Ivan Jarolímek

Diversity of aquatic macrophytes in relation to environmental factors in the Slatina river (Slovakia)

Distribution and plant mass of aquatic macrophytes, and their relation to environmental conditions was studied in the submontane-colline Slatina river in 2004. Diversity of macrophytes was low, only 8 vascular plants, 3 mosses and group Algae filamentosae were found. Myriophyllum spicatum is dominant species, Fontinalis antipyretica, Rhynchostegium riparioides and Algae filamentosae are frequent. Interactions between flow class, bed material, depth of water and the first three mentioned macrophytes, as well as Jungermannia leiantha were detected. Sparganium erectum prefers more antrophogenic conditions and Myriophyllum spicatum prefers the light. According to cluster analysis, three distinct and ecologically well separated parts of the river were identified. Based on Reference index, poor ecological status for the studied part of the Slatina river was estimated.

Plant communities of trampled habitats in North Korea

A syntaxonomic study of trampled plant communi- ties in North Korea is presented. Analytic and synthetic meth- ods of the Braun-Blanquet approach together with a numeric- syntaxonomical analysis (cluster analysis and principal coor- dinate analysis ordination) were employed. With the excep- tion of the Bryo-Saginetum japonicae, all the associations, such as the Artemisio asiaticae-Plantaginetum asiaticae, Plantagini depressae-Polygonetum avicularis, Polygono avicularis-Potentilletum costatae, Eragrostio multicaulis- Plantaginetum depressae, Euphorbio maculatae-Centipedetum minimae, Digitario pectiniformis-Eleusinetum indicae and Setario viridis-Chlorisetum virgatae, are described for the first time. Some communities also include a number of subassociations. Trampled communities are found along edges of paths and in cracks among paving stones. Soils vary from loamy to sandy and skeletal. A phenomenon of seasonality in expression of ruderal communities was observed in North Korea. It is assumed that this seasonality is controlled by pattern of precipitation show- ing distinct climatic seasons (e.g. pre-monsoon and post- monsoon periods). The ruderal vegetation seasonality is sup- posed to become more pronounced towards tropical regions. Several mesophilous or slightly hygrophilous European spe- cies occur frequently in North Korean trampled communities including Chenopodium glaucum , C. ficifolium and Potentilla supina. Their occurrence in trampled habitats is hypothesized as being related to high air humidity and associated wet climate.

High-altitude vegetation of the Western Carpathians — a syntaxonomical review

This paper presents a survey of high-altitude plant communities which occur in the Western Carpathians with an enumeration of the characteristic, transgressive and differential species of the individual alliances, orders and classes. It describes the tall-herb vegetation (Mulgedio-Aconitetea) and communities of the subalpine shrubs (Betulo carpaticae-Alnetea viridis), the montane and alpine calcareous swards (Elyno-Seslerietea), the wind-exposed cryophilous swards on ridge edges with low snow cover (Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardii), the chionophilous communities of snow beds and snow fields (Salicetea herbaceae), the arctic-boreal dwarf-shrub heathlands (Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea), the alpine acidophilous grasslands (Caricetea curvulae) and the high-mountain mat-grass swards of the alliance Nardion strictae (Nardetea strictae).This study summarises the results of the syntaxonomical and nomenclatural revisions of various types of high-altitude vegetation in the Western Carpathians and the longstanding research in the field. The aim of this paper is to amass knowledge about the nomenclatural features, such as the synonyms, original diagnoses and nomenclatural types of the higher syntaxa in the Western Carpathians, that will be important and useful for a forthcoming vegetation survey of highrank syntaxa of Europe (EuroChecklist). It reflects the current status of knowledge regarding the floristic composition and distribution of high-altitude (alpine) non-forest communities in Slovakia.The fourth volume of Plant Communities of Slovakia, which discusses high-altitude vegetation, was recently published. This paper, however, contains some corrections and improvements to the concepts. It is presented in a compact form and in English, which makes it more accessible by international readership.

Fifty years of plant invasion dynamics in Slovakia along a 2,500 m altitudinal gradient

Knowledge on the main spatiotemporal trends in plant invasions of habitats is essential for a better understanding of the process of these invasions. The aim of this study was to determine the level of plant invasion, represented by relative richness and total cover of archaeophytes and neophytes, in 45 EUNIS habitat types along with spatiotemporal changes in invasion level with increasing altitude and time in Slovakia. In general, the most invaded habitats are those which are highly influenced by human activities. Generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models were used to assess the associations between habitat-specific invasion level, altitude and time, respectively. There is a general decrease in the relative richness and total cover of archaeophytes and neophytes with increasing altitude in the invaded habitats. There is also an observable temporal trend in archaeophytes shifting from anthropogenic towards more natural habitats. Importantly, the relative neophyte richness has recently been increasing, predominantly in semi-natural and natural habitats, which brings about major concerns for nature conservation. This may be the manifestation of a lag phase in the dispersal of neophytes. However, accompanied with a significant increase in the relative richness of archaeophytes in some natural habitats, it may indicate more complex changes in the invaded habitats and be an early warning sign for ecological degradation of these habitats.

