323 Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo Abstract In Europe, the genus Ramonda is represented with three species: Ramonda natha­ liae, Ramonda serbica and Ramonda myconi. The first two are endemic Balkan species that are distributed also in Kosovo. These species grow in limestone as well as serpentine substrates, forming chasmophytic vegetation. The species Ramonda nathaliae is found in Macedonia, Greece, Serbia and in two localities in Kosovo, in the Sharri Mountains (Luboten and Gotovushë). R. nathaliae forms the following plant associations in the serpentines of Macedonia: Asplenio­Ramondetum nathaliae and Scorzonero­Ramondetum nathaliae, and the Achilleo­Ramondetum nathaliae in limestone substrates. Ostrya carpinifolia is charateristic species in Querco pubescentis-Ostryetum carpinifoliae, Ostryo-Fagetum, Querco-Ostryetum carpinifoliae and Corylo colurnae-Ostryetum carpinifoliae. This paper presents plant communi- ties of Ramonda nathaliae and Ostrya carpinifolia in a limestone habitat, where the proposed new plant association named Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. is described. This plant community belongs to the class Quercetea pubescentis, order Quercetalia pubescenti­petraeae and alliance Fraxino orni­Ostryion. It was found and described on the limestone substrate on Mt. Luboteni (at 960‒982 m a.s.l.). Izvleček Rod Ramonda ima v Evropi tri predstavnike: Ramonda nathaliae, Ramonda serbica in Ramonda myconi. Prvi dve vrsti sta balkanska endemita, ki sta razširjeni tudi na Kosovu. Vrsti uspevata na apnencu kot tudi na serpentinitu in gradita hazmoftsko vegetacijo. Vrsta Ramonda nathaliae je razširjena v severnem in srednjem delu Makedonije, severni Grčiji, jugovzhodni Srbiji in na dveh lokalitetah na Kosovu na Šari (Luboten in Gotovushë). R. nathaliae je značilna vrsta v Makedoniji v asociacijah na serpentinitu: Asplenio­Ramondetum nathaliae in Scorzonero­ R amon detum nathaliae, ter na karbonatu Achilleo­Ramondetum nathaliae. Ostrya carpinifolia je značilna vrsta v asociaciji Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, v asociaciji Ostryo­Fagetum in asociacijah Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ter Corylo colurnae­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. V članku predstavljamo rastlinske združbe vrst Ramonda nathaliae in Ostrya carpinifolia na karbonatu in novoopisano asociacijo Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. Združbo uvrščamo v razred Quercetea pubescentis, red Quercetalia pubescenti­petraeae in zvezo Fraxino orni­Ostryion. Opisana je bila na kabrbonatnem substratu na gori Ljuboten (med 960‒982 m n.m.v) na Kosovu v bližini meje z Republiko Makedonijo. Key words: phytosociology, Ramonda, synsystematics, Sharri Mountains, Kosovo, Ramondo­ Ostryetum. Ključne besede: fitocenologija, Ramonda, sinsistematika, Šar planina, Kosovo, Ramondo­ Ostryetum. Received: 8. 10. 2018 Revision received: 15. 2. 2019 Accepted: 17. 2. 2019 1 Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Prishtina, Kosovo. 2 Faculty of Agribusiness, University “Haxhi Zeka” Pejë, Kosovo. 3 Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia. * Corresponding author. Faculty of Agribusiness, University “Haxhi Zeka” Pejë. E-mail: fadil.millaku@uni-pr.edu Naim Berisha1 , 3  , Fadil Millaku1 , 2 , *  , Bekim Gashi1  , Vlado Matevski3  DOI: 10.2478/hacq-2019-0002 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 324 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo 1992, Gashi et al. 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2013a, 2013b). The Ramonda species and their various facets are continu- ally being studied due to the curiosity that they attract. In our study we were interested in the species of the genus Ramonda and their corresponding plant communi- ties, in particular plant communities of R. nathaliae Panč. et Petrov. Out of three European species of the genus, two are Balkan endemics: Ramonda serbica Panč. and R. nath­ aliae Panč. et Petrov. These two species are characterized by their disjunctive distributional patterns – each having its own ecological characteristics. R. nathaliae is confined to the Republic of Macedonia, N. Greece, the slopes of the Sharri Mts. in Kosovo (Figure 1) and a few small lo- calities in SE Serbia (Micevski 1956, Košanin 1921). The largest distributional range of R. serbica is in Albania, and it has also been reported for NW Greece, W Republic of Macedonia, SW and NE Montenegro, S and W Kosovo, SE and NE Serbia and NE Bulgaria (Rakić et al. 2014, Millaku et al. 2013, Stevanović et al. 1986). Even though they prefer limestone rocks, R. nathaliae has also been found on serpentine and granite substrates. As it prefers more open habitats and higher altitudes it is considered to be more tolerant than R. serbica. (Stevanović et al. 1991). From the phytosociological point of view, R. nathaliae is represented in numerous plant communities in the Balkan Figure 1: Distribution of Ramonda nathaliae Pančić & Petrović in SE Europe, brown dot shows the studied locality. Slika 1: Razširjenost vrste Ramonda nathaliae Pančić & Petrović v jugovzhodni Evropi, rjava točka prikazuje preučevano lokacijo. Introduction Poikilohydric plants have the unique ability of surviving in complete dehydration and are capable of fully recover- ing within a short period of time. This physiological phe- nomenon is very rare among vascular plants – only 300 plant species in the world (Porembski, 2011) and only five eudicots in Europe, all of which belong to the Gesne- riaceae family, are known to have this