Phytosociological Data Research Articles

Coupled soil-vegetation changes along a topographic gradient on King George Island, maritime Antarctica

Studies on the unique terrestrial ecosystems of Antarctica’s ice-free areas have potential to enhance the understanding of the soil/vegetation interplays and ecological relationships of endangered polar environments. Studies that have emphasized the plants distribution and diversity increase the knowledge on the Antarctic vegetation and controlling factors, enabling better conservation strategies for these fragile ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the composition and distribution of plant communities in association with soil characteristics, landscape elements (altitude and geomorphological variations), and local faunal influence. We related these factors to plant species richness along topographic gradient on a typical maritime Antarctica landscape. We hypothesized that plant species distribution responds to soil and topographical variations; further, we postulated greater plant diversity in ornithogenic areas of increasing age and higher organic matter content. Ten plant communities and a bare-soil reference located at Thomas Point, King George Island, were identified, selected and mapped for the study. Plant cover was analyzed using phytosociological data from 132 squares across the area to evaluate frequency, coverage degree, and the ecological significance index. These values determined the type of community observed. We also determined general soil physical and chemical attributes. The microscale variations in sheltering of the different environments directly impacted floristic composition across the landscape. Vegetation composition and floristic characteristics significantly varied along the topographic gradient, according to soil attributes, in which ornithogenesis (phosphatization) and drainage conditions played a key role. Both factors are likely to be greatly affected by recent warming trend in this part of Antarctica.

Index of Atmospheric Purity reflects the ecological conditions better than the environmental pollution in the Carpathian forests

The Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) is a popular tool used for the assessment of air quality in polluted urban areas, on the basis of phytosociological data of epiphytic lichen communities. We hypothesized that this indicator could also be used in less polluted forest areas to determine the quality of ecological conditions for lichens. The aim of the present study was to verify the use of IAP method in the assessment of environmental pollution, and alternatively for the assessment of general ecological conditions in protected mountain forests of Gorce National Park (Polish Western Carpathians) based on the epiphytic lichen biota associated with Picea abies. The spatial distribution of IAP values on monitored sites in GNP was compared with: 1) spatial distribution of accumulated sulfur, nitrogen, selected heavy metals, and total heavy metals in Hypogymnia physodes thalli in 1993 and 2018 (30 sites), 2) mean ecological indicator values characterizing species requirements for light (L), substrate reaction (R) and nutrients (N), in 1993, 2013 and 2018 (33 sites). Generalized linear model and redundancy analysis were performed for disclosing most influencing factors affecting lichen communities. The study revealed a few negligible relationships between IAP values and accumulation of such elements as Ni, Mn, Cd, and Cr in both monitoring periods. Simultaneously, IAP can be useful for the identification of forest areas with a high degree of naturalness.

Новый список видов растений и лишайников России для программы Turboveg for Windows

A new species list of plants and lichens of Russia and neighboring countries has been developed for Turboveg for Windows, the program, intended for storage and management of phytosociological data (relevés), is widely used all around the world (Hennekens, Schaminée, 2001; Hennekens, 2015). The species list is built upon the database of the Russian website Plantarium (Plantarium…: [site]), which contains a species atlas and illustrated an online Handbook of plants and lichens. The nomenclature used on Plantarium was originally based on the following issues: vascular plants — S. K. Cherepanov (1995) with additions; mosses — «Flora of mosses of Russia» (Proect...: [site]); liverworts and hornworts — A. D. Potemkin and E. V. Sofronova (2009); lichens — «Spisok…» G. P. Urbanavichyus ed. (2010); other sources (Plantarium...: [site]). The new species list, currently the most comprehensive in Turboveg format for Russia, has 89 501 entries, including 4627 genus taxa compare to the old one with 32 020 entries (taxa) and only 253 synonyms. There are 84 805 species and subspecies taxa in the list, 37 760 (44.7 %) of which are accepted, while the others are synonyms. Their distribution by groups of organisms and divisions are shown in Table. A large number of synonyms in the new list and its adaptation to work with the Russian literature will greatly facilitate the entry of old relevé data. The ways of making new list, its structure as well as the possibilities of checking taxonomic lists on Internet resources are considered. The files of the species list for Turboveg 2 and Turboveg 3, the technique of associating existing databases with a new species list (in Russian) are available on the web page https://www.binran.ru/resursy/informatsionnyye-resursy/tekuschie-proekty/species_list_russia/.

