Plants as indicators of site conditions in mixed forests of sessile oak and hornbeam in the area of Kosmaj mountain in Serbia
(engleski)
ABSTRACT
The paper presents ecological properties of plant species, occurring in the forest of
the sessile oak and hornbeam community (Querco petraeae-Carpinetum betuli
Rudski 1949. s.l.) in the area of Kosmaj in Serbia. The sessile oak and hornbeam
forests in Serbia are conditioned by orographic and edaphic factors, i.e., they occur
as extrazonal vegetation and cover significantly smaller areas than in the Illyrian
province. In the area of Kosmaj, these forests occur at lower altitudes (300 - 400
m), with eastern to northeastern aspects, and the slope of 15-23°. Differentiation of
flora was done according to membership in certain ecological plant groups,
according to most significant ecological factors: soil humidity, soil acidity, quantity
of nitrogen in the soil, light and temperature. According to the indicator values of
plant species, the community of sessile oak and hornbeam is mesophilic in terms of
humidity (F – 2.88), neutrophilic-basophilic (R – 3,32) in terms of acidity,
mesotrophic in terms of soil nitrogen supply (N – 2,82), semisciophilic regarding
light (L – 2,85), and mesothermal in terms of heat (T – 3,39). Indicator values of
plants are suitable to indirectly assess environmental conditions and can help to
estimate the conditions, for which no measurements are available. Therefore, they
can be used as useful indicators in monitoring environmental changes.
(engleski)
Indicator values of plants, sessile oak and hornbeam forests, Serbia
(engleski)