Species composition and diversity of non-forest woody vegetation along roads in the agricultural landscape

Abstract

Non-forest woody vegetation represents an important component of green infrastructure in the agricultural landscape, where natural and semi-natural forest cover has only a low land use proportion. This paper focuses on linear woody vegetation structures along roads in the agricultural landscape and analyses them in three study areas in the Nitra Region, Slovakia. We evaluate species composition and diversity, species occurrence frequency or spatial distribution, their structure according to relatively achievable age and origin. For the evaluation of occurrence frequency, a Frequency Factor was proposed and applied. This factor allows a better comparison of different study areas and results in more representative findings. The study areas were divided into sectors based on visual landscape features, which are easily identifiable in the field, such as intersections and curves in roads, and intersections of roads with other features, such as cadastral or land boundaries, watercourses, etc. Based on the species abundance, woody plants present within the sectors were categorised into 1) predominant, 2) complementary and 3) mixed-in species; and with regard to their origin into 1) autochthonous and 2) allochthonous. Further, trees were categorised into 1) long-lived, 2) medium-lived and 3) short-lived tree species. The main finding is that among trees, mainly allochthonous species dominated. Robinia pseudoacacia L. was the predominant tree species in all three study areas. It was up to 4 times more frequent than other predominant tree species. Introduced tree species prevailed also among complementary and mixed-in species. Among shrubs, mainly native species dominated, while non-native species had a significantly lower proportion and spatial distribution. Based on these findings, several measures have been proposed to improve the overall ecological stability, the proportion and spatial distribution of native woody plant species. The recommendations and measures aim at enhancement of native species biodiversity, landscape identity and character, in order to meet the main landscape and biodiversity challenges identified in key biodiversity and landscape policies of Europe.

Cultural Landscapes under the Threat of Climate Change: A Systematic Study of Barriers to Resilience

“…Beyond the knowledge gap, the determinant of methodological considerations (n = 16. 11%) seeks to describe the constraints and limitations in available evidence (e.g., on the multidimensional benefit of cultural heritage preservation) [67], data (e.g., available historical and projected climatic data) [74], methods, and tools and methodologies to improve the drought resilience of woody plant species [94]. Several publications mentioned the gap in the use of quantitative methods of understanding the interactions between land-use, -cover, and climatic changes [61,[95][96][97].…”

Alien and native woody plants in scattered vegetation in agricultural landscape

“…From the published sources, we have found that Europe was particularly attractive to American tree species, with Robinia pseudoacacia significantly dominating the habitats of NFWV in agricultural landscapes. For instance, Tóth et al (2016) have mapped and assessed three selected cadastral territories in the Nitra Region and derived a conclusion that Robinia pseudoacacia has the highest frequency factor among all identified predominant tree species in NFWV structures. In the European List of Invasive Plants, up to 7 woody plant species are in the category of invasive (Brundu and Richardson, 2016).…”

Do internal roadways influence tree diversity and density in a reserve forest? - A reality check at BRT Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India

“…In human settlement landscapes, non-forest woody vegetation represents an important component of green infrastructure in the agricultural areas, where natural and semi-natural forest cover has only a low land use proportion (Tóth et al, 2016). Urban afforestation produces a great enhancement in the flora of cities; but if improperly planted, they generate disturbances (de Oliveira et al, 2018).…”