Location Cantabrian Range, Sierra Nevada, Sistema Central, Sistema Ibérico and the Pyrenees. Methods We analysed 1484 relevés representing 25 phytosociological associations of high-mountain grasslands on siliceous substrata previously described in the study area. A first classification using noise clustering produced a large noise group containing over 50% of the relevés. We then carried out a DCA to check the relative position of the noise group components with respect to the whole pool, and a K-means combined with species indicator analysis to obtain a more precise delimitation of clusters through their representative species. Results We considered 17 groups as the optimum number of clusters when considering K-means and the corresponding indicator species. Pyrenean alpine vegetation separated first, showing a homogeneous pattern with a set of diagnostic taxa organized around two groups that coincide with one European class ( Juncetea trifidi) and two alliances: Festucion eskiae in chionophilous environments and Festucion supinae in chionophobous habitats. The rest of the data correspond to the Iberian class Festucetea indigestae, recognized in three alliances corresponding to three territories: the Cantabrian Range, Central Iberian Peninsula (Sistema Central and Sistema Ibérico) and Sierra Nevada. Four groups were extracted from the Cantabrian Range, which correspond to temperate (two groups) and Mediterranean (two groups) plant communities included in Teesdaliopsio-Luzulion. Two groups from Sierra Nevada - one oro- ( Thymion serpylloidis) and another cryoromediterranean ( Ptilotrichion purpurei) - were separated later on. Some relationships were found between the oromediterranean communities in the Central Mountains (Sierra de Guadarrama) and Sierra Nevada. This highlights the mediterranean character of this central Iberian mountain, compared to the rest of the central ranges (four groups representing cryoromediterranean vegetation) that were independently separated by the analysis and have a more submediterranean character. All are included in Jasionion carpetanae. Conclusions The Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Range show relationships in high-mountain vegetation but also differences since the Cantabrian Range has a major influence of Mediterranean taxa in their plant communities. Central Iberian mountains showed relationships with the other Mediterranean mountains through the presence of species of the Festuca indigesta gr. and other endemic taxa. The particular pattern of Sierra Nevada - very patchy and with lower cover values - hindered the separation of groups, but two groups were finally detected in the analysis based on the altitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This annual Editorial of 2017 summarizes the developments of the journal Phytocoenologia in the two years following its re-launch in 2015. Both the Editorial Team and the topics and regions of publications are very diverse. Starting with 2015, Impact Factors and CiteScores profoundly improved compared to the previous years, which, together with some other measures, has rendered Phytocoenologia an increasingly attractive publication venue. Narrowing the scope of Phytocoenologia explicitly down to "vegetation survey and classification" was arguably one of the cornerstones of recent success. The bibliometric analyses have also allowed us to demonstrate that both in absolute numbers and with regard to the proportion of such papers, Phytocoenologia can now be considered the leading journal in the field of vegetation classification worldwide. The citation network of Phytocoenologia includes a wide array of journals, although many remain to be covered in the Web of Science, to the bibliometric disadvantage of Phytocoenologia. We shortly present the four Editors' Choice articles of 2016 and a selection of some other outstanding contributions of that volume. The Editors' Award 2016 goes to Rui B. Elias and colleagues for their combination of vegetation classification and distribution modelling to derive a map of the natural vegetation of the Azores. In conclusion, the Editors aim to provide a service to vegetation ecologists worldwide by maintaining and further improving the qualities of Phytocoenologia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question How does the plant species composition of Pontic- Pannonian salt-rich habitats vary on a large geographical scale? Do the floristic differences between Pannonia and the Balkans correspond to the current phytosociological classification? Location Pannonia ( Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Romania) and the Balkans ( Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece). Methods Two thousand four hundred and thirty-seven relevés from halophytic and sub-halophytic habitats were classified using a modified TWINSPAN. The crispness of classification was checked. DCA and CCA with climate data as explanatory variables were applied. Results The classification was best interpreted at the level of 15 clusters. The vegetation changed along the salinity gradient from sub-halophytic grasslands (including Trifolion resupinati alliance of the Molinio- Arrhenatheretalia class and Beckmannion eruciformis and Festucion pseudovinae p. p. alliances of the Festuco- Puccinellietea class) and