Riparian Forest Communities Along Watercourses in the Sutjeska National Park (Se Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Abstract

The paper deals with the floristic and ecological diversity of the riparian forest and scrub communitiesof the Sutjeska National Park in SE Bosnia and Herzegovina. Watercourses of the NP are represented bymontane to submontane small rivers and creeks with fast-flowing water and frequent strong but shortfloods. This caused specific types of riverine forest vegetation to develop along their banks. Classificationand ordination methods of numerical analysis were applied on 42 relevés sampled in the field. Theclassification has revealed five ecologically interpretable relevé groups: (1) willow scrub of Salix eleagnosand S. caprea on fertile fine grained deposits; (2) forests of Alnus glutinosa and Salix alba also onfiner deposits; (3) narrow strips of Alnus glutinosa along the low banks of smaller streams; (4) narrowstrips of Alnus glutinosa along the steep banks of wider streams; (5) thermo-mesophilous scrub of Salixeleagnos and Ostrya carpinifolia on gravel beds. All five groups are floristically and ecologically welldistinguished. While groups 1 and 3 are similar to already described communities from Central Europe(Salicetum eleagno-purpureae and Stellario nemorum-Alnetum glutinosae, respectivelly), groups 4 and5 most probably present, up to date, undescribed associations. Group 2 is rather floristically and ecologicallyheterogeneous, and as such possess transitional character (between Salicion albae and Alnionincanae alliances). Ordination revealed ecological gradient from nutrient rich (groups 1 and 2) to lessnutrient rich communities (groups 4 and 5).

New data on the distribution of Adenophora liliifolia (L.) A. DC. (Campanulaceae) in Serbia

“…23.09.2003., rev. Vukojičić, S. 2020; Brodarevo: The recent discoveries of new populations of A. liliifolia in Bosnia & Herzegovina (Milanović & Stevanović 2009, Ballian & Šarić 2015, Milanović & Stupar 2017 suggest that it may also be more common in Serbia. Especially interesting are the findings in the canyon of river Lim (2-3 km upstream from its confluence with Drina), and on the right bank of river Drina (2 km downstream from the inflow of Lim) (Redžić & Šoljan 1988), which indicate that the area in southwestern Serbia along the Lim from Gostun and Brodarevo to Priboj, and further to Ustibar, needs to be studied more in detail.…”

“…On the Balkan Peninsula, A. liliifolia is found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia (Milanović & Stevanović 2009, Castroviejo et al 2010. It inhabits stony-gravel and shady banks of mountain rivers, mainly within thermo-mesophilous forests of the Orno-Ostryon alliance, but also the mesophilous streamside formations of Alnus glutinosa (Milanović & Stupar 2017), wet meadows of the alliance Molinion, beside hilly-mountainous rivers, and rarely mountainous peatbogs. It also grows on calcareous canyon rocks above the water (Stevanović & Lakušić 1999).…”

Vegetation of the European mountain river gravel bars: A formalized classification

“…Nevertheless, some of them are at risk due to existing plans of building river cascades and hydropower plants, e.g. in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Schwarz, 2015(Schwarz, , 2019Milanović and Stupar, 2017;Drescher, 2018), or Georgia (Kalníková et al, 2020). Future vegetation surveys should focus on these less explored riverine systems and gather the information that could help protect them.…”

“…Despite the long history of gravel‐bar research, there are still many unexplored areas in Europe, especially the Balkans, some parts of the Carpathians, Eastern European countries, Scandinavia and the Caucasus, although new phytosociological studies from some of such white spots have appeared recently (e.g. Milanović and Stupar, 2017; Drescher, 2018; Nuță and Niculescu, 2019; Kalníková et al, 2020).…”

Riparian woody plant communities in the Romanian Carpathians: Species diversity and community structure of Salix and Hippophaë communities

“…Regarding previous studies, riparian forests and vegetation in montane and submontane belts are studied in Europe (Guarino et al., 2008 ; Milanovi & Stupar, 2017 ; Schwabe, 1989 ), and in the Western Carpathians, as well (Sienkiewicz et al., 2001 ; Slezák et al., 2020 ). The Romanian Carpathians are also a well‐researched area in terms of systematic vegetation and flora, with the studies previously carried out in locations in our study area (Beldie, 1967 ; Biţă‐Nicolae, 2011 ).…”