engleski

Vegetation succession caused by abandonment of traditional land use on the island of Molat

During the last few decades vegetation changes, especially vegetation succession of open habitats, became a common process on large areas in Croatia. Many plant communities arose and are maintained by some form of agricultural activities (mowing, pasture, cutting, burning etc.). Abandoning such traditional land management practice lead to vegetation succession and large changes in floristic composition of such, antecedent agriculturally used, areas. The island of Molat (22.8 km2), belongs to Zadar archipelago in central part of eastern Adriatic, has been influenced by intensive agricultural activity during the first half of the 20th century. Depopulation began during the 60-ties and local inhabitants decreased their agricultural activities. These social and economic changes affected vegetation. Recent situation was assessed during the field work between 2007 and 2010. Historical vegetation analyses were done using GIS tools based on cadastre for the whole island from the year 1910, aerial photographs from the years 1959, 1986 and 2006, and vegetation mapping made between 1966 and 1968. The vegetation was divided in physiognomic types because of lack of phytosociological information for the past researched periods. At the beginning of the researched period rocky grasslands, covering an area of 16.7 km2, occupied the largest part of the island, while its area diminished to 0.45 km2 by the end of the period, in 2006. On the other hand maquis occupied 1.25 km2 in 1910, while in 2006 it spread to 12.2 km2. Along with mentioned changes a vegetation dynamics path, as well as stages appearing during the process of succession, was determined during the researched period. Using phytosociological relevés and chronosequence methods in this research vegetation series belonging to Myrto-Quercetum ilicis was reconstructed as present on the island.

Mediterranean; succession; mutitemporal analysis

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