reed beds ( Bolboschoenion maritimi p. p. alliance; the Phragmito- Magnocaricetea class), through steppe and wet inland halophytic vegetation ( Festucion pseudovinae p. p. , Puccinellion limosae, Pucinellion convolutae, Bolboschoenion maritimi p. p. and Juncion gerardii of the Festuco- Puccinellietea class) towards the extreme halophytic vegetation of the Thero- Salicornietea, Crypsietea and Juncetea maritimi classes. This gradient was longer in the Balkan region, where it spanned from the sub-mediterranean salt-rich grasslands to the extremely halophytic vegetation at the Black Sea coast. The second most important gradient coincided with the water regime. Some vegetation types appeared to be confined to either the Pannonian or the Balkan region (especially within dry sub-halophytic and steppe halophytic grasslands), while others were distributed across the entire study area. The above-mentioned pattern did not always correspond with current classification systems. Conclusions Variation in salt-rich vegetation predominantly follows the salinity and water regime gradients. Geographical variation, generally coinciding with climatic and historical effects, is also important, especially in drier salt-rich habitats. Our large-scale analysis of the floristic variation of salt-rich habitats might be useful for the unification of classification systems that differ substantially between the countries involved. In addition, the analysis may be useful for adjustment of a classification system in the poorly explored Balkan region, where particular vegetation types were identified with, or delimited from, Central European vegetation types without detailed comparative analysis until now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A TWINSPAN classification of a representative set of 3026 relevés of spruce and fir forests from the Eastern Alps (Austria) is presented. Ecological features of relevé clusters and species groups are described by means of Ellenberg indicator values, site factors and stand characteristics. The most important floristic discontinuity in the data set separates acidophilous communities on mostly silicate substrates from basiphilous communities on mostly carbonate substrates. Further divisions reflect a combined gradient of temperature, nutrient regime and shading. This is supported by the correlation of average Ellenberg values of sample plots with DCA axes. A qualitative comparison between TWINSPAN clusters and a syntaxonomic system widely used in the Austrian Alps is drawn. The two orders Piceetalia excelsae and Athyrio-Piceetalia largely coincide with the clusters of the first level of divisions. Alliances are partly reproduced by TWINSPAN. Clusters on the fifth and fourth level of division mostly correspond to associations. However, a considerable portion of the lower level clusters is of a transitional type. Out of thirteen fir and spruce associations described for the Austrian Alps, five associations are not reproduced by TWINSPAN, i.e. Bazzanio-Piceetum, Veronico-Piceetum, Adenostylo alliariae-Abietetum, Asplenio-Piceetum and Carici-Piceetum. Three associations are split on the second level of division, i.e. Larici-Piceetum, Luzulo nemorosae-Piceetum and Calamagrostio variae--Piceetum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the phytosociological literature, there are numerous different approaches to the designation of diagnostic species. Frequently, this results in discrepancies between the lists of diagnostic species published for one and the same community. We examined different approaches to determining diagnostic species using as an example Picea abies forests within the broader context of all Central European forests. Diagnostic species of spruce forests were determined from a data set of 20,164 phytosociological relevés of forests from the Eastern Alps, Western Carpathians, and the Bohemian Massif, which included 3,569 relevés of spruce forests. Phi coefficient of association was used to measure species fidelity, and species with the highest fidelities were considered as diagnostic. Diagnostic species were determined in four ways, including (A) comparison of spruce forests among the three mountain ranges, (B) comparison between spruce forests and other forests, performed separately in each of the mountain ranges, (C) simultaneous comparison of spruce forests of each of the mountain ranges with spruce forests of the other two ranges and with the other forests of all ranges, (D) comparison of spruce forests with the other forests, using pooled data sets from the three mountain ranges. The sets of diagnostic species of spruce forests yielded in comparisons A and B were sharply different; the set resulting from comparison C was intermediate between the first two and comparison D resulted in similar diagnostic species as comparison B. In comparison A, spruce forests of the Eastern Alps had a number of diagnostic species, while the spruce forests of the other two mountain ranges had only few diagnostic species. In comparison B, by contrast, the number and quality of diagnostic species decreased from the Bohemian Massif to the Eastern Alps. This exercise points out that lists of diagnostic species published in phytosociological literature are dependent on the... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]