special ability. These tertiary relict species are: Ramonda serbica Panč., R. nathaliae Panč. et Petrov., R. myconi (L.) Rchb., Haberlea rhodopenis Friv. and Jancaea heldreichii (Boiss.) Boiss, all of them remnants from the age when the European cli- mate was warmer and more humid than today. During the Ice Age, these species found shelter in deep canyons and cliffs, places where they can still be found today. Since their discovery in the 19 th century (Pančić 1874, Petrović 1885), the Balkan Ramonda species were contin- uously studied from different biological and ecological as- pects and have awakened the curiosity of researchers. The studied features include taxonomy, phytogeography, ecol- ogy, embryology and ecophysiology (Košanin 1921, 1939, Stefanoff & Georgiev 1937, Micevski 1956, Quezel 1968, Meyer 1970, Janković & Stevanovic 1981, Stevanović & Stevanović 1985, Stevanović et al. 1986a, 1986b, 1987, 1991, 2014, Stevanović, 1986, 1989, Stevanović et al.           18/2 • 2019, 323–336 325 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo Peninsula. In Macedonia it forms three plant associations: Asplenio­Ramondetum nathaliae and Scorzonero­Ramonde­ tum nathaliae on serpentine bedrock and Achilleo­Ramon­ detum nathaliae on limestone bedrock (Stevanović et al. 2014). They belong to the alliance Ramondion nathaliae Horvat ex Simon 1958, to which all chasmophytic vegeta- tion of calcareous rock crevices in the alpine belt of the southern and central regions of the Balkans supposedly belongs (Horvat 1936). The reliability of such grouping is questionable (Stevanović et al. 2014) as there is vast ecological and floristic diversity within the chasmophytic groups that belong to this alliance, This issue therefore re- mains to be adequately addressed in future studies. As the European hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.) was recorded with great presence in the same stud- ied environments we have to conclude that from the phy- tosociological point of view Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. be- longs to two distinctive classes, and therefore forms three known plant associations in the Balkans. From the class Quercetea pubescentis Doing-Kraft ex Scamoni et Passarge 1959, order Quercetalia pubescenti­petraeae Klika 1933, alliance Fraxino orni­Ostryion Tomažič 1940 it forms the following two associations: Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 and Corylo colurnae­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Blečić 1958. From the class Carpino­Fagetea sylvaticae Jakucs ex Passarge 1968, order Fagetalia sylvati­ cae Pawłowski 1928, alliance Aremonio­Fagion (Horvat 1950) Borhidi in Török et al. 1989, it forms the associa- tion Ostryo­Fagetum M. Wraber ex T rinajstić 1972. The aim of our study is to provide phytosociologi- cal data on the new forest plant community that grows within the forest made primarily out of Ostrya carpinifo­ lia and Ramonda nathaliae, and to determine the floristic and ecological features of known plant communities with R. nathaliae as well as those dominated by O. carpinifolia, absence of R. nathaliae, and finally to offer a discussion regarding the syntaxonomical position of this fragile and rare plant community. Material and methods Standard principles and methods of Zürich-Mont pellier school (Braun-Blanquet 1964, Mueller-Dombois & Ellen- berg 1974) were applied. Plot sizes of 10×10 m were used, resulting in 10 relevès. On each plot, a complete list of vascular plants was recorded, alongside with cover- abundance values on a five-degree scale (Braun-Blanquet 1932). The diagnostic table (Table 1) offers all 10 relevès that represent the new plant association as described in this paper. The plant taxa nomenclature follows the Euro+Med Plant Base (Euro+Med 2006+). All relevès were made on limestone substrate, at altitudes ranging from 965 up to 979 m. a.s.l., at predominantly north- ern and north-western slopes of the Luboteni massif, the Sharri Mts. To facilitate the statistical analysis process we converted the standard Braun-Blanquet scale into ordi- nal numbers (Westhoff & Maarel 1979) and used the TurboVeg (Hennekens & Schaminée 2001) software to digitize and store the obtained data. In order to arrange and further analyse the relevès we used JUICE software (Tichý 2002). As integrated within JUICE, TWINSPAN analysis method (Hill 1979) was used to compare differ- ent associations and build a dendrogram. In order to as- sess the similarity between relevès from six other similar plant communities, we relied on NMDS plot analysis in R (R Core T eam 2018) in comparing plant communities. All this fully integrated into JUICE software. The clas- sification of taxa into life forms was performed according to Raunkiaer (1934), while the chorological types fol- low the chorological division of Europe as proposed by Oberdorfer (1990) and Pignatti (1982). The chorological spectrum of the new association and six similar plant as- sociations were analysed and a detailed chorological and life form spectrum of the new plant association was made. Moreover, the studied community was compared to seven forest plant communities dominated by O. carpinifolia in the context of floristic composition and potential simi- larities concerning the community ecology, dominant life forms and chorological groups. Results and discussion After analysing the sampled phytosociological data and comparing the findings with other known relevant plant associations that had similar floristic and ecologic consti- tution, it was observed that association Ramondo­Ostry­ etum carpinifoliae represents an interesting forest plant community in the Sharri Mts. Its distinctive vegetation composition and corresponding habitat features have not been described until now. Below we describe its syntaxo- nomical hierarchical position: Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. Table 1, Relevé 8 holotypus hoc loco. Character taxa: Ostrya carpinifolia, Ramonda nathaliae, Euonymus latifo­ lius, Saxifraga sempervivum, Cotoneaster tomentosus, Hie­ racium waldsteinii. Differential taxa: Arabis procurrens, Cytisus hirsutus, Bupleurum flavicans and Arenaria serpyl­ lifolia. Dominant taxa: Ostrya carpinifolia and Ramonda nathaliae. Constant taxa: Ostrya carpinifolia, Ramonda nathaliae, Cotoneaster tomentosus, Asperula purpurea. 