Assessing the impacts of invasive and expansive plant species on mountain grasslands using unmanned aerial vehicles and botanical field surveys

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985939%3A_____%2F26%3A00651633" target="_blank" >RIV/67985939:_____/26:00651633 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Assessing the impacts of invasive and expansive plant species on mountain grasslands using unmanned aerial vehicles and botanical field surveys

Original language description

Mountains are exceptional biodiversity hotspots characterized by pronounced habitat heterogeneity, high endemism and relict-species richness. Alongside climate and land-use change, the spread of alien plant species is an important driver of vegetation change, promoting biotic homogenization, particularly at low and mid elevations. Restoration in harsh mountain environments is slow and uncertain, making early detection and rapid management responses critical.nWe integrated multispectral UAV surveys with detailed botanical fieldwork to quantify the impacts of three alien invasive species (Rumex alpinus, Telekia speciosa, Lupinus polyphyllus) and two native expansive species (Veratrum album, Senecio nemorensis agg.) in montane meadows and alpine grasslands of the Czech Republic. During 2024–2025, vegetation was repeatedly sampled on 50 plots 25 m² in size with nested 10 m² subplots to capture scale-dependent effects across a range of management regimes (mowing, grazing, mulching, hand pulling, and herbicide application). Plant functional traits (height, phenology, leaf area index, germination in Lupinus) were recorded to assess vegetation responses to management interventions, while UAV-based mapping quantified species cover at the site scale.nDominant species displaced grasses typical of nutrient-poor soils, indicating the ruderalization of native vegetation. Lupinus and Rumex caused the most substantial shifts in community composition. Lupinus showed the highest variability of invaded communities and a pronounced capacity for post-disturbance regeneration and reproduction from both mature and immature seeds. Its ability to dominate the oligotrophic grasslands of the Nardo strictae-Agrostion tenuis alliance and spread along tourist trails towards high elevations poses a serious threat to the Arctic-Alpine tundra.n

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10611 - Plant sciences, botany

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2026

Confidentiality

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