Gradients of continentality and moisture in South Patagonian ombrotrophic peatland vegetation

This study presents the analysis of 381 phytosociological relevés describing predominantly ombrotrophic South Patagonian lowland peatland vegetation along a gradient of increasing continentality. Numerical methods such as cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) were carried out to explore the data set. Cluster analysis resulted in nine vegetation types that were also distinctly separated in DCA ordination. The major floristic coenocline along the first DCA axis reflected a gradient of continentality ranging from pacific blanket bogs dominated by cushion plants toSphagnum-dominated continental raised bogs. Increasing continentality along the first axis was parallel with decreasing peat decomposition and increasing peat depth and acidity. In contrast, floristic variation along the second DCA axis represented a water level gradient. The typical sequence of vegetation types along the hollow-hummock moisture gradient that is well established for north hemispherical peatlands could also be observed inSphagnum-dominated South Patagonian raised bogs with a surprising similarity in floristic and structural features. Concerning the gradient of continentality significant differences in comparison with the northern hemisphere could be established. Most obvious was the dominance of cushion building plants (e.g.Astelia pumila, Donatia fascicularis) in South Patagonian oceanic peatlands, whereas this life form is totally absent from the northern hemisphere. Similar to the continentalSphagnum bogs the cushion plant vegetation of hyperoceanic peatlands exhibited a clear separation along the moisture gradient.     

Neophyte Invasion in Moldavia (Eastern Romania) in Different Habitat Types

The actual state of neophyte invasion in Moldavia (Eastern Romania) is described in this paper on the basis of 11,055 phytosociological relevés. We analyzed the i) proportion of relevés with neophytes, ii) mean proportion of neophytes per relevés, and iii) mean coverage of neophytes per relevé for 36 EUNIS habitat types to identify general plant invasion patterns. The level of invasion differed considerably between habitats. The invasion of neophytes especially affected habitats strongly determined or influenced by man, such as anthropogenic woodlands, ruderal habitats, arable lands or trampled areas. Most natural habitats are either slightly invaded or entirely free of neophytes. Only riverine willow stands and wet tall-herb stands are relatively highly invaded. However, the absence of neophytes in some natural habitats less represented in the phytosociological dataset could be of artifactual nature. No significant relationship between the number of neophytes and non-neophytes was found in the analysis across different habitats. When the analyses were made within-habitats, both negative and positive relationships were found, which confirm that the relationship between alien and native species richness depends on the habitats. A total number of 105 neophyte species were recorded in the phytosociological relevés used in this study. Among these, 13 species that are currently considered invasive in Moldavia occur in at least 10 types of habitats.     

From ex situ cultivation to stands in natural habitats: Critical periods for plants during the reintroduction of Salix lapponum L. in Eastern Poland

Downy willow (Salix lapponum L.) is a shrub that grows widely in the subarctic and boreal peat bogs of western Siberia and north-eastern Europe. In Poland, this glacial relic, occurring at the limits of its natural range, has the status of a critically endangered species. Due to the progressive decline in the downy willow population in Poland, a programme for active protection of this species was created, with the primary objective of reintroducing it and replenishing its existing populations. At each stage of reintroduction (from the laboratory to the acclimatization station to the natural habitats), the biometric and physiological parameters of plants were monitored to identify critical periods during the process. Parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence, the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments, and foliar accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were used as an integral criterion for determining the functional and physiological status of S. lapponum during its reintroduction. Analysis of these criteria during successive stages of plant growth and morphogenesis revealed that at several points along the way from the laboratory to the peat bogs, the specimens created during microreproduction are exposed to the risk of impairment of their physiological condition. This is mainly associated with changes in location and growth conditions, which for plants, as sedentary organisms, may be a significant stress factor inducing photosynthesis disorders and thus oxidative stress.     