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 326 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo No. of relevé 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Locality Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Luboten Altitude (m) 978 979 966 974 978 965 977 978 975 969 Exposition N N N N W NW N N N N Slope 45 40 55 75 65 70 82 75 70 42 Geological substratum Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Limestone Size of relevé (m 2 ) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Constancy Floristic el. Date 5/11/2016 5/20/2016 5/20/2017 5/9/2017 6/1/2017 5/28/2017 Coordinates 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 42.164426 21.192248 Character species of Ass. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. P Ostrya carpinifolia 4 4 1 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 V Medit.mont. P shrub Ostrya carpinifolia + . 2 2 2 1 . 1 . . IV Medit.mont. H Ramonda nathaliae 2 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 1 V Balkan. P Euonymus latifolius + + . . 1 1 . 1 1 + V Mediter.mont. H Saxifraga sempervivum + 1 . + 2 . 1 + + . V Balkan. H Arabis procurrens + + . + . + . + + . IV Balkan. P Cotoneaster tomentosus + 1 1 + + 1 + 1 2 + V S. Europe Ch Asperula purpurea 1 . 1 . 1 1 + 1 1 + V SE Europe Ch Cytisus hirsutus 1 . + . 1 1 1 + . . IV Eurosib. H Hieracium pannosum + . . . + . . . . . I Balkan. T Bupleurum flavicans 1 . . . + . + . . + III Balkan. H Centaurea stoebe + . . + . . . . . + II Centro-Europ. H Euphorbia cyparissias . + . . . . . . + . I Centro-Europ. P Fagus sylvatica . . . . . . 1 . . + I Centro-Europ. P shrub Juniperus communis . . . . . . . . 1 . I Circumbor. H Asplenium ruta­muraria . . . . . . + . + . I Circumbor. H Asplenium trichomanes + . 1 . . . . . . . . Cosmopol. T Arenaria serpyllifolia + 1 . 2 2 . . . . . III Euro-Asiat. H Musci (Neckera crispa) . 2 1 . + . 1 . 2 . III Euro-Asiat. H Primula veris . . . . . . + . . . I Euro-Asiat. H Viola sylvestris . . . . . . . + . . I Euro-Asiat. H Ceterach officinarum . + . . . + . . . . I Euro-Asiat. H Sedum acre 1 1 1 II Euro-Cauc. P Acer campestre 1 + + II Euro-Cauc. H Hieracium pilosella + + I Euro-Cauc. Ch Helianthemum canum 1 + I Euro-Cauc. H Primula vulgaris + I Euro-Cauc. Ch T eucrium chamaedrys 1 1 1 + III Euro-Med. Table 1: Association Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. Tabela 1: Asociacija Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 327 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo The syntaxonomic position: Class: Quercetea pubescentis Doing-Kraft ex Scamoni et Passarge 1959 Order: Quercetalia pubescenti­petraeae Klika 1933 Alliance: Fraxino orni­Ostryion T omažič 1940 Association: Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae ass. nova. General characteristics of the habitat The described plant community grows on the north- ern, north-western and rarely western slopes of the Mt. Luboteni massif (Figure 1), on the right side of the road Ferizaj – Glloboqicë, 52 km S from Prishtina. It develops at the altitudinal range from 965 up to 979 m a.s.l. All our relevés were made on a limestone substrate. The sur- veyed site was covered with trees and shrubs (Figure 2), while the general cover of the community ranged from 30–45%. The plant association was characterized with a structure that is almost closed, developing on stable screes (Figure 4), where populations of R. nathaliae were very dense. Floristic composition of the association The floristic composotion of the community is presented in the phytosociological table (Table 1) containing 10 rel- evés with a total of 56 species present. The species Aspe­ rula purpurea had a constancy level of V, while the con- stancy level of Arabis procurrens and Ostrya carpinifolia as a shrub was IV . The species Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica, Achnatherum calamagrostis, Fragaria viridis, T eucrium chamaedrys, Fraxinus ornus, Arenaria serpyllifolia, Rosa canina, Bupleurum flavicans, Arabis turrita, Scabiosa och­ roleuca and Musci (Neckera crispa) had a constancy level of III. It is important to emphasize that the following spe- cies were substrate tolerant: Asplenium trichomanes, Asple­ nium ruta­muraria, Leontodon crispus, Stipa pulcherrima, Koeleria splendens, Sedum acre and Clinopodium acinos. No. of relevé 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 T Calamintha acinos + + + II Euro-Med. Ch Minuartia setacea 1 I Europ. H Hieracium cymosum + I Europ. H Fragaria viridis . + . 1 . + . 1 + . III Eurosib. H Sedum telephium . + . 2 2 . . . . . II Eurosib. H Hieracium murorum . . . . + . + . . . I Eurosib. H Fragaria vesca . . + . . . . . . . I Eurosib. H Leucanthemum vulgare . . . + . . . . . . I Eurosib. H Hieracium waldsteinii 1 . . + . + 1 . + . III Illyric H Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica 1 1 . + . + . . + . III Medit. H Aurinia corymbosa . . + . . . . + . . I Medit. H Koeleria splendens . . . 