Vegetated snow patch
Quick facts
Red List habitat type | code RLE4.1 |
---|---|
Threat status | |
Europe | Vulnerable |
EU | Vulnerable |
Relation to |
|
Source | European Red List habitat factsheet |
European Red List of habitats reports | |
European Red List of habitats (Excel table) |
Summary
The habitat is represented by chionophile vegetation on places that retains late-lying snow (snowfield, snowbed and snow-patch), often on the drift from the melting snow-patches. They are well developed in boreal and arctic mountains and in sub-arctic lowlands. Dominants may be mosses, liverworts, lichens, short graminoids, ferns and small herbs. The species composition depends on the geographical range, the altitude, bedrock (calcareous or siliceous soils) and length of vegetation seasons. On the tops of high mountains in South-Europe snow patches are characterised by the presence of endemic taxa and syntaxa. Often the plant communities are disposed in the depressions of slopes and ridges amongst the dominant acidophilous or caciphilous alpine and sub-alpine grasslands. Soils are poorly developed: Lithosols (1–4 cm), strongly skeletal, often with small stones on the surface. Some of them are rich in fine, organic substances.
The most widespread in mountains throughout the Europe are acidophilous mixed herbaceous-dwarf shrub communities of the class Salicetea herbaceae. The dominant species are Salix herbacea, Ligusticum mutelina, Luzula alpinopilosa many mosses as Polytrichum sexangulare, P. juniperinum, Pohlia commutata, ect. Dwarf willow shrubs belong to shrub not to the snow-patch grasslands, but are included under habitat F2.1. The most widespread acidophilous snow-patch communities in the mountains are dominated from Omalotheca supina, Alopecurus gerardii, Carex spp., Alchemilla spp., etc. But the snow-patch vegetation of Iberian Peninsula is rich in endemics and belongs to the endemic alliance Sedion candollei. The endemic alliance Ranunculion crenatii represents the uncommon, isolated herbaceous snow-patch swards of the southern Dinarides and the Pelagonides. Another endemic alliance Hyalopoion ponticae represent the snow-bed vegetation on acidic soils in the Caucasus Mts.
In Northern Europe (Fennoscandia, the Scottish Highlands, Iceland, Greenland and arctic islands) snow-patch communities are dominated by mosses (Distichium capillaceum, Pohlia spp.), lichens or coarse tussock forming grasses, like Deschampsia cespitosa. On Svalbard some snow-beds over siliceous bedrock are dominated by Dicranoweissia crispula, with Andreaea blyttii, A. obovata and A. rupestris as characteristic species. The northern alliance Cassiopo--Salicion herbaceae is very similar to the alpine Salicion herbaceae, but diagnostic are typical arctic species like Carex bigelowii and Harrimanella hypnoides. Specific are some snowbed communities of Fennoscandian Mountains, Iceland and Scottish Highlands, which are dominated by ferns as Cryptogramma crispa, Athyrium distentifolium (Athyrium alpestre), Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris expansa (Dryopteris assimilis) or Dryopteris filix-mas.
Calciphilous boreo-alpine snow patch grasslands (Arabidetalia caeruleae) are rich in small herbs, grasses and mosses. Among the characteristic species are Arabis caerulea, Carex atrata, Saxifraga androsacea and Ranunculus alpestris. Open, herbaceous communities on wet (from melting snow), calcareous stones in Scandinavian mountains belong to the alliance Saxifrago oppositifoliae-Oxyrion digynae (=Ranunculo-Oxyrion digynae). Typical species here are Oxyria digyna, Cerastium cerastoides, Cetraria delisei and Saxifraga oppositifolia.
The vegetation communities mostly cover small areas above the forest belt (alpine and sub-alpine parts) in the high mountains of Central and Eastern Europe: Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians and Caucasus, and in the Scottish Highlands and Sudeten. In South-European Mountains, they are spread very locally in the Paeonian Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Cordillera Central, Monti Sibillini, Abruzzi, Balkan Mountains as Pirin and Rila Mts. and some of the Dinarides.
In a good condition the habitat is represented by communities in patches with different sizes, within a matrix of the dominant alpine, subalpine and tundra grasslands. The development of these communities depends on the duration of snow cover, amount of snowfall in winter and water supply from melting snow-patches. Moss and lichen communities are very sensitive to any disturbance. Alpine and subalpine communities are threatened by overgrazing and development for tourism (ski tracks, trampling on tourist routes, etc). Global warming is another serious threat, because it reduces the snow-patch size, decreases the duration of snow cover and increases the duration of the vegetation growing season.