Changes in the Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus diet in Eastern Poland across decades promote insects and reptilians,but not birds and rodents

We investigated temporal changes in diet composition of the Montagu''s Harrier Circus pygargus breeding in natural habitat (calcareous peat bog) in SE Poland. We characterized diet composition in a three‐year period (2007–2009), based on pellet analyses. We investigated whether diet composition was affected by years or stage of breeding. We compared diet of the studied population between 2000s and 1990s and with other populations. We found that the food of the studied population was dominated by insects and mammals (by number) and mammals and birds (by biomass). Biomass and abundance of main prey items differed between studied years because of different air temperatures. We found some interannual differences in contribution of some prey items including higher number of thermophilic prey (insects and amphibians) in warmer years. Comparison of pellet composition in the 1990s and 2000s revealed significant increase in the abundance of thermophilic prey (insects and reptiles) and decrease of mammals including Microtus voles and birds. Those changes may be linked to habitat changes in areas neighboring peat bogs and climate change‐induced changes in prey communities. The studied population was able to respond to changes in foraging habitats and prey composition by opportunistic foraging on easily available prey. The diet of the studied population is the most similar to the geographically closest populations foraging in similar habitats and characterized by high contribution of insects.     

Habitat conditions,stage structure and vegetation associations of geographically isolated subalpine populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix lapponum</Emphasis> L. (Salicaceae) in the Krkonoše Mts (Czech Republic)

Shrub communities are important components of the subalpine vegetation. We focused on habitat conditions and stage structure (flowering and non-reproducing individuals) of stands of the endangered Salix lapponum in the Krkono?e Mts, Czech Republic. Habitat conditions were determined using soil sample analyses and Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) derived from fine-scale (1?×?1 m) vegetation plots. The fine-scale plots were compared with coarse-scale relevés with the occurrence of S. lapponum acquired from the Czech National Phytosociological Database. We found that S. lapponum grows on nutrient-poor, acidic soils with high relative water contents, high amounts of total nitrogen, low amounts of phosphorus, moderate amounts of magnesium and low to moderate amounts of calcium. The overall proportion of non-reproducing individuals was 35.2%, but strong variations were observed among populations (0–100%). Co-occurring species and EIVs data indicated that flowering individuals are relatively more common in humid, nutrient-rich and warmer microhabitats than non-reproducing ones. Well-developed (“typical”) stands of S. lapponum with a dominance of flowering individuals occur along alpine springs, streams and in glacial cirques (= association Salicetum lapponum Zlatník 1928), but S. lapponum also grows along transitional mires and peat bogs and in subalpine grasslands. Coarse-scale relevés were similar to “typical” stands of S. lapponum at the fine scale but were differentiated from them by high frequencies of several, mainly broad-leaved forbs and herbs typical of moist to wet and fertile soils. Threats to S. lapponum and the future prospects of its stands in the Krkono?e Mts are briefly discussed.     

The Heleochloëtum alopecuroidis association in the Pannonian Basin — fiction or reality?

The understanding of some plant communities can often be ambiguous if studies from multiple countries are considered, because goals and methods in each country may differ. The presented work is based on a detailed review of historic and recent literature about the association Heleochloëtum alopecuroidis in the Pannonian Basin and tangentially the adjacent regions within Central and SE Europe compared to authors’ field data. The named community was generally reported in moderately saline and marshy habitats in lowland areas, nevertheless it is not documented by phytosociological relevés to be part of the halophytic alliance of Cypero-Spergularion salinae. We performed a critical assessment of stands with the species Heleochloa alopecuroides in halophytic vegetation where we added our own data from field research between 2003 and 2013 (1044 phytosociological relevés) and 354 unpublished and published relevés taken from the three National Phytosociological Databases (Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia).We conclude that association Heleochloëtum alopecuroidis cannot be properly described as being part of the Pannonian halophytic vegetation group. It should be therefore deleted from the vegetation surveys.     

Current knowledge and phytosociological data on the high-altitude vegetation in the Western Carpathians — a review

Presented survey summarizes the results of the studies published predominantly after 2000, dealing with the plant communities around and above the timberline in (montane) subalpine to alpine (subnival) belt of the Western Carpathians. All of these communities underwent a critical syntaxonomical and nomenclatorical revision, hence the demonstrated overview of high-mountain vegetation of Western Carpathians (mostly from Slovakia, less from Poland border areas) represent the current state of knowledge. The high-altitude vegetation database, which is the part of Slovak National Vegetation Database, SNVD (), incorporated 8,160 published relevés on 15 May 2007 (of the total of 30,469 published relevés in the SNVD). Concerning the unpublished relevés, the individual authors have provided more than 18,400 of them to be stored in SNVD; 2,301 of all unpublished relevés could be assigned to high-altitude vegetation. Mountain and alpine vegetation is in SNVD presented by 15 classes; the most frequent class is Mulgedio-Aconitetea. With its quantity and also the quality of relevés, the high-altitude database, as well as the whole SNVD, represents the unique database within Slovakia, which provides information not only about the locality, floristic composition and variability of individual vegetation types, but also about several environmental variables such as inclination, aspect, geology or soil type, characteristic for individual relevés. Together with other Central European databases, SNVD takes up the leading position in Europe.     

