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The very early herbaceous vegetation which established in the clearings following 2018 'Vaia' storm was investigated in some pre-Alpine areas of Northeast Italy, on calcareous as well as acidic substrata. Sixty-two original vegetation-plot records were executed in spruce or mixed beech-silver fir-spruce blowdown forests, within two years after the salvage logging had been completed. According to different origin and degree of soil disturbance, different communities were recognised. Galeopsis pubescens and G. tetrahit rich stands develop as ephemeral annual associations at the beginning of the regeneration succession where partially decomposed coniferous needles and twigs have accumulated in the litter. Soils with altered profiles due to forestry machineries harbour dominance of perennial herbaceous species (especially Senecio nemorensis agg., Atropa bella-donna, Epilobium angustifolium) which origin as many already recognised associations or vegetation types we ascribed to community level. All coenoses belong to Epilobietea angustifolii class, with the exception of Calamagrostis arundinacea-rich stands on undisturbed base-rich as well as base-poor soils, whose syntaxonomic positions are unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spontaneous vegetation in permanent flooding zone around technogenic water bodies arising on former pastures due to underground coal mining in the Western Donbass basin (steppe zone of Ukraine) was studied in 2018–2019. Occurrence and abundance of herbaceous plants were taken into account in 36 vegetation plots over a total area of 0.8 km2 in different habitats: dry, wet and flooded. In total, 83 plant species belonging to 31 families and 66 genera were identified, among which perennials dominated. Strong negative Pearson’s correlation was found between the amount and abundance of plant species and soil characteristics across the studied habitats, where the joint action of all edaphic factors determined the mosaic appearance of transformed vegetation. The spontaneous vegetation of the least disturbed xero-mesophilic habitats was most similar to (semi)natural grasslands, while the vegetation of hygrophilic habitats had a complete mismatch. Surrounding grasslands were not the most important diasporas’ source for spontaneous succession in the disturbed zone, and many species were supposed to come from the more remote areas. Recovery of target vegetation did not occur for 25 years of permanent subsidence and flooding due to radical transformation of landscape and soil and appearance of completely inappropriate habitats. At the same time, the unusual species composition of spontaneous vegetation and significant number of rare and endangered plants indicate the formation of valuable biotopes in the subsidence and flooding zone.

Galium verum L. and Galium mollugo L. are perennial herbaceous plants, belonging to the Rubiaceae family. Several classes of bioactive compounds, such as iridoid glycosides, phenolic compounds, anthraquinones and triterpenes, as well as small amounts of tannins, saponins, essential oils have been isolated from Galium species so far. Plants belonging to this genus have a long history of use in a traditional medicine for the treatment of many diseases and conditions. The main application of G. verum is as diuretic, choleretic and as the treatment for gout and epilepsy. On the other hand, G. mollugo has been used to treat hysteria, epilepsy, as vulnerary. Over the past decades, numerous papers have been published referring to the chemical constituents presented in G. verum and G. mollugo extracts. Additionally, chemical composition and pharmacological effects of G. verum have been investigated, however data related to the effects of G. mollugo is limited. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of G. verum and G. mollugo. Finally, we proposed directions for future research in this field, which can improve our understanding of the potential health benefits of Galium species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small water bodies play a specific role in the landscape, as they increase the mosaic pattern of a given area, retain water and affect hydrological regime in adjacent soils. These water bodies are the most important in landscapes that have been largely transformed by man, such as agricultural and urban landscapes. The author of this study assessed the ecological status of small water bodies using the Q index and determined the impact of the development of adjacent areas on their ecological status. The analysis of the Q index referring to water bodies showed that its values changed considerably not only during the whole study period but also during one year (from 1.74 to 4.28). The land use analysis in the designated buffer zones stretching within 500 m and 1000 m from the water bodies showed that arable land occupied the largest area. This fact determines the ecological status of these water bodies. Ecotones that develop around ponds