Current knowledge and phytosociological data on the high-altitude vegetation in the Western Carpathians - a review

Presented survey summarizes the results of the studies published predominantly after 2000, dealing with the plant communities around and above the timberline in (montane) subalpine to alpine (subnival) belt of the Western Carpathians. All of these communities underwent a critical syntaxonomical and nomenclatorical revision, hence the demonstrated overview of high-mountain vegetation of Western Carpathians (mostly from Slovakia, less from Poland border areas) represent the current state of knowledge. The high-altitude vegetation database, which is the part of Slovak National Vegetation Database, SNVD (http://ibot.sav.sk/cdf/index.html), incorporated 8,160 published relevés on 15 May 2007 (of the total of 30,469 published relevés in the SNVD). Concerning the unpublished relevés, the individual authors have provided more than 18,400 of them to be stored in SNVD; 2,301 of all unpublished relevés could be assigned to high-altitude vegetation. Mountain and alpine vegetation is in SNVD presented by 15 classes; the most frequent class is Mulgedio-Aconitetea. With its quantity and also the quality of relevés, the high-altitude database, as well as the whole SNVD, represents the unique database within Slovakia, which provides information not only about the locality, floristic composition and variability of individual vegetation types, but also about several environmental variables such as inclination, aspect, geology or soil type, characteristic for individual relevés. Together with other Central European databases, SNVD takes up the leading position in Europe.

Syntaxonomy and ecology of plant communities of the Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardii in the western carpathians

We present a syntaxonomic account of the communities of the alliances of Oxytropido-ElynionBr.-Bl. 1949 and Festucion versicolorisKrajina 1933 from Western Carpathians. Both alliances comprise naked-rush, cushion form and dwarf-shrub heath communities typical of wind-exposed habitats occurring at the highest altitudes of the Tatra Mts. They represent a relic vegetation of the cold stages of the Pleistocene (probably Late Glacial Maximum) and they can be classified within the class of Carici rupestris-Kobresietea bellardiiOhba 1974. A set of relevés was subject to numerical-classification analysis. Floristics and ecology of the communities were characterised and the relationships to similar syntaxa were discussed.The Oxytropido-Elynion is restricted to the extreme ridge positions in the highest altitudes of the Belianske Tatry Mts. Five associations were distinguished, such as the Pyrolo carpaticae-Salicetum reticulatae, the Festuco versicoloris-Oreochloetum distichae, the Festucetum versicoloris, the Oxytropido carpaticae-Elynetum myosuroides and the Drabo siliquosae-Festucetum versicoloris.The Festucion versicoloris is limited to the mylonite zone of the alpine and subnival belt of the Vysoké Tatry and Západné Tatry Mts (and found as rare in the Nízke Tatry Mts). The stands of these communities prefer terraces of steep rocky faces and cliffs and stabilised small-grained screes below the cliffs. Within this alliance, three associations were described, including the Agrostio alpinae-Festucetum versicoloris, the Silenetum acaulis and the Salicetum kitaibelianae.

On salt marsh vegetation in North Korea

The salt marsh vegetation on the west coast of North Korea was studied by the method of the Zürich-Montpellier school. The following communities were distinguished:Suaedetum japonicae, Scirpetum iseensis, Artemisietum fukudo, and the following were described as new:Triglochini maritimae-Phragmitetum communis, Artemisio capillaris-Salsoletum komarovii andSalsolo komarovii-Rosetum rugosae. The phytocoenological material was also analysed by means of numerical techniques.The population density ofSuaeda japonica was examined in accordance with the distance from the sea. The description of the zoning of the vegetation was based on the study of transects three localities and was supplemented by chemical analyses of the soil.

Forest Vegetation of the Northern Korean Peninsula

North Korean forest and shrub vegetation data were obtained during several expeditions in 1984–1990. Field analyses were carried out using Braun-Blanquet methods. The resulting data-set of 244 phytocoenological releves was processed by numerical techniques. Soil analyses were done for most vegetation types. Seven associations were distinguished in coniferous forests, including Rhododendro aurei-Laricetum olgensis, Goodyero repentis-Piceetum jezoensis, Carici peiktusani-Abietetum nephrolepidis, Ledo decumbentis-Laricetum olgensis, Polysticho retroso-paleacei-Rhododendretum dahurici, Taxo-Pinetum pumilae, and Thujo koraiensis-Piceetum jezoensis; 15 subassociations were described new. The following communities were found in semi-deciduous and deciduous forests: Lychno-Quercetum mongolicae, Vaccinio-Quercetum mongolicae, Parthenocisso tricuspidati-Fraxinetum rhynchophyllae, Festuco ovinae-Pinetum densiflorae, Saso-Quercetum mongolicae, Artemisio-Quercetum mongolicae, Syneilesio palmatae-Carpinetum laxiflorae, Lilio lancifolii-Rhododendretum schlippenbachii, and Indigofera kirilowii-Securinega suffruticosa community. Nine subassociations were newly described. Three new alliances were defined, a Laricion olgensis for coniferous forests of North Korea, a Rhododendro dahurici-Acerion barbinervi for shrub and mantle communities, and a Weigelo floridae-Fagarion schinifoliae for shrub vegetation. Zonation of forest vegetation in North Korea is briefly characterized.

Annual nitrophilous pond and river bank communities in north part of Korean peninsula

The article deals with the herbal vegetation of flow and basin watersides in North Korea. Characterizations of associationsPolygonetum thunbergiiLohm. etMiyawaki 1962 andPolygonetum sieboldii-hydropiperisOkuda 1978 are given.Persicarietum posumbu, Aeschynomeno-Kummerowietum, Bidens bipinnata-community,Hemarthria sibirica-community,Persicaria dissitiflora-community andBidens tripartita-community are newly described. All phytosociological relevés were numerically classified by the computer program NUMCLAS. Brief notes on development, ecology and classification of waterside vegetation are mentioned.

A note on the weed vegetation of Soya bean fields in North Korea

The paper presents some data on the weed vegetation of soya bean fields in lowlands and on the slopes of the Changbaishan Mts., in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Two plant communities,Acalypho australis-Digitarietum pectiniformisDostálek, Kolbek etJarolímek 1990 andCephalonoploso segetii-Geranietum eriostemoniiDostálek, Kolbek etJarolímek 1990 are described and their syntaxonomy briefly discussed.