Vegetation as the Bioindicator of Human-induced Degradation in Karst Landscape: Case Study of Waste-filled Dolines

Abstract

etation as the bioindicator of human�induced degradation in karst landscape: case study of waste�filled dolines Mismanagement practices, such as unsustainable waste disposal, created many degraded sites. In karst landscapes, old uncontrolled landfills are often located in dolines (sinkholes). Buried waste material in dolines represents degradation of landform, habitats and a potential danger of groundwater pollution. Buried waste provides heterogeneous ecological conditions on the surface, thus plant communities or individual plant species that developed on the surface of landfills can be used as a bioindicators of waste-filled doline sites and therefore indicators of land degradation. we aimed to discover the potential of vegetation to detect unknown locations of old dumpsites in suffusion dolines in Logaško polje (Dinaric Karst, Slovenia), either by plant communities or by plant species. we aimed to ascertain whether vegetation can indicate the dumping period by estimation of community succession stage. Locations and the age of waste-filled dolines (doline-dumps) were preliminary identified by a historical landscape study. Thus, we used time series of aerial photographs and digital photogrammetry tools for 3D modelling of historical terrain. Ecological evaluation was based on sampling the floristic composition of plots (5x5 m). we analysed ecological conditions by Ellenberg bioindicator values, structure by life history traits and naturalness by hemerobic levels of plants. we studied in detail 30 up to 50-years-old waste-filled dolines that are interspersed by dry and mesic grasslands. Ecological evaluation demonstrated that the main driver of ecological diversity at doline-dumps is the time at which the doline was backfilled and succession started. Annual and eutrophic communities dominate the youngest doline-dumps, middle aged doline-dumps are covered by ni-ACTA CARSOLOGICA 46/1-2017 96 MATEJA BREG VALJAVEC, DANIELA RIBEIRO & ANDRAž ČARNI trophilous perennial forbs and, finally, communities developed towards mesic grassland. we conclude that plant communities in combination with diagnostic plant species can be used as a bioindicators of doline-dumps in agricultural landscape of Logaško polje and can therefore indicate the sites of potential groundwater pollution sources but not the type of long-time buried waste.

Factors influencing the evolution of human‐driven rocky desertification in karst areas

“…Approximately 91.7% of the cultivated land, 88.3% of the rural population, 94% of the grain output, and 95.7% of the gross national product have originated from counties with some rocky desertification (Auler & Smart, 2003; Nie, Chen, Wang, & Ding, 2014). At the core of these human activities is the constant process of various land uses and settlement establishment to satisfy social and economic development needs, which ultimately leads to the comprehensive development of land resources and human settlements (Bátori et al, 2014; Breg Valjavec, Ribeiro, & Čarni, 2017). Recently, China has undergone a period of rapid urbanisation and sustained economic transformation, which is associated with extensive and intensive land uses (Chen, Yang, Fu, He, & Wang, 2012).…”

“…At the core of these human activities is the constant process of various land uses and settlement establishment to satisfy social and economic development needs, which ultimately leads to the comprehensive development of land resources and human settlements (Bátori et al, 2014;Breg Valjavec, Ribeiro, & Čarni, 2017).…”

Human‐induced land degradation and biodiversity of Classical Karst landscape: On the example of enclosed karst depressions (dolines)

“…We estimated the abundance of plant species on a 7‐point scale (Braun‐Blanquet, ). This method has already been used in the region for the study of dry grasslands and human‐induced land degradation (Breg Valjavec et al, ; Pipenbaher, Kaligarič, Mason, & Škornik, ).…”

“…No studies have so far been carried out from the ecological point of view connected to historical land degradation, nor has the role of cultural dolines in maintaining the biodiversity of the dry and rocky karst landscape been evaluated. Monitoring biodiversity changes can be used to evaluate human-induced degradation (Breg Valjavec, Ribeiro, & Čarni, 2017), to determine the causes of these changes and to develop effective conservation strategies.…”

Features of ecological differentiation of halophytic, steppe and petrophytic vegetation in the valley of the Liman Kuyalnik (Odesa Oblast)

“…Vegetation cover serves as an indicator of ecosystem state because it responds quickly the changes in environmental conditions (Burger, 2006;Parmar et al, 2016;Lykholat et al, 2018a); it gives the opportunity to make an environmental assessment of a certain territory using phytoindication scales (LaPaix et al, 2009;Ivanova & Zolotova, 2015) and to conduct phytomonitoring of the territory (Klimo et al, 2011;Lykholat et al, 2018b;Jetz et al, 2019;Lashchinskiy et al, 2019). Bioindication properties of biological communities are also used in assessment of level of anthropogenic pollution on aquatic (Ceschin et al, 2010) and terrestrial (Rowe et al, 2015;Baranovski et al, 2016;Faly et al, 2017;Valjavec et al, 2017;Hedwall et al, 2019) ecosystems. Synphytoindication analysis of plant communities involves phytosociological surveys of vegetation and allows the ecosystem state to be defined using the indexes of their biotic components (Didukh, 2012;Bagrikova, 2018).…”