Species Structure of Plants in the Báb Forest Clearcuts

In the paper we have summarized the results of a research which was realized in the Báb forest (Veľký Báb, Nitra upland). The target of the research is the evaluation of species composition in the clearcuts in 2012. In the Báb forest, during spring records there were 80 and during summer records 102 taxa of taxons recorded. The woody plants of spring and summer reports were mainly represented by typical forest species. Moreover, these are woody plants of forest open parts and there are also two invasive woody Ailanthus altissima, Robinia pseudoacacia plants documented. During the summer reports, three new woody plants Clematis vitalba, Lonicera caprifolium, Ulmus minor appeared in the herb layer. Herbs are represented during the spring reports by typical spring ephemeroids, geophytes and forest herbs presenting the spring synusia. During the summer reports, ephemeroids are absent and there were new species, mainly Alliaria petiolata, Convallaria majalis, Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Melica nutans of forest herbs reported. In the clearcut areas also clearcut, synanthropic, mainly Cirsium vulgare, Lamium purpureum, Sambucus ebulus, Serratula tinctoria, Torilis japonica and invasive species Aster lanceolatus, A. novi-belgii agg., Erigeron annuus ssp. annuus, Impatiens parviflora occurred. Generally, we can state that the diversity of clearcut plant taxa is high. Taxa are represented by forest woody plants, woody plants of clearcuts, forest open parts and forest edges. Within clearcut herbs, there are typical forest species of oak-hornbeam forests represented, species of clearcuts and human-influenced posts and there are also invasive taxa found

Variability of the Molinion meadows in Slovakia

Nine vegetation types were distinguished using cluster analysis within Molinion meadows in Slovakia. Vegetation of cluster 1 occurs on most acidic soils and is characterized by the occurrence of species of the Caricion fuscae alliance and of the Nardus grasslands. Vegetation of cluster 2 is also found on rather acidic soils but in contrast to cluster 1 vegetation it contains species of base-rich sites, such as Betonica officinalis, Galium boreale or Serratula tinctoria. Vegetation of cluster 3 occurs in wet base-rich habitats and often contains species of the Caricion davallianae alliance. Species of dry and Nardus grasslands are typical for vegetation of cluster 4, which is found at the driest sites and is confined to oligotrophic sandy soils. Vegetation of clusters 5 and 6 occurs on moist mesotrophic soils. Their species composition is quite similar, the main difference being that the former includes species-poor relevés and the latter includes species-rich relevés. Relevés of cluster 7 include species of dry grasslands and some ruderal species and represent degraded types of inundated floodplain meadows of the Deschampsion alliance. Vegetation of clusters 8 is characterized by species of the Phragmito-Magnocaricetea class and of the Deschampsion alliance, and occurs in wet nutrient-rich habitats. Vegetation of cluster 9, which usually develops from vegetation of cluster 8 due to decrease in the ground-water table, often contains species of dry grasslands and mesic meadows. Except for relevés of clusters 1 and 7, all others can be assigned to the Molinietum caeruleae Koch 1926 association. Cluster 1 corresponds to the Junco effusi-Molinietum caeruleae Tüxen 1954 association. Average Ellenberg indicator values for relevés, which were passively projected on the ordination biplot of detrended correspondence analysis, showed that the first ordination axis correlates with nutrients, soil base status and temperature, and second axis with moisture.