20.500.12556/RUL-175894 Horticultural potential of the flora from karstic dolines in the northern Dinarides Karstic dolines are unique geomorphological and ecological features of limestone landscapes, characterised by strong microclimatic and edaphic gradients. These concave landforms form natural microrefugia that harbour a variety of plant species. In this study, dolines in the northern Dinarides on the Kras Plateau were investigated to assess the horticultural potential of their flora. Vegetation surveys along edge-to-bottom transects revealed a pronounced species turnover and differentiation of functional traits. Shade-tolerant geophytes and early-flowering perennials dominate the bottoms of the dolines, while the edges harbour drought-tolerant aromatic herbs. Not only do dolines serve biodiversity conservation by acting as microrefugia, but they also preserve cultural heritage through ethnobotanical species and provide a species pool for the selection of plants with horticultural potential. We selected horticultural important plants (HPs) and analysed them within the dolines. Depending on their morphology and seasonal occurrence, they can be divided into woody species, early and late spring flowering species, orchids, and structural species. By linking biodiversity conservation with applied horticulture, this study emphasises the multifunctional role of dolines as small natural features of disproportionate ecological and horticultural importance. We suggest that integrating doline species into horticultural utilisation could improve sustainability, diversify plantings, and strengthen climate adaptation strategies. chorotypes climate resilience doline functional strategy horticultural potential karst life forms microrefugium plant traits vegetation horotipi odpornosti na podnebne spremembe vrtače funkcionalna strategija hortikulturni potencial kras življenjske oblike mikrorefugij rastlinski funkcionalni znaki vegetacija true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-11-13 09:47:17 2025-11-13 09:47:26 2025-12-16 03:49:14 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 19 str. iss. 11, art. 1355 Vol. 11 Nov. 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 581.9:551.448(234.422.1) 2311-7524 10.3390/horticulturae11111355 257001219 RAZ_Carni_Andraz_2025.pdf RAZ_Carni_Andraz_2025.pdf 1 46FCD0CD64988CCA5C2C7DD5EA81DB68 a659d1a43fb9aa2e8420de94ad82df72d958752a95daa273db12195ea3796fd3 45f53882-c06d-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=221832 https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/11/1355 1 0e17b4e7-c06d-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=221831 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0