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THEME 3: PLANTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Q: "In the Andes, the longest continental mountain range in the world, located in south America, tree species are ‘on the run’, trying to move to ground of higher altitude. They are shifting roughly 2.5 to 3.5 vertical meters a year on average, but in fact they need to migrate more than 20 vertical feet a year!"
A: I believe the right answer is 2.

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Alonnisos is a Greek island in the Aegean sea and, it is the third member of the Northern Sporades.The area of the island is 64 km². The island is mostly limestone. It is located east of mainland Greece and Magnesia, northeast of Euboea and northwest of the island of Skyros.The spcial species that lives here is the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus.

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The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. As of 2015, it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Aegean Sea, the archipelago of Madeira and the Cabo Blanco area in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be the world's rarest pinniped species.
Sadly the Mediterranean monk seal is on the IUCN's endagered list. A lot of human activity theatens its survival , but a lot of actions ara taking place so that this species survive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_monk_seal
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13653/117647375

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Apart from the Mediterranean monk seal, the waters around Alonnisos are known for several species of dolphin and whale. The former include the common dolphin, striped dolphin and bottle nose dolphin, while the latter include the sperm whale, cuvier's beaked whale and long-finned pilot whale.Overall the whole area is an important habitat for about 300 species of fish, including the Mediterranean moray (Muraena helena), Bluefish tuna, Dusky perch (Serranus Gigas) and two-banded sea bream (Diplodas vulgaris). Also worth mentioning is the presence of red coral, making the sea around Alonnisos a unique one in Greece.
Also,in the skies over Alonnisos there are around 80 species of birds that can appear.
Finally, the tuna fish that lives here is considered to be the only one that's not polluted by heavy metals and is healthy to be eaten by humans.

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Alonnisos is one of the greenest islands in Greece with fabulous Mediterranean diversity. The most common are coniferous trees with a strong green color, followed by holly or kermes oaks, small bushy trees that are quite different from European oaks. The Arbutus or strawberry tree is also common on the island, bearing small bell-shaped flowers and berry-shaped fruit (not strawberries!).

Apart from the trees, different flowers and plants bloom on the island all year round. Winter flowers include the crocus and anemone. The latter boasts large blue or pink flowers and serrated leaves, except in hidden ravines without sunlight where it becomes small and white, more like the Northern Europe variety.

The oxalis blossoms in the begging of the year and creates yellow carpets that attract many a bee. A stranger flower is the bell shaped Targ-Tozz which grows below olive trees and boasts bright green leaves. The tree heather with tiny bell-shaped flowers is also on show in early spring, followed by the dark pink blossoms of the Judas tree which is abundant on the island and feels right at home here.

By April a cornucopia of flowers transforms Alonissos into a veritable botanical garden, including rock roses with pink or yellow flowers, Ophrys Mammosa orchids, Pyramidal orchids, pink Italian gladiolas, senna bladder flowers and many more.

Different herbs start making appearances in spring such as wild sage, while in June and July you can enjoy the sight of thyme blossoms with pink flowers, as well as oregano in July.

The fall rewards visitors with flowering heather bushes, cyclamens and Etruscan honeysuckle which by then bears small orange berries. These are but a sample of Alonnisos' natural bounty.

Lastly, the winding rocky gorge of Kastanorema on the northeast corner of the island is a haven for marble trees (Montpellier), maple trees and stone oaks. Watch out for the colour of the maple leaves in November when they turn into a beautiful orange.

Other noteworthy trees and shrubs on Alonnisos and surrounding islands include the lentisk (mastic), flowering phillyrea plants, the rhamnus (buckthorn), the Phoenician juniper and the rare tree Amelanchier chelmea.

The Phrygana or garrigue bush is also common and consists of many species. Then there are the 'chasmophytes', plants that live in rock fissures, which are very interesting as they boast several endemic flower species such as Linum gyranium, Campanula reiseri, Arenana phitosiana and others.

Lastly, worth mentioning are the beds of the seaweed Poseidonia oceanicae under water, very important for supporting organisms in the marine ecosystem.

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Alonnisos is one of the greenest islands in Greece with fabulous Mediterranean diversity. The most common are coniferous trees with a strong green color, followed by holly or kermes oaks, small bushy trees that are quite different from European oaks. The Arbutus or strawberry tree is also common on the island, bearing small bell-shaped flowers and berry-shaped fruit (not strawberries!).

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The National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades was the first marine park established in Greece and is currently the largest marine protected area in Europe!The efforts to protect this area began in the early 1970s. In 1986, the Prefecture of Magnesia signed the first resolution aiming to the protection of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and its natural habitat. The National Marine park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades is the nature reserve for a series of terrestrial and marine species living in the Mediterranean Sea, including hundreds of plants and animals, as well as remarkable archaeological and historical monuments.

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National Marine Park of Alonissos | Official website of the Municipality of Alonissos

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The National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades is a nature reserve for a series of terrestrial and marine species living in the Mediterranean Sea, including hundreds of plants and animals

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Psathoura is the most northerly island of the Marine Park,and member of the Alonnisos islands complex. In sharp contrast to the rest of the islands, its landscape is dominated by volcanic features, spread with heathers and other bushes.It was active during the Pleistocene period.Its lava is consists of egodic anesthesia with olivine and its stones have the characteristic black color of the volcanic stones.The ground of this area is very fertile. Plant species unknown to the rest of Marine Park islands are common here, such as the sea daffodil (Pancratium maritunum).

pinakas.ppspa.gr
www.alonissos.com/index.php/thalassio-parko-alonnisou/erimonisia/psathoyra#!psathoura_gallery_01