Management of the margins in cutover bogs: ecological conditions and effects of afforestation

Several studies contributed to the development of restoration techniques for open Sphagnum-dominated habitats on peat-extracted bogs. Yet, in exception to some afforestation efforts, connectivity between restored sites and surrounding landscapes has received little attention. The general goal of this study is to ameliorate management of very shallow peat fields (<30 cm) located within the margins of peat-extracted bogs. Firstly, to assist decision making in peatland management, baseline ecological conditions, peat physicochemistry and spontaneous vegetation recolonization were assessed for 18 of these fields. This first study revealed that (1) concentrations of several macro-nutrients are almost one order of magnitude lower for unrestored fields than previously characterized natural lagg habitats of the same region, and (2) there is little spontaneous colonization. In a second study, peat chemistry and soil/air microclimate were evaluated in plantations established on shallow residual peat (a 21-year-old Larix laricina plantation and an 18-year-old Picea mariana plantation) and compared to adjacent unrestored shallow bare-peat fields. This second study showed that afforested peat fields are characterized by (1) a soil enriched in nutrients, notably in N, P, and K, and (2) a more humid and cooler microclimate at the soil/air interface, with less daily humidity and temperature fluctuations. These results indicate that afforestation is an appropriate approach to start an ecological recovery. Yet, the absence of natural recolonization by herbs and mosses in the understory of afforested peat fields suggests that reintroduction of appropriate understory species should also be considered if the goal is to restore a fully functional ecosystem.     

Spatial distribution of insect indicator taxa as a basis for peat bog conservation planning

Peat bogs are highly endangered ecosystems worldwide. In the Western Balkans, they represent fragmented habitat patches, where insect diversity and implications for the habitat loss are poorly known. Carabid beetles and ants, widely used environmental indicators, were sampled by pitfall trapping in the largest and oldest Croatian peat bog and at its edges. We found that tyrphobiontic—bog specialist—species were absent in both taxonomic groups, which is likely due to biogeographical limitation for dispersal of these species into this region. With this study, tyrphophilous—typical of bogs—species have been recognised as environmental indicators in the Western Balkans peat bogs. Assemblages of both taxa were strongly affected by specific conditions in the peat bog – high soil moisture and Sphagnum moss dominance, showing that edges are more favourable habitats for both taxa. Overall, carabid beetle activity density was significantly higher at the edge than at the peat bog, while species richness increased for both taxa at the edge, but not significantly. Spatial distribution of tyrphophilous species differed between studied taxa, with ants being more abundant in the peat bog, and carabid beetles at the edge. Additionally, some stenotopic and globally endangered species preferred edges. Occurrence of tyrphophilous and globally endangered species highlights the great conservation value of peat bog habitats in the Western Balkans. However, successional changes in vegetation are changing hydrological conditions of the peat bog. Here we suggest active conservation measures to preserve these unique soil invertebrate zoocoenoses.     

Natural peat bog remnants promote distinct spider assemblages and habitat specific traits

Peat bogs are very sensitive and highly endangered ecosystems. They were once typical landscape elements in northern Germany, but today only a few remnants exist. On-going habitat degradation has alarming adverse effects on biodiversity, and, from a conservation viewpoint, it is imperative to evaluate the current ecological quality of the remaining peat bog remnants to assess the intensity of degradation and to suggest reasonable management strategies. In 2007, spiders were sampled in 23 study sites representing typical peat bog habitat types in the northern parts of Westphalia (NW Germany). In all, 214 species from 18,413 adult individuals have been collected. Multivariate analyses showed that different peat bog successional stages harbour distinct spider assemblages with succession being the main driver for species separation. Pardosa sphagnicola, Pirata piscatorius and P. uliginosus can be considered as flagship species for near-natural or natural peat bogs. Trait analyses showed that habitat specialisation for high moisture is negatively affected by succession. Peat bogs are now only small remnants, but, nevertheless, they have a high conservation value as they still harbour a distinct species assemblage and specialised species.     

