Original paper
Vegetation classification and ecology of Pannonian salt lake beds
Dítě, Daniel; Eliáš Jr., Pavol; Dítě, Zuzana; Píš, Vladimír; Šuvada, Róbert
Phytocoenologia Band 47 Heft 4 (2017), p. 329 - 344
104 references
published: Dec 1, 2017
manuscript accepted: Oct 2, 2017
manuscript revision received: May 14, 2017
manuscript revision requested: Jul 19, 2016
manuscript received: May 12, 2016
ArtNo. ESP024004704001, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Abstract Questions: How do published syntaxonomical data of exposed salt lake plant communities from particular countries correspond with our field data sampled throughout the Pannonian Basin? How do the soils and the duration of flooding affect the pattern of individual vegetation types? Is there geographical variation in the vegetation of soda pans within the studied area? Location: Pannonian Basin (lowland parts of Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia). Methods: We sampled the vegetation on exposed shores and the bottom of 24 soda pans using the nine-grade Braun-Blanquet scale. Three hundred and four phytosociological relevés were classified into clusters representing different associations using TWINSPAN. The relations between the vegetation types were displayed as spiderplots with Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). Chemical soil properties of 64 samples taken from various vegetation types were analysed. DCA with data attribute plots and the LOESS visualisation method were used to display quantitative data. Results: We identified eight clusters representing different associations occurring on the dried bottoms of soda pans: five associations in the class Crypsietea aculeatae, two associations in the class Thero-Salicornietea strictae and a single association in the class Festuco-Puccinellietea. The latter was found only in the littoral zone. Classes were distinct in measured soil properties. Thero-Salicornietea strictae occupied soils with higher values of EC, SAR and ESP. Communities of the class Crypsietea aculeatae occupied soils with higher amounts of Ca, Mg and TOC. Conclusions: We have not confirmed the associations Cyperetum pannonici, Atriplicetum prostratae, Heleochloëtum alopecuroidis and Chenopodietum urbici although all of these syntaxa belonging to the class Crypsietea aculeatae have been traditionally reported from exposed soda pans. The associations Camphorosmetum annuae, Lepidio crassifolii-Camphorosmetum annuae, Lepidietum crassifolii and Spergulario marginatae-Suaedetum prostratae, reported in several literature sources of the class Thero-Salicornietea strictae, were not confirmed in the examined area. They develop in other saline habitats, outside the soda pan bottoms, in the vegetation of the class Festuco-Puccinellietea. Nomenclature: Euro+Med (2015). Abbreviations: Ca = calcium; Mg = magnesium; Na = sodium; ESP = exchangeable sodium percentage; DCA = Detrended correspondence analysis; LOESS = locally weighted scatterplot smoothing; SAR = sodium adsorption ratio; TOC = total organic carbon. Submitted: 12 May 2016; first decision: 19 July 2016; accepted: 2 October 2017
Keywords
Crypsietea aculeatae • extreme ecological conditions • Festuco-Puccinellietea • Pannonian vegetation region • soda pan • saline vegetations • oil properties • Thero-Salicornietea strictae