Jozef Šibík

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.

Changes in segetal vegetation in the Borská nížina Lowland (Slovakia) over 50 years

This article reports changes in the segetal vegetation in the Borská nížina Lowland (Western Slovakia) over 50 years. The study was based on phytosociological relevés obtained by Krippelová in the years 1949–1955, as well as our own recent data from the years 2002–2006. Using ordination and statistical methods, structural and floristic changes to four associations recorded in the area in both time periods were evaluated: Veronicetum trilobae-triphyllidi, Consolido-Anthemidetum austriacae, Echinochloo-Setarietum pumilae and Setario viridis-Erigeronetum canadensis. These plant communities are found in arable fields or young fallows. In some of these communities the proportion of invasive species, as well as archaeophytes and native species, has increased. Some agricultural practices (like fertilization and liming) support the spread of nitrophilous and calcareous species. Several ruderal species and herbicide-resistant species have expanded in the fields. In all studied associations the proportion of nutrient-demanding species has increased. Some rare and threatened species have declined or disappeared, but some threatened species that are missing from historical material are now present. However, the changes detected are not as substantial as expected based on data from other countries.

Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data

Satellite-derived remote-sensing products are providing a modern circumpolar perspective of Arctic vegetation and its changes, but this new view is dependent on a long heritage of ground-based observations in the Arctic. Several products of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna are key to our current understanding. We review aspects of the PanArctic Flora, the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map, the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, and the Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA) as they relate to efforts to describe and map the vegetation, plant biomass, and biodiversity of the Arctic at circumpolar, regional, landscape and plot scales. Cornerstones for all these tools are ground-based plant-species and plant-community surveys. The AVA is in progress and will store plot-based vegetation observations in a public-accessible database for vegetation classification, modeling, diversity studies, and other applications. We present the current status of the Alaska Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA-AK), as a regional example for the panarctic archive, and with a roadmap for a coordinated international approach to survey, archive and classify Arctic vegetation. We note the need for more consistent standards of plot-based observations, and make several recommendations to improve the linkage between plot-based observations biodiversity studies and satellite-based observations of Arctic vegetation.

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.

The Tall-Herb and Tall-Grass Plant Communities of the Class Mulgedio-Aconitetea in the Subalpine Belt of the Krivánska Malá Fatra MTS (Slovakia)

The Tall-Herb and Tall-Grass Plant Communities of the Class Mulgedio-Aconitetea in the Subalpine Belt of the Krivánska Malá Fatra MTS (Slovakia) The following paper reports the results of phytosociological research of tall-herb and tall-herb plant communities within the class Mulgedio-Aconitetea in the subalpine belt of the Krivánska Malá Fatra Mts. The data set of 209 relevés was sampled and analysed using numerical classification and ordination. Major ecological gradients were interpreted using Ellenbergs indicator values and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. Ten associations within five alliances were distinguished and characterised: Aconitetum firmi, Digitali ambiguae-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, Helianthemo grandiflorae-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, Potentillo aurei-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, Allio victorialis-Calamagrostietum villosae, Festucetum carpaticae, Adenostylo alliariae-Athyrietum alpestris, Aconito firmi-Adenostyletum alliariae, Geranio robertiani-Delphinietum elati and Aconito firmi-Rumicetum alpini. Relationships between the floristic composition of the communities and environmental variables were analysed by canonical correspondence analysis. V članku so prikazani rezultati fitocenološke raziskave rastlinskih združb visokih steblik in trav razreda Mulgedio-Aconitetea v subalpinskem pasu gorovja Krivánska Malá Fatra. Podatkovni niz sestavlja 209 popisov, ki smo jih analizirali z numerično klasifikacijo in ordinacijo. Glavne ekološke gradiente smo interpretirali z Ellenbergovimi indikacijskimi vrednostmi in Shannon-Wienerjevim indeksom diverzitete. Ločili smo deset asociacij znotraj petih zvez in jih opisali: Aconitetum firmi, Digitali ambiguae-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, Helianthemo grandiflorae-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, Potentillo aurei-Calamagrostietum arundinaceae, Allio victorialis-Calamagrostietum villosae, Festucetum carpaticae, Adenostylo alliariae-Athyrietum alpestris, Aconito firmi-Adenostyletum alliariae, Geranio robertiani-Delphinietum elati in Aconito firmi-Rumicetum alpini. Povezavo med vrstno sestavo rastlinskih združb in rastiščnimi dejavniki smo analizirali s kanonično korespondenčno analizo.

Vegetation on mesic loamy and sandy soils along a 1700-km maritime Eurasia Arctic Transect

Abstract Questions How do plant communities on zonal loamy vs. sandy soils vary across the full maritime Arctic bioclimate gradient? How are plant communities of these areas related to existing vegetation units of the European Vegetation Classification? What are the main environmental factors controlling transitions of vegetation along the bioclimate gradient? Location 1700‐km Eurasia Arctic Transect (EAT), Yamal Peninsula and Franz Josef Land (FJL), Russia. Methods The Braun‐Blanquet approach was used to sample mesic loamy and sandy plots on 14 total study sites at six locations, one in each of the five Arctic bioclimate subzones and the forest–tundra transition. Trends in soil factors, cover of plant growth forms (PGFs) and species diversity were examined along the summer warmth index (SWI) gradient and on loamy and sandy soils. Classification and ordination were used to group the plots and to test relationships between vegetation and environmental factors. Results Clear, mostly non‐linear, trends occurred for soil factors, vegetation structure and species diversity along the climate gradient. Cluster analysis revealed seven groups with clear relationships to subzone and soil texture. Clusters at the ends of the bioclimate gradient (forest–tundra and polar desert) had many highly diagnostic taxa, whereas clusters from the Yamal Peninsula had only a few. Axis 1 of a DCA was strongly correlated with latitude and summer warmth; Axis 2 was strongly correlated with soil moisture, percentage sand and landscape age. Conclusions Summer temperature and soil texture have clear effects on tundra canopy structure and species composition, with consequences for ecosystem properties. Each layer of the plant canopy has a distinct region of peak abundance along the bioclimate gradient. The major vegetation types are weakly aligned with described classes of the European Vegetation Checklist, indicating a continuous floristic gradient rather than distinct subzone regions. The study provides ground‐based vegetation data for satellite‐based interpretations of the western maritime Eurasian Arctic, and the first vegetation data from Hayes Island, Franz Josef Land, which is strongly separated geographically and floristically from the rest of the gradient and most susceptible to on‐going climate change.