can function as biogeochemical barriers reducing pollution in the area. A total of 116 species of vascular plants were identified in the water bodies under study. Herbaceous plants constituted the largest group – 87 species. Trees and shrubs were represented by 16 species and macrophytes by 16 taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, particular attention has been paid to enhancing the meaning of natural regeneration, which is a part of the implementation of the concept of sustainable development and is one of the pillars of the natural direction of forest silviculture. Since the middle of the last century, the contribution of natural regeneration in Poland has been steadily increasing. The paper presents the analysis of density and variability of growth traits of natural regeneration of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in south-eastern Poland. The study involved four compartments, which were prepared with the use of tiller and plough (active and double mouldboard). Density of seedlings, their height and root collar diameter, were measured. Density and growth characteristics of seedlings were higher at the tiller area and furrow compared with nonscarified soil and ridge. The highest cover with herbaceous plant was reported in ridges and non-scarified soil, but in most of the analysed compartments, it had no effect on the density of seedlings. It was found that different methods for soil preparation create different conditions for germination of seeds, which is reflected in the number of seedlings and its growth traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tree species composition can influence the dynamics of herbaceous species and enhance the spatial heterogeneity of the soil. But there is very little evidence on how both overstorey structure and soil properties affect the spatial variation of the herb layer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the factors of the soil and overstorey structure by which it is possible to explain the fine-scale variation of herbaceous layer communities in an Eastern European poplar-willow forest. The research was conducted in the "Dnipro-Orils'kiy" Nature Reserve (Ukraine). The research polygon (48°30′51″N, 34°49″02″E) was laid in an Eastern European poplar-willow forest in the floodplain of the River Protich, which is a left inflow of the River Dnipro. The site consists of 7 transects. Each transect was made up of 15 test points. The distance between rows in the site was 3 m. At the site, we established a plot of 45×21 m, with 105 subplots of 3×3 m organized in a regular grid. The adjacent subplots were in close proximity. Vascular plant species lists were recorded at each 3×3 m subplot along with visual estimates of species cover using the nine-degree Braun-Blanquet scale. Within the plot, all woody stems ≥ 1 cm in diameter at breast height were measured and mapped. Dixon's segregation index was calculated for tree species to quantify their relative spatial mixing. Based on geobotanical descriptions, a phytoindicative assessment of environmental factors according to the Didukh scale was made. The redundancy analysis was used for the analysis of variance in the herbaceous layer species composition. The geographic coordinates of sampling locations were used to generate a set of orthogonal eigenvector-based spatial variables. Two measurements of the overstorey spatial structure were applied: the distances from the nearest tree of each species and the distance based on the evaluation of spatial density of point objects, which are separate trees. In both cases, the distance matrix of sampling locations was calculated, which provided the opportunity to generate eigenvector-based spatial variables. A kernel smoothed intensity function was used to compute the density of the trees' spatial distribution from the point patterns' data. Gaussian kernel functions with various bandwidths were used. The coordinates of sampling locations in the space obtained after the conversion of the trees' spatial distribution densities were used to generate a set of orthogonal eigenvector-based spatial variables, each of them representing a pattern of particular scale within the extent of the bandwidth area structured according to distance and reciprocal placement of the trees. An overall test of random labelling reveals the total nonrandom distribution of the tree stems within the site. The unexplained variation consists of 43.8%. The variation explained solely by soil variables is equal to 15.5%, while the variation explained both by spatial and soil variables is 18.0%. The measure of the overstorey spatial structure, which is based on the evaluation of its density enables us to obtain different estimations depending on the bandwidth. The bandwidth affects the explanatory capacity of the tree stand. A considerable part of the plant community variation explained by soil factors was spatially structured. The orthogonal eigenvector-based spatial variables (dbMEMs) approach can be extended to quantifying