Abstract
Railway areas are considered as large greenspaces and are recognized important in improving the biodiversity and dynamic of urban flora. In this study, we examined the flora composition and diversity along intra-city railway lines in Lublin, SE Poland and Lviv, W Ukraine. The flora has been analyzed in terms of species composition (multivariate ordination techniques), life span, life form, type of pollination mode, seed dispersal, life strategy sensu Grime, hemerophoby, urbanity degree, and in terms of habitat preferences using ecological indicator values. The multivariate analysis (CCA) clearly revealed that abiotic factors (topographical), weather elements (annual precipitation and air temperature), and soil attributes (moisture, trophy, pH, salinity) differed between two cities and impacted on the differences in railway flora composition. Plants growing on the intra-urban railway areas are mainly hemicryptophytes/perennials, C, CR, CRS-strategists, insect-, self-, or wind-pollinated, reproducing by seeds and mainly dispersed by wind. Intra-urban railway areas are predominated by native species, however the participation of invasive alien species is higher than their proportion in domestic floras. The share of invasive species is greater in railway areas of Lviv, ca. 12% (45 species) compared to 8% in Lublin (36 species). Spontaneous flora in intra-urban railway areas represent distinct adaptations to unique urban-industrial ecosystems with different degree of anthropogenic disturbance.
Highlights
The rapid development of railway transport in Europe was induced by Industrial Revolution and started in the eighteenth century
We examined the flora composition and diversity along intra-city railway lines in Lublin, SE Poland and Lviv, W Ukraine
The mean ecological indicator values revealed that the plants growing along railways in Lublin and Lviv differed in terms of their demands for moisture, trophy, pH, and salinity (Tukey HSD test for unequal n, p
Summary
The rapid development of railway transport in Europe was induced by Industrial Revolution and started in the eighteenth century. Railway lines are under continuous development and constitute important form of land transport [1]. There are some environmental disadvantages of railways constructions, e.g., considerable loss of natural/semi-natural habitats or fragmentation, impairment of microclimatic and hydrological conditions, development of dispersal barriers to many non-flying terrestrial animals [2,3]. Railway transport has become one of the most important factor affecting the process of fragmentation of natural and semi-natural biotopes and flora synanthropization in various parts of the world [4,5]. We analyzed the geographical-historical status and synecological groups of species These analyses can be applied to study on the stability of railway vegetation, and to predict the possible impact on the vegetation in surrounding areas
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