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PLANT SPECIES AS INDICATORS OF SITE CONDITIONS AFTER CLEARCUTTING IN NATURAL AND ARTIFICIALLY ESTABLISHED STANDS WITHIN BEECH SITES IN THE TIMOK FOREST AREA
PAVLOVIĆ, Branka
BABIĆ, Violeta
MARTAĆ, Nikola
PODUŠKA, Zoran
KANJEVAC, Branko
JOVIĆ, Đorđe
ČOKEŠA, Vlado
Abstract The research was conducted in the Timok Forest Area after a natural disaster in winter 2015, causing ice breaks and uproots and leading to extensive clear-cutting. To assess ecological changes five years after, sample plots were established in areas where natural beech stands and artificially established conifer stands within beech sites (Fagetum moesiace submontanum (Rudski 1949) B. Jovanović 1976) existed before clear-cutting. Based on the inventory of vascular flora, plants were distributed by plant indicator values. A total of 176 plant species were recorded on the sample plots. Although submesophytes and mesophytes predominated on the clearings (70%), there was a noticeable increase in subxerophytes and xerophytes, suggesting moderate site xerothermization. The substantial occurrence of mesotrophic and transitional groups between oligotrophic and mesotrophic plants (77%) implied that soil fertility was not significantly diminished. Moreover, the relatively high share of transitional groups between hemi-sciophytes and heliophytes (29%) indicated the ecosystem openness, whereas the share of typical sciophytes decreased (< 2%). These species were notably more abundant in natural beech forests, particularly in artificially established conifer stands within beech sites. Limited typical heliophytes (<1%) could be attributed to vigorous colonization by spontaneous shrub vegetation, which restricted light penetration to herbaceous heliophytes. The occurrence of extremely frigophilic and thermophilic species underscores the climatic extremes of eastern Serbia. Transitional groups between frigophilic and mesothermic plants (65%) were more prevalent than typical mesothermic representatives of South European beech forests (30%) indicating stronger cold manifestation in open forest ecosystems. These findings confirm plants role as bioindicators of site conditions.
engleski
2024
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ecological groups, ecological factors, Timok Forest Area