the effect of forest structures on the herbaceous layer community. The measure of the overstorey spatial structure, which is based on the evaluation of its density, was very useful in explaining herbaceous layer community variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lallemantia royleana (Benth.) Benth. (Family Lamiaceae), is one of the most popular medicinal plants in Iran. It is an herbaceous pant that is commonly known as "Lady mantle". The vernacular name of Lallemantia royleana's seed is Balangu or Balangu Shirazi that is used as a source of medicine. Medicinal plants are very important from economic point of view in Iran and several large industries are focused on medicinal plants cultivation, extraction and export. Therefore, providing data on the biology of these plants is important for the country. Lallemantia royleana grows in different parts of Iran and forms several local populations. Genetic, morphological and biochemical divergence of geographical populations are well known in plant species. We have no report on population genetic structure, genetic fragmentation, local adaptation and gen flow of Lallemantia royleana populations in the country. Therefore, the present population genetics investigation was programmed to produce data on above said questions. Randomly collected plants of 7 geographical regions were studied by ISSR molecular markers. This information can be used in hybridization and gene conservation of this medicinal plant in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perennial wall-rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) belongs to the Brassicaceae family. It has spread worldwide due to its functional properties, and has long been known in folk medicine of native populations in areas of the Mediterranean and western Asia. In the past, Diplotaxis tenuifolia was a herbaceous plant harvested and consumed as a spontaneous herb, but today it is an important leafy vegetable in ready-to-use salads, with an increasing impact in the national and international vegetable retail markets. The leaves of perennial wall-rocket have valuable nutritional properties because of the amounts of antioxidant compounds they contain, in particular glucosinolates, vitamin C, as well as flavonoids, which make their consumption beneficial for preventing some types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In the current review, major pre-harvest factors of Diplotaxis tenuifolia production, such as cropping systems, fertilization, as well as water management and irrigation, are addressed with respect to crop productivity and leaf quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to characterise herbaceous vegetation (meadows and ruderal communities) remaining after several decades of protection and compare it to the vegetation of currently managed local sites in the Central Forest Reserve, Tver Oblast, Russia. Cluster analysis of the communities was based on 209 relevés, while their ecological features were analysed using phytoindication assessment. The analyses revealed four types of herbaceous communities: managed mesic meadows, abandoned mesic meadows, tall-herb meadowsweet communities and ruderal tall-herb communities. These four types differ in management, floristic composition and ecological conditions as well as in coenotic and functional group shares (including forbs, graminoids and woody species). The occurrence of these species groups determines the current state of the herbaceous communities. Our study revealed that mesic meadows have retained all the key meadow features for more than 25 years without any management, although their area has shrunk and shares of coenotic and functional groups have changed. The observed herbaceous communities encompass around 40% of the reserve flora including four red list species and 16 alien species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines changes in alpine vegetation over 50 years in the Western Tatras part of the Western Carpathians Mountains in Slovakia. We focus on the following most widespread vegetation types: subalpine to subnival grasslands (alliance Juncion trifidi Krajina 1933), snowbed vegetation (alliance Festucion picturatae Krajina 1933) and dwarf-shrub vegetation (alliances Loiseleurio-Vaccinion Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl. et Jenny 1926 and Vaccinion myrtilli Krajina 1933). The historical 1971–1977 sampling dataset was re-sampled in 2016–2017 and our research is based on a comparison of 40 pairs of these relevés. Herein, we studied (i) changes in species frequencies; (ii) changes in phytodiversity and site conditions using estimates of Ellenberg’s eco-indices and (iii) comparison of historical and current relevés over time using the nonmetric multidimensional scaling gradient analysis (NMDS) ordination method. The frequency curves reveal differences; especially in the most frequent species at 37.5−80%, which reach higher values in the current data. The higher 7.5−25% value of medium-frequent species in the historical