Community Ecology
Volume/Issue:
Volume 9: Issue Supplement-1
Semi-natural grasslands under impact of changing land use during last 30 years: Trollio-Cirsietum community in the Liptov region (N Slovakia)
Authors:
L. Halada Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS Branch Nitra, Akademicka 2 P.O. Box 23B SK-949 01 Nitra Slovakia

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H. Ružičková Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS Stefanikova 3 P.O.Box 254 SK-814 99 Bratislava Slovakia

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S. David Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS Branch Nitra, Akademicka 2 P.O. Box 23B SK-949 01 Nitra Slovakia

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A. Halabuk Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS Branch Nitra, Akademicka 2 P.O. Box 23B SK-949 01 Nitra Slovakia

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Pages:
115–123
Online Publication Date:
15 Jan 2009
Publication Date:
01 Jun 2008
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/comec.9.2008.s.16
Keywords:
Community structure changes; Fens; Intensification of agriculture; Mesophilous grasslands; Rural landscape; Trollio-Cirsietum; Wet meadow
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Significant transformation of agriculture took place in Central Europe during the second half of the 20 th century. The paper reviews the nature and consequences of this process in terms of grassland management and land use changes in the Liptov region (N Slovakia) and their impacts on plant communities of fen meadows ( Caricion davallianae, Caricion fuscae ), wet meadows ( Calthion ) and mesophilous grasslands ( Arrhenatherion, Cynosurion ). We studied in detail the changes in structure of the rare plant community Trollio-Cirsietum (Kühn 1937) Oberd. 1957 that occurred between the first period (1974–1983) and the second period (2002–2003). We recorded the decrease in abundance of species characteristic for permanently wet and fen meadows (alliances Calthion and Caricion davallianae) and the increase in abundance of characteristic species of seasonally dried, mesophilous and thermophilous meadows and mesophilous fringes (classes Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Festuco-Brometea and alliances Molinion caeruleae, Bromion erecti and Trifolion medii ). In the second studied period, a large group of mesophilous and thermophilous species appeared as new in this wet-meadow community. A cumulative impact of different factors, especially drainage and intensification of surrounding grasslands as well as abandonment of the community can represent reasons responsible for observed changes. Regardless identified changes, the community still maintains its typical character in significant proportion of the studied sites and hosts a high number of threatened plant species.

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Cover Community Ecology
Community Ecology An Interdisciplinary Journal Reporting Progress in Community and Population Studies
Print ISSN:
1585-8553
Online ISSN:
1588-2756

Community Ecology
Language English
Size A4
Year of
Foundation		 2000
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 3
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 1585-8553 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2756 (Online)

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