ORIGIN AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ROADSIDE VEGETATION WITHIN THE FOREST AND AGRICULTURAL AREAS IN SZCZECIN LOWLAND (WEST POLAND)

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1 POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY (Pol. J. Ecol.) Short research contribution Mariola WRÓBEL Department of Botany and Nature Protection, Agricultural University, Słowackiego 17, Szczecin, Poland, botanika@agro.ar.szczecin.pl ORIGIN AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ROADSIDE VEGETATION WITHIN THE FOREST AND AGRICULTURAL AREAS IN SZCZECIN LOWLAND (WEST POLAND) ABSTRACT: The paper presents research results of roadside vegetation which were carried out along public roads with hardened surface within the forest and agricultural areas in Szczecin Lowland (West Poland). Mosaic of habitat conditions observed along roadsides was suitable for development over 39 syntaxa from 10 classes of vegetation. The significant diversity of roadside vegetation of anthropogenic origin was found in agricultural regions, whereas within the forest areas mostly autogenic roadside vegetation were observed. Spatial distribution of roadside plant associations was related to the zonal structure of roadside profile. Anthropogenic associations were connected with narrow stripes adjoining to the roads but autogenic ones prefered roadside ditches and slopes. Majority of plant associations, regardless of the way of land use, found suitable habitat conditions in the roadside ditches. KEY WORDS: roadside vegetation, spatial distribution, origin, autogenic associations, anthropogenic associations. Different forms and intensity of anthropopressure within agricultural areas, among them road traffic and development of a road network, intensify the synanthropisation processes of the vegetation (Ullmann and Heindl 1989, Szwed and Sykora 1996, Faliński 2000, Forman and Deblinger 2000). In fragmented anthropogenic landscape forest complexes play significant role in preservation of natural vegetation patches (Richling and S olon 1998, Ż arska 2003). However, a road network causes fragmentation of forest complexes, development of a mosaic structure of habitats and coexistence of natural, seminatural and anthropogenic phytocoenoses (Spellerberg 1998, Paszek and Z ałuski 2000, Tanghe and Godefroid 2000, Trombulak and Frissell 2000, Akbar et al. 2003, van B ohemen 2003). The aim of research was to asses the roadside plant asasociations in relation to the road zones in forested and agricultural areas. Phytosociological observations of roadside vegetation were carried out in years along public roads with hardened surface running across the forest grounds and agricultural areas in Szczecin Lowland (W. Poland). Field research covered selected sections of the same length of forest and midfield roadsides apart from urban areas (in total 200 km). Midfield roadsides adjoined to the arable lands, pastures, grasslands and fallow lands whereas forest ones adjoined to the production forests within the Goleniow Primeval Forest. Spatial distribution of roadside

2 138 Mariola Wróbel Fig. 1. Roadside profile: - road surface; A border zone; B verge; C ditch; D slope. Number of roadside plant associations Forest roadsides Midfield roadsides Querco-Fagetea Rhamno-Prunetea Koelerio-Corynephoretea Epilobietea Molinio-Arrhenatheretea Artemisietea Agropyretea Classes of vegetation Phragmitetea Trifolio-Geranietea Alnetea glutinosae Fig. 2. Number of roadside plant associations representing different classes of vegetation. plant associations was related to the zonal structure of roadside profile (Fig.1). Based on phytosociological relevés (according to Braun-Blanquet method) 39 plant associations from 10 classes of vegetation were distinguished. The nomenclature of syntaxa was applied after Matuszkiewicz (2001) and classification of plant communities with respect to the role of man in their origin and persistence was done according to Faliński (1969) (Table 1). Analysis of spatial distribution of roadside vegetation pointed to the roadside ditches as habitats where the most of roadside plant associations (30) were observed whereas 22 ones on the road verges, 18 ones on the slopes and only 6 ones in the border zone (Table 2). Among all distinguished roadside plant associations (39 ones) about 56% of them were observed only along roads running across deforested and agricultural areas whereas 21% were connected only with roadsides within forest areas. About 23% of all distinguished syntaxa of roadside vegetation were widespread both within forest and midfield roadsides (Fig. 2). Forest roadside vegetation was represented mostly by phytocenoses connected with mixed coniferous-deciduous forests and their substitutes (Querco-Fagetea, Epilobietea), shrub communities (Rhamno-Prunetea), nitrophilous

