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A first inventory of gypsum flora in the Palearctic and Australia

Profile image of María MerloMaría Merlo

2018, Mediterranean Botany

https://doi.org/10.5209/MBOT.59428
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Abstract

Gypseous substrates are well-recognised as supporting distinctive and unique flora assemblages, including numerous gypsum endemic (gypsophile) species. Along with these, others are also frequent although their presence is not restricted to gypsum; they show a clear preference for them (gypsocline). While this phenomenon (gypsophily) has been studied regionally, and various hypotheses put forward to explain it, there has been little global synthesis. We present a preliminary check-list on the gypsophile and gypsocline flora of the Palaearctic and Australian areas as a part of a project to develop a global checklist of the World’s gypsophytes, which can broaden our ecological and biogeographical understanding of these unique environments. The database contains 935 taxa spanning 54 countries. The Irano-Turanian region —and to a lesser extent the Mediterranean region— emerged as the richest territories in terms of gypsophile species; this richness was much reduced in the Saharo-Arabian ...

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Juan Francisco Mota Poveda

Lazaroa

Thelinkbetweenplantsandgypsumsoildatesbacktothe19thcentury.Inrecentyears,anincreasingnumberofarticleshavedealtwiththisveryspecialtypeofflorafromvariousperspectives.Theexistenceofcrustsonthe soil,xericityandnutritionalimbalancesthattheseplants-someofwhicharemineralaccumulators-aresubmitted to,haveturnedthemintointerestingsubjectsofstudyatdifferentlevels,fromthemoleculartothebiogeographical andmacroecologicalones.Theseplantsmightrepresentarelevantmodelforresearchonvegetalevolutionandspecialization,duetothehighnumberofendemismsthatconcentrateongypsum,someofthemverylocalandseriously endangeredinmanycases.Asamatteroffact,theHabitatsDirectiveintheE.U.doesnotonlyincludeseveralgypsophilespecies,butitalsoconsidersgypsumoutcropspriorityhabitats.Thecreationofaglobalgypsophyteschecklist may favour the possibility to increase knowledge about this interesting flora further. Nevertheless, as there are manygypsumterritoriesintheworld,theelaborationofsuchalistdemandstheparticipationofanevergrowingnumberofresearchersandlocalexperts.Fouraspectshavebeendeemedofinterestinthisresearchforthecreationofa checklist: Firstly,discussionaboutwhethertoconsider"gypsum-tolerantplant"and"gypsophyte"(gypso-fromtheGreek,gypsumand-phyte,plant)assynonymoustermsornot,ashappenswith"salt-tolerantplant"and"halophyte"(or"salttolerance"and"halophily").Inthesecondplace,thereistheterminologicalquestionthataffectsallthosewordsderived fromtherootgyps-(gypsophile,gypsicolous,gypsovag…)whichshouldbestandardizedsoastofacilitatescientific communication.Thethirdquestionisrelatedtothegypsiferoussoils,ormaybeitwouldbettertocallthemgypsichorizonsasthegypsumcontentsofthesecanbecriticalinordertodiscriminatebetweengypsophytesandplantsthatare notso.Thefourthaspectdealswiththepossibilitytousechemicalcompositionorstoichiometryinordertodiscriminatebetweengypsophytesandtherestofplants,oratleast,todiscriminatebetweentheaccumulativestrategyand othernutritionalstrategies.Finally,afifthaspectremainstobediscussed,highlighting,atleastsuperficially,whichterritories(inthiscase,countries)arethosewheretheputativeexistenceofgypsophilefloraisbelievedtoappear. Havingexaminedthesequestionsthroughtherevisionof91papersresultingfromasearchonScopusitisclearthat gypsum-tolerance and gypsophily cannot be accepted as synonyms. In addition, gypsophytes, at least for the time being,cannotbedefinedinanyotherwaybutresortingtotheclassicalorinductivecriterion,i.e.,plantsgrowingexclusivelyongypsum.Asregardssoils,thelevelofgypsumgypsophilevegetationcantolerateisfrequentlyover50%. Apartfromthat,althoughtheaccumulatorstrategyiscommonamonggypsophytes,especiallyofCaandS,thisisnot atraitthatcanbegeneralized,asisnotthefactthatthesemineralsshouldconcentrateonleaves.Roots,atleastinthe caseofCa,canalsoaccumulatelargequantities.Sofar,researchongypsophilyhasfocusedonaroundtencountries, which is noteworthy when compared to the 75 where references or signs of gysophile flora have been found; this makesitevenmoreinterestingtoelaborateachecklistthatcouldbroadenknowledgeinthisarea.

