Search results for "VEGETATION"
showing 10 items of 1069 documents
Do invasive alien plants really threaten river bank vegetation? : a case study based on plant communities typical for Chenopodium ficifolium : an ind…
2018
Riparian zones are very rich in species but subjected to strong anthropogenic changes and extremely prone to alien plant invasions, which are considered to be a serious threat to biodiversity. Our aim was to determine the spatial distribution of Chenopodium ficifolium, a species demonstrating strong confinement to large river valleys in Central Europe and an indicator of annual pioneer nitrophilous vegetation developing on river banks, which are considered to be of importance to the European Community. Additionally, the habitat preferences of the species were analysed. Differences in the richness and abundance of species diagnostic for riverside habitats, as well as the contribution of resi…
New national and regional bryophyte records, 44
2015
Syntrichia norvegica is a circumpolar arctic- montane species (Smith, 2004), rare at lower altitudes and in southern Europe (Frey et al., 2006). It is known from several south-eastern European countries (Sabovljevic et al., 2008) and now it is recorded for the first time in Croatia. Regarding its conservation status, S. norvegica is red listed in Great Britain (EN), Czech Republic (CR), Slovakia (VU), Bulgaria (NT), Hungary (DD), Romania (VU) and Estonia (VU) (Hodgetts, 2014). It was found in the northern Velebit Mountains, in an area with the most outstanding and extreme karst relief, with steep slopes, perpendicular rocks, screes and deep dolines. The locality is situated in the Pinus mug…
Eco-geomorphological connectivity and coupling interactions at hillslope scale in drylands: Concepts and critical examples
2020
The diagnosis of land degradation requires a deep understanding of ecosystem functioning and evolution. In dryland systems, in particular, research efforts must address the redistribution of scarce resources for vegetation, in a context of high spatial heterogeneity and non-linear response. This fact explains the prevalence of eco-hydrological perspectives interested in runoff processes and, the more recent, focused on connectivity as an indicator of system resource optimisation. From a geomorphological perspective and reviewing the concepts of eco-hydro-geomorphological interactions operating in ecosystems, this paper explores the effects of erosion on vegetation configuration through two …
Occurrence of ‘blue’ and ‘frost’ rings reveal frost sensitivity of eastern Baltic provenances of Scots pine
2020
Abstract Assisted gene flow is advised as one of the most effective means to sustain the productivity of forests under warming climate via application of the provenances (genotypes) capable to utilize longer vegetation season. Nevertheless in the temperate and boreal zones, the extension of vegetation period also subjects trees to effects of frosts, which can have severe economic impact under warming climate. In this study, wood anatomical anomalies related to late frosts in spring (‘frost’ rings) and early frosts in late summer (‘blue’ rings) for the eastern Baltic provenances of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with a contrasting field performance were analysed retrospectively. Three tria…
Seed bank dynamics of an invasive plant, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.
2008
AbstractThe seed-bank dynamics ofAmbrosia artemisiifolia(Asteraceae), an annual invasive plant introduced from North America to Europe, were studied in nine French populations developing in field crops, set-asides or wastelands. The vertical distribution of seeds was studied in two different depth sections (0–5 cm and 5–20 cm), and the spatial horizontal pattern of distribution was analysed for two selected field-crop and set-aside populations. The proportions of dormant, non-dormant and dead seeds, as well as the changes in seed-bank dormancy over time, were evaluated. Natural seedling recruitment and its variation under different disturbance treatments in competitive set-asides were also …
Functional diversity of different vegetation types does not respond homogeneously to change over time after conservation translocation from a rural l…
2019
Abstract The anthropogenic impact on natural environments and the loss of species diversity along with changes in functional diversity call for effective steps to ensure habitat conservation. The functional diversity in particular has suffered in recent decades due to investment and land use changes. The translocation of whole turfs of certain vegetation plots prior to being destroyed is one possible solution for maintaining habitat functional diversity. In the presented paper, we analyse the functional changes in adaptive, regeneration and urbanity plant traits for meadow, heath and fen that were translocated from a rural site to a post-industrial site in a city. After five years of monito…
Effects of traditional coppice practices and microsite conditions on tree health in a European beech forest at its southernmost range
2016
Abstract: European beech (Fagus sylvatica) grows at the southern limit of its range in the mountain-Mediterranean vegetation belt up to the timberline. The southernmost beech forests of Sicily (southern Italy) show peculiar ecological, structural and silvicultural characteristics, growing in fragmented and isolated stands near the timberline and in topographically marginal unfavorable habitats. Past silvicultural practices increased the heterogeneity of stand structure at these sites. We compared stand structural characteristics and tree health in coppice-cut and control beech stands with respect to the local topographic gradient (bottom, slope and ridge) and canopy cover (clearing/border v…
Defoliation effects on plant and soil properties in an experimental low arctic grassland community – the role of plant community structure
2008
In Northern Fennoscandia, sub-arctic and arctic grasslands are commonly grazed by the semi-domesticated reindeer. Reindeer grazing is known to affect plant production and belowground processes, such as nutrient mineralization in these grasslands, but little is known of the role of plant community structure in the response of plant and soil properties to the defoliation of plants. Using soil and seeds from a low arctic meadow, we established a 23-week greenhouse experiment to test whether communities of different plant species richness (one, two or four species) and composition (three different replicated compositions within each richness level) respond to defoliation in a different way. We …
Plant functional trait response to environmental drivers across European temperate forest understorey communities
2020
Functional traits respond to environmental drivers, hence evaluating trait-environment relationships across spatial environmental gradients can help to understand how multiple drivers influence plant communities. Global-change drivers such as changes in atmospheric nitrogen deposition occur worldwide, but affect community trait distributions at the local scale, where resources (e.g. light availability) and conditions (e.g. soil pH) also influence plant communities. We investigate how multiple environmental drivers affect community trait responses related to resource acquisition (plant height, specific leaf area (SLA), woodiness, and mycorrhizal status) and regeneration (seed mass, lateral s…
Can vegetation provide indications of ancient lake shorelines after more than one hundred years? A case study of Iskander-kul Lake, Tajikistan
2017
Abstract Bioindication is a common approach to assess and evaluate environmental changes over both short or long periods of time. Here we attempt to highlight that vegetation can provide indications of the palaeoshoreline of Lake Iskander-kul, even after at least 150 years. It is an example of a dammed lake that was created by a huge mass rockfall as a result of a strong earthquake during the late Pleistocene. Applying the two way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) we found that the shrubby vegetation is the particular one that can still effectively thrive along the palaeoshoreline despite the lake downlift. Using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure for certain vegetation type, we …