Investigation of the Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands of the order Scorzoneretalia villosae Kovačević 1959 in the area of the Krka NP

Investigation of the Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands of the order Scorzoneretalia villosae Kovačević 1959 in the area of the Krka NP
During 2024, the first phase of the investigation of the Eastern Sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands of the order Scorzoneretalia villosae (NATURA 2000 code 62A0) was carried out

These grasslands are rare habitat types of national and European importance. They develop along the eastern Adriatic coast in the bioclimate of the alliance Carpinion orientalis Horvat 1958 and the class Quercetea pubescentis Doing-Kraft ex Scamoni et Passarge 1959.

The investigation was undertaken in the Park, up to Čučevo and Puljane, during spring and autumn. 76 phytocoenological recordings were collected, in which a total of 246 taxa were recorded. Floristic and phytocoenological analysis of the recordings was performed.

Phytocoenological recordings recorded 18 endemic (7.32%), eight endangered, and 23 strictly protected taxa. The grasslands of the Scorzoneretalia villosae order in the Krka National Park are also rich in orchid flora, with more than 25 orchid taxa recorded.

Phytocoenological analysis showed that the vegetation of dry grasslands in the area of ​​the Krka National Park belongs to the alliances Chrysopogono grylli-Koelerion splendentis Horvatić 1973 and Scorzonerion villosae Horvatić ex Kovačević 1959.

The association Bromo erecti-Chrysopogonetum grylli Horvatić 1934, from the alliance Chrysopogono grylli-Koelerion splendentis, occupies the largest area in the Park. Out of a total of 76 recordings, 46 refer to this community. Although threatened by succession into thorny bushes, stands of needle juniper, and deciduous thickets, it still occupies significant areas, especially in the area of ​​Konjevrat, around Brnjica, and in the area between Drinovci and Nos Kalik.

The Park also includes the association Dichanthio ischaemum-Cleistogenetum serotinae Trinajstić ex Poldini 1975, to which 17 phytocoenological recordings refer. This community develops on the surfaces of abandoned crop lands where relatively deep, skeletal, brown coastal soils are deposited, and reaches its optimum development in late summer and early autumn, when its characteristic species, the grasses Dichanthium ischaemum and Cleistogenes serotina, bloom.

Indicators of good quality grassland habitats are: a major biodiversity of species and the presence of characteristic species, the absence of invasive species, a lack of tall plants, shrubs, and trees. In the past, dry grasslands (pastures) in the wider area of ​​the Park occupied large areas, which, due to depopulation and a decrease in the amount of livestock (especially sheep), are disappearing, i.e. gradually becoming overgrown. Intensive livestock farming also leads to habitat destruction and a decrease in biodiversity. Therefore, when planning habitat revitalization, it is necessary to accurately determine the desired number of livestock per specific area of ​​grassland.

Due to the great value of these habitats, investigation of the dry grasslands of the order Scorzoneretalia villosae will continue in 2025, in the remaining part of the Park, north of Čučevo and Puljane.