Environmental impact of a large-scale chemical elimination of Reynoutria spp. on the alluvium of the Morávka river – examination of vegetation changes in floodplain forests

0495456 - ÚGN 2019 RIV SK eng J - Journal Article
Halas, Petr - Švec, P. - Lacina, Jan - Martinková, M.
Environmental impact of a large-scale chemical elimination of Reynoutria spp. on the alluvium of the Morávka river – examination of vegetation changes in floodplain forests.
Biologia. Roč. 73, č. 1 (2018), s. 9-20. ISSN 0006-3088. E-ISSN 1336-9563
Institutional support: RVO:68145535
Keywords : Reynoutria * Fallopia * alluvial forests * chemical kontrol * Japanese knotweed * Roundup Biaktiv * vegetation
OECD category: Plant sciences, botany
Impact factor: 0.728, year: 2018
https://link.springer.com/article/10.2478/s11756-018-0007-8

An invasion of non-native plant species represents the most serious environmental problem threatening the biodiversity and changing the nature of the landscape. A chemical elimination is one of the methods used to fight neophytes. It was carried out in the study area of the Moravka River flowing beneath the Beskydy Mountains between 2007 and 2010. The elimination of Reynoutria spp. was implemented as a part of the 'Preservation of alluvial forest habitats in the Moravka River basin' project. The population of the invasive neophyte Reynoutria spp. was eliminated by using a combination of mechanical and chemical treatment. Roundup Biaktiv herbicide was used for the chemical elimination. We investigated the consequences of the areal chemical elimination of Reynoutria spp. on the herbaceous undergrowth of the forest of the alluvium of the Moravka River. A multivariate analysis was employed to examine responses of the spring herbaceous plant species and native and non-native summer plant species composition to the chemical treatment. The hypothesis that consequences of the chemical elimination are not reflected in the spring plant species composition, whereas the applications of the herbicide and their frequency is one of crucial factors for the variability of the summer plant species composition was confirmed. The chemical elimination affected plant species composition of the non-native plant species more significantly than the plant species composition of the native plant species. A higher frequency of herbicide application caused increased diversity of both native and non-native plant species, although more noticeably in the case of the latter ones.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0288431