Publication details
The effect of scattered trees on the plant diversity of species-rich forest-steppe grasslands in the white Carpathians
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Plant Ecology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-025-01531-z |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-025-01531-z |
| Keywords | Wooded grasslands; Canopy cover; Vegetation composition; Soil moisture; Nature conservation |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Forest-steppe grasslands of the White Carpathian Mountains have been intensively studied in terms of edaphic conditions, history, and vegetation as they are, on a fine scale, among the world’s richest ecosystems. We investigated how grassland vegetation is influenced by scattered trees, which are thought to enhance plant diversity through ecotonal effects while potentially suppressing other plants due to leaf litter and competition for light and water. We used 80 vegetation plots (1?×?1 m) placed along linear transects through four forest-steppe grasslands and recorded following the Braun-Blanquet approach. Our results show that topsoil potassium, the number of forest species, and ecological indicator values for nutrients and moisture increased with increasing canopy cover. Alpha diversity of vascular plants, representation of tall-forb, forest-steppe and endangered species, moss cover and measured topsoil moisture decreased with canopy cover, i.e. were higher further from trees. While trees are generally recognised for enhancing habitat and landscape heterogeneity, our results suggest that the unique diversity and composition of vascular plant communities are more closely associated with open patches. Apart from the effects of tree transpiration, shading, and litter accumulation, this result could be partially caused by the lack of management of the tree vicinity and eutrophication caused by the overpopulated game that gathers here. We conclude that adjustment of conservation and game management strategies can enhance the benefits provided by trees. A better understanding of how trees, herbs, and soil moisture interact could help plan tree density more effectively during the restoration of wooded grasslands. |
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