THE INFLUENCE OF PAST LAND-USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON GRASSLAND SPECIES DIVERSITY

Abstract

Mountain grasslands are among the most species-rich plant communities in Europe. This is due to the large variability of abiotic conditions and ways of management. However, a significant change in the rural economy has taken place in recent decades. Some grasslands have become forested, while others have been overgrown as a result of succession. Fodder for domestic animals is produced on grasslands created on former arable land. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of topographic factors (altitude, slope, exposure) and land use (grassland, arable land) in the mid-nineteenth century and the 1930s on the present biodiversity of mountain grasslands. The study was carried out in the basin of the omniczanka and Wierchomlanka Rivers in the Beskid Sdecki (Polish Carpathians). A total of 73 phytosociological relevs in an altitude gradient ranging from 660 to 1,060 m a.s.l were made. Past land use was determined on the basis of archival cadastral and topographic maps. The altitude above sea level was the main factor influencing the botanical composition of vegetation. No difference was observed in species composition depending on past land use. The results show the crucial role of altitude in determining the species composition of mountain meadows.