Summary
Two sites at Örup, SE skåne, Sweden, have been investigated, viz. a grazed, unimproved, tussocky pasture on a calcareous moraine clay; and an originally similar, adjacent area that was abandoned about 1960. On the grazed site the vegetation is extremely rich in species. This vegetation type was formerly widespread, but nowadays it is rare and therefore it is important to try to conserve examples of it. In total, 80 0.1 m2 quadrates distributed at random within 4 homogeneous plots were investigated. The species composition and the cover, the height of the vegetation, the position on a tussock or in a depression and the amount of litter were recorded. The cover data were ordinated (PCA). The differentiation between tussocks and depressions and the effects of ceasing grazing were clearly separated. The connections between the vegetation and the position of the quadrat, grazing intensity etc. were investigated. The vegetation of the ungrazed parts had become dominated by Filipendula ulmaria and Carex disticha; on an average there were 5.5 species/0.1 m2. The grazed quadrats contained three times as many species and showed much higher spatial variation, important species being Carex panicea, C. flacca, Molinia caerulea, Festuca ovina, Potentilla erecta, Centaurea jacea and Serratula tinctoria.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnell, S. 1956. Illustrated moss flora of Fennoscandia. I. Hepaticae, Lund, 308 pp.
Zur methodologischen Grundlage der modernen Pflanzensoziologie. Uppsala, Wien, 267 pp.
Jensén, S. 1978. Influences of transformation of cover values on classification and ordination of vegetation. Vegetatio 37: 19–31.
Klika, J. 1934. Die Pflanzengesellschaften auf Travertinen bei Stankovany in der Slowakei. Bull. int. Acad. tehéque Sci. 35: 40–44. Prag.
Lid, J. 1974. Norsk og svensk flora. Oslo, 808 pp.
Malmer, N. 1962. Studies on mire vegetation in the Archaean area of Southwestern Götaland (South Sweden). I. Vegetation and habitat conditions on the Åkhult mire. Op. Bot. Soc. Bot. Lund. 7: 1, 1322 pp.
Nyholm, E. 1954–69. Illustrated moss flora of Fennoscandia. II. Musci. 1–6. Lund, 799 pp.
Persson, S. 1978. Datorprogram för bearbetning av ordinationsdata. 2. Ordinationsprogram — dokumentation och handhavande. Meddn Avd. Ekol. Bot., Lunds Univ. 34. 64 pp. Lund.
Pigott, C.D. 1956. The vegetation of Upper Teesdale in the North Pennines. J. Ecol. 44: 545–586.
Regnéll, G. 1976. Den sydsvenska kalkfuktängen i litteraturen. Meddn Avd. Ekol. Bot., Lunds Univ. 4: 3. 40 pp. Lund.
Regnéll, G. 1979. Vegetationsförändringar vid upphörande bete i en skånsk kalkfuktäng. Utvärdering oeh tolkningsmöjligheter med datateknik. Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 73: 139–159. Stockholm.
Roskam, E.E. 1971. Ordina: Multidimensional ordination of observation vectors. Program-Bulletin no 16. Psychological Laboratory, Catholic University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. 8 pp.
Stuart ChapinIII, F., K.vanCleve & M.C.Chapin. 1979. Soil temperature and nutrient cycling in the tussock growth form of Eriophorum vaginatum. J. Ecol. 67: 169–189.
Tyler, C. 1980. Soil acidity and distribution of species on tussocks and interspaces in Schoenus vegetation of South and Southeast Sweden. Vegetatio (In press).
Westhoff, V. & A.J. den Held. 1969. Plantengemeenschappen in Nederland. Zutphen. 324 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Nomenclature of vascular plants follows Lid (1974), for names of bryophytes see Nyholm (1954–69) and Arnell (1956).
This paper is mainly based on a more detailed paper in Swedish (Regnéll 1979).
I thank Dr. E. van der Maarel, Prof. Nils Malmer, Fil. lic. Anders Larsson, Fil. Dr. Eva Waldemarsson-Jensén and Fil. kand. Stefan Persson for valuable discussions and encouragement.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Regnéll, G. A numerical study of successions in an abandoned, damp calcareous meadow in S Sweden. Vegetatio 43, 123–130 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121024
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121024