A közlemény letölthető innen.
Despite huge habitat losses caused by agricultural
intensification, dry grasslands still represent one of the most diverse
ecosystems in Europe. Their highly fragmented remnants are often preserved in
man-made or human-influenced habitats (e.g., kurgans, roadside verges or
cemeteries). In recent decades the significance of cemeteries as suitable
habitats for preserving native and rare species has been repeatedly emphasized.
However, the effect of modern management practices on long-term persistence of
grassland species has remained largely unexplored. Sternbergia colchiciflora Waldst. & Kit. is one of the very few
threatened dry grassland specialists whose occurrence in the cemeteries of the
Pannonian Basin has been known for more than a century. This hysteranthous,
myrmecochorous geophyte is considered rare or sporadic within its whole
distribution range. In a systematic botanical survey we investigated 154
cemeteries in the Pannonian part of its distribution area. Despite modern
management of cemeteries, characterised by frequent and intensive motorised
lawn mowing, we found populations of S. colchiciflora at 27 Hungarian
localities and confirmed three formerly known occurrences in Serbia. To study
the effect of regular mowing on the long-term survival prospects of S.
colchiciflora populations, we quantified the species’ seed production (capsular
seed number) in 9 mown and 15 unmown sites (290 and 235 specimens,
respectively). The difference in seed number between the two groups was
statistically insignificant (13.6±5.6 and 14.7±5.0, respectively). This result
is probably due to the peculiar phenology and small stature of this species.
Firstly, its annual life cycle above ground (from September to May) is out of
the main mowing season. Secondly, its 3–7 cm tall flowers and fruits have a
high chance of surviving the damaging effect of motorised mowing. Thirdly, it
seems likely that the loss of leaf tips, i.e. a part of the assimilation
surface, of this short-leaved (5–13 cm) species by mowing doesn’t affect the
general condition of the damaged individuals. Our study emphasizes the role of
Central European cemeteries (even if mown intensively) in preservation of
characteristic dry grassland plant species.
Hivatkozás
Molnár V. A., Mészáros A., Csathó A. I., Balogh G., Takács
A., Löki V., Lovas-Kiss Á., Tökölyi J., Somlyay L. & Bauer N. (2018): Distribution
and seed production of the rare, dry grassland specialist Sternbergia colchiciflora (Amaryllidaceae) in Pannonian cemeteries.
– Tuexenia 38: 371–384.
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