Mangrove Mortality: Analyses of Natural and Anthropic Causes and their Effects on Forest Dynamics

Lopes, D.M.S.; Chaves, F.O., and Tognella, M.M.P., 2020. Mangrove mortality: Analysis of natural and anthropic causes and their effects on forest dynamics. In: Malvarez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 102-107. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Located in the north coast of Espirito Santo State, Brazil, mangrove forests are associated with estuarine systems of variable flow, changing according to the climate regime of their origin. The complexity of this ecosystem is also a function of different factors, such as the physiography, the geology of the coastal plain and pollution. Natural and anthropogenic stressors can drain energy by removing structures and restricting the development, which causes variation in the number of dead individuals. In this study is reported the dynamics of the Barra Nova mangroves (in of Espirito Santo) through forest mortality investigations, either for natural or anthropic reasons. At total, eleven phytosociological data collection stations were performed along the estuary. Structural development showed an average height ranging from 3.41 to 16.69 m, average DBH of 2.69 to 21.68 cm, and trunk density of 853 to 6,360 ha-1. Measurements of the salinity of water in the estuary ranged from 25 to 68. A large number of dead and cut trunks occurred in most stations, with the highest percentage of dead basal area (84.18 %) occurring in the station 1. Four stations harbored more than 50 % of dead basal area. Overall, the structural values were extremely variable. Although sufficiently anthropized and submitted to natural environmental changes, the results obtained here show normal and no-massive mangrove mortality, which indicate a good structural development in the analyzed areas when compared to other mangrove forests. Finally, the information about the mortality rates and processes presented in this study are helpful tools to detect pressures on ecosystems, contributing to the knowledge and protection of these natural systems.

<span lang="EN-GB">Communities of the Bidentetea class of small coastal river valleys of the Western Pomerania (Poland)</span>

The aim of work was to investigate the diversification, structure, physiognomy and floristic richness of riverside terophytes from Bidentetea tripartitae class in selected coastal river valleys. The investigates area encompassed the lower and middle section of the river valleys of Rega, Parsęta, Wieprza, Słupia, Łupawa in the Western Pomerania (Poland). 68 phytosociological records were made according to the system of Braun-Blanquet. A database was created with the help of the software Turboveg for Windows.The hierarchy classification with the MVSP package was used in order to arrange and group the collected phytosociological data and to single out the types of plant communities. In order to evaluate similarity of samples with respect to species composition the Bray Curtis was calculated and the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) was applied. Three plant communities belonging to one alliance Bidention tripartitae were identified: Bidenti-Polygonetum hydropiperis (Miljan 1933) Lohmeyer in R.Tx. 1950 nom invers., Bidentetum cernui Kobendza 1948, community with Polygonum minus, and one plant community belonging to the alliance Chenopodion glauci: Chenopodietum rubri Timar 1947.Given the natural origin of most of the patches, their structure, and the relatively small share of synanthropic species, including alien species, it should be emphasized that they constitute a spontaneous stage of succession of riparian vegetation. The presence of therophyte communities in the valleys of the coastal rivers, as well as their structure and physiognomy, testify to the preservation of their natural character.

