Repeated surveys on permanent plots in the strict forest reserves Schrofen and Wettersteinwald (Bava-rian Alps) have revealed some significant changes in the vegetation structure and composition of these mountain forests since the mid-1980s. The gradient covered by the investigations ranges from mixed mountain forests of the montane zone to natural spruce forests of the lower subalpine zone and larch-pine forests of the upper subalpine zone. Particularly noticeable changes were an increase in the canopy closure of the stands and the establishment of a shrub layer. In addition, an increase in frequency was observed for many species of the herb layer, resulting in an increase in alpha diversity. The species with apositivereactioninthestudyperiod("winners")werepredominantlycompetitiveand vigorous species with comparatively higher nutrient and lower light requirements. In many cases, the increase in the fre-quency of species was accompanied by an expansion of their occurrence to higher (but also lower) alti-tudes. As a result, the relev & eacute;s of the subalpine coniferous forests and the mixed mountain forests today show an overall higher floristic similarity than in the 1980s, which can be interpreted as a homogeniza-tion of the species composition of the understorey vegetation. However, not a single relev & eacute; changed its affiliation to a vegetation type. In our opinion, the main driving forces behind the changes are the sig-nificantriseintemperatureduetoclimatechange,changesinlandusepractices(cessationofforestman-agement, intensification of hunting, reduction in grazing intensity) and continued high nitrogen inputs
Peri-Pannonian Bosnia was a forest-dominated landscape in the past. However, it has experienced extensive and continuous negative anthropogenic influence for over 200 years resulting in significant reduction and fragmentation of forest area. The remaining forests are not sufficiently studied, and little is known about their floristic composition, ecology and classification. In order to study the lowland forest from this area, Lijev & ccaron;e Polje (central part of the area) was chosen because of the relatively large patches of preserved forest. Phytosociological research was carried out from 2016 to 2023 using the Braun-Blanquet method, resulting in the compilation of a dataset consisting of 73 relev & eacute;s of forest vegetation. These relev & eacute;s were classified using TWINSPAN into 15 units and afterwards merged into 8 groups, representing associations that were floristically and ecologically analyzed. One group, encompassing swamp alder forest, was identified as Carici elongatae-Alnetum glutinosae. Two groups represented forests with yearly fluctuations in soil moisture ranging from water-saturated to very dry soils. One of those groups, characterized by extreme soil moisture fluctuation, was attributed to Pseudostellario-Quercetum roboris, while the other group, with mild soil moisture fluctuation, was attributed to Genistoelatae-Quercetum roboris. Three groups were documented along streams and were attributed to: Salicetum albae, occupying the lowest river terraces; Fraxino pannonicae-Ulmetum glabrae, occurring on elevated river terraces; and Stellarionemorum-Alnetum glutinosae, confined to smaller streams. Two groups positioned in areas outside the flood zone were identified: Convallario-Carpinetum, occurring on old river terraces, and Stellario-Carpinetum, found on mountain foothills. Ellenberg indicator values were used to detect significant factors that shape the floristic composition of the analyzed plant communities. The distance from the nearest river and elevation were also useful in understanding ecological and topographic attributes of the communities. The driest and most wide-spread communities are those dominated by Carpinus betulus and Quercus robur. Riparian forests are confined to riverbanks while swamp forests are found in microdepressions that were not meliorated in the past. These findings contribute to the phytosociological understanding and classification of forest vegetation in peri-Pannonian Bosnia, providing a basis for future conservation efforts and classification
Unmulched lawns in cemeteries in the western Ruhr area are characterised by an exceptionally high species richness of over 400 vascular plant species in total. 242 species were recorded in vegetation releves with up to 34 plant species in a survey area of 8 m(2) (9 m(2) area size was aimed for as standard). In addition, a total of 38 species occur in all the releves that are on the federal state or regional Red List, with up to six species occurring in individual releves. Particularly noteworthy is the occurrence of some rare species belonging to the arable flora, sandy grassland and heathland vegetation. The association of these species could also be documented phytosociologically by vegetation releves on the cemetery lawns. Some of these areas are located in cemeteries in the centre of urban agglomerations, where they have been preserved as relics of a pre-industrial landscape. In addition, typical lawn vegetation from the Crepido-Festucetum association was recorded in many of the cemeteries, but a fragment community was also differentiated, which was essentially created by mulching the lawns.The vegetation of non-mulched cemetery lawns varies considerably depending on altitude, soil type, cemetery age and burial use in the surrounding of the plot. Mulched areas, however, have a highly uni-form species composition. Not only are they floristically impoverished and Red List species are largely absent, they also form a homogeneous unit without regional or area-specific differences. Their flora consists of a few grasses and undemanding ubiquists. Against this background, a switch to mulching should be avoided at all costs, especially on the remaining areas of high floristic value
Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris is an endangered species in large parts of Central Europe. In the upper Rhine floodplains, Germany, less than 100 individuals have survived until the middle of the 20th cen-tury. Local reintroduction approaches began in 1967 and increased the number of individuals to 1.075 in 2018. However, the current population status and the success of these long-term reintroduction efforts are, so far, unknown, although they represent an important basis for the future conservation of V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris. For this study, all known sites of V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris. in the upper Rhine valley were surveyed in 2017-2018. The vitality of the individuals, their growing conditions, and local threats were assessed to evaluate establishment chances, and time series of vitality data (2012, 2013, and 2018) were analyzed for reintroduction sites in Leimersheim, Lingenfeld, and R & ouml;merberg. In the most recent survey in 2018, we found 482 individuals from previous reintroduction efforts (1974 to 2016). Overall, 55% of the individuals introduced since 2012 had died. Only 16% of 456 planted individuals (for which vitality data and planting year were available) showed high vitality and reproduction potential and were therefore considered established. The remaining 84% (mostly planted in 2016) had not reached the canopy and were therefore subjected to unsuitable light conditions, with low to medium vitality. The number of adult, reproducing individuals of the total population had decreased. The risk factors that have led to the massive decline of the species are still existing in 2018. In particular, in the massively degraded Upper Rhine floodplains, the species-specific habitat requirements are largely no longer met and must be restored as part of renaturation measures to facilitate the establishment of this species. Focus should be placed on the creation of natural flooding dynamics in selected areas.Currently, the reintroduction of V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris.is particularly difficult due to a lack of suitable habitats. Added to this are the long establishment period, the late reproductive age, dioecy, and hybridization with Vitiscultivars, wild Vitis individuals, and vine rootstocks. Due to a combination of these factors, this species is threatened with extinction in Germany and must be protected throughappropriate nature conservation and forestry strategies. The success of reintroduction efforts, the effect-tiveness of protective measures, and the status of the population must be monitored regularly
In recent years, forests in Germany have experienced considerable disturbances, yet there is limitedinformation on the extent to which forests within the Europe-wide Natura 2000 network of protected areas (Directive 92/43/ECC) have also been affected. However, calls for greater flexibility of the Habitats Directive to address potential climate change effects have already been made.The objective of this study was to analyze changes in selected forest habitat types by comparing current recording results with those from approximately ten years ago. We analyzed a selection of forest stands (n = 224) encompassing the forest habitat types 9110, 9130, 9170, 9180*, and 91E0* within four Natura 2000 sites in the Harz Mountains and Harz Foothills in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and focused on stand structure and tree species composition. The following parameters were recorded and evaluated: (1) canopy layer cover, (2) large deadwood pieces per hectare, (3) tree species compo-sition and (4) vitality of selected individual trees by recording crown defoliation. The study revealed (1) a decline in the upper canopy layer cover, consisting of older and larger trees, as well as an increase in tree regeneration. In addition, (2) greater large deadwood density per hectare and (3) a change in tree species composition were observed. Our analysis indicates that (4) forest stand structure has a greater influence on crown defoliation than site characteristics. Our study shows that forest habitat types studied in the Harz region have changed significantly over the course of a decade. However, we contend that there is currently no compelling rationale to chal-lenge the protective status of the forests examined at the regional level or the delineations of forest habitat types at the European level. To effectively address climate change impacts, it is essential to ex-pand the methodological approach in the future, e.g. by incorporating satellite data into regular moni-toring activities
