Even extreme dry grasslands on rocky outcrops are not stable. A 30-year resurvey in the Dyje/Thaya valley reveals declines of rare xerophilous species, spread of ruderal and nutrient-demanding plants, and strongest changes outside national parks. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2026.169.html

Mediterranean Dittrichia graveolens is spreading along Slovak motorways, especially older sections. Its tolerance of mild frost and warmer summers, together with climate change, may support further eastward expansion through road corridors. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2026.145.html

A new community resource for Alpine botany: flow-cytometric screening of ~45,000 silica-dried samples yielded genome-size and ploidy data for 1,103 plant species. Polyploids were found in 35%, with successful analyses for 97% of species screened. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2026.127.html

🌿 Coming soon: Preslia 98(2)! New insights into plant diversity, invasions and vegetation change: 🔹 Genome-size and ploidy data compiled for 1,103 Alpine plant species 🔹 Mediterranean Dittrichia graveolens continues its eastward spread along Slovak motorways

Unique wetlands of the Pannonian Basin host an unexpected Batrachium diversity, including several morphologically cryptic cytotypes unknown elsewhere in central Europe. These lineages are closer to Mediterranean taxa than to their central European neighbours. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2026.105.html

New distribution maps for 87 vascular plant taxa reveal a flora under pressure: several species now survive at a single Czech site and four are nationally extinct. In contrast, taxonomic revision reveals 22 distinct escaped Cotoneaster species. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2026.001.html

🌿 Coming soon: Preslia 98(1)! New insights into central European flora: 🔹 87 taxa mapped reveal declines, extinctions, and newly recognised escaped diversity 🔹 Pannonian wetlands host unique Batrachium with Mediterranean links Stay tuned! 📖 #Botany #PlantScience #Taxonomy #Evolution #Ecology

Garden centres can host surprisingly diverse alien floras, including species not yet recorded in the country. A survey from Hungary shows they can also act as hubs of unintentional introductions and spread, including invasive species. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.659.html

Why are allopolyploids common in Batrachium, but no diploid hybrids? This puzzle is now solved: a large-scale screening uncovered a natural hybrid between diploid species, providing new insight into the early stages of polyploid evolution. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.637.html

Pannonian sand grasslands persist, but their specialists fade. Species adapted to grazing and dry, nutrient-poor soils decline, while generalists and nutrient-demanding species increase, driven by succession, eutrophication and abandoned management. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.613.html

🌿 Coming soon: Preslia 97(4)! Three new papers shed light on biodiversity loss, plant evolution and overlooked drivers of plant invasions: 🔹 Pannonian sand grasslands lose specialists due to succession and eutrophication

Nine cryptic Aneura lineages confirmed in Slovenia, incl. two new for Europe. Molecular and morphological data reveal overlooked diversity in liverworts and refine species delimitation, distribution, and habitat preferences. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.589.html

In Slovenian semi-dry grasslands, over half of species are clonal. Clonal traits vary with soil conditions and community type, highlighting the need for fine-scale habitat management to preserve species and functional diversity. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.567.html

Spatially uneven sampling of species occurrences can mislead biodiversity research. A new study of Czech flora by Klímová et al. reveals how different methods mitigate the distortions in the patterns of species richness. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.541.html

1,615 alien plant taxa now listed for Austria, +49% in 20 years! Mostly garden escapes or stowaways. The updated checklist includes origins, habitats, impacts, and is a key tool for invasion science and policy. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.413.html

🌿 Preslia 97(3) is almost here, bringing new insights into plant invasions, diversity and traits in Europe: 🔹 1615 neophyte taxa in Austria, nearly half since 2000, mostly garden escapes 🔹 Geological heterogeneity and land use history shape spatial patterns of species richness across the Czech flora

Field surveys across Poland reveal that Neotinea ustulata survives mainly in dry, open grasslands on shallow soils. Habitat extremity, not conservation effort, emerges as the key to persistence of this rapidly declining orchid. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.217.html

A comprehensive survey reveals 61 bramble species in the Bohemian Forest, including 30 new regional records and 5 species new to science. The study highlights remarkable regional endemism and the role of human-made habitats in species distribution.

Lakes in the Alps hide a surprising story: Alpine populations are genetically identical to the Nordic Ranunculus confervoides, yet show unexpected haplotype diversity and novel hybrids, revealing a complex evolutionary history. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.191.html

🌿 Coming soon: Preslia 97(2)! Highlights include: 🔹 Unexpected genetic richness and hybridization in aquatic Ranunculus reveals hidden diversity in Alpine lakes 🔹 Harsh habitats help: survival of Neotinea ustulata in Poland tied to dry, extreme grassland conditions

Pulsatilla grandis is vanishing! A 19-year monitoring study in Czechia revealed a 20% population loss and a 25% decline in flowering individuals. Effective habitat management is crucial to reverse this trend and protect other endangered dry grassland species.

Decline of the most beautiful Czech orchid, and spatial and temporal dynamics of 102 other species in another instalment of the series on the distribution of plants in the Czech Republic. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.175.html

Despite declining SO₂ emissions, acidifying air pollution still impacts epiphytic bryophyte communities in central Europe. Ash trees with higher bark pH hosted richer, more sensitive assemblages but were as affected by SO₂ as oaks. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.157.html

Cytogeography of almost 4800 individuals of aggressive invasive alien Solidago canadensis and S. gigantea in the Western Carpathians and adjacent regions. New cytotypes for invaded range, their probable origin and importance of correct taxonomic identification. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.129.html

Enigmatic Stipa epilosa from the Alps underwent morphometric, AFLP and microhabitat analyses. No genetic or ecological differences between S. eriocaulis and S. epilosa were found, and morphological variation formed a continuum. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2025.175.html

New issue (97/1) is going to be published! - Distributions of vascular plants in the Czech Republic (Kaplan et al.) - Assessing the future of Pulsatilla grandis (Tichý et al.) - Cytogeography of invasive Solidago in central Europe (Skokanová et al.) (cont. in 2/2)

An international team led by our scientists discovered 43 new species of lichens for the Czech Republic, 12 completely new to science and 2 new genera. Combining environmental DNA data and taxonomic surveys accelerates the discovery of new species. More @preslia.cz www.preslia.cz/article/pdf?...

Expansive plants are native but behave similarly to alien invasive plants and can also have negative impacts. The first catalogue of the expansive flora of the Czech Republic includes 126 taxa, with the regions and habitats, where they spread. preslia.cz/doi/preslia.2024.299.html

Our new paper led by Irena Axmanová in @preslia.cz focuses on "expansive plant species", i.e. native plants that are increasing their abundance in the landscape or dominance in local communities. See more info in the thread by @krystofchytry.bsky.social

Kryštof Chytrý@krystofchytry.bsky.social · 2y ago

Paper alert. 🧵 As biologists and biogeographers, we are all aware that invasive plants are bad. However, when it comes to assessments of what actually threatens biodiversity most, they rarely rank as high as strong, competitive native species that outcompete rare ones through natural succession.

The first-ever list (or catalogue) of expansive species for the Czech Republic. 🌱 Including 126 species. More to read in the paper itself, led by Irena Axmanová and published in @preslia.cz. www.preslia.cz/article/view...