Directions of changes in the flora structure in the abandoned railway areas

In 2007-2008, floristic studies were carried out in active railway areas in NE Poland, as well as on railway tracks, which had been abandoned at different times. Only homogeneous habitats were surveyed (the area between the tracks and a narrow transect running parallel to the tracks). Trends in the transformation of the flora in abandoned railway areas were discussed: the retreat of alien species with a short life cycle, the encroachment of native perennial plants and an increase in the number of trees

Ancient settlements in Southern Ukraine : how do local and landscape factors shape vascular plant diversity patterns in the last remnants of grass steppe vegetation?

Agricultural intensification in the last century resulted in a significant loss and fragmentation of steppe habitats. As a result, steppes are scattered and rarely preserved in highly transformed landscapes. Steppe patches have often remained on sites with cultural importance, such as ancient burial mounds (kurgans), old cemeteries or ancient settlements (earthworks). Thus, not only natural but also cultural objects could show a high conservation value. We hypothesised that ancient settlements (3rd – 2nd century BC) may act as steppe habitat islands, equally important as e.g. burial mounds for steppe plant protection. The aim of this study was to examine the local and landscape factors affecting vascular plants’ richness patterns in ancient settlements and to check the importance of such ancient settlements for nature conservation. We asked the following questions: 1) How high is the species richness of vascular plants on ancient settlements? 2) Do ancient settlements have a nature conservation value comparable to other steppe enclaves of the studied zone? 3) Which factors are the most important for the species richness and species composition in ancient settlements? We analysed total richness and its separate categories as dependent variables in simple regressions against seven environmental variables such as ancient settlement’s area, microhabitat variety index, afforestation degree, steppe cover in 1 km buffer around an ancient settlement, distance to the closest settlements, area of settlements in 1 km buffer around an ancient settlement and mean annual precipitation. In 18 studied ancient settlements located in the Lower Dnipro basin (Southern Ukraine), we recorded a considerable number of native (396 species, 75.6%), steppe (239 species, 45.6%) and non-synanthropic plants (225 species, 42.9%), which indicated a good state of preservation of the steppe on these objects. The microhabitat variety index, as a measure of habitat heterogeneity, appeared to be the most significant positive predictor of total species richness, followed by ancient settlement’s area, afforestation degree and steppe cover around the ancient settlements. The same factors were significant for the richness of non-synanthropic plants. Distance to settlements was a significant negative predictor for established alien species richness. Our study confirmed that ancient settlements are valuable enclaves of steppe flora, surprisingly species-rich and of relatively high ratio of steppe and non-synanthropic plants compared to the flora of nature reserves and kurgans. Our results could help to better plan active protection of plant diversity on ancient settlements, e.g. through steppe restoration around the ancient settlements, maintenance of small-scale disturbance and microhabitat diversity (pastures, mown areas, burnt areas, loess or limestone extraction sites etc.) and limiting afforestation to a certain degree

The first dataset of vascular plant species occurrences on kurgans in Southern Ukraine

The dataset contains the records of vascular plant species occurrences and distribution on Ukrainian kurgans (burial mounds, barrows), located in various zones of steppe vegetation: desert steppe, grass steppe, herb-rich grass steppe and forest steppe. Much of the studied kurgans belongs to the territory historically known as the “Wild Fields”. Besides the occurrence data, the publication presents a comparison of the floristic richness amongst five microhabitats distinguished on kurgans (top, northern slope, northern bottom, southern slope, and southern bottom) and amongst kurgans located in different steppe zones. The oOriginal publication includes 721 species of vascular plants) within four4 vegetation zone (desert steppe, grass steppe, herb-rich grass steppe and forest steppe). The report shows also sozological value of kurgans in southern Ukraine, as they play a role of steppe habitat islands in a landscape almost completely transformed to arable land. The obtained flora inventory was analyszed in various aspects. This occurrence dataset is the first public record of species from kurgans in Ukraine.This is the first occurrence dataset from kurgans in Ukraine. The dataset includes 28,456 occurrences of vascular plants recorded in the years 2004-2009 on Ukrainian kurgans. The dataset includes information about 1446 occurrences of rare species on kurgans (69 species). It contains information on the kurgan flora within four vegetation zone (desert steppe, grass steppe, herb-rich grass steppe and forest steppe) on the area ca. 32000 km2. Of the approximately 450 mounds visited, the ones with the best preserved vegetation cover were selected. For each of 106 investigated mounds, floristic lists from five microhabitats were compiled - 530 lists in total

Ancient settlements as natural heritage sites: the first occurrence dataset on vascular plant species from ancient settlements in the Lower Dnipro region (Ukraine)

