Editors' Choice paper for the first quarter of 2026

Every three months, the VCS Chief Editors select an Editors' Choice paper of the quarter. The winning papers are highlighted on the journal website, and one of the four selected papers goes on to win the Editors' Award of the year.

For the first quarter of 2026, the VCS Editors' Choice goes to Erwin Bergmeieret for their study "Diversity of vegetation and key to the plant communities of the island of Lemnos (North Aegean, Greece)."

This paper presents the first comprehensive vegetation survey of Lemnos, addressing a significant gap in our knowledge of plant communities in the eastern Mediterranean region. Based on 877 original relevés encompassing approximately 14,000 plant records of 842 vascular plant species- around 80% of the island's species pool - the study classifies 103 vegetation types corresponding to 36 EuroVegChecklist-standardised classes and 77 alliances, including associations and alliances new to or newly confirmed for Greece.

For the first time, a floristic directory and identification key to the plant communities of an eastern Mediterranean island are presented, offering valuable baseline information on habitat diversity, indicator species, and conservation priorities for the plant communities of Lemnos. 

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