Fig. 2. Spatial coverage of GrassPlot data from Morocco to Japan. Currently, the majority comes from sub-Mediterranean to hemiboreal Europe (black = multi-scale plots, grey = other plots). Current content v. 1.00 (January 2018) • 126 datasets • 198 data owners • 36 countries • 168,997 plots, among them 14,064 with data also for non-vascular plants • 66,000 0.01-m² plots, 17,206 1-m² plots, 5,520 10-(or 9-) m² plots, 2,545 100-m² plots • 2,797 nested-plot series (with at least 4 grain sizes)

Aims Understanding fine‐grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine‐grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups). Location Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Methods We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m2 and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class. Results Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi‐natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open‐access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats. Conclusions The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high‐quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation‐plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology.

The aims of the paper are: i) to establish the coenotic affinity of each species of the Molinia caerulea complex in the southwest of Ukraine, ii) to present the results of a comparative analysis of the syntaxa in which include Molinia, iii) to explain possible reasons for the expansion of Molinia caerulea in the studied area. The study area ranges from the basins of the Upper Prut River to the Upper Siret River in Ukraine.To determine the coenotical affinity of the studied species, 134 relevés were analysed. The data analysis was carried out using the Modified TWINSPAN algorithm provided by the JUICE software. Ecological features of the communities were analyzed by means of a DCA-ordination and phytoindication assessment. It was revealed that in the studied region the species of the Molinia caerulea complex are characterized by a relatively wide coenotic and ecological range and that they can be attributed to different communities of 4 vegetation classes: Molinio-Arrhenatheretea (Polygono bistortae-Trisetion flavescentis, Molinion cearuleae, Arrhenatherion elatioris alliances), Festuco-Brometea (Bromion erecti alliance), Mulgedio-Aconitetea (Calamagrostion villosae alliance), Oxycocco-Sphagnetea (Sphagnion magellanici alliance). This paper presents the results of the floristic composition analyses outlines some ecological peculiarities and discusses the conservational values of the identified syntaxa.Izvleček Namen članka je: i) ugotoviti cenološko pripadnost vseh vrst kompleksa Molinia caerulea v jugozahodni Ukrajini, ii) predstaviti rezultate primerjalne analize sintaksonov z vrstami rodu Molinia, iii) razložiti možne vzroke za razširjanje vrste Molinia caerulea v preučevanem območju. Raziskovano območje se razteza med porečjema zgornjega dela rek Prut in Siret v Ukrajini. Za določitev cenološke pripadnosti preučevanih vrst smo analizirali 134 popisov. Podatke smo analizirali z modificiranim TWINSPAN algoritmom v programu JUICE. Ekološke značilnosti smo analizirali z DCA ordinacijo in fitoindikatorji. Ugotovili smo, da imajo vrste kompleksa Molinia caerulea v preučevanem območju relativno širok cenotski in ekološki razpon in njihove združbe lahko uvrščamo v štiri razrede: Molinio-Arrhenatheretea (zveze Polygono bistortae-Trisetion flavescentis, Molinion cearuleae, Arrhenatherion elatioris), Festuco-Brometea (zveza Bromion erecti), Mulgedio-Aconitetea (zveza Calamagrostion villosae), Oxycocco-Sphagnetea (zveza Sphagnion magellanici). V članku predstavljamo rezultate vrstne sestave, izpostavljamo ekološke posebnosti in razpravljamo o naravovarstvenih vrednostih obravnavanih sintaksonov.

Resultsof research on chorological, ecological and coenotic characteristics of an alien species of North American origin -Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal (Asteraceae)in Chernivtsi region (Ukraine) are presented. The species was found in the region in three associations of synanthropic vegetation, such as the Convolvulo-Agropyretum repentis Felföldy 1943 and Ambrosio artemisiifoliae-Grindelietum squarrosae Smetana, Derpoluk, Krasоva 1997 of the class Artemisietea vulgaris Lohmeyer et al. in Tx. ex von Rochow 1951, Lolio-Plantaginetum majoris (Linkola 1921) Beger of the class Polygono-Poеtea annuae Rivas-Mart. 1975 and association of Setario pumilae-Echinochloetum cruris-galli Felföldy 1942 corr. Mucina in Mucina et al. 1993 of the class Digitario sanguinalis-Eragrostietea minoris Mucina, Lososová et Šilc in Mucina et al. 2016). The indices of main edaphic and climatic factors for the species were determined for the first time. According to the main climatic indices, such as thermo-, ombro-, and cryoregime, the species G. squarrosa is characterized by stenotopic amplitude and belongs to submezotherms, subaridophytes, and hemicryophytes. The map of distribution of the species in the region is presented

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