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More than 20 years after remedial measures were carried out, six plots (Š1 – Š6) at the Šobov locality were examined in more detail. From a pedological viewpoint, the physico-chemical differences of the soils in these areas are not the result of pedogenesis. This is the effect of extremely acidic mineralised solutions that have leaked from or are still leaking from the heap at the site. The plant community here is most often poor to weakly developed with acidophilic vegetation (Š1, Š2, Š5), without vegetation (Š4) or with dense species-rich vegetation (Š3, Š6). Saprotrophic microscopic fungi of the phylum Zygomycota are notably suppressed and their diversity is low. Species of the genera Absidia and Zygorhynchus were found most often. In contrast, the diversity of the phylum Ascomycota is notably high. The genera Penicillium (35 species), Aspergillus (7 species) and Trichoderma (5 species) are dominantly represented. Species of microscopic filamentous fungi in every soil sample that did not occur in the other samples were also recorded; i.e. they form the specific soil mycobiome of the given location. From the 15 types of keratinophilic fungi, the most commonly occurring were Purpureocillium lilacinum and Keithomyces carneus. Keratinolytic properties were recorded only in the species Trichophyton ajelloi. Soil reaction is the most important ecological factor that influences the biological properties of soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question: Which vegetation and soil parameters limit species establishment in restored grasslands? Do these parameters operate predominantly on a fine or a community scale? Location: White Carpathian Mountains, SE Czech Republic. Methods: We compared 16 grasslands restored on former arable land with 9 wellpreserved reference grasslands. We sampled cover of plant species in plots of 2 m × 2 m (community scale) in which four 20 cm × 20 cm subplots (fine scale) were nested. We quantified fine-scale heterogeneity as the mean Sørensen dissimilarity index among the species composition of the subplots. To characterize site conditions, we analyzed soil properties, above-ground plant biomass and its nutrient content. Results: Restored grasslands had a lower number of plant species at both the community and fine scales. Species number at the community scale was positively associated with the species number at the fine scale (irrespective of grassland type), but was not associated with fine-scale heterogeneity. This indicates the importance of fine-scale biotic interactions for overall species diversity. In support of this, in both grassland types, the species number was negatively associated with the cover of grasses, but only at the fine scale. Total cover (but not the biomass) was lower in restored grasslands, and was positively related with species number, particularly in restored grasslands. This indicates that the lower species number in the restored grasslands mainly resulted from deteriorated abiotic conditions. Such deterioration of the plant environment can be attributed particularly to the soil of the restored, formerly plowed grasslands. They had a lower soil organic matter content and a higher proportion of fine soil particles (silt and clay), indicating reduced soil water availability. The lower soil N content of restored grasslands was also reflected in the nutrient content of plant biomass, where lower N:P and N:K ratios indicated a limitation of plant growth by N-supply. Conclusion: The species number was generally driven by fine-scale biotic interactions, which operated similarly in both grassland types. The reduced number of plant species in restored grasslands is the result of several factors among which altered soil conditions in the former arable land appears to be highly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plant species comprise 21% of the Slovakian native flora. Thirteen species, we focused on, grew at a control site (botanical garden) and three natural sites with different ecological conditions. We described effects of irradiance and soil organic matter content on leaf functional traits, such are specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content. For the formation of plant functional groups according to different leaf characteristics, the metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) ordination diagram was applied. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) had a more significant effect on studied leaf traits than content of soil organic matter (SOM). Moreover, we studied plasticity of these leaf functional traits and formed plant functional groups based on them. Urtica dioica and Geum urbanum possessed the greatest plasticity of all studied species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]