This work is a long-term outcome of an international Ukrainian-Polish teamwork, aiming to assess the role of ancient settlements for steppe conservation and protection. The dataset contains georeferenced occurrences of vascular plant species on 18 ancient settlements (Lower Dnipro, southern Ukraine), collected during the 2015-2020 period. Additionally, to the total species list, the publication presents the taxonomic coverage (according to GBIF Backbone Taxonomy), the frequency classes of occurrences of the total taxa and the floristic differences amongst studied sites. The report also shows the high sozological value of the studied ancient settlements, the high levels of vascular plant species richness and the various means of the plant species protection (according to the Bern Convention, the Red Data Book of Ukraine and regional Red Lists).This work provides the first occurrence dataset from ancient settlements in Ukraine. The dataset includes 3,210 occurrences of vascular plants recorded during the study period of 2015-2020 conducted in the Lower Dnipro region. As ancient settlements were generally considered as steppe refuges, great attention was paid to the native steppe species, as well as to the rare components of the flora. The dataset includes 1,525 occurrences of steppe species and 87 occurrences of rare species, respectively. The dataset could be useful for further research of ancient settlements` floristic richness, but also analyses and comparison with other objects of cultural origin (e.g. kurgans, hillforts, old cemeteries, forgotten parks, sacred groves etc.)

Rapid functional but slow species diversity recovery of steppe vegetation on former arable fields in southern Ukraine

Questions: European steppes are among the most threatened ecosystems in the Palaearctic region, mainly because of conversion to arable land. Abandonment may allow for the passive recovery of steppes. We made use of an exceptional old-field succession chronosequence of nearly 100 years to answer the following questions: (a) Are the plant species composition, species richness and functional characteristics typical of virgin grass steppes able to self-restore during ca. 100 years after abandonment? (b) Do the rates of recovery of the above vegetation characteristics differ over the studied chronosequence? (c) Do topsoil carbon and nitrogen content change over the succession chronosequence, leading to concentrations similar to that of virgin steppes? Location: Southern Ukraine. Methods: We sampled vegetation and soil in a virgin grass steppe and in old fields abandoned for 6, 15, 31, 50 and ca. 97 years. We subjected the composition data to multivariate analysis. To test whether species richness, functional and soil characteristics of the old fields diverge from those of the virgin steppe, we used one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) statistic to create 90% confidence intervals. Results: The vegetation composition of the three most recently abandoned old fields differed significantly from that of the virgin steppe. The species richness of vascular plants was lower in old fields than in the virgin steppe. The share of steppe habitat specialists was similar to the virgin steppe only in the field abandoned for ca. 97 years. Functional characteristics were significantly different from the virgin steppe only in the most recently abandoned old field. Contents of Corg and Ntot in fields abandoned for ≤50 years were lower compared with the virgin steppe. Conclusions: The functional characteristics of steppe vegetation seem to recover much faster than its biodiversity. However, based on our results, 100 years can be enough time for the spontaneous re-establishment of typical steppe vegetation

Volcanic activity in Iceland and the natural and anthropogenic vegetation in the tundra zone

Islandia, obszar najbardziej aktywny sejsmicznie w Europie, położony jest w strefie ryftu, na granicy płyt tektonicznych eurazjatyckiej i północnoamerykańskiej. Krajobraz ukształtowany jest przez działalność wulkanów, zdominowany przez płaskowyż z rozległymi pokrywami lawowymi i tufowymi. Liczbę stożków wulkanicznych szacuje się na 130, w tym wulkanów czynnych w czasach historycznych jest 26 (za najaktywniejszy uważany jest wulkan Hekla). Wybuchy wulkanów na Islandii zdarzają się co 3-4 lata, z tego połowa ma miejsce pod lodowcami. Naturalna roślinność Islandii zdominowana jest przez tundry (głównie mszysto-porostową, krzewinkową i górską), występujące w mozaice z torfowiskami. Lasy i zarośla krzewiaste stanowią zaledwie 1 % powierzchni kraju. Szata roślinna w okolicy czynnych wulkanów jest niszczona, ale z czasem zajmuje nowopowstające siedliska na polach lawowych (por. badania na wyspie Surtsey i na zboczach Hekli). Islandia jest najpóźniej zasiedlonym regionem Europy. Z czasem, rosnąca populacja przybyszów zasadniczy sposób wpłynęła na szatę roślinną, zwłaszcza w południowej, najbardziej zaludnionej części wyspy. Rolnictwo na Islandii rozwija się w skrajnie surowych warunkach i jest szczególnie narażone na skutki aktywności sejsmicznej (np. chmury pyłu powodują ograniczenie fotosyntezy i zagrażają ludziom i zwierzętom hodowlanym, lodowce topniejące podczas wybuchów wulkanów, stwarzają niebezpieczeństwo powodzi). Osadnictwo i rolnictwo zapoczątkowało degradację naturalnych zbiorowisk roślinnych i katastrofalną erozję. Powierzchnia naturalnych lasów i zarośli brzozowych została drastycznie ograniczona. O niskiej lesistości Islandii decydują surowe warunki klimatyczne, a także odlesienia w wyniku wypalania, wyrębu, eksploatacji rud czy nadmiernego wypasu. W połowie XX w. zaczęto prowadzić intensywne zalesienia, sadząc głównie obce gatunki drzew. Jednak od lat 90. postuluje się zmianę podejścia - umożliwienie powrotu lasów i zarośli z udziałem rodzimych gatunków, głównie brzozy.The paper describes the natural conditions in Iceland. Its landscape is shaped by volcanic activity. The vegetation covers only 25% of the area and is dominated by subarctic communities, mainly tundra. Woodlands and shrub occupy only 1% of the territory of the island. The original vegetation is destroyed during the volcanic eruptions and slowly recovers in the process of primary succession. Human activity (since the 9th c.) has a significant impact on the fragile subarctic ecosystems. Agricultural use leads to erosion on a large scale. Planting of alien species of trees would prevent erosion. However, since the 1990s, the restoration of the native birch forest cover has been recommended