Phytosociological data and herbarium collections show congruent large‐scale patterns but differ in their local descriptions of community composition

AbstractQuestionAs a result of recent and substantial digitization efforts, herbaria are becoming important sources of data for vegetation scientists. Are such data sets appropriate to describe composition gradients and β‐diversity? When compared with phytosociological data, what are the differences in terms of composition (co‐occurrence) gradients depending on the considered scale?LocationPáramos (Neo‐tropical alpine ecosystems) of Colombia.MethodsWe compared vegetation patterns from phytosociological relevés and reconstructed pseudo‐communities from herbarium collections in the Colombian high elevation páramo ecosystem using diversity partitioning and Mantel correlations.ResultsSpecies composition differed in the two data sets, which could be explained by taxonomic bias towards charismatic species and overrepresentation of rare species in the herbarium data set, whereas common species were more frequently represented in the phytosociological data set. The two data sets showed a similarly preponderant importance of large‐scale differences when we looked at species accumulation across different scales. Small‐scale richness contributed more to total richness for the phytosociological data set, while richness at intermediate scales was more important in the herbarium data set. Finally, pairwise β‐diversity analyses did not show correlations between data sets, and common species showed similar ecological distribution patterns.ConclusionsWe recommend caution to researchers who wish to describe β‐diversity patterns in local communities using only herbarium data. However, since the two data sets showed some complementarity in their composition patterns, we suggest that combining data from relevés (or plots) and occurrence data (herbarium records, citizen science, etc.) could be an efficient strategy for describing broader diversity patterns. We discuss the circumstances under which it could be advantageous to work with such combined data sets, in particular in relation to conservation issues.

Spatial biodiversity modeling using high-performance computing cluster: A case study to access biological richness in Indian landscape

The parallel processing and distributed GIServices provide an efficient approach to address the geocomputation challenges in biodiversity modeling. Using the widely applied Spatial Biodiversity Model (SBM) as an illustration, this study demonstrates parallelization of the spatial landscape algorithms based on Message Passing Interface (MPI) in cluster computing. The geocomputation based on MPI is performed to characterize the spatial distribution of Biological Richness (BR) for Indian landscape using developed high-performance cluster computing-based model named as SBM-HPC. In performance analysis, the execution time is reduced by 56.42%–81.41% (or the speedups of 2.29–5.38) using the parallel and cluster computing environment. Also, the spatial landscape algorithms of the model are extended to integrate large-scale geodata from online map services archives using distributed GIServices. To validate BR map, the phytosociological data is collected using participatory GIS approach. Furthermore, regression analysis between derived BR map and Shannon-Wiener index (Hˈ) represents high correlation coefficient R2 values. Highlights Development of spatial biodiversity model using parallel computing on the cluster. Geocomputation of spatial landscape indices using large-scale geospatial datasets. Distributed GIService integration in model to compute distributed data archives. Prediction of biological richness pattern and validation using participatory GIS. Characterize correlations between biological richness and bioclimatic patterns.

Challenges in the Development and Curation of Species-plot Datasets in South Africa: The National Vegetation Database of phytosociological plots as a case study

The South African National Biodiversity Institute is the custodian of numerous national level botanical and zoological datasets that have been collated over several decades and is mandated to ensure that taxonomic and ecological data are made available to the public through responsible data sharing. This study describes the nature of, and presents/discusses relevant standards for, the case study of the National Vegetation Database; the process adopted in the development of a vegetation-plot database; and current data management practices being undertaken in relation to the various stages of research data management. Phytosociological data is a record of vegetation abundance, richness, density and the associated environmental variables within a specified area or plot which usually includes a record of locality. The study aims to review the diversity of approaches in storing species-plot information in databases and to provide minimum data standards for these datasets. The surveying, classifying, and mapping of vegetation enables monitoring of ecosystems and ultimately can lead to improved conservation planning and land management. A coordinated and integrated approach is therefore needed to record, rectify, and manage these data and capture accurate metadata. Preliminary findings indicate that a lack of version control can impact the authenticity of the data if records are altered or deleted. Data affluence/abundance (currently comprised of 53 500 plots within 384 sample projects, totalling 1 064 770 species occurrence records) is a challenge because these data often differ in formats, varying methodologies, and metadata within these research projects. The curation of plot data requires a standardised approach in the different steps from data acquisition to provision of results. Species names need to coincide with currently accepted taxonomy, and although certain details are specific to a species-plot project depending on their research interest, various other data should be made consistent in terms of field names and formats to improve the quality of the resulting aggregated set of botanical records. All decisions to modify data records to achieve data consistency should be clearly explained in the metadata record for the dataset.