1 . . . + . . I Medit.mont. P shrub Rosa canina . . + 1 . . . + + . III Paleotemp. P shrub Crataegus monogyna + . . . . . . + + . II Paleotemp. T Bromus japonicus + . . . . . . . . . I Paleotemp. P Fraxinus ornus . . . . . 1 1 1 1 . III S. Europe H Achnatherum calamagrostis + + + . . . 1 . . + III S. Europe T Arabis turrita 1 . + . . . + 1 . . III S. Europe H Scabiosa ochroleuca 1 + . . + . + . . . III S. Europe H Trifolium montanum 1 . . . + . . . . . I S. Europe H Leontodon crispus + . . . . . . . + . I S. Europe H Stipa pulcherrima + . . 1 . . . . . . I S. Europe H Linaria concolor . + . . . . . . . . I S. Europe H Silene saxifraga . . . . . . . . . + I S. Europe P shrub Quercus pubescens . . 1 . . . . . . . I SE Europe H Helleborus odorus . 1 + + . . . . . . II SE Europe T Sedum caespitosum . . . + 1 + . . . . II Steno-Med. Ch T eucrium polium 1 . . + . . . . . . I Steno-Med. G Cyclamen hederifolium . . 1 . . . . . + . I Steno-Medit. 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 328 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo                                   Chorological spectrum The geographical position of this community can be illustrated through the spectrum of species distribution in terms of present geographical elements (Figure 3). The distribution of floristic elements of the community is: South-European 17.8%, Mediterranean 10.7%, Eu- ropean-Siberian 10.7%, Balkan 8.9%, European-Asiatic 8.9%, European-Caucasian 8.9%, Central-European 5.3%, Steno Mediterranean 5.3%, Paleotemperate 5.3%, South-Eastern European 3.5%, European 3.5%, Euro- pean-Mediterranean 3.5%, Circumboreal 3.5%, Illyric 1.7% and Cosmopolite 1.7%. This chorological spec- trum was compared with those from the six associations, Figure 2: Typical appearance of the association Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae in Luboten on stable screes (Photo: F . Millaku, 2017). Slika 2: Tipičen videz sestojev asociacije Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae na Ljubotenu na stabilnem melišču (foto: F . Millaku, 2017). Figure 3: Geographical elements in the florsitic composition of the association Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Illyric 1.7%, SE Europe (South- Eastern Europe) 3.5%, Europ. (European) 3.5%, Centro-Europ. (Central-European) 5.3%, Steno-Med. (Steno Mediterranean) 5.3%, Euro-Cauc. (European-Caucasian) 8.9%, Eurosib. (European-Siberian) 10.7%, S. Europe (South-European) 17.8%, Medit. (Mediterranean) 10.7%, Balkan 8.9%, Euro-Asiat. (European-Asiatic) 8.9%, Paleotemp. (Paleotemperate) 5.3%, Euro-Med. (European-Mediterranean) 3.5%, Circumb. (Circum- boreal) 3.5%, Cosmopol. (Cosmopolite) 1.7%. Slika 3: Geoelementi v floristični sestavi asociacije Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Ilyric (ilirski) 1,7%, SE Europe (jugovzhodno evropski) 3,5%, Europ. (evropski) 3,5%, Centro-Europ (srednjeevropski) 5,3%, Steno-Med. (stenomediteranski) 5,3%, Euro-Cauc. (evropsko-kavkazijski) 8,9%, Eurosib. (evropsko-sibirski) 10,7%, S. Europe (južnoevropski) 17,8%, Medit. (mediteranski) 10,7%, Balkan (balkanski) 8,9%, Euro-Asiat. (evropsko-azijski) 8,9%, Paleotemp. (paleotemperatni) 5,3%, Euro-Med. (evropsko-mediteranski) 3,5%, Circumb. (cirkumborealni) 3,5%, Cos- mopol. (kozmopolitski) 1,7%. 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 329 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo and it was observed (Figure 8) that the Mediterranean mountain floristic element is clearly more pronounced, with many differences in other floral elements of the chorological spectrum. In the Balkan chorological group, Ramonda nathaliae and Saxifraga sempervivum (with constancy class V) as well as Hieracium waldsteinii (with constancy class III) were the characteristic species of the association, while accompanying species from the same geoelement were: Arabis procurrens (IV), Bupleurum flavicans (III) and Hie­ racium pannosum (I). In the Mediterranean chorological group (Medit. mont.) there were five species, two of them (Ostrya carpinifolia and Euonymus latifolius – both with constan- cy class V) were also the character species of the associa- tion Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifolia. The species Ramonda nathaliae , Saxifraga sempervi­ vum and Hieracium waldsteinii from Balkan floristic elements and Ostrya carpinifolia and Euonymus latifolius from the Mediterranean mountain geoelement ‒ as a character species of the association, contribute in giv- ing this plant community a Balkan to Mediterranean montane character. Life form spectrum The studied plant community has a predominantly hemicryptophytic to phanerophytic character. The two main life forms (Figure 5) together constitute 77% of the whole life form spectrum of the association (H – 33 taxa – 59%; P – 10 taxa – 18%). The participation of chamaephytes (6 taxa – 11%) and therophytes (6 taxa – 11%) is similar, while geophytes have one species only (1.7%). It is worth noting that phanerophytes include 10 species, where O. carpinifolia is represented as a tree (P scap) as well as a shrub (P caesp), depending on the plant age. In total there are two trees (3.6%) and eight shrubs (14%). In this context, from the character species of the community, species O. carpinifolia, C. tomentosus and E. latifolius are all dominant species with constancy V while hemicryptophytes with constancy V comprise R. nathaliae, S. sempervivum and A. purpurea. One species has constancy IV and four constancy III. Chamaephytes have one species respectively for constancies V , IV and III, and the remaining three species with constancy I. Thero- phytes are represented with three species with constancy III, two species with constancy II and one species with Figure 4: Ramonda nathaliae Pančić & Petrović as seen on studied site, growing on limestone rocks and stable screes (Photo: F . Millaku, 2017). Slika 4: Ramonda nathaliae Pančić & Petrović na preučevanem rastišču na stabilnem karbonatnem melišču (foto: F . Millaku, 2017). 