Effect of snow patches on vegetation in the high-mountain nival gullies (Tatra Mts. Poland)

• Autorzy: Kozłowska Anna , Rączkowska Zofia
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The purposes of the present paper are: a) to characterise the spatial pattern of vegetation in the high mountain nival gullies, b) to assess the factors determining the differentiation of vegetation in the gullies with particular consideration of the role of snow patches, and c) to present the similarities and the differences of relations between plant species composition and thickness and duration of snow patches existing in the gullies and in their vicinities.The studies have been carried out in the Polish part of Tatra Mountains (19[degrees]45[minutes]36[second] - 20[degrees]08[minutes]00[second] E and 49[degrees]10[minutes]42[second]-49[degrees]20[minutes]05[second] N), in two nival gullies, located above the upper timberline (i. e. 1500 m a.s.l) . The coverage of each plant species was correlated with the thickness of a snow patch on the basis of the sample plots of 0.25 m^2 (n = 889), located along the vertical transects in the gullies. The relations between variables were established based on the Spearman rank correlation analysis. In order to present the general character of relations between the features analysed the PCA method was applied. The differentiation of vegetation reflects the habitat conditions, which result from the terrain topography, morphometry of the relief forms, as well as from the thickness and duration of the snow patch. In the nival niches there are the species which positively or negatively correlate with the snow patch thickness. It is manifested through the decrease in the number of species as the snow thickness increases. Two species, Luzula alpino-pilosa (Chaix) Breistr. and Festuca picta Kit., can be accepted as indicators of the sites with the long persistent snow cover. The negative correlation of the plant species coverage with the snow patch thickness is not so unambiguous, since the role of the snow patch depends upon the duration of its persistence. The study showed the effect of factors featuring the high-mountain vegetation at different spatial scale, i. e. according to altitude, local sites and micro-site factors connected with the place inside the gully with the snow patch.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

alpine vegetation; snow patches; subalpine vegetation; Tatra Mts.

• Wydawca: Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Czasopismo: Polish Journal of Ecology
• Rocznik: 2006
• Tom: Vol. 54, nr 1
• Strony: 69--90
• Opis fizyczny: Tab., wykr.,

Twórcy

autor

Kozłowska Anna

• Department of Geoecology and Climatology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland

autor

Rączkowska Zofia

• Department of Geomorphology and Hydrology of Mountains and Uplands, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, św. Jana 22, 31-018 Kraków, Poland

• Department of Geoecology and Climatology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland,

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