DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7509-963-1-0178

INFLUENCE OF UNDERGROUND WATER CHANGES ON STRUCTURE AND QUALITY OF VEGETATION

Ivan Iľko1, Viera Peterková1, Slavomír Vojtilla2, Marcel Raček3
1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Trnava University in Trnava, Priemyselná 4, 918 43, Trnava, Slovak Republic
2 Tatravagónka a.s., Štefánikova 887/53 Poprad, Slovak Republic
3 Institute of Landscape Architecture, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovak Republic

Among the main ecological factors of soft floodplain forests are regular flooding with surface water lasting several days. Changes in groundwater levels and the transport capabilities of watercourses can cause the decline of soft floodplain forest trees and the gradual transition to communities of hardwood floodplain forest. In the event of changes in water supply occurring over a short period of time, there is a significant increase in the risk of spreading non-native invasive plant species. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of the transport capacity of the Hron River watercourse on the habitats of Willow-Poplar lowland floodplain forests and Oak-Ash-Elm lowland floodplain forests in the study area. Field surveys and data collection were conducted in selected sections of the Hron River near the villages of Pohronský Ruskov and Čata in southern Slovakia. The results indicate that the tree layer consists of individuals of Salix alba L. and Populus sp. The understory is almost 80 % composed of the invasive species Negundo aceroides Moench., which aggressively displaces remnants of original habitats. Considering the age of the oldest individuals, we assume that the changes in habitats began 40-50 years ago. Young individuals of Salix sp. and Populus sp. are missing in the stand. Similarly, species typical of hardwood floodplain forest communities are absent. It follows that the floodplain forest at the study site is very species-poor, which may have an extremely negative impact on the ecosystem services provided by the forest.

Keywords: invasive plants, forest ecosystem services, river bed, biotope

pages: 178-182, Published: 2024, online: 2024



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