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Plant life on gypsum: a review of its multiple facets
Arantzazu López de Luzuriaga

The adaptation of plants to particular soil types has long intrigued biologists. Gypsum soils occupy large areas in many regions of the world and host a striking biological diversity, but their vegetation has been much less studied than that developing over serpentine or saline soils. Herein, we review all aspects of plant life on gypsum ecosystems, discuss the main processes driving their structure and functioning, and highlight the main conservation threats that they face. Plant communities in gypsum habitats typically show distinctive bands at very small spatial scales, which are mainly determined by topography. Plants living on gypsum soils can be classified into three categories: (i) wide gypsophiles are specialists that can penetrate the physical soil crust during early life stages and have physiological adjustments to cope with the chemical limitations imposed by gypsum soils; (ii) narrow gypsophiles are refugee plants which successfully deal with the physical soil crust and can tolerate these chemical limitations but do not show specific adaptations for this type of soils; and (iii) gypsovags are non-specialist gypsum plants that can only thrive in gypsum soils when the physical crust is absent or reduced. Their ability to survive in gypsum soils may also be mediated by below-ground interactions with soil microorganisms. Gypsophiles and gypsovags show efficient germination at low temperatures, seed and fruit heteromorphism within and among populations, and variation in seed dormancy among plants and populations. In gypsum ecosystems, spatio-temporal changes in the composition and structure of above-ground vegetation are closely related to those of the soil seed bank. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) dominated by cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses are conspicuous in gypsum environments worldwide, and are important drivers of ecosystem processes such as carbon and nitrogen cycling, water infiltration and run-off and soil stability. These organisms are also important determinants of the structure of annual plant communities living on gypsum soils. The short-distance seed dispersal of gypsophiles is responsible for the high number of very narrow endemisms typically found in gypsum outcrops, and suggests that these species are evolutionarily old taxa due to the time they need to colonize isolated gypsum outcrops by chance. Climate change and habitat fragmentation negatively affect both plants and BSCs in gypsum habitats, and are among the major threats to these ecosystems. Gypsum habitats and specialists offer the chance to advance our knowledge on restrictive soils, and are ideal models not only to test important evolutionary questions such as tolerance to low Ca/Mg proportions in soils, but also to improve the theoretical framework of community ecology and ecosystem functioning.

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Preliminary checklist of the Italian gypsophilous flora
orazio caldarella

2016

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Plants living on gypsum: beyond the specialist model
Adrián Escudero

Annals of botany, 2007

Background and Aims Plants from gypsum habitats are classified as gypsophiles and gypsovags. The former include both narrow endemics limited to small gypsum areas and regionally dominant gypsophiles growing in gypsum areas of large regions, whereas gypsovags are plants that can grow both in gypsum and non-gypsum soils. Factors controlling the distribution of gypsum plants are still not fully understood. † Methods To assess how the different types of gypsum plants deal with the stressful conditions of gypsum substrates, comparisons were made of the leaf chemical composition of four gypsovags, five regionally dominant gypsophiles and four narrow gypsum endemics growing in two massive gypsum areas of the Iberian Peninsula. † Key Results The chemical composition of gypsovags was clearly different from regionally dominant gypsophiles, while the chemical composition of narrow-gypsophile endemics was more similar to the chemical composition of gypsovags than to that of regionally dominant gypsophiles. Regionally dominant gypsophiles showed higher concentrations of ash, Ca, S, N, Mg P and Na, whereas gypsovags and local gypsophile endemics displayed higher concentrations of C and greater C : N ratios. † Conclusions Such differences suggest that the three groups of gypsum plants follow diverse ecological strategies. It is suggested that regionally dominant gypsophiles might fit the 'specialist' model, being species specifically adapted to gypsum, whereas both gypsovags and narrow-gypsophile endemics might fit the 'refuge' model, being stress-tolerant species that find refuge on gypsum soils from competition. The analysis of the leaf chemical composition could be a good predictor of the degree of plants specialization to gypsum soils.

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Anatomically preserved Glossopteris leaves from the Bowen and Sydney basins, Australia
Stephen McLoughlin