Malcolmia littorea: The isolated Italian population in the European context

We compared the coenological information of the only Italian population of Malcolmia littorea (L.) R. Br. with published phytosociological relevés, including ones of this species, throughout its European range. With the aim of highlighting the main climatic features influencing the distribution patterns of M. littorea, we integrated coenological data with some climatic variables and considered major drivers for plant distribution at the European scale. Finally, we analysed the population extent of M. littorea in Italy, in order to assess its conservation status at regional level. The DCA analysis, performed on a matrix 139 relevés × 183 species, separated the relevés according to their floristic composition, showing a geographic gradient from Portugal to Mediterranean coasts, until Italy; with Mediterranean relevés clearly separated from Atlantic ones as well. Along the beach-inland gradient, the analysis highlights that the species is typical of fixed dunes habitats (more inland, mainly stabilised dunes), although in the Atlantic it can also be found in mobile dunes. The analysis of climatic variables in relation to M. littorea distribution, suggested that the species is sensitive to low winter temperature and to summer drought. The only Italian population of M. littorea is subjected to many threats, due to its small dimensions (<1 ha), isolation from the rest of its distribution area, that ranges from Portugal to France (until the Camargue region) and intensive human disturbances. Using both field and remote sensing information, we showed a considerable decrease of the occupied surface in Italy, leading us to suggest that the IUCN threat category of M. littorea in Italy should be reassessed from endangered to critically endangered.     

Cytotype distribution inEmpetrum (Ericaceae) at various spatial scales in the Czech Republic

Ploidy levels inEmpetrum (crowberry) from the Czech Republic and from one adjacent locality in Poland were estimated by flow cytometry to examine cytotype distribution patterns at large (within the country), medium (within mountain ranges) and small (within particular localities) spatial scales. Diploid, triploid, and tetraploid individuals were found. Triploids are reported from Central Europe for the first time; they occurred in the Krkono?e Mts. Exclusively diploid plants were observed in three mountain ranges (the Kru?né hory Mts., Labské pískovce Mts., Adr?pa?sko-Teplické skály Mts.), exclusively tetraploids were observed in the Jeseníky Mts., and both cytotypes were observed in the ?umava Mts., Jizerské hory Mts. and Krkono?e Mts. Except for the latter mountain range, diploids and tetraploids were always found in different habitats. Spatial isolation is supposed to be the main barrier preventing cytotype mating. A mosaic-like sympatric occurrence of different cytotypes was demonstrated in the Krkono?e Mts., where peat bogs and rocky places were not spatially separated. Eight of 11 localities studied there were inhabited by diploids and tetraploids (five localities), diploids and triploids (one locality) or all three ploidy levels (two localities). Diploid and triploid plants occasionally intermingled at 0.3 × 0.3 m. Flower sex in crowberries was strongly associated with ploidy level: diploids usually had unisexual flowers, the tetraploids bore exclusively bisexual flowers. However, a few diploid plants with hermaphrodite flowers occurred in one population in the Krkono?e Mts.     

Abundant Trimethylornithine Lipids and Specific Gene Sequences Are Indicative of Planctomycete Importance at the Oxic/Anoxic Interface in Sphagnum-Dominated Northern Wetlands

Northern wetlands make up a substantial terrestrial carbon sink and are often dominated by decay-resistant Sphagnum mosses. Recent studies have shown that planctomycetes appear to be involved in degradation of Sphagnum-derived debris. Novel trimethylornithine (TMO) lipids have recently been characterized as abundant lipids in various Sphagnum wetland planctomycete isolates, but their occurrence in the environment has not yet been confirmed. We applied a combined intact polar lipid (IPL) and molecular analysis of peat cores collected from two northern wetlands (Saxnäs Mosse [Sweden] and Obukhovskoye [Russia]) in order to investigate the preferred niche and abundance of TMO-producing planctomycetes. TMOs were present throughout the profiles of Sphagnum bogs, but their concentration peaked at the oxic/anoxic interface, which coincided with a maximum abundance of planctomycete-specific 16S rRNA gene sequences. The sequences detected at the oxic/anoxic interface were affiliated with the Isosphaera group, while sequences present in the anoxic peat layers were related to an uncultured planctomycete group. Pyrosequencing-based analysis identified Planctomycetes as the major bacterial group at the oxic/anoxic interface at the Obukhovskoye peat (54% of total 16S rRNA gene sequence reads), followed by Acidobacteria (19% reads), while in the Saxnäs Mosse peat, Acidobacteria were dominant (46%), and Planctomycetes contributed to 6% of the total reads. The detection of abundant TMO lipids in planctomycetes isolated from peat bogs and the lack of TMO production by cultures of acidobacteria suggest that planctomycetes are the producers of TMOs in peat bogs. The higher accumulation of TMOs at the oxic/anoxic interface and the change in the planctomycete community with depth suggest that these IPLs could be synthesized as a response to changing redox conditions at the oxic/anoxic interface.     

