Prehistoric origin of extremely species-rich semi-dry grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts

0369204 - BÚ 2012 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Hájková, Petra - Roleček, Jan - Hájek, Michal - Horsák, M. - Fajmon, K. - Polák, M. - Jamrichová, E.
Prehistoric origin of extremely species-rich semi-dry grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts.
Preslia. Roč. 83, č. 2 (2011), s. 185-210. ISSN 0032-7786. E-ISSN 0032-7786
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516
Keywords : palaeoecology * relict species * semi-dry grasslands
Subject RIV: EF - Botanics
Impact factor: 2.521, year: 2011

Bílé Karpaty Mts harbour some of the most species-rich managed grasslands in Europe, which contain a number of rare and disjunctly distributed species. Besides specific local environmental factors, the long Holocene history may explain the uniqueness of these grasslands. However, historical interpretations of the palaeoecological evidence from the region are far from unequivocal. While palaeomalacological data indicate persistence of open habitats throughout the entire Holocene, fragmentary pollen data support the hypothesis of a medieval origin of the grasslands. This paper reviews the available phytogeographical, archaeological and palaeoecological knowledge that provides indirect evidence for a prehistoric origin of the grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts. High concentration of rare heliophilous species with a disjunct distribution in the south-western part of the Bílé Karpaty Mts suggest their long-term persistence.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0203327