Testing floristic and environmental differentiation of rich fens on the Bohemian Massif

0440977 - BÚ 2015 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Peterka, T. - Plesková, Z. - Jiroušek, M. - Hájek, Michal
Testing floristic and environmental differentiation of rich fens on the Bohemian Massif.
Preslia. Roč. 86, č. 4 (2014), s. 337-366. ISSN 0032-7786. E-ISSN 0032-7786
R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP505/10/0638
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : Bohemian-Moravian Highlands * mire * gradients
Subject RIV: EF - Botanics
Impact factor: 4.104, year: 2014

The south-eastern part of the Bohemian Massif is an important hotspot of fen biodiversity. Especially rich fens with calcium-tolerant peat mosses (the Sphagno warnstorfii-Tomentypnion alliance) currently harbour highly endangered organisms. In this study we gathered phytosociological and environmental data from 57 fens. Particular types of vegetation were nearly completely differentiated in the PCA of environmental data and all their pairs differed significantly with respect to pH, which together with calcium was correlated with the major vegetation gradient. The secondary gradient coincided with the concentration of nitrate and potassium, but was not apparent in the bryophyte subset. When only data for vascular plants were analyzed, the major gradient reflected increasing number of species from poor to extremely-rich fens, including ubiquitous grassland species, and only partially coincided with pH and calcium. In addition, particular vegetation types did not differ in the N:P ratio of bryophyte biomass. Species composition of extremely rich fens thus seemed to be determined predominantly by a high pH/calcium level and waterlogging, low iron concentration and absence of sphagna that would hamper regeneration of some competitively weak vascular plants. We demonstrated that the delimitation of the major vegetation types (alliances) along the poor-rich gradient makes great floristic and ecological sense also in the Hercynian Mountains and that pH and calcium rather than nutrient availability differentiate causally major vegetation types by determining structure of the moss layer.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0244081