Development of ombrotrophic raised bogs in North-east Germany 17?years after the adoption of a protective program

The present study reports on the development of ombrotrophic raised bogs in NE Germany after the adoption of a protective program with a focus on the hydrological and floristic changes in two simultaneously restored cut-over bogs as a reference for all other bogs. At the moment, four fifths of the bogs area is dominated by woody vegetation forms and <5?% is characterized by typical raised bog vegetation. The trend of increasing areas with woody vegetation forms and decreasing areas with vegetation typical for ombrotrophic raised bogs could not be prevented despite increasing the portion of revitalized areas. The reason for the negative developments is founded in the different types of raised bogs in NE Germany, which differ in regard to the historical lagg area and the original grown up raised peat body. This as well as the kind and intensity of anthropogenic use have significant implications for the possibilities of revitalization and protection. Except for those bogs where no peat remnants remain, the revitalization of cut-over raised bogs in NE Germany can succeed if an almost closed hydrological protection zone (HPZ which is equal to the historical lagg area) is established so that the gradient of entire lateral water flow between the higher lying peat remnant and the lower lying surrounding area is reduced. The attainment of a lateral water flow gradient comparable to the original state and of a water-saturated peat body succeeds in turn in the precondition for growing Sphagnum species, which readjust the system??s self regulation. The comparison of two bogs with similar preconditions concerning location, climate, and anthropogenic transformation has shown that an incompletely closed HPZ is one important reason for the decreasing portion of intact raised bogs with their typical vegetation. The influence of climate change on current hydrological and floristic changes in NE German ombrotrophic raised bogs has less influence on the success of revitalization than the historic grown type of bog and the intensity of anthropogenic use.     

Regional assessment of plant invasions across different habitat types

Questions: 1. Which habitats have the highest degree of invasion? 2. Do native species-rich communities have also a high degree of invasion? 3. Do the patterns of association between native and alien species richness vary between habitats. Location: Catalonia region (NE Spain). Methods: We conducted a large regional analysis of 15655 phytosociological relevés to detect differences in the degree of invasion between European Nature Information System (EUNIS) habitats representative of temperate and Mediterranean European areas. Results: Alien species were present in less than 17 % of the relevés and represented less than 2% of the total number of species per habitat. The EUNIS habitats with the highest alien species richness were arable land and gardens followed by anthropogenic forb-rich habitats, riverine and lakeshore scrubs, southern riparian galleries and thickets and trampled areas. In contrast, the following habitats had never any alien species: surface running waters, raised and blanket bogs, valley mires, poor fens and transition mires, base-rich fens, alpine and sub-alpine grasslands, sub-alpine moist or wet tall-herb and fern habitats, alpine and sub-alpine scrub habitats and spiny Mediterranean heaths. There was a unimodal relationship between the mean native and mean alien species richness per EUNIS habitat with a high number of aliens in habitats with intermediate number of native species and a low number of aliens at both extremes of the native species gradient. Within EUNIS habitats, the relationship was positive, negative or non-significant depending on the habitat type without any clear pattern related to the number of native species. Alien species richness was not related to plot size, neither between habitats nor within habitats. Conclusions: The analysis emphasised that the habitats with a higher degree of invasion were the most disturbed ones and that in general habitats rich in native species did not harbour less invaders than habitats poor in native species.     

