Vascular plants on beech dead wood in two Slovenian forest reserves
2002
Kutnar, L. (Slovenian Forestry Inst., Ljubljana (Slovenia)) | Odor, P. (Lorand Eoetvoes Univ., Budapest (Hungary). Plant Taxonomy and Ecology Dept.) | van Dort, K. (ALTERRA, Wageningen (The Netherlands))
The vascular plant flora on dead beech trees in two Slovenian virgin forest reserves, Rajhenavski Rog and Krokar, has been investigated. Plant species were determined on 110 dead trees in Rajhenavski Rog, and on 102 in Krokar. The selected trees represent different decay phases and size categories. Crowns, logs and snags were investigated separately. Species composition and frequency, distribution of life-forms were studied. A total of 110 vascular plant species were found on dead wood and in its contact zone, 71 species in Rajhenavski Rog and 85 in Krokar. Cardamine trifolia L. and Oxalis acetosella L. are the most common species, occurring on 85 % of all dead trees. On more than half of the selected trees we found Galium odoratum (L.) Scop. (76 %), Fagus sylvatica L. (67 %), Omphalodes verna Moench (63 %) and Cardamine enneaphyllos (L.) Crantz (55 %) too. Most of species favoured the bottom of snags and well-decayed logs. More than 50% of dead wood inhabiting vascular plants are hemicryptophytes, geophytes are frequent too. In these two near-natural forests in southern Slovenia dead wood is one of the crucial elements of biodiversity. It plays an important role in forest regeneration and enhances the richness of vascular plants.
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