Inland cliffs call for plant conservation efforts and new research in vegetation ecology
Abstract ID: 3.13299 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA
Thomas Deola (0)
Angiolini, Claudia (2), Audorff, Volker (1), Bonari, Gianmaria (2), Bricca, Alessandro (3), de Simone, Leopoldo (2), Lecher, Maja (1), Lorite Moreno, Juan (4), Paulus, Sofie (1), Steinbauer, Manuel (1), Wolff, Peter (1), Jentsch, Anke (1)
Thomas Deola ((0) University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, GEOII, 95447, Bayreuth, Bavaria, DE)
Angiolini, Claudia (2), Audorff, Volker (1), Bonari, Gianmaria (2), Bricca, Alessandro (3), de Simone, Leopoldo (2), Lecher, Maja (1), Lorite Moreno, Juan (4), Paulus, Sofie (1), Steinbauer, Manuel (1), Wolff, Peter (1), Jentsch, Anke (1)
(0) University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, GEOII, 95447, Bayreuth, Bavaria, DE
(1) University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, GEOII, 95447, Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany
(2) University of Siena, via Pier Andrea Mattioli, 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
(3) Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università, 1, 39100 Bolzano BZ
(4) University of Granada, Avenida de la Fuente Nueva, 18071, Granada, Spain
(2) University of Siena, via Pier Andrea Mattioli, 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
(3) Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazza Università, 1, 39100 Bolzano BZ
(4) University of Granada, Avenida de la Fuente Nueva, 18071, Granada, Spain
Cliffs are unique rock outcrops consisting of a plateau, a pediment, and a tall and steep section known as the cliff face. Inland cliffs often form extreme habitats from coastal to alpine bioclimatic belts supporting distinct flora and vegetation highly differentiated from the surrounding landscape. Cliffs represent hotspots of plant endemics. In Europe, together with other rocky habitats and screes, they support the highest number of endemic vascular taxa. They act as microrefugia for relict species. Within the alpine life zone, cliffs provide habitats for microthermic relict species at the edges of their range, offering microsites with lower temperatures on sun-exposed slopes and reduced temperature extremes compared to the surrounding environment. Due to their inaccessibility, cliffs have been historically preserved by the impact of human activities, even in proximity to anthropogenic landscapes. However, these highly specialized habitats are increasingly threatened by human induced global changes and the rising popularity of outdoor activities such as rock climbing. Although cliff vegetation is primarily shaped by edaphic constraints and thus classified as azonal, climatic variability might also play a role. This phenomenon is known as intrazonality, which increases this vegetation’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change due to isolation. Cliff vegetation has historically been underrepresented in ecological studies, with scarce macroecological studies addressing its variability across large spatial scales. These gaps are increasingly being bridged thanks to the advent of new technologies, such as unmanned aerial systems, which greatly improve the sampling opportunities in these challenging environments. We present a review on the existing literature regarding inland cliff vegetation and offer a concise overview of its key characteristics, while highlighting significant plant functional and macroecological knowledge gaps that currently exist. Our focus will be on high-elevation cliff environments and global change drivers. Finally, we will share preliminary results from a functional macroecological study on intrazonality across various biogeographic regions including temperate and Mediterranean, aiming to provide valuable insights into the potential impacts of future climate change on the vegetation of cliff faces.
| N/A | ||||||||
|