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 1997

Anatomically preserved vegetative Glossopteris leaves in silicified peat deposits of Late Permian age are described from the Bowen Basin of Queensland and the Sydney Basin of New South Wales, Australia. Glossopteris homevalensis Pigg et McLoughlin, sp. nov., a distinctive new species from the Fort Cooper Coal Measures, Bowen Basin, is characterized by mesarch vascular bundles with parenchymatous bundle sheaths, a prominent midrib, the occasional presence of secondary vascular tissues, a differentiated mesophyll, an ad- and abaxial hypodermis of isodiametric cuboidal cells with abundant fibers, epidermal cells with sinuous anticlinal margins and simple, slightly sunken stomata. Anatomically preserved leaves similar to G. schopfii Pigg, originally described from the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica are also documented from the Bowen and Sydney basins. Those from the Burngrove Formation (Bowen Basin) differ slightly from Antarctic G. schopfii in size, and possess more numerous bundle sheath fibers and sometimes a more pronounced palisade mesophyll. Those from Katoomba (Sydney Basin) are also similar but may differ in some cuticular details. Also occurring in the Katoomba and Burngrove floras are leaves resembling G. skaarensis Pigg, a second species originally described from Antarctica. The presence of G. schopfii and cf. G. skaarensis in Australia as well as in the Transantarctic Mountains demonstrates their widespread distribution in eastern Gondwana. In contrast, the apparent restriction of G. homevalensis to a single locality in the Bowen Basin may reflect a distinct, more local distribution of a floristic assemblage unlike those typical of other Australian and Antarctic floras.

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A Review of C4 Plants in Southwest Asia: An Ecological, Geographical and Taxonomical Analysis of a Region With High Diversity of C4 Eudicots
Morteza Djamali

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2020

conditions and awaken interest in the importance of local C 4 crops, the conservation of threatened C 4 taxa, and awareness of human impacts on the rapid environmental changes in the region. Keywords: C 3-C 4 switching plants, C 4 crops, Chenopodiaceae, conservation, Irano-Turanian region, Poaceae, single-cell C 4 , d 13 C-isotope ratio the Pamir (Pyankov et al., 2000a). In tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America the majority of C 4 Poaceae confirm the trend observed in Europe, being mainly distributed in hot climates with the obligatory presence of

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Economic evaluation of ecological restoration options in gypsum habitats after mining
Helena García Robles

Journal for Nature Conservation, 2021

Degraded ecosystems worldwide are in need of restoration in order to recover essential ecosystem services, promoting biodiversity and enhancing carbon stock. Methods to restore vegetation differ widely in economic cost and effectiveness, but economic evaluations are scarce in the literature. The aim was to perform an economic appraisal of different restoration options for gypsum habitats after mining, analysing the effectiveness of the most feasible options comparing both, ecological success (survival) and economic (costs). The evaluated restoration techniques differed significantly in costs. The most expensive option was planting (69,795.50 €/ha), despite the high survival achieved. The least expensive successful option was manual sowing in level plots (0− 15 % incline; 12,513.20 €/ha). The application of organic amendments proved expensive without offering substantial benefits, while the erosion-control blankets (ECBs) justified the cost only on steep slopes (50-60 % incline). We conclude that for relatively level areas without stability or erosion problems, the simplest and least expensive solution is manual sowing of native species. For steep areas (15− 60 %), hydroseeding with dense mulching is the most cost-effective choice, while only small patches with steeper slopes (around 60 %) should be treated with ECBs to prevent excessive erosion and landslides. Restoration requires more ecological research followed by proper economic assessment in order to offer valuable solutions for practitioners, not only in mining restoration, but also in all types of ecological restoration.

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Plants on Rich-Magnesium Dolomite Barrens: A Global Phenomenon
María Merlo

Biology, 2021

For botanists and ecologists, the close link between some plants and substrates, such as serpentine or gypsum, is well known. However, the relationship between dolomite and its flora has been much less studied, due to various causes. Its diffuse separation from limestone and the use of a vague approach and terminology that, until now, no one has tried to harmonize are among these reasons. After carrying out an extensive review, completed with data on the distribution of plants linked to dolomite, the territories in which this type of flora appears at a global level were mapped using a geographic information system software. In addition, data on soils were collected, as well as on their influence on the ionomic profile of the flora. These data were completed with the authors’ own information from previous research, which also served to assess these communities’ degree of conservation and the genetic diversity of some of their characteristic species. The results showed that the so-cal...

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Ecological and Syntaxonomic Analysis of Pinus halepensis Mill. in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands
Ana Cano-Ortiz

Land, 2022

This work aims to review the natural communities of Pinus halepensis in Spain. The methodology consisted of subjecting 400 phytosociological relevés to georeferencing and statistical, biogeographical, and bioclimatic treatment. We analyse the communities of Pinus halepensis on the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands. Five syntaxa with association rank are described in several works and included in the alliances Rhamno-Quercion and Oleo-Ceratonion. Ephedro-Pinetum halepensis was initially proposed as a community by Torres et al. and subsequently raised to the rank of association by Rivas-Martínez et al. In this work, we have separated the plant communities dominated by Pinus halepensis, which was previously included in other syntaxa, and as a result, we propose four new associations and a new alliance for the Iberian Peninsula: ass. Bupleuro rigidi-Pinetum halepensis; ass. Ephedro nebrodensis-Pinetum halepensis; ass. Rhamno angustifoliae-Pinetum halepènsis; ass. Rhamno laderoi-Pin...

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