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Habitat shaped by ancient salt: vegetation of the classes Therosalicornietea and Festuco-Puccinellietea in the Transylvanian Basin (Romania)

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Abstract

Halophytic vegetation on fossil salt deposits and salt springs is an extreme habitat occurring in isolated continental areas of temperate Europe. It has a relatively rich representation in the Transylvanian Basin of Romania; however, comprehensive research into this highly specialized vegetation is lacking. We provide the first phytosociological survey of recent data of inland salt habitats in Cluj County, where they are widely distributed. Cluster analysis distinguished eight euhalophytic plant communities occupying several zones depending on the micro-topography of the salt-affected area: Scorzonero parviflorae-Juncetum gerardii (including Astero tripolio-Triglochinetum maritime), Plantagineto cornuti-Agrostetum stoloniferae, Artemisio-Festucetum pseudovinae, Artemisio-Petrosimonietum triandrae, Limonio gmelinii-Artemisietum monogynae, Puccinellietum limosae (each allocated to the class Festuco-Puccinellietea), then Suaedetum maritimae and Salicornietum prostratae, belonging to the class Therosalicornietea. We revised the nomenclature of these associations, characterized their species composition and ecological preferences based on indicator values for salinity, pH, moisture and nutrients in the soil. We broadly discussed our findings in light of the historical data and documented the current habitat conditions of the sites. Most of them were found to be degraded due to increasing tourism exploiting the curative effects of salt springs. Beyond recognizing the high conservation value of the Transylvanian salt habitats, it is also important to highlight their biogeographical significance, as they fill the gap between the inland salt marshes of Central Europe and the continental salt habitats of Eurasia.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Scott Burgess for the language revision, Anna Szabó (Babes Bolyai University, Cluj). The study was financially supported by the VEGA Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic, project No. 2/0001/20, title ‘Islands of continental saline vegetation in temperate Europe – what they have in common and in what they differ?’.

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  1. Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Daniel Dítě & Zuzana Dítě

  2. State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic, Administration of the Slovenský kras National Park, Hámosiho 188, 049 51, Brzotín, Slovakia

    Róbert Šuvada

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  1. Daniel Dítě
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DD and ZD conceived of the research idea, collected data in the field and wrote the manuscript; R.Š. performed statistical analyses; all authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zuzana Dítě.

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Dítě, D., Šuvada, R. & Dítě, Z. Habitat shaped by ancient salt: vegetation of the classes Therosalicornietea and Festuco-Puccinellietea in the Transylvanian Basin (Romania). Folia Geobot 56, 109–123 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-021-09396-6

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