engleski

Distribution of invasive alien plant species on abandoned agricultural land in protected area of Nature Park “Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje“

The protected area of Nature Park "Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje" is situated in the northwestern Croatia, covering approximately 34 200 ha. There is a high probability of biodiversity loss under the influence of succession and the spread of invasive plant species in the area, due to decreasing anthropogenic influence, such as abandoning the rural way of life and emigration. During three summer seasons (2016, 2017 and 2018) invasive alien plant species have been systematically recorded in the area. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of invasive plant species in total flora of the protected area, as one of the tasks assigned in the Nature Park Administration's Management Plan. Preliminary data on the presence of the invasive plant species was taken from the Flora Croatica Database. The entire area of the Nature Park was divided into a MTB (Meβtischblätter) grid subdivided into 1.5x1.45 km units (MTB 1/64), according to the proposed national standard. A total of 153 MTB units were included in the analysis of the distribution of invasive flora. The determined species were analyzed with respect to their life form, the mechanism of seed dispersal and the type of land use where the individual taxa appear. Out of total of 32 invasive plant species recorded, the most widespread species found on abandoned agricultural land were Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist and Amaranthus retroflexus L. The most of IAS per MTB 1/64 unit was found in populated areas and quarries, while the least was recorded in isolated forest grasslands and grasslands in succession.

Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers., Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist, Amaranthus retroflexus L., Nature Park "Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje"

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