Ecobiology and distribution ofSagittaria sagittifolia L. in Czechoslovakia

The paper summarizes hitherto known data concerning the biology and ecology ofSagittaria sagittifolia. The distribution of this species in Czechoslovakia was assessed on the basis of literature data, herbarium specimens and the authors’ own data. The occurrence of this species in plant communities is shown in tables from selected phytocoenological relevés. The chemical properties of the substratum in habitats ofSagittaria sagittifolia over all its distribution area in Czechoslovakia were studied and comparisons calculated by means of cluster analysis. Life cycle, seed production, germination and biomass production of this species were studied and compared with conditions in its habitats.     

Life-history traits and habitat preferences of colonizing plant species in long-term spontaneous succession in abandoned gravel–sand pits

The following question was asked: Species of what traits and ecological demands are the best and the least successful colonizers in the course of succession in disused gravel–sand pits?Abandoned gravel–sand pits (36) were studied in the Czech Republic. Together 224 phytosociological relevés were recorded in 5 m×5 m plots in all available seral stages ranging in age from 1 to 75 years. Complete lists of species occurring in (semi-)natural habitats were surveyed up to a distance of 100 m from each relevé. The colonization success of each species was expressed by an index between 0 and 1 which was obtained as the ratio of the number of relevés with species present in a pit/the number of relevés with the species occurrence in their surroundings. Species characteristics were taken from available databases. Data were elaborated by ordination analysis and regression tree analysis. Generally, the best colonizers of gravel–sand pits were hydrophytes with the ability to vegetatively reproduce. In particular, at the beginning of succession, anemochorous species played the most important role. Stress tolerant species, possessing light diaspores, were typical of nitrogen poor and acidic habitats. Later, sciophilous and nitrophilous species of mesic habitats increased in importance. They have heavier diaspores, and are mostly phanerophytes or geophytes, often with the ability to vegetatively reproduce as well as exhibiting higher demand for pH. Plant functional traits were recognized as powerful tools to predict the colonization success of plants available in the local species pool. They may help predict vegetation succession in various human-disturbed sites and thus be used in various restoration programmes.     

Karyological and cytogenetic studies of conifers from West Siberia and Far East

The results summarize many years of karyological and cytogenetic studies of conifers from the boreal zone, done at the Sukachev Forest Institute. The species under study belong to four genera of the family Pinaceae: Larix (larch), Pinus (pine), Picea (spruce), and Abies (fir). Overall, the research covers more than 100 populations and habitats of the species from these genera. The study concerns species growing under both optimal and marginal conditions. The studies of the family Cupressaceae have been initiated. A special attention is given to conifers growing on bogs and in planted forests.     

Variability of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Molinion</Emphasis> meadows in Slovakia

Nine vegetation types were distinguished using cluster analysis within Molinion meadows in Slovakia. Vegetation of cluster 1 occurs on most acidic soils and is characterized by the occurrence of species of the Caricion fuscae alliance and of the Nardus grasslands. Vegetation of cluster 2 is also found on rather acidic soils but in contrast to cluster 1 vegetation it contains species of base-rich sites, such as Betonica officinalis, Galium boreale or Serratula tinctoria. Vegetation of cluster 3 occurs in wet base-rich habitats and often contains species of the Caricion davallianae alliance. Species of dry and Nardus grasslands are typical for vegetation of cluster 4, which is found at the driest sites and is confined to oligotrophic sandy soils. Vegetation of clusters 5 and 6 occurs on moist mesotrophic soils. Their species composition is quite similar, the main difference being that the former includes species-poor relevés and the latter includes species-rich relevés. Relevés of cluster 7 include species of dry grasslands and some ruderal species and represent degraded types of inundated floodplain meadows of the Deschampsion alliance. Vegetation of clusters 8 is characterized by species of the Phragmito-Magnocaricetea class and of the Deschampsion alliance, and occurs in wet nutrient-rich habitats. Vegetation of cluster 9, which usually develops from vegetation of cluster 8 due to decrease in the ground-water table, often contains species of dry grasslands and mesic meadows. Except for relevés of clusters 1 and 7, all others can be assigned to the Molinietum caeruleae Koch 1926 association. Cluster 1 corresponds to the Junco effusi-Molinietum caeruleae Tüxen 1954 association. Average Ellenberg indicator values for relevés, which were passively projected on the ordination biplot of detrended correspondence analysis, showed that the first ordination axis correlates with nutrients, soil base status and temperature, and second axis with moisture.