engleski

Distribution pattern, range, ecology, hotspots and conservation of Croatian endemic plants.

Although Croatia hosts more than half of all of the floral species found on the Balkan Peninsula, the endemic taxa have never been systematically evaluated. Based on recent inventory data, we analyze the qualitative and spatial composition of the endemic flora and their correlations with several environmental variables. A total of 377 endemic taxa are found over 46.3% of the national territory. The range size is strongly skewed toward very narrow distributions. Two notable centers of endemism – the mountainous Dinaric Alps and the SE Adriatic coast, including the islands, are recognized. Endemics exhibit modest bimodality with respect to altitudinal distribution. The results indicates that the number of endemic species gradually increases from the NW to the SE. The endemic taxa has a higher incidence in warmer areas with longer insulation and with less rainfall. Narrow endemic species largely occur within the dry grasslands, forest habitats, and especially in the alpine- Carpathian-Balkan and the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic limestone rocks. Spatial analysis shows that approximately 50% of endemic plants do not grow within the network of protected areas that are actively managed. Despite relatively strong legal protection of endemic species, 37 species and sub-species are unprotected. Changes in conservation practice are proposed.

distribution ; range ; ecology ; hotspots ; conservation ; endemic plants

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