The epiphytic bryophyte vegetation of Kamilet Valley (Artvin, Turkey)

In this study, the vegetation of epiphytic bryophytes in the Kamilet Valley and its surroundings (Arhavi, Artvin) was investigated. The study area is located within the borders of the Eastern Black Sea Mountains and is one of the 122 important plant areas in Turkey. The investigation of epiphytic bryophyte communities was carried out in 2016 during different vegetation periods according to Braun-Blanquet?s phytosociological methodology. Phytosociological data obtained from 65 relevés were ordinated using detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA) and classified using two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN). Consequently, six epiphytic bryophyte communities new to Turkey were determined with TWINSPAN and DECORANA: Leucobryo-Tetraphidetum pellucidae, Anomodonto attenuati-Neckeretum crispae, Frullanio tamarisci-Exsertothecetum crispae, Ulotetum crispae, Anomodonto attenuati-Neckeretum crispae-leucodontetosum sciuroidis, and Ulotetum crispae-isothecietosum alopecuroidis. All syntaxa are presented by analyzing them in terms of their ecological and floristic classifications.

Phytodiversity and medicinal plant distribution in pasturelands of North Western Himalaya in relation to environmental gradients

This study aimed at elucidating phytodiversity of pasturelands of North-western Kashmir Himalayan biotic province in relation to various environmental gradients, with added focus on assessing distribution of important threatened medicinal plant taxa across surveyed pasturelands. A total of 16 sites that spanned across a broad altitudinal gradient (2502–4120 m) were selected. Phytosociological data like density, cover, frequency and abundance of vascular flora were collected and processed using gradient analysis. Soil moisture, nitrogen, organic carbon, acidity and electrical conductivity, altitude, degree of slope and human disturbance were recorded from each site. Analysis of species composition showed a total of 293 species of vascular plants, belonging to 192 genera and 64 families recorded from surveyed sites. Rank abundance exhibited that majority of species are locally rare and patchily distributed, with over 60% of species recording frequencies between 0%–20% and none showing frequencies more than 80%. Species richness showed significant variations and ranged from 20 (Parihasmaidan) to 114 (Nagbarren) for macro and 3.53±2.11 (Thajwas) to 8.76± 1.01 (Marsar) for micro-scale of measurement. The Shannon-Wiener (H′) and Simpson’s diversity (Ds) indices also varied greatly and were recorded highest (H′= 2.76 & Ds= 0.36) for Marsar and lowest (0.87 & 0.62) for Parihasmaidan. The diversity attributes suggested that pasturelands with lower species richness and diversity on macro-scale were not always species poor and less diverse on micro- measurement scale. The life form groupings highlighted the hemicryptophytic character of vegetation and species with highest importance value index were Sibbaldia cuneata (5.71), Rumex nepalensis (2.89), Juniperus wallichiana (2.88), Cynodon dactylon (2.83), Poa annua (2.49) and Sambucus wightiana (2.41). The results of canonical correspondence analysis showed that effect of altitude and anthropogenic disturbance was overriding and among various environmental factors, species distribution was mainly correlated with altitude along first canonical axis, while to second axis anthropogenic disturbances were important. Using generalized additive model, these variables also appeared as significant predictors for distribution of various threatened taxa. The findings of this study may thus help in evolving an appropriate strategy and an ecological management tool for long term conservation and management of these mountain ecosystems.

