A comparison of the flora of the Chop (Ukraine) and Čierna nad Tisou (Slovakia) border railway stations

Abstract

The diversity of vascular plant species at two border railway stations, Chop in southwestern Ukraine and Cierna nad Tisou in southeastern Slovakia, was studied and compared. The Chop station flora consisted of 240 taxa, while Cierna nad Tisou had 309 taxa. 173 taxa were common to both stations, 67 taxa occurred only in Chop and 136 only in Cierna nad Tisou. Native species prevailed over alien at both stations; neophytes dominated over archaeophytes in Chop, whereas archaeophytes were dominant in Cierna nad Tisou. The floristic composition of the Chop and Cierna nad Tisou railway stations included species which were mostly hemicryptophytes and therophytes, with European and Asian origin, predominantly insect pollinated, reproducing by seeds, mostly competitors, urbanoneutral or moderately urbanophobic, and growing in habitats moderately influenced by human activity. The native species were predominantly urbanophobic hemicryptophytes while the alien species were mainly urbanophilic therophytes that were more thermophilous than the natives. The most abundant families at both stations were Asteraceae and Poaceae. The greater species diversity in Cierna nad Tisou and the differences in species composition between the stations probably arise from the size, structure and treatment of the station, the station surroundings, and the size of the associated city. Species Euphorbia davidii, Galeopsis angustifolia, Geranium purpureum, and Grindelia squarrosa are discussed as examples of ferroviatic species migration.