Variety of habitats associated with common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) growing in Lithuania

Abstract

Common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) is an important conifer from the ecological and economical point of view. In some areas of the distribution range, it is a widely studied species. Up till now insufficient attention has been paid to junipers growing in the Baltic countries where it is one of three natural conifers and important forest tree species. Recently, molecular markers-based diversity of Lithuanian populations of J. communis was determined, although related biological and ecological variables remain undisclosed. The present study is aimed at the evaluation of biotic and abiotic environment of J. communis according to plant species composition. Fourteen sites with J. communis were selected in the territory of Lithuania. At each site undergrowth trees and shrubs, herbaceous species, dwarf shrubs, and mosses were recorded and the abundance of each species was evaluated. Abiotic environment characteristics were obtained using Ellenberg's indicator values (EIV) of the plant species neighbouring junipers. In the sites with J. communis, 80 species of herbs and dwarf shrubs belonging to 18 families were registered. The largest variety of herbaceous species and dwarf shrubs (18-22 per site) was registered for sites representing xero-thermophile fringes. Species coverage data recorded in the sites in most cases allowed to group sites according to their habitats. Despite rather small territory of the present survey (latitude (N) 56°07'-54°11' , longitude (E) 21°06'-26°30'), the ranges of indexes for environment factors of juniper sites were rather wide: 6.0-7.3 for light, 3.0-5.8 for temperature, 3.7-5.3 for continentality, 4.2-7.8 for soil moisture, 2.7-7.4 for soil reaction, and 2.7-4.4 for soil nitrogen. Among the sites selected by us, the most contrasting in terms of EIV were locations representing coastal brown dunes covered with natural Scots pine forests and xero-thermophile fringes. Keywords INTRODUCTIONJuniperus species are substantial elements of present-day forests (Garcia et al., 2000;Adams, 2011) and some of them are on the border of extinction (Lima et al., 2010;Rumeu et al., 2011;Silva et al., 2011). This historically old genera is important for providing information about evolution of plants in Late Glacial period (Koller et al., 2005;Li et al., 2011, Veski et al., 2012. Juniperus contains economically valuable species used for medicinal purposes (Muto et al., 2008;Kusari et al., 2009), perfume industry (Lawrence, 1984, flavoring of food and alcoholic beverages (Maarse, 1991;Vichi et al., 2007). These circumstances point out the need of comprehensive knowledge about Juniperus species.Juniperus communis is widely distributed over the Northern hemisphere, growing in Europe and three other continents. Junipers have been examined by molecular and biochemical markers in various regions of their natural occurrence (Canary Islands, Greece, Germany, UK, Russia, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico, Utah, Texas, etc. (Adams et al., 2003;Adams, 2011). Examination of variabl...

Ionomic Parameters of Populations of Common Juniper (Juniperus communis L.) Depending on the Habitat Type

“…Molecular diversity (percentage of polymorphic ISSR loci) of J. communis was lowest for transition mires and quaking bogs (D, 42.9 % as a mean) and highest for Juniperus communis scrubs (F, 68.2 %). Molecular diversity was intermediate for subcontinental moss Scots pine forests (G, 43.9 % as a mean), for coastal brown dunes covered with natural Scots pine forests (B, 48.0 %), and for xero-thermophile fringes (E, 48.5 %) [ 72 ]. Coverage by J. communis also depended on the habitat type, the smallest being for transition mires and quaking bogs (D, 5 % as a mean) and the highest for Juniperus communis scrubs (F, 60 %).…”

“…Coverage by J. communis also depended on the habitat type, the smallest being for transition mires and quaking bogs (D, 5 % as a mean) and the highest for Juniperus communis scrubs (F, 60 %). It was intermediate for subcontinental moss Scots pine forests (G, 13% as a mean), for coastal brown dunes covered with natural Scots pine forests (B, 15 %), and for xero-thermophile fringes (E, 36 %) [ 72 ]. As such, the lowest polymorphism at ISSR loci and the lowest coverage by J. communis in transition mires and quaking bogs corresponded the worst nutritional status in respect to needle concentrations of N, P, Mg and Cu.…”

“…During evaluation of J. communis environments by EIV, the soil richness in nutrients (EIV-N) [ 35 ] showed low fertility for all habitats; it was lower than the middle value (5) and ranged in the interval of 2.7 to 4.4. Soil reaction (EIV-R) ranged in the wider interval of 2.7 to 7.4 [ 72 ]. Our soil acidity values corresponded well with the findings of chemical analyses performed by other researchers [ 78 ].…”

“…To relate ionomic data with other characteristics of J. communis , the genetic diversity of juniper populations was evaluated using ISSR markers [ 39 ]. For comparison of ionomic data with environmental parameters, undergrowth trees and shrubs, herbaceous species, and dwarf shrubs were recorded at each site following Braun-Blanquet [ 90 ] and the abundance of each species was evaluated using EIV [ 35 ] as described in detail previously [ 72 , 75 , 76 ].…”

Coconut Juice Enhances Rooting and Leaf Essential Oils of Juniperus sabina L. Cuttings

“…As noted above, the metabolic processes of EOs reflect the interactions between plants and the environment [68,69], and factors such as soil composition and precipitation levels play a crucial role in shaping distinct structures in plants [70], thus developing distinct chemotypes [1]. In this context, the essential oil yield and composition can also be affected by the distribution of precipitation throughout the year [43].…”