relevés indicates progressive homogenisation of the examined vegetation. In addition, the Shannon-Wiener index of individual vegetation types revealed no significant differences in diversity or average number of species. The historical relevés included 75 species while 74 were confirmed in the current data. Statistically significant differences were determined in light factor for all three vegetation groups. This was due to the retreat of some light-demanding species. While NMDS indicated changes in Festucion and Vaccinion relevés over time, the Juncion group relevés did not follow this trend, thus confirming their high stability. The observed changes between current and historical data are attributed to changes in climate and altered land use with the cessation of grazing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the impacts of canopy disturbance on vegetation compositional attributes of two characteristic temperate forests (i.e., mixed broad-leaf and banj-oak forests) in west Himalayan part of India. Following the standard approaches, quantitative information on compositional attributes of forest vegetation was generated and analyzed. Considerable changes in these attributes were revealed across different levels of canopy disturbance in both forests. In particular, tree density and total basal area (TBA) exhibited significant decline from undegraded to degraded stands. Among others, seedling and sapling density of mixed broad-leaf forest was affected adversely by increased level of canopy disturbance. However, herb density in this forest increased significantly with increasing levels of disturbance; the same was not true for banj-oak forest. A significant decline in relative frequency and density of native herbaceous species was apparent towards degraded stands, implying that the disturbed sites in both forests created an opportunity for the establishment and proliferation of non-natives. However, with significant increase in relative density of non-native herbs, the degraded stands of banj-oak forest emerged as critically vulnerable to non-native proliferation. The patterns of tree size class distribution in both forests also exhibited certain trends across canopy disturbance, which suggested possible future changes in composition. In particular, the patterns of common tree associates (i.e., Myrica esculenta and Rhododendron arboreum) in banj-oak forest and Pinus roxburghii in mixed broad-leaf forest were indicative of likely compositional changes in near future. The study concludes that: (i) compositional attributes of both mixed broad-leaf and banj-oak forests were sensitive to increasing levels of canopy disturbance, (ii) mixed broad-leaf forest exhibited greater sensitivity to canopy disturbance at recruitment levels, (iii) increased canopy disturbance led to establishment and proliferation of non-native species in the herbaceous layer of both forests, and (iv) banj-oak forest exhibited high vulnerability to non-native proliferation at degraded stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W procesach wytwarzania energii elektrycznej i cieplnej w wyniku spalania węgli powstają różnorodne odpady energetyczne. Odpady te należą do tzw. odpadów masowych. Przez dziesiątki lat stanowiły poważny problem środowiskowy, bowiem stopień ich gospodarczego wykorzystania był niezadowalający, a znaczna ich część była lokowana na składowiskach. Celem badań była ocena zawartości wybranych pierwiastków śladowych w roślinach zielnych porastających składowisko odpadów Elektrowni Skawina S.A. Pobierano materiał roślinny i glebę na czterech podstawowych kierunkach geograficznych, u podstawy nasypu, w jego środku oraz na koronie składowiska. W tak przygotowanym materiale przeprowadzono mineralizację suchą z roztwarzaniem w odniesieniu do roślin oraz mineralizację na mokro w odniesieniu do gleb. Oznaczenie kadmu, ołowiu, cynku i miedzi wykonano metodą AAS. Negatywny wpływ składowiska odpadów paleniskowych na porastającą go roślinność zielną potwierdzają obliczone wskaźniki fitokumulacji badanych pierwiastków (WF Cd - średni do intensywnego, WF Pb - słaby do średniego, WF Zn - słaby do intensywnego, WF Cu - słaby do średniego). Za najbardziej zanieczyszczoną analizowanymi pierwiastkami należy uznać roślinność zielną porastającą podstawę i środkową część obwałowania po stronie wschodniej składowiska. Jest to widoczne szczególnie w odniesieniu do zawartości kadmu kumulującego się w tych roślinach w stopniu intensywnym. W żadnej z badanych prób roślinnych nie zostały przekroczone dopuszczalne zawartości kadmu i ołowiu zawarte w Rozporządzeniu Ministra Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi, dotyczącego dopuszczalnych zawartości substancji niepożądanych w paszach. Nie stwierdzono jednoznacznej tendencji, co do zawartości badanych pierwiastków w roślinności porastającej charakterystyczne części obwałowania składowiska, tj. podstawę, część środkową i koronę. Wartości te kształtowały się bardzo nieregularnie w zależności od geograficznego kierunku pobrania prób.

