Habitat Diversity, Environmental Conditions, and Distribution of Endangered Fungus Sarcosoma globosum (Ascomycota) in Lithuania.

Sarcosoma globosum (Pezizales, Ascomycota) is a rare and endangered fungus, and it is believed to be extinct in most central European countries. Known records of S. globosum in Lithuania reveal that it is situated on the south-western edge of a shrinking geographical distribution range in Europe. An assessment of the species' current habitat conditions and threats could enhance and provide new knowledge and guidelines to facilitate the efficient conservation of this threatened fungus and its habitats. The main aim of this study was to analyse the habitats and environmental conditions of S. globosum in Lithuania. We examined the diversity of habitats, various soil and tree stand characteristics, forest management activities, and natural disturbances in all 28 known fungus localities. S. globosum habitats in Lithuania are restricted to coniferous forests with the presence of Picea abies; the species was observed in boreo-nemoral bilberry western spruce taiga (the European Nature Information System habitat type T3F14), continental tall-herb western spruce taiga (T3F44), and native fir, spruce, larch, and cedar plantations (T3N1). An analysis of forest stand age structures in Lithuanian S. globosum localities revealed a rather large proportion of young Norway spruce stands of cultural origin (25.6% of study plots were assigned to age classes from 21 to 50 years); nevertheless, the majority of fungus growth sites were situated in older forests. Various natural and anthropogenic disturbances that threaten S. globosum habitats were assessed.

Comparing Non-Thermal Plasma and Cold Stratification: Which Pre-Sowing Treatment Benefits Wild Plant Emergence?

Meadow restoration and creation projects have faced a lack of local seed diversity due to the limited availability of seed sources. Non-thermal plasma technologies are being developed for agriculture and do not cause damage to heat-sensitive biological systems. This technology has shown the potential to improve agronomic seed quality by enhancing germination and promoting plant growth. However, there is almost no information about the effect of non-thermal plasma pretreatment on the seedlings' emergence of wild plant species. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of non-thermal plasma on the emergence of 17 plant seeds originating from local meadows in Lithuania and compare it with the cold stratification pretreatment. The results obtained indicate that there were differences in emergence parameters among the species. However, NTP did not show statistically significant differences from the control. Non-thermal plasma improved the kinetic parameters of emergence for a few specific species' seeds, such as Anthyllis vulneraria and Prunella grandiflora, while the cold stratification pretreatment enhanced emergence for a broader range of plants. Significant differences were observed between non-thermal plasma and stratification pretreatment, as well as between the control and stratification groups. Both methods also had a negative impact.

Sowing Mixtures of Native Plant Species: Are There Any Differences between Hydroseeding and Regular Seeding?

Hydroseeding is a convenient, low-cost way to plant seeds. Traditionally, fast-growing commercial species that are cheap to obtain are preferred in hydroseeding, while native species have limited use. Nowadays, the use of native species is often desired in revegetation projects. However, there is a paucity of information about hydroseeding native species in Northern areas of Europe. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether hydroseeding has any effects on native plant cover formation, species richness and abundance, the development of plant morphological features, or aboveground biomass. A total of 40 native plant species in Lithuania were sowed using hydroseeding and regular seeding. The experimental plots were assessed for two years. The results show a relatively small and short positive effect of hydroseeding on plant cover formation. No significant differences were found in species richness between the sowing treatments. However, a comparison of species composition revealed significant differences between the sowing treatments that were more associated with species abundance than species diversity. Hydroseeding was favoured by legume species, such as Onobrychis viciifolia, Ononis arvensis, Lotus corniculatus, and Trifolium medium, while Festuca rubra favoured the regular seeding treatment. Overall, our findings emphasize that legume species that display more competitive growth traits should be included in the seed mixture in lower proportions when hydroseeding is applied.