Životné prostredie (Dec 2020)
Zmeny subniválnej vegetácie Tatier za viac ako 50 rokov/ Changes in Subnival Vegetation over 50 years in the Tatras
Abstract
Climate impact studies have indicated ecological fingerprints of recent global warming across a wide range of habitats. The ongoing climate change gradually transforms mountain plant communities, and the subnival vegetation in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia is changing significantly in recent decades. The rugged subnival zone is covered by mosses and lichens, and the vascular plants present are only scattered or form a pioneer vegetation. Climate change and frequent use of climbing routes have been increasing over the past years and this has caused adverse changes in the subnival vegetation. In addition, only few authors have researched vegetation structure in the Tatras’ subnival vegetation zone. One investigation by Paclová (1977) monitored the floristic composition of vegetation and the migration of plant species from 1955 to 1969. That author’s research is the last available, so we repeated the research in 2011 – 2013. This paper now presents the floristic changes for vegetation in the Kežmarský štít hills at 2,558 m a.s.l; in Prostredný Mengusovský štít at 2,393 m a.s.l; in Satan at 2,421 m a.s.l. and in Východný Mengusovský štít at 2,398 m a.s.l. Our research confirmed that the number of vascular species around climbing routes has decreased significantly by approximately 80 %, and we observed increased species migration, with predominant downward migration.