3 Roadside vegetation within forest and agricultural areas 139 Table 1. Roadside vegetation with respect to its origin and persistence (according to Faliński 1969). Road type Roads within forest areas Roads within agricultural areas Roads within forest and agricultural areas Roadside plant associations Autogenic associations Anthropogenic associations NA N SN SR SSR X Ass. Populus tremula + Senecioni sylvatici-epilobietum angustifolii + Spergulo vernalis-corynephoretum + Calluno-Sarothamnetum + Diantho-Armerietum elongatae + Chelidonio-Robinietum + Agg. Impatiens parviflora + Ass. Pteridium aquilinum + Trifolio-Agrimonietum + Phragmitetum australis + Urtico-Aegopodietum podagrariae + Salicetum pentandro-cinereae + Urtico-Calystegietum sepium + Calystegio-Epilobietum hirsuti + Typhetum latifoliae + Rhamno-Cornetum sanguinei + Agropyro-Urticetum dioicae + Ass. Rubus caesius + Convolvulo arvensis-agropyretum repentis + Artemisio-Tanacetetum vulgaris + Dauco-Picridetum hieracioidis + Falcario vulgaris-agropyretum repentis + Arctio-Artemisietum vulgaris + Echio-Melilotetum + Sileno conicae-cerastietum semidecandri + Rudbeckio-Solidaginetum + Agg. Helianthus tuberosus + Phalarido-Petasitetum hybridi + Ass. Bromus inermis + Ass. Tussilago farfara + Ass. Saponaria officinalis + Poetum annuae + Calamagrostietum epigeji + Anthriscetum sylvestris + Sambucetum nigrae + Lolio-Polygonetum arenastri + Arrhenatheretum elatioris + Berteroëtum incanae + Lolio-Polygonetum arenastri puccinellietosum distantis + Total Explanations: N natural association with undefinied tendencies under anthropopressure; NA natural auxochoric associations; SN seminatural associations; X xenospontaneous associations; SR synanthropic ruderal associations; SSR synanthropic specialized ruderal associations;? undefinied origin.?

4 140 Mariola Wróbel Table 2. Spatial distribution of roadside vegetation against the main parts of roadside site. (See Fig. 1). BORDER ZONE VERGE DITCH SLOPE Poetum annuae L.-P. puccinelietosum Lolio-Polygonetum arenastri Dauco-Picridetum hieracioidis Agg. Impatiens parviflora Convolvulo-Agropyretum repentis Berteroëtum incanae Echio-Melilotetum Ass. Tussilago farfara Sileno-Cerastietum Urtico-Aegopodietum podagrariae Anthriscetum sylvestris Ass. Bromus inermis Ass. Saponaria officinalis Phragmitetum australis Arrhenatheretum elatioris Calamagrostietum epigeji Phalarido-Petasitetum hybridi Chelidonio-Robinietum Rudbeckio-Solidaginetum Agg. Helianthus tuberosus Falcario-Agropyretum repentis Diantho-Armerietum elongatae Ass. Pteridium aquilinum Arctio-Artemisietum Agropyro-Urticetum Urtico-Calystegietum Calystegio-Epilobiet. Typhetum latifoliae Senecioni sylvatici-epilobietum angustifolii Sambucetum nigrae Ass. Populus tremula Artemisio-Tanacetetum vulgaris Ass. Rubus caesius Trifolio-Agrimonietum Calluno-Sarothamnetum Rhamno-Cornetum sanguinei Salicetum pentandro-cinereae Spergulo-Corynephor.