Based on the results of 15 years of research in five regions in the steppe zone of Ukraine we have analysed the relationship between species of the subfamily Platyninae and the eight most significant ecological factors for litter macrofauna in forest ecosystems. In the forests of Ukraine Calathus ambiguus (Paykull, 1790) is a typical mesophile, with a slight preference for pine forests. C. erratus (C.R. Sahlberg, 1827) is at its most numerous in xeromesophilous moisture conditions with an average abundance of ants. C. fuscipes (Goeze, 1777) favours broadleaved forests with 40-80% tree crown density, a sparse herbaceous layer, and clay soil with high salinity. C. melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) is at its most numerous in forests with a deep litter layer with average soil salinity. Dolichus halensis (Schaller, 1783) is often found in forests with of low crown density and favours areas with high salinity. Anchomenus dorsalis (Pontoppidan, 1763) favours plots with scattered trees, thick grass, mesophilous moisture conditions and low abundance of ants. Limodromus krynickii (Sperk, 1835) inhabits forests with a thin litter layer, hygrophilous moisture conditions and soils with low salinity. Oxypselaphus obscurus (Herbst, 1784) inhabits moist areas of forests with acid, sandy soil. The methods used in this research allow a quantitative multiple level assessment of the ecological niches of different species of litter invertebrate to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the vegetation and seed deposits of free-flowing parts of a river with those regulated by straightening, as well as identifying the correlation between the breadth of the river-bed, existent vegetation and distribution of plant species along the river corridor. The 31 sampling plots in the Ukrainian Carpathians, at an equal distance of 4 km from each other, were positioned across different vegetation zones. Vegetation and seed bank data were collected. The study showed that effective distribution of plants has a place in native (non-regulated) river-corridors with a river-bed breadth of 15-30 m. The reduction and straightening of the river-bed decrease the number of species that can be dispersed along river. The percentage of seeds of alien species greatly increases, from 0,1% in the free-flowing to 10% in the regulated parts of rivers. River regulation causes transformation of native vegetation communities in these plots into associations of invasive herbaceous perennial species; such as associations of Helianthus tuberosus and Solidago gigantea. The analyses do not show a clear link between the breadth of the river-bed and number of invasive species in the vegetation community. The research suggests that river regulation has a clear negative effect on vegetation by decreasing the resistance of plant communities to alien species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire usually causes changes in the composition and diversity of herbaceous species. The present paper aimed to study the effect of repeated fire incidents on understory species diversity in the Saravan forests of Guilan Province located in the north of Iran. To do so, three 50-hectare areas with identical physiographical conditions and overstory (hand-planted softwood Pinus taeda) were selected. Seven fire incidences occurred for the 10-year period in one of the areas and the other area experienced three fire incidents within the same period. The area with no fire incidents was considered as the control area. All the fire incidents were surface ones. The systematic random method with a sample size 100 x 200 m was used for collecting data. Based on the above, 25 samples were determined in each area. The whole coverage of the understory was taken into consideration using Whittaker's method and the Domain criterion so as to calculate species diversity indices. The results showed that Shannon-Wiener diversity and Menhinick's richness in the regions which experienced 3 and 7 fire incidents were maximum and minimum, respectively, whereas no significant difference was seen between the regions with regard to Smith and Wilson's evenness index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Hippeastrum puniceum which is a naturalized herbaceous plant that can be found in Angola. It describes Hippeastrum puniceum which a bulbous perennial producing strap-shaped basal leaves that is native to the Caribbean and South America and produces funnel-shaped flowers. The plant is reportedly deemed as a valuable ornamental and cultivated in some countries for therapeutic use.