Flora of natural pasture near village Idjos as a indicator of habitat conditions

Abstract

The natural and semi-natural pastures are highly endangered habitats in Serbia and the world and they are habitats of the unique flora and vegetation. Many of them are on the list of priority habitats for biodiversity conservation. Therefore, the starting point for the assessment, monitoring and conservation of biodiversity of pastures is to study the they flora and vegetation. These ecosystems are very sensitive to environmental conditions and anthropogenic influences, and the understanding of the relationship between plants and environmental factors is essential. The development of plants on a habitat depends of environmental factors, because they are excellent indicators of the habitat conditions. The aim of this paper is to assess the prevalent environmental conditions based on the ecological analysis of flora of natural pasture near village Iđos. This would assist its sustainable use and maintenance of its agricultural productivity, and also helped the recovery of this endangered natural ecosystem. The studied paature flora comprises 137 taxa (129 species, 7 subspecies and 1 variety). Based on the ecological analysis of the identified taxa, near village Iđos, the studied ecosystem - in temperate climate conditions (Kx= 3,18), on a soil characterized by considerable degree of salinity in places (S+ = 35,04%) - is moderately moisture (Fx = 2,80), neutral to mildly acidic (Rx = 3,26), moderately rich in nitrogen and nitrogen compounds (Nx = 3,05), and in organic compounds (Hx = 2,96), moderately aerated (Dx = 4,08), and subject to a favorable light (Lx = 3,80) and thermal regimen (Tx = 3,91).