5 Roadside vegetation within forest and agricultural areas 141 Participation (%) Autogenic associations Anthropogenic associations Undefined origin associations Forest roadsides (n=16) Midfield roadsides (n=31) Fig. 3. Percent participation of autogenic and anthropogenic associations in roadside vegetation within forest and agricultural areas in Szczecin Lowland (W. Poland). forest skirt communities (Artemisietea) and sandy grasslands (Koelerio-Corynephoretea). Within midfield roadsides usually phytocoenoses representing mesophilous communities of tall perennials, termophilous communities of ruderal perennials, nitrophilous herb communities (Artemisietea) and communities of fallow weeds (Agropyretea) were observed. Also midfield shrub communities (Rhamno-Prunetea) and connected with them phytocoenoses of xerothermophilous skirt communities (Trifolio-Geranietea), rush vegetation (Phragmitetea) and osier hopes (Alnetea glutinosae) were found. Communities of trodden places and moderately humid meadows (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) as well as nitrophilous shrubs and their skirts (Artemisietea) occurred both within forest and midfield roadsides. Analysis of roadside vegetation according to its origin (Faliński 1969, Brzeg and Wojterska 2001) showed that anthropogenic associations (46%) slightly predominated the others within the whole area of investigations. The group of anthropogenic associations included seminatural, synanthropic and xenospontaneous syntaxa. Among them the most often synanthropic associations represented by ruderal communities were noted like Berteroëtum incanae, Artemisio-Tanacetetum vulgaris, Arctio-Artemisietum vulgaris, Chelidonio-Robinietum, Convolvulo-Agropyretum and Echio-Melilotetum. Autogenic associations (about 40% of all recognized syntaxa) were represented by natural, mostly auxochoric phytocoenoses Calamagrostietum epigeji, Sambucetum nigrae, Urtico Aegopodietum, Anthriscetum sylvestris, Phragmitetum australis, Spergulo vernalis-corynephoretum, Trifolio-Agrimonietum and Salicetum pentandro-cinereae (Table 1). Autogenic roadside vegetation was observed mainly along roads running across the forest areas within Szczecin Lowland and included auxochoric communities Senecioni sylvatici-epilobietum angustifolii, Spergulo vernalis-corynephoretum canescentis, Calluno-Sarothamnetum and the association with Populus tremula. The anthropogenic roadside vegetation predominated within the agricultural areas in Szczecin Lowland and was distinguished by majority of ruderal phytocoenoses like Artemisio-Tanacetetum vulgaris, Dauco-Picridetum hieracioidis, Arctio-Artemisietum vulgaris, Convolvulo-Agropyretum or Falcario vulgaris-agropyretum repentis. There xenospontaneous community Rudbeckio-Solidaginetum and Helianthus tuberosus aggregation were also observed (Fig. 3). Analysis of communities origin observed in each part of the roadside pointed to the border zone as a habitat where anthropogenic associations significantly predominated (Fig. 4). They included about 80% of all syntaxa noticed there and were represented by ruderal phytocoenoses Dauco-Picridetum hieracioidis and Convolvulo arvensis-agro- Participation (%) Autogenic associations Anthropogenic associations A B C D Roadside zones Fig. 4. Percent participation of autogenic and anthropogenic associations in the following parts of the roadside regardless of the way of land use (A border zone (n = 6); B verge (n = 21); C ditch (n = 30); D slope (n = 18); see Table 2).