Rocky coastal vegetation of the class Crithmo-Staticetea in the south-east of Italy

AbstractIn the south-east of Italy, rocky coasts are almost entirely concentrated in the Apulia region. Several phytosociological papers have already dealt with the rocky coastal vegetation of the classCrithmo-Staticeteain some parts of the Apulian coast. However, there is still no overall revision carried out by using modern statistical treatments of phytosociological data. This paper aims to revise the syntaxonomy and nomenclature of the classCrithmo-Staticeteain the south-east of Italy. The revision is based on a data set of 225 relevés consisting of new and original phytosociological relevés (66) and others already published. The data matrix was classified with the use of flexible beta clustering. Indicator species analysis was employed to identify the indicator species of the main clusters of relevés. Results were interpreted from a syntaxonomic point of view. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination was performed in order to visualize the floristic relationships among associations. Rocky coastal vegetation of theCrithmo-Staticeteaclass in the south-east of Italy is represented by two orders,Crithmo maritimi-StaticetaliaandHelichrysetalia italici. The first one includes two alliances,Crithmo-StaticionandLimonion anfracti-cancellati, with four associations and one, respectively. However, since they rely on very few character species, the floristic and syntaxonomic relationships between these two alliances need to be deepened by further investigations, involving a larger data set and investigation area. The second order,Helichrysetalia italici, includes two associations, well differentiated by their ecology, structure and floristic composition. For this reason, they were classified within two different alliances,Anthyllidion barbae-jovisandHelichrysion litorei. TheHelichrysion litoreiis here validated.

Vegetation of Akkerendam Nature Reserve, Northern Cape: Delineation and dynamics over 100 years

Background: Akkerendam Nature Reserve is the second oldest proclaimed municipal nature reserve in the Northern Cape, yet to date no vegetation map has been produced. The possible expansion of the reserve is under consideration.Objectives: To produce a vegetation map, classification and description of the vegetation of the reserve and proposed expansion area, and assess how the vegetation has changed over the past century.Method: Braun Blanquet methodology was used to produce a vegetation map. To quantify vegetation change, (1) relevés (a plot of phytosociological data) composed from Acocks’ species lists, recorded in 1954 and 1956, were compared with the phytosociological table, and (2) recent repeat photographs (2016) were compared to four images taken by Pole Evans (ca. 1920).Results: Three plant communities were identified within the reserve and expansion area; however, four subcommunities are only found in the proposed expansion area. Relevés compiled from Acocks’ species lists were absorbed into the phytosociological table indicating that no significant vegetation change has taken place in the last approximately 60 years. This study found 222 species in common with Acocks’ species lists; however, he did not list the alien invasive species Prosopis glandulosa. Comparison of repeat photographs with images taken nearly a century earlier suggests that, except for the impact of recent fires, the composition remained relatively similar.Conclusion: The phytosociological approach adopted has provided a map of the vegetation units of the study area, while the historical comparisons indicate that the vegetation of Akkerendam Nature Reserve has not undergone significant change over the last 100 years.

The effects of different mowing regimes on diversity of grasses in lowland meadows

This study addresses the question of how changing the mowing regime influences the floristic composition and floristic diversity of grasses in an experimental lowland meadow. The study location is Bia?owie?a Forest, NE Poland. To achieve the aim we used phytosociological data from long-term studies in Bia?owie?a Forest on the course of secondary succession. The relationship between the biodiversity of grasses and type of mowing was determined using statistical analysis. Changes in the dominance and frequency of individual grass species have occurred during the last 28 years of observations. The analysis of floristic similarity demonstrated a turnover of species between the individual years of observation. Principal component analysis showed that the change in mowing method resulted in a change of the species composition, cover, and domination. However, differences in the intensity of disturbance level were rather small (one cut yearly by scythe, by sickle bar mower, and by trimmer), and changes in floristic composition were also moderate in most years. During the initial years (1984?1990), Dactylis glomerata, Agrostis gigantea, and Anthoxanthum odoratum dominated. After 1990, Arrhenatherum elatius and Holcus lanatus spread and took over, with Trisetum flavescens joining them later. Between 2008 and 2012 the cover of Dactylis glomerata increased more than two times. The reasons for the floristic transformations were changes in the management mode, e.g., the transition from mowing by scythe (medium disturbance) to mechanized mowing, first by sickle bar mower (strong disturbance) and then by trimmer (weak disturbance).

