The effect of scattered trees on the plant diversity of species-rich forest-steppe grasslands in the white Carpathians

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F25%3A00144531" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/25:00144531 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-025-01531-z" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-025-01531-z</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11258-025-01531-z" target="_blank" >10.1007/s11258-025-01531-z</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The effect of scattered trees on the plant diversity of species-rich forest-steppe grasslands in the white Carpathians

Original language 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 x 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.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10611 - Plant sciences, botany

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA25-15235S" target="_blank" >GA25-15235S: European hotspots of local plant community species richness: origin and current changes</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Plant Ecology

ISSN

1385-0237

e-ISSN

1573-5052

Volume of the periodical

226

Issue of the periodical within the volume

7

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

15

Pages from-to

803-817

UT code for WoS article

001497113300001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105006702580