Study of the Vegetation of Romania’s Western Carpathians’ Peatland Ecosystems Created by the Phytocoenoses of the Carici echinatae-Sphagnetum Relationship from a Phytosociological, Ecological and Ecoprotective Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to develop a phytosociological, ecological, cytogenetic, eco-protective and economic study of the vegetation of the wetland ecosystems in the Vlădeasa Massif built by the phytocoenoses of the association Carici echinatae-Sphagnetum (Balázs 1942) Soó 1955. In order to attain the aim and objectives put forward we carried out 10 phytocoenological surveys in the phytocoenoses during the optimal vegetation periods during 2020-2021. The taxonomically inventoried species were included in an association table by the criteria of their belonging to the basic coenotaxa of the association, alliance, order, vegetation class. The outcomes of the phytocoenosis research of the vegetation of the wetland ecosystems were processed, analysed, interpreted based on tables, histograms, diagrams, regarding the numerical and percentage weight of the species in the ecological categories of bioforms, phytogeographic elements (geoelements) and cytogenetic elements. The ecological behaviour of the species confined in ecosystems was also analysed by their relationship with ecological factors, soil moisture, air temperature and chemical reaction of the soil. The current state of ecosystems, potential threats, sustainable conservation of biodiversity, dynamics of phytocenoses, economic and scientific relevance were also subjected to research. The results obtained in the surveyed territory bring concrete answers to the questions formulated and were analysed, compared numerically and as percentage with the data provided by two reference scientific works belonging to authors who independently carried out research with a similar topic in two different geographical regions of the Western Carpathians. The conclusion provides us that the surveyed peatland in the Vlădeasa Massif has a predominantly mesohygrophilic (40%) to hygrophilic (28%), microthermic (46%) to micromesothermic (24%), ionic amphitolerant (38%) to acidophilic (22%) character, dominant species are hemicryptophytes (66.1%) and bryophytes (10.7%) and from the point of view of phytogeographic elements, the circumpolar plants are most representative (32.2%). Polyploid species (62%) dominate peat bogs from Vlădeasa Massif.