Forest situation analysis and future forecasting of famous Upper Tanawal forests ecosystems on western banks of lesser Himalaya

The current work was carried out in Upper Tanawal which lies in the mid of Western part of lesser Himalaya. The area lies between 34°0.34.40′ N to 34°0.48.88′ N latitude and 72°0.84.27′ E to 73°0.10.50′ E longitude. Upper Tanawal is rich in biodiversity. No work regarding forest and forest situation is done previously in this area. (Farooq, et al., 2017). The area was once housing notable and thick forest strands famous for their habitat uniqueness to harbor number of pheasant and other wildlife species. Due to security reasons and worse situation of law and order compromising government writ the area remained scientifically as well departmentally neglected resulting rapid and vigorous ruthless deforestation. The area was extensively visited and sampled using Quadrate method for phytosociological data collection. Phytosociological attributes like density, cover, and frequency were also Calculated and recorded for all tree species of the area in each quadrat. Altitude, slope angle, atmospheric humidity and temperature were also considered as environmental variables for each sampling site. Results reflect that Upper Tanawal hosts 52 different tree species of 39 genera belonging to 25 tree families.The important forests of Upper Tanawal are under high anthropogenic and environmental disturbances. Some of them may easily be managed because of the presence of large number of seedling; however, some areas need serious attention. It was observed that Pinus roxburghii and Pinus wallichiana are the potential tree species for reforestation and afforestation in the area. This study will be the baseline for new researchers in the study area.

Plant communities of the Czerwona Woda River Valley (Stołowe Mountains National Park)

Abstract The Czerwona Woda River is the main watercourse in the Stołowe Mountains National Park and drains the major part of the Stołowe Mts. It was regulated in the past, but its channel has been spontaneously naturalised. Now, managed spruce forests grow along almost the entire length of this small mountain stream. The aims of the present study were to investigate diversity of plant communities connected with the Czerwona Woda stream and to prepare detailed vegetation maps. The results obtained can potentially be a reference for future restoration projects implemented in the Stołowe Mountains National Park. As a result of vegetation mapping, there were distinguished 20 plant communities representative of the current vegetation and 3 communities representative of the potential vegetation. Phytosociological data on the vegetation was documented by making 62 phytosociological relevés. Based on these, 9 forest communities were distinguished, of which 3 were classified into associations, 1 – into alliance, 5 – into secondary forest communities. Furthermore, there were distinguished 14 non-forest communities, of which 10 were classified into associations. Several of the phytosociological classes distinguished have been reported for the first time in the Stołowe Mountains National Park.

Spatial distribution of caatinga plants in the environment of a thermelectric

The vegetation of the Caatinga of the Brazilian semiarid of the xerophilous type is usually found between shallow and poorly permeable soils, which is constantly affected by irregular deforestation. In this context, the objective of this work was to identify the floristic species of a thermoelectric plant located in the semi - arid Paraibano region, in addition to diagnosing the ecological integrity of the arboreal remnants of this area. The Phytosociological Survey of this study was carried out in an area with 20.1ha, with sampling in six plots. The processing of phytosociological data was carried out using Mata Nativa 4.0 software. The identification of floristic species was evaluated through the basal area, density, frequency, dominance, cover value and importance value. For the analysis of the data, the similarity between the species was compared by the Jaccard index, the floristic similarity matrix was used for cluster analysis and dendrogram generation. The floristic species inventoried, totaled 280 individuals and the family that had the largest representative was the Euphorbiaceae. It was observed that the studied area is in process of ecological succession, due to the physical pressures of the residents of the surroundings, with exploitation of natural resources of uncontrolled form causing, deforestation, burnings, among others. It is verified that floristic inventories are of great importance to monitor biodiversity, as well as to draw up, goals of efficient environmental management and serve as a tool aimed at the conservation of the Caatinga species.

