Human impact on the plant cover of four villages in SE Poland

Abstract

The observation of the rapid rate of plant cover transformation caused by urbanization and agricul tural technology was the inspiration for undertaking the study in rural areas. The study was carried out in the Sandomierz Basin in four typical villages with varying degrees of the anthropogenic impact. The changes observed included: Koszyce Male – evident transformation of fields and meadows into building land; Kolbuszowa Dolna – intensive changes in land use, abandonment of fields and meadows, and river regulation; Roźwienica – emergence of new habitats for plant colo nization after reclamation of land previously occupied by a brick factory and a landfill; Krzeczowice – intensive crop cultivation and unchanged land use. In 2009–2010, floristic investigations with the patrol method were carried out in these areas. The historical-geographical classification and indices of the anthropogenic changes of the flora were employed in the analysis. Substantially, domination of synanthropic species over non-synanthropic spontaneophytes was noted in the analysed floras. In the synanthropic species group, the proportion of apophytes was 3-fold higher than that of anthropophytes. Archaeophytes were more abundant than kenophytes. The flora of Krzeczowice, an area af fected by long-term anthropopressure, was by approx. 30% less abundant than that in the other villages; it was also characterised by the highest synanthropization index, apophytization index, and index of apophytism of spontaneophytes. In turn, the flora found in Kolbuszowa Dolna was rich due to the presence of a wide variety of habitats; it was characterised by the lowest apophytization index accompanied by the highest anthropo phization index. KEy worDs: rural areas, Sandomierz Basin, anthropopressure, changes of plant cover, anthropogenic indices