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Isolated occurrence of halophytic vegetation on mineral springs in the Eastern and Western Carpathians

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Abstract

Numerous features of the great diversity of saline environments in Romania (Southeastern Europe) have been investigated, although less explored regions still require field research. Tectonic movements and abundant fossil salt deposits have led to various isolated salt fountains, salty rocks and hypersaline ponds in the contact zone between the Eastern Carpathians and the Transylvanian Basin. According to the European Habitat Directive, these natural salt bodies belong to a priority habitat. In the counties of Harghita and Braşov, salt springs have been used as cold-water spas for decades, often without regard for their fragility. Their unique flora and vegetation remain largely unexplored. Based on numerical analysis of relevés collected from twelve salt spring locations in eastern Transylvania, we provide a comprehensive survey of saline vegetation. Compared to the large saline areas in western Transylvania, these are smaller, and only three euhalophytic plant associations make up the following vegetation zonation: Scorzonero parviflorae-Juncetum gerardi, Puccinellietum limosae, and Salicornietum prostratae. Their physiognomy and species composition resemble the well-studied travertine fens of the Western Carpathians (Slovakia). Joint analysis of data from rich fens (association Glauco-Trichophoretum pumili) in the Spiš basin revealed the insular character of sub-mountain halophilic vegetation in both regions. The construction of new tourist resorts poses a threat to the mineral salt springs. Fragmentation, waste depositing and water withdrawal for swimming pools have destroyed many sites. Our results can help to estimate the recent area and conservatuion status of temperate inland salt marshes in Romania.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Scott Burgess for the language revision of the first version of this paper, the editors for the improvement of the final version of the text, and for Eszter Ruprecht (Babeș Bolyai University, Cluj) and Anna Szabó (Ministry of Investments and European Projects, Bucharest) for obtaining difficult-to-access literature. 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, named ‘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

    Zuzana Dítě & Daniel Dítě

  2. Administration of the Slovenský kras National Park, Hámosiho 188, 049 51, Brzotín, Slovakia

    Róbert Šuvada

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  1. Zuzana Dítě
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DD and ZD conceived of the research idea, collected the data in the field and wrote the manuscript; RŠ performed the 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, Z., Šuvada, R. & Dítě, D. Isolated occurrence of halophytic vegetation on mineral springs in the Eastern and Western Carpathians. Folia Geobot 57, 231–246 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-023-09426-5

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