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 330 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo    TWINSPAN dendrogram analysis (Figure 6) as well as in NMDS ordination (Figure 7), whereby we can conclud that it is probably more related to Asplenio­Ramondaetum nathaliae. Figure 5: Life form spectrum of the association: Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Slika 5: Spekter življenskih oblik asociacije Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. constancy I. in terms of the overall physiogonomy of the plant community, species O. carpinifolia as a tree as well as in the shrub formation covers all screes where R. natha­ liae occurs. Comparisons with other similar plant communities with Balkan Ramonda species R. nathaliae populations can develop on calcareous as well as serpentine substrates, with preference for north- exposed rocks, crevices and stable screes (Stevanović et al. 2014, Stevanović & Matevski 2011, Stevanović & Stevanović 1985). From conducted phytosociological studies in a sympatric area where R. nathaliae and R. ser­ bica occurred together (Radovanski k., Serbia), it was re- ported that these two species can even establish a unique community: Ceterachi­Ramondetum serbicae ramondeto­ sum nathaliae (Stevanović et al. 1987). The population of the ass. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpini­ foliae growing on limestone screes in the mountain massif of Luboten was covered with trees and shrubs of Ostrya carpinifolia. The differences observed between two ser- pentine plant communities (ass. Scorzonero­Ramondae­ tum nathaliae and ass. Asplenio­Ramondaetum nathaliae) and Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae are multiple. There are clear differences in floristic richness between the three plant associations. The ass. Scorzonero­Ramondaetum nathaliae V. Steva- nović & V. Matevski (Stevanović & Matevski 2011) has 54 species, of which only 7 are shared with Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae. It was recorded on a serpentine substrate, at a far lower altitude (>700 m difference), with different character species and dissimilar commu- nity ecology. These differences can be easily seen on the Figure 6: Dendrogram of cluster analysis between six most similar plant associations with Ramonda and the Ramondo­Ostryetum carpini­ foliae. Slika 6: Dendrogram klastrske analize šestih najbolj podobnih rastlinskih združb z vrstami rodu Ramonda in asociacije Ramondo­Ostry­ etum carpinifoliae. 1. Scorzonero­Ramondietum nathaliae, 2. Asplenio­Ramondietum na­ thaliae, 3. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 4. Ceterachi­Ramondietum serbicae, 5. Valeriano tripterae­Ramondietum serbicae, 6. Musco­Ramon­ dietum nathaliae, 7. Geranio­Ramondietum serbicae. Figure 7: NMDS ordination plot analysis between the six compared most similar plant associations with Ramonda species and Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Slika 7: Ordinacijska analiza (NMDS) šestih najbolj podobnih rastlinskih združb z vrstami rodu Ramonda in asociacije Ramondo­Ostry­ etum carpinifoliae. 1. Scorzonero­Ramondietum nathaliae, 2. Asplenio­Ramondietum na­ thaliae, 3. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 4. Ceterachi­Ramondietum serbicae, 5. Valeriano tripterae­Ramondietum serbicae, 6. Musco­Ramon­ dietum nathaliae, 7. Geranio­Ramondietum serbicae.                                                        Hemicryptophytes Chamaephytes Phanerophytes Therophytes Geophytes 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 331 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo The Asplenio­Ramondaetum nathaliae V. Stevanović & B. Stevanović 1985 (Stevanović & Stevanović 1985) has 73 species, 9 of which are shared with Ramondo­Ostrye­ tum carpinifoliae. In terms of species richness association is 23% richer than Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. It also grows on serpentine substrate, at a lower altitude (>670 m difference), with different characteristic species and dissimilar community ecology. The existing differenc- es between two of these R. nathaliae plant communities can be easily observed on TWINSPAN dendrogram (Fig- ure 6) as well as on NMDS ordination (Figure 7). Due to the fact that this plant community is described based on only two relevès, the conducted non-metric multidi- mensional scaling shows one of its relevès (Figure 7) to be within the range of the Scorzonero­Ramondaetum natha­ liae community. The Ceterachi­Ramondetum serbicae R. Jov.