Relict occurrences of boreal brown-moss quaking rich fens in the Carpathians and adjacent territories

Quaking rich fens dominated by boreal semi-aquatic brown-mosses such as Scorpidium scorpioides and Calliergon trifarium are extremely rare in the Carpathians. These fens harbour endangered species persisting at few localities in the region. However, their phytosociological classification has not been sufficiently solved yet, because they lack Sphagnum species as well as calcicole species characteristic for the Caricion davallianae alliance. A recent pan-European synthesis on fen vegetation suggests that these fens belong to the Stygio-Caricion limosae alliance (boreal rich fen vegetation). The isolated occurrence of this alliance southward of the boreal zone and outside the Alps is rather exceptional and might represent a relict from an early post-glacial period. In this study, we compared phytosociological data for the Stygio-Caricion limosae alliance between Northern Europe and the Carpathians plus adjacent regions (the Bohemian Massif, the Dinaric Alps) using NMDS and cluster analysis. We found that the species composition of brown-moss quaking rich fens in Central and Southeastern Europe corresponds well with that in Northern Europe, confirming their assignment to Stygio-Caricion limosae. We further reconstructed the potential past distribution of the alliance in Czech Republic and Slovakia using available floristic and macrofossil data. Macrofossil data suggest that this vegetation type had been much more common in Central Europe and that today it persists only in ancient fens, showing the long-term stability of environmental conditions. The main causes of its present-day rarity are Middle-Holocene woodland phases in fens and recent water table decreases caused by anthropogenic deterioration of the water regime in the landscape.

<b>Performance of fall and winter crops in a no tillage system in west Paraná State

The long-term exploitation of natural resources by agricultural activities has resulted in the need for alternative measures to restore degraded soil. The cultivation of cover crops can generate great benefits for agricultural systems, enabling the exploitation of natural resources, including water, light and nutrients, as well as the recovery of degraded soils. This work aimed to assess the coverage rate, fresh mass and dry mass of cover crops from fall and winter as well as the floristic composition of the weeds. The work was conducted in field conditions in soil classified as eutroferric Red Oxisol in the region of the city of Palotina, Parana State, Brazil, using a random block experimental design with four replications. The treatments consisted of seven cover cultures: wild radish, linseed, triticale, rye, rapeseed, crambe, oats and fallow. The species with the highest coverage rates and fresh mass and dry mass values were wild radish, rapeseed and crambe. In the floristic and phytosociological data, the species with the highest incidence were Amaranthus retroflexus , Commelina benghalensis L., Brachiaria plantaginea and Gnaphalium spicatum .

Пойменные крупнотравные леса острова Сахалин (класс Salicetea sachalinensis Ohba 1973)

Пойменные крупнотравные леса острова Сахалин (класс Salicetea sachalinensis Ohba 1973)

Human impact on the abundance of useful species in a protected area of the Brazilian Cerrado by people perception and biological data

Studies about relationships between people and landscapes have shown that local communities can affect the abundance of plant species useful to humans, which raises the question of how landscape management processes might modify the abundance of useful plant species in a forested area. We addressed this issue based on people perception and biological evidence. This study was undertaken in the Araripe National Forest, a protected area of sustainable use of natural resources in Brazil. Our results showed that the studied landscape experienced modifications in abundance of species caused by management processes. For instance, phytosociological data for the managed areas showed a greater abundance of the more salient useful species compared with useful species that have lower local importance. The comparison of historical and current aerial images of the landscape indicated that plant density had increased in forested managed areas where agricultural practices were stopped. Despite this, local perceptions indicated that the abundance of most of the useful plant species in the managed areas had decreased over time.