Effect of Selected Meteorological Variables on Full Flowering of Some Forest Herbs in the Western Carpathians

At present, temperate forest ecosystems are endangered by both abiotic and biotic factors. The effects of abiotic components, e.g., meteorological variables, are constantly studied. However, the detailed mechanisms affecting the phenology of plants are still unknown. Two meteorological variables (air temperature and cumulative precipitation) were analysed for the period from 1995 to 2020 in order to determine which factor which has a more significant effect on onset of the full-flowering (FF) phenophase. A set of nine forest herbs, representing different phenological groups from the viewpoint of flowering, was examined (early spring: Petasites albus and Pulmonaria officinalis; mid-spring: Carex pilosa and Dentaria bulbifera; late spring: Fragaria visa and Galium odoratum; early summer: Veronica officinalis; mid-summer: Mycelis muralis; and late summer: Campanula trachelium). Temperature-sum requirements and temporal trends in the onset of FF were also studied. The research conducted at the Ecological Experimental Station in the Kremnické vrchy Mountains (central Slovakia) at an altitude of 500 m asl. Our results show that the air temperature correlated more significantly with the date of onset of FF (r > 0.6, p Petasites albus) to 1732.9 °C (Campanula trachelium) and from 223.4 °C (Petasites albus) to 1820.8 °C (Campanula trachelium), respectively. Temporal trends in the onset of FF over the last 26 years confirm shifts to earlier dates for most species (excepting early spring Petasites albus). In spring flowering species, shifts ranged from 2 days (0.07 day/year) for Pulmonaria officinalis to 8 days (0.30 day/year) for Carex pilosa. As for summer species, the onset of flowering shifted more significantly to earlier dates—from 7 days (0.27 day/year) for Campanula trachelium to 12 days (0.46 day/year) for Veronica officinalis. The observed trends were statistically significant (p Carex pilosa, Dentaria bulbifera, Fragaria vesca, Veronica officinalis and Mycelis muralis)

New floristic records from Central Europe 4 (reports 41-53)

The fourth part of the series includes 13 new chorological records of vascular plants from Poland and Slovakia. From Poland, the first record of Rubus austroslovacus from the Vistula River valley is given as well as the first record of Erigeron ×huelsenii from Silesia. Beside this, spontaneous occurrence of Portulaca grandiflora in Kraków and P. oleracea subsp. oleracea in Suwałki has been recorded outside the cultivation. In Slovakia, new sites of endangered species Dichostylis micheliana and Stipa pulcherrima were found as well as new distribution data about Sonchus palustris and Reynoutria japonica. From railway stations, Tribulus terrestris is reported for the first time from eastern Slovakia likewise two new sites of alien species Euphorbia davidii, previously reported from only single locality in southeastern Slovakia. Alien species Xanthium spinosum was reported from the Štiavnické vrchy Mts. and also Sisyrinchium montanum in the Slanské vrchy Mts. Third report of Sagittaria latifolia in Slovakia is given with short characteristic of its coenological conditions. URL: https://www.bz.upjs/thaiszi

Immission-load-related dynamics of S-SO42− in precipitation and in lysimetric solutions penetrating through beech ecosystems

The paper presents the results of a 23-year study of sulphate sulphur dynamics in beech ecosystems exposed to different immission loads. The amounts of S-SO42− in precipitation water entering the ecosystems were: the Kremnické vrchy Mts, a clear-cut area 519 kg ha−1 (24.7 kg ha−1 per year), a beech forest 476 kg ha−1 (22.7 kg ha−1 per year); the Štiavnické vrchy Mts an open place 401 kg ha−1 (24.6 kg ha−1 per year), a beech forest 324 kg ha−1 (19.1 kg ha−1 per year). The average SO42− concentrations in lysimetric solutions penetrating through surface humus to a depth of Cambisol 10 and 25 cm were increased as follows: in the Kremnické vrchy Mts from 12.71 to 16.17 mg l−1 and in the Štiavnické vrchy Mts from 18.73 to 28.80 mg l−1. The S-SO4−2 amounts penetrating the individual soil layers in the Kremnické vrchy Mts were as follows: in case of surface humus on clear-cut area 459 kg ha−1 (20.9 kg ha−1 per year), in beech forest 433 kg ha−1 (19.7 kg ha−1 per year); below 10 cm organo-mineral layer of the mentioned plots penetrated 169–171 kg ha−1 (7.7–7.8 kg ha−1 per year), and below 25 cm mineral layer 155–255 kg ha−1 (7.1−11.6 kg ha−1 per year) – a higher amount was found on clear-cut area with an episodic lateral flow of soil solutions. In beech forest of the Štiavnické vrchy Mts penetrated below surface humus 424 kg ha−1 S-SO42− (18.9 kg ha−1 per year), below 10 cm mineral layer 458 kg ha−1 S-SO42− (19.9 kg ha−1 per year), and below 25 cm mineral layer as much as 599 kg ha−1 S-SO42− (26.0 kg ha−1 per year). This fact was caused by frequent lateral flow of soil solutions. The results indicate that the assumption about lower immission load of the beech ecosystem in the Kremnické vrchy Mts is wrong, at least in the case of S-SO42−. The testing has revealed that the studied beech ecosystems differ very significantly in sulphur amounts penetrating under 0.10 m and 0.25 m. The inter-annual differences were insignificant