-Dunj. 1952 ramondetosum nathaliae V. Stevanović et al. 1987. (Ste- vanović et al. 1987) has only 36 species registered from 10 relevès, and 11 of them are shared with R a mondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Nevertheless, except for R. nath­ aliae, all other shared species are accompanying ones from our described association. In this association the distinc- tive characteristic is the presence of two Ramonda spe- cies (R. nathaliae & R. serbica) – which is not the case in our community. We see different character species and different ecological characteristics with no relevant conjunction in between. The TWINSPAN dendrogram analysis (Figure 6) and NMDS ordination (Figure 7) convincingly indicate their distinctiveness. As suggested by its name, the Valeriano tripterae­Ra­ mondietum serbicae Janković & Stevanović (Janković & Stevanović 1981) is a plant community characterized by Valeriana tripteris and Ramonda serbica, both of them ab- sent in the ass. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. With only three species in common, differences are obvious in terms of the chorological spectrum (Figure 8) where the boreal floristic element is dominant in Valeriano tripterae­ Ramondetum serbicae. These two plant communities are clearly distinguishable also via the conducted TWINS- PAN dendrogram (Figure 6) as well as in NMDS ordina- tion (Figure 7). The Musco Polypodio­Ramondetum serbicae Petković et al. 1988 is characterized by emphasized montane South- Eastern European floristic elements (Figure 8), which differs significantly from the representation of floristic elements in the ass. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. All character species of this association are absent in our studied plant community. Additionally, differences are obvious in floristic richness and disimilarities, 60% fewer species than Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, with only one shared species (Asplenium trichomanes). In addition to dendrogram showing clear differentiation (Figure 6), NMDS ordination (Figure 7) shows Musco Polypodio­ Ramondetum serbicae to be closer with Valeriano tripterae­ Ramondetum serbicae. Figure 8: Chorological spectrum of the new association (in blue) in comparison to six most similar plant communities with Ramonda species. Slika 8: Primerjava horološkega spektra novopisane asociacije (modro) in šestih najbolj podobnih rastlinskih združb z vrstami rodu Ramonda. 1. Scorzonero­Ramondietum nathaliae, 2. Asplenio­Ramondietum nathaliae, 3. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 4. Ceterachi­Ramondietum serbicae, 5. Valeriano tripterae­Ramondietum serbicae, 6. Musco­Ramondietum nathaliae, 7. Geranio­Ramondietum serbicae.                                       18/2 • 2019, 323–336 332 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo The Geranio dalmatici­ Ramondietum serbicae Steva- nović & Bulić 1992 is a predominantely hemocrypto- phytic (56%) plant community and to some extent the presence of Euroasiatic floristic elements might be similar to the ass. Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae (Fig- ure 8), which is the only similarity between them. It is very poor in species (31 species from 6 relevès) and has only three acompanying species in common with the ass. Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae. All character species are absent from one another. The NMDS ordination plot (Figure 7) shows a clear distance matrix between the two associations and the dendrogram of the cluster analysis ( Figure 6) also shows the two clusters having high nega- tive correlation value. The prominent and constant presence of the tertiary relict and Balkan endemic species R. nathaliae makes this plant community unique among forest plant com- munities. Additionally, in comparison with similar for- est plant communities (Table 2), due to the dominance of Ostrya carpinifolia and the constant presence of other diagnostic species like Primula veris, Primula vulgaris, Co­ toneaster tomentosus and Fraxinus ornus as well as certain ecological factors, we concluded that this plant commu- nity syntaxonomically belongs to the class Quercetea pu­ bescentis Doing-Kraft ex Scamoni et Passarge 1959. This plant community will not adhere into the anticipated alliance Ramondion nathaliae for the mentioned reasons. The practicability and accuracy of including the major- ity of chasmophytic plant communities from the Central Balkans into the alliance Ramondion nathaliae had been discussed before (Stevanović et al. 2014). Surely, further research is needed and the future results will bring new answers to the questions concerning the chasmophytic vegetation in the Balkans. In all instances, the cluster dendrogram analysis (Fig- ure 6) and the non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) (Figure 7) clearly demonstrated the differentia- tion of the compared chasmophytic plant communities, in this context of the new ass. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpini­ foliae in comparison with 6 other plant communities. Comparisons with typical Ostrya carpinifolia dominated forest communities from SE Europe O. carpinifolia as a native European species is usually found on steep slopes at higher altitudes, commonly in those zonal habitats where Quercus pubescens and Carpinus orientalis cannot grow normally. Since the ass. Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae in addition to chasmophytic veg- etation features had traits of a forest plant community, we compared it against the following seven plant communi- ties with dominant O. carpinifolia: 1. Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 2. Seslerio­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Ht. et H-ić 1950 3. Corylo colurnae­Ostryetum Blečić 1958 4. Ostrya carpinifolia­Quercetum cerris Rexhepi & Ružic ex. Matevski 2011 5. Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 6. Seslerio robustae­Ostryetum Matevski 2011 7. Aceri­Ostryetum carpinifoliae B. Petković et al. 1986 1. Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 (Rexhepi 1983) is a typical forest plant community where pre- dominant plants are trees and shrubs: O, carpinifolia, Q. pubescens, Fraxinus ornus, Cornus mas. This plant community has 90% more phanerophytes (Figure 9) than Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae and only 15% shared species (Figure 11). In chorological terms, the most dominant groups were: S-Europ.-Sudsib. 20%, Eurasiat. 15%, Europ.-Caucas. 13% (Figure 10) ‒ completely different from those in our studied com- munity. Additional differences were obvious in terms of ecological preferences and overall species richness: + 40% richer than Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Association Total no. of taxa No. of same taxa* % Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 80 12 15 Seslerio­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Ht. et H-ić 1950 65 15 23 Colurno­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Blečić 1957 74 12 16 Ostrya carpinifolia­Quercetum cerris Rexhepi et Ružic ex. Matevski 76 12 15 Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 92 11 12 Seslerio robustae­Ostryetum Matevski 2011 70 9 13 Aceri­Ostryetum carpinifoliae B. Petković et al. 1986 92 12 13 Table 2: Comparative overview of the forest Ostrya carpinifolia communities with the newly established community Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Tabela 2: Primerjava gozdnih združb z vrsto Ostrya carpinifolia z novoopisano asociacijo Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpi­ nifoliae. 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 333 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo 1234567 120 – 100 – 80 – 60 – 40 – 20 – 0 – N % Figure 10: Overview of the chorological spectrum between the Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae and corresponding forest Ostrya carpinifolia communities. Slika 10: Primerjava horoloških spek- trov med asociacijo Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae in primerljivimi gozdnimi združbami z vrsto Ostrya carpinifolia. A. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, B. Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, C. Seslerio­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, D. Colurno­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, E. Ostrya carpinifolia­Quercetum cerris, F. Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, G. Seslerio robustae­Ostryetum, H. Aceri-Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Figure 9: Life form overview of corresponding forest communities. Slika 9: Pregled življenskih oblik obravnavanim gozdnih združb. A. Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, B. Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, C. Seslerio­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, D. Colurno­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, E. Ostrya carpinifolia­Quercetum cerris, F. Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, G. Seslerio robustae-Ostryetum, H. Aceri­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 ABCDEFGH H Ch P G T % Figure 11: Species similiarity chart-compared to seven forest Ostrya carpinifolia communities. N-number of species, % - shared species. Slika 11: Graf vrstne podobnosti primerjanih gozdnih združb z vrsto Ostrya carpinifolia. N-število vrst, % - skupne vrste. 1. Querco­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 2. Seslerio­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 3. Colurno­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 4. Ostrya carpinifolia­Quercetum cerris, 5. Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, 6. Seslerio robustae­ Ostryetum, 7. Aceri­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. H G F E D C B A 100 80 60 40 20 0 % of overall species Avv. Naturalizz. Balkan. Centro-Europ. Circumbor. Cosmopol. Eurasiat. Eurimedit. Europ. Europ.-Caucas. Eurosib. Illyric. Medit. Medit. mont. Orof. SE-Europ. Paleotemp. Pontic. S-Europ.-Sudsib. S- Europ. SE-Europ. Stenomedit. W. 2. Seslerio­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Ht. et H-ić 1950 (Rex- hepi 1983) – a plant community in Kosovo is described from the Albanian Alps (Mt. Zhleb) of Kosovo at the altitude of 800 m a.s.l. Characteristic taxa for the as- sociation are O. carpinifolia, Sesleria autumnalis (Scop.) F. W. Schultz, Cotoneaster tomentosus (Aiton) Lindl., Amelancher ovalis Medik, Cotinus coggygria Scop., Hip­ pocrepis emerus (L.) Lassen subsp. emerus and Eryngium palmatum Pančić & Vis. None of these taxa are present in our association with R. nathaliae. Furthermore, 15 species (23%) are shared (Figure 11), of which, with the exception of O. carpinifolia and C. tomentonsus, all other species are accompanying ones in both commu- nities. As can be seen in Figure 9, the most dominant life forms are hemicriptophytes (48%) accompanied by 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 334 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo phanerophytes (42%), whereas in Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae there were three times more hemicrypto- phytes than phanerophytes, which sufficiently explains the life form spectrum difference between them. Dif- ferences are clear also in chorological terms (Figure 10), with Europ.-Caucas.(15%), Circumbor. (14%) and S-Europ.