No abstract

WetVegEurope is a research project (http://www.sci.muni.cz/botany/vegsci/wetveg) whose goal is to provide a synthesized formalized classification of the aquatic and marsh vegetation across Europe at the level of phytosociological associations. In order to achieve the project objective, a WetVegEurope database has been created (GIVD ID: EU-00-020, http://www.givd.info/ID/EU-00-020), which currently contains 375,212 vegetation plots of aquatic, marsh and wet vegetation types from 33 European countries. The WetVegEurope database includes datasets from pre-existing national and thematic databases and also 10,616 plots previously not digitalized or even unpublished. This database offers an extensive source of data for future studies on aquatic and marsh plant species and vegetation types at the European scale.

Lichen community changes were investigated on trees within a colony of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) established in a pine forest on the Curonian Spit, western Lithuania. The impact of birds on the forest has altered the number and characteristics of substrata available to lichens. The lowest number of lichen species and occurrences was registered on trees in the most active part of the colony with the highest nest density. Lichen community patterns were most strongly related to P and Ca content in substrata and pH values. Some acidophytic species showed negative correlations, both with long-term and short-term ornithogenic influence. However, three acidophytes (Chaenotheca ferruginea, Lepraria incana, Coenogonium pineti) demonstrated an affinity for the transitional zone and recently occupied trees, and furthermore, C. pineti apparently reacted positively to a shortterm ornithogenic influence but negatively to a long-term one. These three lichens, along with algae, were the main, and often the only, components of epiphytic communities on trees at the edge of the colony and apparently indicated the crucial point of the acidophytic community under the increasing load of nutrients. All nitrophytic species showed an affinity for a long-term bird influence and reacted negatively to a short-term influence. Only free-living algae (predominating species Desmococcus olivaceus) showed a clear affinity for trees occupied by bird nests. Hypogymnia physodes was found to be an indicator for early environmental changes following eutrophication. The study also showed that high concentrations of P did not have a mitigating effect on the detrimental impact brought about by increases in N and pH levels, but was possibly equally detrimental to acidophytic lichens.

The number of localities and the recent status of the populations of Viola uliginosa were unknown due to the absence of data. The short note presents recent data on the occurrence of this species in the Žalgiriai Forest (Šilutė district, western part of Lithuania). These data confirm the fact of the survival of V. uliginosa in the territory of the country and possibility of broader distribution of the species in Lithuania. Potential habitats and threats were discussed. Recent status of two populations of V. uliginosa in the Žalgiriai Forest is considered to be good. However, the vicinity of clear-cut area may have negative influence due to possible water table changes in the habitat of one population, while another population might be threatened in case of clear cuttings in the habitat. Viola uliginosa Besser is a temperate European species (Meusel et al., 1978). It is distributed in the Baltic region, western Russia, Belarus, the Ukraine and Croatia (Valentine et al., 1968). V. uliginosa is threatened in the major part of its range (DuboVik, 2005; ingelög et al., 1993;korneck et al., 1996). KeywordsThe data on distribution of V. uliginosa in Lithuania are sparse. Only two localities (Darbėnai, Kretinga distr. and Vingis Park, Vilnius) of this species were confirmed by herbarium specimens [BILAS] collected in 1940 (leg. P.Snarskis) and 1946 (leg. M.Natkevičaitė).The old published material indicated two additional localities in Paluknys (Trakai distr.), Šepeta (Kupiškis distr.) (snarskis, 1954); Lekavičius (1992) recorded two new localities in the Šventoji Forest (Kretinga distr.) and Joniškėlis (Pasvalys distr.). The last, more precise information about the occurrence of V. uliginosa in the northern part of Lithuania (Purviai Forest, Akmenė distr.) was presented by Monsevičius et al. (1994). However, Lazdauskaitė et al. (1986) and Lekavičius (1992) affirmed that in recent years the species was overall not found. Furthermore, Lekavičius (1992) indicated that the population in Šepeta (Kupiškis distr.) was extinct. Later obeLevičius (2007) reported the fact that V. uliginosa was not detected in Pasvalys district for ten years and assumed that this species may be extinct there.Neither the references of all localities, nor label information of herbarium specimens were detailed enough. Therefore, the definite location of the populations was unknown. Thus, the revision of population status would be time consuming or impossible. Due to the absence of new data, the exact number of localities and the current status of populations were unknown (MatuLevičiūtė, 2007).In order to find out the exact location of V. uliginosa population in Vingis Park (Vilnius), the forest plots with habitat types appropriate for this species were selected using the database of forest soil types (Forest Cadastre data of the State Forest Service). Thus, the search area was reduced choosing from the . Most of the individuals were fertile. Abundant blossoming of V. uliginosa in the Žalgiriai Forest indicates that the habitat conditions in both...

Jarašius L., Matulevičiūtė D., Pakalnis R., Sendžikaitė J., Lygis V., 2014: Drainage impact on plant cover and hydrology of Aukštumala raised bog (western Lithuania) [Sausinimo įtaka Aukštumalos aukštapelkės hidrologinėms sąlygoms ir augalinei dangai]. -Bot. Lith., 20(2): 109-120.One-third of the former Aukštumala raised bog (western Lithuania) has been preserved as Telmological Reserve since 1995, while the remaining territory is still under active industrial peat mining or are abandoned peat harvesting fields. The present study was carried out in 2013 and aimed to assess long-term human impact on the structure of plant cover and hydrology of Aukštumala raised bog. On the basis of vegetation assessment (Twinspan analysis), four habitat types were identified: i) active raised bog, ii) degraded raised bog drained by ditches, iii) contact zone of the bog and the peat mining fields and iv) recently burnt areas. The largest anthropogenic impact on vegetation cover was found in the degraded raised bog drained by the ditches and in the burnt area, where the proportion of plant species atypical to ombrotrophic raised bogs was the highest. Water electrical conductivity negatively correlated (r = -0.57) with bog water level, whereas correlation between pH and bog water level was weaker (r = -0.38). Water level in the active raised bog was significantly higher than in the rest three habitat types. Electrical conductivity values in the active raised bog were significantly lower compared to the degraded raised bog and burned area habitats. In order to recreate favourable conditions for peat accumulation and natural functioning of bog ecosystem, mean bog water level should be raised at least up to -32 cm (the optimum water level assigned for most of the typical ombrotrophic species fell into the range of -20 --32 cm).