GEOBIOCENOTIC CONDITIONS FOR SUBSISTENCE OF THE DAPHNE ARBUSCULA CELAK SPECIES

Endemic species Daphne arbuscula grows in crevices of steep rocks and on shallow soils of steep slopes around Muranska planina (plateau), on ly. A soil solum of typical carbonate lithosols is less than 10 cm. Th e parent rock is a pure limestone with the ratio of Ca:Mg = 200:1 with insoluble residue below 0.4 %. The rocks of adjacent mildly inclined slopes with deeper terrae calcis soils have similar properties. The li thosols and adjacent rendzinas are mildly skeletal to skeletal with hi gh content of humus (in upper 5 cm as much as 32-54 %, in 10-15 cm 25- 40 %). The ratio C:N ranges from 10.2 to 13.8. The content of CaCO3 eq uivalent to soil carbonates, makes as a rule 0.3-4.3 vol.%., from plac e to place as much as to 15.6 vol.%. Soil reaction is mildly alkaline (pH(H2O) 7.1-7.9, PHKCl 6.4-7.5), the pH values of daphne litter are a lso high (pH(H2O) 7.02, PHKCl 6.11) The species belongs to constituent s of Pulsatilla vegetation belt, a restricted alkalo-calcitrophic edap hic-ecological order of geobiocenes D '' developed in the zones of 4-6 forest vegetation grades and groups of geobiocene types Pineta dealpi na superiora, Larici-pineta rupestria and Pini-lariceta rupestria (in the sense of Zlatnik, 1976b). From the calciphile species Sesleria var ia is only present along with Daphne arbuscula on all localities studi ed.