-Sudsib. (14%) being the dominant floristic groups here. 3. Corylo colurnae­Ostryetum Blečić 1958 (Rexhepi 1983) represents a very relic plant community with very het- erogeneous composition that is additionally (Krasniqi 1972) believed to be of tertiary geologic period. They are ravine forests that develop in the transitional zones between oak and beech (Matevski et al. 2011), domi- nated by O. carpinifolia and Corylus colurna, the latter missing entirely in our studied community. Additional- ly, all of the diagnostic and constant species of the asso- ciation are absent in the Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifo­ liae, with only 12 similar species between them. Other major differences are observed in the chorological spec- trum (Figure 10), with the Euro-Caucasian floristic element being the dominant one; as well as in the life form spectrum with dominant phanerophytes (47%). 4. Ostrya carpinifolia­Quercetum cerris Rexhepi et Ružić ex. Matevski (Matevski et al. 2011) is a Quercus cerris dominated forest community developing on a carbon- ate bedrock. The differences with Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae are numerous also in this association. All of the diagnostic as well as constant species (with the exception of O. carpinifolia) are absent in the second. The dominant floristic element is Eurimediterranean (17%) (Figure 10) and in terms of the life form spec- trum, geophytes are 20% more represented here than in our studied community (Figure 9), so we concluded that these two plant communities are clearly distin- guishable and different. 5. Querco pubescentis­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Horvat 1938 (Matevski et al. 2011) is a xerophilous forest com- munity with O. carpinifolia and Q. pubescens. Only 11 species are shared with the analysed communities with two diagnostic species being the same. Anyway, in Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae, Q. pucescens was pre- sent only in one releve (1), and is not as important as it is in this community. Additionally, all other diagnostic and constant species are missing (Matevski et al. 2011). Differences between these two communities are clear also in terms of dominant floristic elements (Figure 10) and life forms (Figure 9). 6. Seslerio robustae­Ostryetum Matevski (Matevski et al. 2011) is a plant community of extreme steep slopes over carbonate bedrock. As its name suggests, the com- munity is differentiated by the dominance of Sesleria robusta Schott & al. Not only this dominant species, but also all of the diagnostic species are absent in Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Only 9 species are shared (Figure 11). In chorological terms (Figure 10) the dominant floristic element is Eurimediterranean, which is represented in the studied community with only 4%. 7. Aceri­Ostryetum carpinifoliae Petković (B. Petković et al. 1986, Tomić 1980) – this plant community rep- resents an azonal vegetation type that develops within mountain beech forests. The character species of the associations are: Cephalanthera rubra (L.) Rich., Cepha­ lanthera damasonium (Mill.) Druce and Veronica aus­ triaca subsp. teucrium (L.) D. A. Webb. The upper canopy is dominated by O. carpinifolia and F. ornus. With the exception of O. carpinifolia, none of the char- acter and diagnostic species are present in Ramondo­ Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Out of 92 species, the com- pared communities share only 12. The dominance of phanerophytes (Figure 9) and the European-Caucasian floristic element dominating the chorological spectrum (Figure 10) of this association underline the differences between these two communities. Table 2 gives a summarized comparative overview of seven forest-type plant communities with Ostrya carpi­ nifolia and the differences that distinguish them from Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae. Furthermore, it should be noted that calcareous rocky slopes of forest vegetation – including plant communities with Ramonda nathaliae, are known to harbour very spe- cific flora that is worthy of protection. Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation are recorded as habi- tat type 8210 (PAL.CLASS.: 62.1) according to Directive 92/43/EEC of the EU Commission (Anonymous 2013). Conclusions The new association Ramondo­Ostryetum carpinifoliae es- tablished in the Luboteni massif, the Sharri Mts., belongs to the forest plant communities of the alliance Fraxino orni­Ostryion Tomažič 1940. These plant communities are rare and fragile, not only in this part of Kosovo but in the entire species range in the Balkans. They remain very interesting indeed for their rarity and endemism, and even more for the very specific habitats on deep and iso- lated gorges and canyons that they inhabit. Additional studies into forest vegetation on limestone cliffs are needed and they will make new answers available with regard to syntaxonomic positioning and manage- ment of these interesting vegetation types. 18/2 • 2019, 323–336 335 Naim Berisha, Fadil Millaku, Bekim Gashi & Vlado Matevski Ramondo-Ostryetum carpinifoliae – a new association from the hop-hornbeam forests of the Sharri Mountains, Kosovo Consistent classification and monitoring of these habi- tats on a regional as well as European level could enhance the efforts towards their conservation, as they do repre- sent very valuable, yet fragile biodiversity hotspots. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank prof. Andraž Čarni (ZRC SAZU, Slovenia) and prof. Renata Ćušterevska (Institute of Biology, Macedonia) for their helpful com- ments and discussion while analyzing the obtained re- sults of the initial manuscript. We are grateful to prof. Hazir Çadraku (UBT, Kosovo) for his help with the maps. 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