Indicators of good quality:
- High amount of snowfall and long-term snow cover
- High species richness
- Presence of rare and/or threatened species (on high mountains also endemic species)
- High cover of lichens and mosses (in some varieties
Threat status
Synthesis of Red List assessment
EU | |
Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
Vulnerable | C/D2, C2 |
Europe | |
Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
Vulnerable | C/D2, C2 |
Confidence in the assessment
Pressures and threats
- Agriculture
- Grazing
- Intensive grazing
- Human intrusions and disturbances
- Sport and leisure structures
- Skiing complex
- Pollution
- Air pollution, air-borne pollutants
- Nitrogen-input
- Climate change
- Changes in abiotic conditions
- Temperature changes (e.g. rise of temperature & extremes)
- Changes in biotic conditions
- Habitat shifting and alteration
Habitat restoration potential
Trends in extent |
|
Average current trend in quantity |
|
Decreasing ![]() |
Decreasing ![]() |
EU28 | EU28+ |
Trends in quality |
|
Average current trend in quality |
|
Decreasing ![]() |
Decreasing ![]() |
EU28 | EU28+ |
Conservation and management needs
List of conservation and management needs
- No measures
- Measures needed, but not implemented
- Measures related to spatial planning
- Establish protected areas/sites
- Legal protection of habitats and species
- Manage landscape features
Distribution
Geographic occurrence and trends
EU28 | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Present | 285 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Bulgaria | Present | Unknown | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Finland mainland | Present | 35 | Stable | Stable |
France mainland | Present | 688 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Germany | Present | 1 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Italy mainland | Present | 91 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Poland | Present | 3.5 | Stable | Stable |
Romania | Present | 780 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Slovakia | Present | 2 | Decreasing | Stable |
Slovenia | Uncertain | - | - | |
Spain mainland | Present | 21 | Unknown | Decreasing |
Sweden | Uncertain | - | - | |
United Kingdom | Present | 360 | Unknown | Stable |
EU28 + | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Switzerland | Present | 150 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Albania | Uncertain | - | - | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Present | 5 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Iceland | Uncertain | - | - | |
Kaliningrad | Uncertain | - | - | |
Kosovo | Present | Unknown | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) | Present | Unknown | Decreasing | Unknown |
Norway Mainland | Present | 3736 | Stable | Stable |
Serbia | Uncertain | - | - | |
Svalbard | Present | 3736 | Stable | Stable |
Jan Mayen | Present | 3736 | Stable | Stable |
Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area
Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (Km2) | Area of Occupancy (AOO) | Current estimated Total Area | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
EU28 | 5162350 | 219 | 2266 | no data from Sweden, Slovenia |
EU28+ | 255 | 6157 | no data from Sweden, Slovenia, Albania, Iceland, Russia (Kaliningrad), Serbia |
EOO = the area (km2) of the envelope around all occurrences of a habitat (calculated by a minimum convex polygon).
Characteristic species
Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
---|---|---|
Athyrium alpestre | Ferns | |
Athyrium distentifolium | Ferns | |
Athyrium filix-femina | Ferns | |
Cryptogramma crispa | Ferns | |
Dryopteris assimilis | Ferns | |
Dryopteris expansa | Ferns | |
Dryopteris filix-mas | Ferns | |
Selaginella selaginoides | Ferns | |
Achillea clusiana | Flowering Plants | |
Alchemilla pentaphyllea | Flowering Plants | |
Alopecurus gerardii | Flowering Plants | |
Arabis alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Arabis caerulea | Flowering Plants | |
Bartsia alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Calamagrostis purpurea | Flowering Plants | |
Cardamine alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Carex atrata | Flowering Plants | |
Carex bigelowii | Flowering Plants | |
Cerastium alpinum | Flowering Plants | |
Cerastium cerastoides | Flowering Plants | |
Crocus veluchensis | Flowering Plants | |
Deschampsia alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Deschampsia cespitosa | Flowering Plants | |
Dianthus microlepis | Flowering Plants | |
Draba crassifolia | Flowering Plants | |
Galium saxatile | Flowering Plants | |
Gentiana alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Gentiana verna | Flowering Plants | |
Geum montanum | Flowering Plants | |
Harrimanella hypnoides | Flowering Plants | |
Homogyne alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Hutchinsia alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Juncus biglumis | Flowering Plants | |
Lepidium stylatum | Flowering Plants | |
Ligusticum mutellina | Flowering Plants | |
Luzula alpinopilosa | Flowering Plants | |
Minuartia biflora | Flowering Plants | |
Nardus stricta | Flowering Plants | |
Omalotheca hoppeana | Flowering Plants | |
Omalotheca supina | Flowering Plants | |
Oxyria digyna | Flowering Plants | |
Phippsia algida | Flowering Plants | |
Plantago alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Poa alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Poa pirinica | Flowering Plants | |
Polygonum viviparum | Flowering Plants | |
Potentilla brauniana | Flowering Plants | |
Primula integrifolia | Flowering Plants | |
Ranunculus alpestris | Flowering Plants | |
Sagina saginoides | Flowering Plants | |
Salix herbacea | Flowering Plants | |
Saussurea alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Saxifraga androsacea | Flowering Plants | |
Saxifraga oppositifolia | Flowering Plants | |
Sedum alpestre | Flowering Plants | |
Sesleria coerulans | Flowering Plants | |
Sibbaldia procumbens | Flowering Plants | |
Silene acaulis | Flowering Plants | |
Soldanella alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Soldanella minima | Flowering Plants | |
Taraxacum apenninum | Flowering Plants | |
Taraxacum croceum | Flowering Plants | |
Thalictrum alpinum | Flowering Plants | |
Trifolium thalii | Flowering Plants | |
Trisetum spicatum | Flowering Plants | |
Veronica alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Viola biflora | Flowering Plants | |
Cetraria islandica | Fungi | |
Andreaea blyttii | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Bryum elegans | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Distichium capillaceum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Hylocomium splendens | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Kiaeria falcata | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Pogonatum alpinum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Polytrichum sexangulare | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Racomitrium sudeticum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Tayloria froelichiana | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Timmia austriaca | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Tortella tortuosa | Mosses & Liverworts |