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Mire vegetation of the Muránska Planina Mts — formalised classification, ecology, main environmental gradient and influence of geographical position

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Abstract

Mire vegetation of the Muránska planina Mts and adjacent parts of neighbouring orographical units was studied in 1998–2005 using the standard Zürich-Montpellier (Braun-Blanquet) approach. We applied the defined phytosociological species groups and national formal definitions of mire associations in data processing. Within the classes Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae and Oxycocco-Sphagnetea, seven associations (Caricetum davallianae, Carici flavae-Cratoneuretum filicini, Valeriano simplicifoliae-Caricetum flavae, Caricetum goodenowii, Carici echinatae-Sphagnetum, Carici rostratae-Sphagnetum and Pino mugo-Sphagnetum) were classified using formal classification criteria. Two other communities (Sphagno warnstorfii-Caricetum davallianae and Eriophoro vaginati-Sphagnetum recurvi) were not classified due to the lack of sufficient number of diagnostic species from species groups. The first DCA axis followed the mineral richness gradient. Vegetation plots were arranged from rich fens over moderately rich fens towards poor Sphagnum fens and raised bog. This fact was confirmed by a strong and significant correlation of the DCA site scores on the first axis with the measured pH and water conductivity as a surrogate of mineral richness. The second DCA axis correlated with mean Ellenberg’s indicator values for both temperature and soil nutrients. This pattern corresponds to that found in other regions of diversified Central-European landscape. We can therefore conclude that marginal geographical position and climatic specifity of the region under study did not alter gradient structure of the mire vegetation. When diversity of mire vegetation was compared to other regions in Slovakia by applying the same formal definitions to different regions, the study region was found to be conspicuously less diverse than the distribution centres of mire habitats in Slovakia (Orava and Vysoké Tatry regions), but more diverse than most of other marginal regions of mire distribution. Relatively high beta diversity of mires was probably caused by variable bedrock and local climate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 14, SK-84523, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Richard Hrivnák

  2. Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137, Brno, Czech Republic

    Michal Hájek & Petra Hájková

  3. Department of Ecology, Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Poříčí 3b, CZ-60300, Brno, Czech Republic

    Michal Hájek & Petra Hájková

  4. State Nature Conservancy, National Park Muránska planina Mts, J. Král’a 12, SK-05001, Revúca, Slovakia

    Drahoš Blanár

  5. Botanical Garden, Comenius University, SK-03815, Blatnica č. 315, Slovakia

    Judita Kochjarová

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  1. Richard Hrivnák
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  2. Michal Hájek
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Hrivnák, R., Hájek, M., Blanár, D. et al. Mire vegetation of the Muránska Planina Mts — formalised classification, ecology, main environmental gradient and influence of geographical position. Biologia 63, 368–377 (2008). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-008-0059-2

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