Thermophilous and 'heat tolerant' plant species at Yellowstone - National Park in the volcanic crater

Park Narodowy Yellowstone - najstarszy z parków narodowych świata - to jedno z najbardziej niezwykłych miejsc na Ziemi, zaskakujące zmiennością krajobrazów. Zajmuje kalderę potężnego superwulkanu, którego ostatni wybuch miał miejsce 640 tysięcy lat temu. Główną atrakcją parku są, chronione od blisko 140 lat, zjawiska i procesy geologiczne. Ogólną liczbę cennych obiektów przyrodniczych ocenia się na 10 000. Należą do nich: gejzery - około 400, w tym 200-250 czynnych, gorące źródła (zasiedlone przez termofilne mikroorganizmy, które razem z krystalizującymi minerałami nadają źródłom niezwykłe barwy), wulkany błotne, fumarole oraz trawertynowe tarasy naciekowe. Nie brak również różnorodnych formacji skał wulkanicznych. Nie mniej interesująca jest współczesna roślinność i flora Yellowstone. Znaczną część Parku - około 4/5 powierzchni - zajmują lasy, głównie iglaste, reszta to zbiorowiska zaroślowe i murawowe. Flora Parku liczy około 1100 gatunków roślin naczyniowych, w tym około 200 - obcego pochodzenia. Specyficzne dla Parku grupy gatunków, związane z warunkami, jakie panują na obszarze kaldery to: pirofity - rośliny odporne na pożary, a więc na nagłe i zwykle krótkotrwałe, ale wysokie temperatury oraz gatunki termofilne - znoszące stałe, dość wysokie temperatury. Są to rośliny o bardzo interesującej biologii, ekologii i fizjologii. Do pirofitów należą (różniące się strategią) gatunki drzew, np. Pinus contorta i Pseudotsuga menziesii. Charakterystyczny aspekt barwny nadają terenom geotermalnym masowo występujące gatunki termofilne: Mimulus guttatus i Gentiana detonsa. Wśród roślin ciepłolubnych wyróżnia się grupę gatunków "wysoce termofilnych" (np. Dichanthelium lanuginosum, Juncus tweedyi czy Rumex acetosella, Tabela 2), związanych z siedliskami ekstremalnymi - w strefie ryzosfery (korzeniowej) stale znoszą one temperatury powyżej 400C! W Yellowstone znajduje się największe na świecie i najbardziej aktywne pole gejzerów. Ochrona przyrody w Parku jest sprawą priorytetową, działania na rzecz ochrony - dobrze zorganizowane, choć w przeszłości nie zdołano uniknąć pewnych błędów.Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the world. The geological phenomena and processes occurring in the park have been protected for nearly 140 years. Their number is estimated at 10 000 (e.g.geysers, hot springs, mud volcanoes, fumaroles and travertine terraces). The flora (about 1100 species including 200 aliens) and the vegetation of the Park, dominated by forest, are also interesting. Pyrophytes - plants tolerating fires (e.g. Pinus contorta and Pseudotsuga menziesii) play a special role among forest species. The thermophilous plants as Mimulus guttatus and Gentiana detonsa give colourful aspect to the geothermally heated soils. 'Heat-tolerant species' adapted to chronic rhizospheare temperature above 40°C (e.g. Dichanthelium lanuginosum, Juncus tweedyi or Rumex acetosella) are especially noteworthy in the flora of Yellowstone Park. The protection of nature in the Park is a priority. Conservation efforts are well organized, although some mistakes have not been avoided

Urban flora: chance and chaos or regularities in diversity?

Within the borders of the town man has created specific conditions for plant growth. Urban areas are very heteregeneous and contain a large number of habitats, which vary when passing from the city centre towards the outskirts. The over-heating of city centres referred to as "heat island" has been noted in many European towns. The analyses of the temperature maps and satellite infra-red photographs of temperature in Warsaw confirmed this phenomenon. Field studies which have been conducted in Warsaw over a period of 20 years show that the qualitative and quantitative composition of the urban flora is not coincidental. Some general trends in the distribution of urban flora have been revealed. With anthropopressure becoming gradually less intensive, species richness increases from the inner city to the outskirts. By contrast, a decline in the number of aliens permanently established, th especially those which were introduced after the 15 century, is observed. In the inner city the contribution of thermophilous species is, however, more appreciable. Some examples of species which show specific patterns of distribution are given (Bromus sterilis, Hordeum murinum, Eragrostis minor, Diplotaxis muralis)