Evaluation of the Floristic Composition and Soil Properties of Grasslands in the Mohelno Serpentine Steppe 20 Years Since the Reintroduction of Sheep Grazing

Abstract

In the paper there is evaluated floristic composition and soil characteristics of grasslands in the Mohelno Serpentine Steppe, where the sheep grazing was renewed after ca 60 years in 1997. Soil samples were collected in spring 2016 from 9 permanent plots MHS 1-9 in the same date as the phytocoenological relevés were conducted. In the soil there was determined the soil acidity and the content of macro- and micronutrients. Data were evaluated using RDA (redundance analysis). It was found the higher dominance of species such as: Plantago lanceolata L., Festuca pseudovina Hack. ex Wiesb., Achillea collina Heimerl, Cerastium arvense L. and Centaurea scabiosa L. by higher content of basic macronutrients (N, P, K) in the soil. There is was apparent tendency for the decrease in the species diversity connected with increasing soil nutrient content.

Keywords

• renewed grazing
• small ruminants
• species diversity
• soil characteristics
• nature conservation