Dorota Rożek

The ecological diversity of vegetation along the anthropogenic gradient in Silesia-Cracow Upland

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Abstract

The research was conducted in the south-east part of Cracow-Czestochowa Upland, along the catena Niegowonice Rocks – Zamczysko Mountain which characterises by the great variety of relief and anthropogenic pressure. The catena passed through the areas built by calcareous, sandy and sandy-loamy deposits. That region characterises by the differential intensification of the anthropogenic pressure on the type of vegetation. Along the studied catena there were investigated some floristic composition analyses and the characteristic of habitats by means of the ecological indicator values, widely used in the research of plant ecology. Based on the ecological values, the following groups of plants were distinguished: saxifrages grasslands, xerothermic grasslands, beech forests, alder forests and artificial planted trees. The analyses have shown that the vegetation was completely various and changed by the human impact on the majority of the studied area. Moreover, the species of habitats typical for calcareous species were replaced by Pinus sylvestris, Quercus rubra and other, that have had a significant influence on the further functioning of these ecosystems. The human activity caused the impoverishment of flora and vegetation on the particular fragments of that region. The anthropogenic pressure led also to the modification of habitat demands of plants.

Keywords:vegetation diversity; catena analyses; anthropogenic impact; southern Poland.