<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>We report an exceptionally fast grassland recovery process from a karst plateau in SW Slovenia. Vegetation of old fields with different ages was sampled using a chronosequence of fields abandoned 1, 3, 6, 9, 13, 15 and 100 years ago. We prepared dendrogram dividing the data set into 9 clusters that were further analyzed: diagnostic species, ecological conditions and life forms were evaluated. The initial stage of succession was characterized by segetal weeds and indicated high levels of soil nutrients. The second stage was dominated by dense patches of perennial forbs (most of them ruderal species) preferring also high levels of soil nutrients. The third stage was dominated by caespitose hemicryptophyte grasses, many of them of sub-Mediterranean origin. The first two stages took 13 years and both could be considered as early successional stages developing on nutrient rich soils. These stages were switched to late successional stage characterized by seminatural grassland species. The quick succession can probably be attributed to the rich species pool of natural grassland flora, the small size and annual mowing of abandoned agricultural fields and the close proximity of seed sources.</p></abstract>

We report an exceptionally fast grassland recovery process from a karst plateau in SW Slovenia. Vegetation of old fields with different ages was sampled using a chronosequence of fields abandoned 1, 3, 6, 9, 13, 15 and 100 years ago. We prepared dendrogram dividing the data set into 9 clusters that were further analyzed: diagnostic species, ecological conditions and life forms were evaluated. The initial stage of succession was characterized by segetal weeds and indicated high levels of soil nutrients. The second stage was dominated by dense patches of perennial forbs (most of them ruderal species) preferring also high levels of soil nutrients. The third stage was dominated by caespitose hemicryptophyte grasses, many of them of sub-Mediterranean origin. The first two stages took 13 years and both could be considered as early successional stages developing on nutrient rich soils. These stages were switched to late successional stage characterized by seminatural grassland species. The quick succession can probably be attributed to the rich species pool of natural grassland flora, the small size and annual mowing of abandoned agricultural fields and the close proximity of seed sources.

An example of fast old field succession in a traditionally managed rural landscape on the Slovenian Karst

Hacquetia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

We report an exceptionally fast grassland recovery process from a karst plateau in SW Slovenia. Vegetation of old fields with different ages was sampled using...

An example of fast old field succession in a traditionally managed rural landscape on the Slovenian Karst

Publicado en línea: 01 mar 2021

Páginas: 177 - 188

Recibido: 14 mar 2020

Aceptado: 21 jul 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2020-0017

Palabras clave
ex-arable land, grassland restoration, land use legacy, mowing, secondary succession, spatial heterogeneity, species pool, target species

© 2021 Andraž Čarni et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

An example of fast old field succession in a traditionally managed rural landscape on the Slovenian Karst

Publicado en línea: 01 mar 2021

Páginas: 177 - 188

Recibido: 14 mar 2020

Aceptado: 21 jul 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2020-0017

Palabras claveex-arable land, grassland restoration, land use legacy, mowing, secondary succession, spatial heterogeneity, species pool, target species

© 2021 Andraž Čarni et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Palabras clave
ex-arable land, grassland restoration, land use legacy, mowing, secondary succession, spatial heterogeneity, species pool, target species