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The occurrence of Spiraea crenata and other rare steppe plants in Pannonian graveyards

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Abstract

Spiraea crenata was categorised as a species extinct from Hungary at the end of the 20th century. This steppe-relic species was rediscovered in 2000 in a rural graveyard (Pusztamonostor). As a result of our recent survey of 294 Pannonian graveyards, we found further 12 localities of S. crenata. We also found 27 populations of further protected plant species, mainly with pontic, pontic-pannonian, Eurasian or continental distribution. We found that the total scrub cover of graveyards with S. crenata was significantly higher than graveyards without this species; this is obviously related to the fact that the individuals of S. crenata were found mostly in edges of the graveyards, where they could survive mowing among high and dense scrubs or small trees. Other factors (geographic position, altitude above sea level, area of graveyards, proportion of grasslands, and proportion of territory covered by graves) were not related to the presence of the species. The total number of other protected species was significantly higher in graveyards with S. crenata. Most of the sites with S. crenata functioned as graveyards during the 2nd Military Survey of the Austrian Empire (1806–1869; 10 out of 13 sites), and the 3rd Military Survey (1869–1887; 12 of 13 sites). The long usage history of these graveyards suggests that the S. crenata individuals — along with other remarkable species — might be remnants of the original steppe vegetation rather than the result of plantations for ornamental purposes. Our results highlight the role of graveyards in the preservation of steppe flora, one of the most endangered component of the European flora.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary

    Attila Molnár V., Viktor Löki, Attila Takács, Ádám Lovas-Kiss & Gábor Sramkó

  2. MTA-DE “Lendület” Evolutionary Phylogenomics Research Group, Egyetem tér 1., H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary

    Attila Molnár V., Attila Takács & Gábor Sramkó

  3. Department of Tisza River Research, MTA Centre for Ecological Research-DRI, Bem, tér 18/C, H-4026, Debrecen, Hungary

    Balázs András Lukács

  4. H-6000, Kecskemét, Hársfa u. 7, Hungary

    András Máté

  5. Institute of Biology and Ecology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary

    Attila Molnár

  6. Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Pannonia, Georgikon Faculty, H-8360, Keszthely, Festetics u. 7, Hungary

    Timea Nagy

  7. MTA-DE Behavioural Ecology Research, Group, H-4032, Debrecen, Egyetem, tér 1, Hungary

    Jácint Tökölyi

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  1. Attila Molnár V.
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  2. Viktor Löki
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Molnár V., A., Löki, V., Máté, A. et al. The occurrence of Spiraea crenata and other rare steppe plants in Pannonian graveyards. Biologia 72, 500–509 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2017-0060

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