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Vegetation and habitats Research Group

Tue, 2017-11-14 23:56 — Gergana Vasileva

Research priorities

 
Scientific activities in the group are focused on the study of the biodiversity of plant communities and natural habitats in the country and the region of Southeastern Europe. Diverse research set of methods are applied for collecting field data, their analyses and statistical processing. The results obtained are necessary for determining the syntaxonomic diversity of plant communities and the diversity and ecology of the natural habitats in the country. Scientists from the research group participate in the implementation of activities related to the mapping of natural habitats and distribution of particular vascular plants. They also carry out various activities in the field of conservation biology, ecosystem services assessment, development of phytocenological databases, contribute to expanding knowledge about the distribution, ecology and indicator role of plant communities and plant species.
 

The major research activities are related to:

  • inventory of plant communities in Bulgaria following the principles of Braun-Blanquet approach;
  • mapping of the plant communities and natural habitats in the country;
     
  • analysis of the biogeographical links of plant communities on a European scale, using genetic markers of indicator and dominant species;
  • surveys on meadows and pastures as a resource and subject to implementation of agri-environmental measures;
  • analysis of the ruderal and weed vegetation and the potential for spreading of invasive plants in the country;
  • development of methodologies in the field of conservation and research of the natural habitats and habitats of higher plant species in the country;
  • assessment of ecosystem services;
  • development of phytocenological databases in the country and the region of Southeastern Europe.

Training of PhD students

In the research group are trained PhD students and graduated in "Ecology and ecosystem protection".

Topics of dissertations of PhD students in the last 10 years:
 
2004 – 2006: Desislava Sopotlieva, "Syntaxonomic characteristic of the grass communities in Straldzha-Aytos geobotannical district"
 
2007 – 2010: Kiril Vassilev, "Herbaceous vegetation on the calcareous areas distributes west of Sofia city"
 
2012 – 2014: Nikolay Velev, "Syntaxonomic analysis of the order Arrhenatheretalia elatioris Tüxen 1931 in the central part of Western Bulgaria"
 
2012 – 2014: Hristo Pedashenko, "Vegetation dynamics in a pilot area of Central Balkan National Park for the last 60 years"
 
2014 – 2016: Tsvetelina Terziyska, "High resolution vegetation analyses for assessment community assembly in grasslands – case study in Bulgaria"
 
2017 – 2019: Magdalena Valcheva, "Status and successional trends of vegetation along coastal and inland continental sand dunes in Bulgaria"
 

Staff:

 
 
 
 
 


by Dr. Radut.