Abstract
The aim of this study was to provide a phytosociological and ecological characterization of meadow communities in the Łąki w Komborni Natura 2000 site (SE Poland), assess the trends in their transformation, and indicate the major threats impacting on their conservation. The study was conducted in 2015–2016. Three types of meadow communities were distinguished (alliances <em>Molinion</em>, <em>Arrhenatherion</em>, <em>Filipendulion</em>), due to the absence of the species characteristic for associations. The species richness noted per relevé differed significantly between the types of meadows (Kruskal–Wallis test: <em>H</em> = 21.65, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). The highest floristic biodiversity (<em>H</em>' = 2.99) was noted for the meadow patches classified as in the <em>Molinion</em> alliance and the lowest (<em>H</em>' = 2.50) was found for the patches from the <em>Filipendulion</em> alliance. Mean values of the ecological indicators (F, R, N) differed between the meadow communities. The greatest disparity was noted for the mean values of the soil moisture indicator (from 6.42 to 7.45). Patches classified in the <em>Filipendulion</em> alliance were developed on the wettest soil substratum, whereas the patches classified in the <em>Arrhenatherion</em> alliance were predominant on a relatively dry substratum. The abandonment of traditional management practices (grazing, mowing) has contributed to transformation of the <em>Molinia</em> meadows, disappearance of characteristic species and succession of shrubs. The <em>Molinia</em> meadow habitat should be conserved by improvement of protection measures (appropriate mowing regime and removal of biomass) to conserve a high species richness and the rare and protected plant species.
Highlights
Meadows represent semi-natural communities associated with human activity; they play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The aim of the present study was to (i) present the phytosociological and ecological characterization of the meadow phytocoenoses in the Łąki w Komborni Natura 2000 site, (ii) identify the trends in the transformations, and (iii) indicate the main threats that may lead to the disappearance of Molinia meadows
The numerical analysis distinguished three types of habitats, which were assigned a rank of an alliance due to the absence of species characteristic for associations and the substantial transformations of the phytocoenoses
Summary
Meadows represent semi-natural communities associated with human activity; they play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The origin and conservation of meadow communities largely depends on the conditions of the natural habitat (soil type, climate, etc.), the type and intensity of management practices, i.e., the use of fertilizers, the mowing time, and the mowing regime [7,8,9,10,11,12]. Since the 1990s, radical economic reforms have resulted in changes in the agriculture sector in Poland. The economic changeovers impacted on environmental changes, modified crops and agricultural landscape structure [16,17,18,19]. Habitat degradation (e.g., changes in water relations) and the abandonment or intensification of management in meadows lead to floristic changes in meadow communities [10,20,21]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
