Penetration of weeds into the herbaceous understorey and soil seed bank of a Turkey oak-sessile oak forest in Hungary

• Published in: Community ecology Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 227 - 233
• Main Authors: Koncz, G, P. Török, M. Papp, G. Matus, B. Tóthmérész
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Akadémiai Kiadà 01-12-2011; AKADÉMIAI KIADÓ; Springer International Publishing
• Subjects: Animal Ecology; Biodiversity; buried seeds; canopy; Community & Population Ecology; Deciduous forests; edge effects; Field margin; Forest canopy; forest habitats; Forest herbs; Forest soils; forest stands; Forests; ground vegetation; Herbs; Invasion; land use; Life Sciences; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Microbial Ecology; Plant Ecology; Plant strategy; Ruderal species; Seed banks; seedling emergence; shade; Soil seed banks; Understory; Vegetation; Vineyards; weeds; Hungary; Forest herbs; Simon; Field margin; Plant strategy; Ruderal species; Invasion
• ISSN: 1585-8553; 1588-2756
• DOI: 10.1556/ComEc.12.2011.2.11

Intensification of land use in the last few decades resulted in an increased rate of fragmentation of natural forest habitats. With decreased patch size but increased total borderline length the influence of the surroundings also increased. The extent of influence is especially crucial where the forest stands are adjacent to agricultural lands. We studied the vegetation (cover) and seed bank (soil samples, seedling emergence) along adjacent stands of an abandoned vineyard and edge and interior of an oak forest community (Quercetum petraeae-cerris) widespread in Central-Europe, using five transects (16 m2 plots along each transect). We asked the following questions: (i) How do vegetation and seed bank composition differ between the vineyard and forest interior and (ii) which weeds are able to penetrate into the forest herbaceous understorey vegetation and seed banks from the vineyard? In total, 15 phanaerophytes and 147 herbs were detected. Negatively associated with canopy shading, herb cover proved the lowest in the forest inferior. Few weeds and other ruderals recorded in vineyard penetrated into the forest interior. Mean seed density decreased one order of magnitude from the vineyard to the forest interior (from 20,831 to 2,159 seed/m2). The seed banks of the abandoned vineyard and edge and forest interior were dominated by ruderals, but decreasing proportion of weeds was detected from the vineyard to the forest interior. Characteristic forest herbs possessed at most sparse seed banks. Our results suggest that high canopy cover mitigates the negative impact of surrounding weedy vegetation on the forest herb layer. Therefore, the effect of surroundings is detectable mostly in the seed banks. We can assume that the formation of an increased ruderal herb cover can be foreseen if canopy opens, because the local propagule sources of forest species are missing from vegetation and soil seed banks.