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Journal of the Forestry (Šumarski list), Vol. 146 No. 5-6, 2022.

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.31298/sl.146.5-6.4

Presence of alien Prunus serotina and Impatiens parviflora in lowland forest fragments in NE Slovenia

Mirjana Šipek orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-4787-902X ; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Eva Horvat ; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Ivana Vitasović Kosić ; Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb
Nina Šajna ; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Slovenia

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Abstract

Temperate alluvial, riparian and lowland forests are the European forests with the greatest presence of invasive alien plants. Consequently, identifying the environmental conditions for and other drivers behind the establishment of invasive species in natural forest communities is crucial for understanding the invasibility of these habitats. We focused on fragments (patches) of Illyrian oak-hornbeam forest in NE Slovenia, which are the least studied in this regard.
Because alien phanerophytes and therophytes are significantly over-represented compared to native plants in lowland forests, we selected two representative invasives: the phanerophyte Prunus serotina and the therophyte Impatiens parviflora. By using logistic regression models on vegetation surveys, environmental data based on Ellenberg´s indicator values, and patch metrics, we identified patch characteristics explaining the presence of each species. Moreover, we included human impact in the models.
We reveal significant characteristics differentiating P. serotina from I. parviflora. We also show that the perimeter-area ratio and soil nutrients of the forest patches correlate significantly with the presence of P. serotina, while human disturbance correlates significantly with the presence of I. parviflora. Our results and a similar approach for other invasive plant species can be applied to assess habitat invasibility on potential and species’ current geographic distribution, as well as to develop management plans.

Keywords

biological invasions; forest fragmentation; landscape metrics; habitat characteristics; human presence; neophytes

Hrčak ID:

279974

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/279974

Publication date:

30.6.2022.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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