6 142 Mariola Wróbel pyretum repentis, seminatural community Lolio-Polygonetum arenastri and the xenospontaneous aggregation of Impatiens parviflora. Similarly anthropogenic asssociations predominated on the verge and composed 64% of all syntaxa which occured within this part of the roadside. Among them were observed ruderal communities (Berteroëtum incanae, Dauco-Picridetum hieracioidis, Convolvulo-Agropyretum, Artemisio-Tanacetetum vulgaris, Falcario vulgaris-agropyretum repentis), xenospontaneous ones (Echio- Melilotetum, Phalarido-Petasitetum hybridi, Rudbeckio-Solidaginetum, Sileno conicae-cerastietum semidecandri, Impatiens parviflora and Helianthus tuberosus aggregation) as well as seminatural phytocoenoses (Diantho-Armerietum elongatae, Lolio-Polygonetum arenastrii, Arrhenatheretum elatioris). Special attention payed significant participation of undefinied origin syntaxa (18%) on the verge (Fig. 4). There were single-species phytocoenoses built by expansive, stoloniferous perennial species which propagated vegetatively. They were overgrowing newly created habitats open surface of soil with better light conditions and lack of interspecific competition for space. The plant cover within such places was destroyed by car wheels, surface erosion processes, water runoff, mowing and road works. In such places, called free gaps for colonization expansive perennials like Pteridium aquilinum, Bromus inermis, Saponaria officinalis and Tussilago farfara were spreading dynamicly (S chmidt 1989, B eyschlag et al. 1992, Milberg and Perss on 1994, Fa lińska 2004). In roadside ditches and slopes were observed slight predominance of autogenic communities (properly 47 and 49% of all syntaxa occuring in these zones). Among them natural auxochoric associations (Calamagrostietum epigeji, Senecioni sylvatici-epilobietum angustifolii, Sambucetum nigrae, Urtico-Aegopodietum, Anthriscetum sylvestris, Urtico-Calystegietum sepium, Calystegio-Epilobietum hirsuti, Phragmitetum australis, Typhetum latifoliae, Trifolio-Agrimonietum, Calluno-Sarothamnetum and Salicetum pentandro-cinereae) outnumbered the others (Fig. 4). Characteristic feature of natural auxochoric associations is their tendency to enlarge a homerange and spread throughout the areas transformed by man but with similar character to their previous sites. Such situation was observed in roadside ditches and slopes regardless of the way of land use because of the lower intensity of anthropopressure in these parts of the roadside, especially declining influence of the road traffic and connections with adjoining complexes of natural vegetation. Phytosociological observations of roadside vegetation within forest and agricultural areas in Szczecin Lowland (W. Poland) let to recognized its origin and spatial distribution against the roadside profile. Obtained research results improved the knowledge about spatial diversity of roadside vegetation and confirmed reports about its zonal distribution (Ullmann and Heindl 1989, Holzapfel and S chmidt 1990, Heindl and Ul l mann 1991, Stottele 1995). Predomination of anthropogenic associations along roadsides within agricultural areas and in the narrow stripe of the verge adjoinig to the road emphasis the influence of human impact on intensity of synanthropisation processes. REFERENCES Akbar K. F., Hale W. H. G., Headley A. D Assessment of scenic beauty of the roadside vegetation in northern England Landscape and urban planning, 63 (3): B eyschlag W., Ryel R. J., Ullmann I Experimental and modeling studies of competition for light in roadside grasses Botanica Acta, 105 (4): Brzeg A., Wojterska M Zespoły roślinne Wielkopolski, ich stan poznania i zagrożeni. (In: Szata roślinna Wielkopolski i Pojezierza Południowopomorskiego [Plant communities of Wielkopolska and Południowopomorskie Lakeland] Ed. M. Wojterska) Przewodnik sesji terenowych 52 Zjazdu PTB, Poznań września 2001, pp Falińska K Ekologia roślin. [Plant Ecology] PWN Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa, 512 pp. (in Polish). Fa lińsk i J. B Zbiorowiska autogeniczne i antropogeniczne. Próba określenia i klasyfikacji. Dyskusje fitosocjologiczne (4) [Groupements autogènes et anthropogenès. Ềpreuve de la definition et de la classification. Discussions phytosociologiques (4)] Ekol. pol. Ser. B, 15 (2):

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