Variability of the Molinion meadows in the Czech and Slovak Republic
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Abstracts 15th European vegetation survey workshop Vegetation in agricultural landscapes and "Natura 2000" |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Botany |
| Keywords | classification; Czech Republic; Molinion meadows; Slovakia |
| Description | Molinion meadows include species-rich vegetation in intermittently wet habitats where the groundwater table fluctuates considerably during the growing season. They are characterized by the species which are adapted to these conditions, such as Betonica officinalis, Dianthus superbus, Galium boreale, Iris sibirica, Molinia caerulea s.lat., Selinum carvifolia, Serratula tinctoria and Succisa pratensis. In the past these meadows commonly occurred in the lowlands of both countries, and in the Czech Republic also at higher altitudes. They were not manured and were mown usually once a year in late summer. Due to extensive alterations to the water regime and intensification of agriculture in the past decades many of these meadows have been replaced by species-poor meadows or agricultural fields. As only fragments of this vegetation exist now, it is very important to protect them. They also contain some rare species, such as Carex hostiana, Dianthus superbus, Gentiana pneumonanthe and Iris sibirica. Two associations were distinguished in both countries within the Molinion alliance Molinietum caeruleae Koch 1926 and Junco effusi-Molinietum caeruleae Tüxen 1954. The former occurs on more base-rich soils and contains species which are typical of these sites, such as Betonica officinalis, Galium boreale and Serratula tinctoria, while the latter is confined to more acidic habitats and is typical by the occurrence of species of Nardus grasslands or of the Caricion fuscae alliance. |
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