Classification of the Sieversio Montanae-Nardetum Strictae in A

Plant Ecol DOI 10.1007/s11258-010-9807-9 Classification of the Sieversio montanae-Nardetum strictae in a cross-section of the Eastern Alps Christian Lu¨th • Erich Tasser • Georg Niedrist • Josef Dalla Via • Ulrike Tappeiner Received: 21 April 2009 / Accepted: 15 June 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract The Sieversio montanae-Nardetum stric- land-use intensity the second and third, and the pH of tae is one of the most widespread plant communities the topsoil the fourth subassociation. For the Eastern in (sub-) alpine regions of the Alps. Our study Alps, the plant community of the Sieversio montanae- examines the composition, ecology and distribution Nardetum strictae should now be reclassified in the of this plant community in the Eastern Alps and order of Nardetalia and the class of Calluno-Ulicetea. addresses the issue of how the community is to be Finally, this plant community can be further classified classified in the phytosociological system of Nardus- by using the four above-mentioned subassociations. rich grasslands. Therefore, 357 vegetation releve´s were taken from the literature and 115 from our own Keywords Indicator values Á Indicator species Á inventories were recorded from 2005 to 2007 in Differential species Á Subassociation Á Western Austria (mostly Tyrol) and Northern Italy Land-use types Á European Alps (mostly South Tyrol). Additionally, indicator values of Ellenberg and land-use information were used to Abbreviations help better interpret the ecological site conditions of ANOVA Analysis of Variance the subgroups. The HCA revealed there the existence a.s.l. Above sea level of four groups of the Sieversio montanae-Nardetum DA Discriminant analysis strictae, which were classified to subassociations: (1) EIV Ellenberg indicator values typicum, (2) vaccinietosum, (3) trifolietosum praten- HCA Hierarchical cluster analysis sis, and (4) seslerietosum albicantis. Besides the ISA Indicator Species Analysis specific plant composition, altitude specifies the first, C. Lu¨th Á U. Tappeiner (&) Introduction Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Nardus-rich grasslands result from lightly used pas- e-mail: [email protected] tures or meadows (Peppler 1992). In central Europe, E. Tasser Á G. Niedrist Á U. Tappeiner because of preindustrial low land use (Peppler- Institut for Alpine Environment, European Academy of Lisbach and Petersen 2001), such grasslands were Bolzano/Bozen, Drususallee 1, 39100 Bozen, Italy most common and were to be found from forest-free lowlands up to high alpine regions (Preising 1949). J. Dalla Via Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry Laimburg, However, since the second half of the twentieth Laimburg 6, 39051 Pfatten, Italy century, due to intensification of land use in favorable 123 Plant Ecol agricultural areas as well as abandonment of areas that mica schist or calcareous marl (Grabherr and Mucina are difficult to manage (Lavorel et al. 1998; Tappeiner 1993). As the Sieversio montanae-Nardetum strictae et al. 1998; Bakker and Berendse 1999; Tasser and offers a wide range of growing conditions (Grabherr Tappeiner 2002; Niedrist et al. 2008), these grassland and Mucina 1993), a broad spectrum of species can be communities have been decreasing (Peppler-Lisbach found, although some of them are regionally restricted. and Petersen 2001). Nowadays, even though grassland Phytosociological classification has so far paid insuf- communities dominated by Nardus stricta can be ficient attention to the influencing factors such as land- found nearly all over the world (Krajina 1933; Kissling use intensity, altitude, pH and slope (Grabherr and et al. 2005; Trivedi et al. 2008), they are relicts of Mucina 1993; Peppler-Lisbach and Petersen 2001) and traditional land use (Peppler 1992; Peppler-Lisbach their combination among each other. and Petersen 2001) and are only extensively found in For alpine regions in Austria, grasslands dominated high alpine regions where they constitute a large part of by Nardus stricta are already classified into different the cultural landscape (Grabherr and Mucina 1993). alliances and classes (Grabherr and Mucina 1993; Sieversio montanae-Nardetum strictae dominates Mucina et al. 1993). In the montane regions, Nardus alpine pastures (Oberdorfer 1978), and the species grasslands belong to the order Nardetalia (class of Nardus stricta establishes a close sward population Calluno-Ulicetea) (Krahulec 1985; Krahulec 1988; since grazing animals do not eat this plant species Mucina et al. 1993). On the other hand, subalpine to (Ellenberg 1996). In addition to pastures, this plant alpine Nardus-rich grasslands refer to the association community also develops in meadows, where it of Sieversio montanae-Nardetum strictae (Lu¨di 1948), exhibits a variety of structural differences including which belongs to the monotypic alliance Nardion higher growth, increased frequency of tall forbs and strictae and the order Festucetalia spadiceae (class of the absence of higher dwarf-shrubs such as Rhodo- Caricetea curvulae) (Grabherr and Mucina 1993). dendron ferrugineum (Grabherr and Mucina 1993). However, classification problems arise, because the Such structural differences can be influenced by land- Sieversio montanae-Nardetum strictae contains char- use types. For example, in high alpine regions acter species from lowlands that are present in the meadows are mostly mown once a year, unfertilized order Nardetalia (e.g. Carex pallescens, Hypericum or fertilized with manure, and grazed in autumn after perforatum) and species that are restricted to the the return of livestock from high alpine summer alpine zone, as well as character species of the pastures (Knapp and Knapp 1952; Mucina et al. Festucetalia spadiceae (e.g. Geum montanum, Hypo- 1993). Moreover, abandonment of such areas does chaeris uniflora) (Grabherr and Mucina 1993; Mucina not inevitably lead to the disappearance of Nardus et al. 1993). Despite these classification difficulties, in stricta, because deer start to graze favorably in such their seminal article Peppler-Lisbach and Petersen areas, thereby keeping them clear and allowing scrub (2001) support the notion that the alliance of the and/or forest communities to begin to slowly colonize alpine Nardion strictae can be integrated into the order the land (Stu¨ssi 1970; Peppler 1992). However, Nardetalia as proposed by other authors (Oberdorfer literature detailing the differences or similarities in 1959, 1978; Marschall and Dietl 1974; Krahulec the species composition of the Sieversio montanae- 1983). Nardetum strictae is currently not available for the The Sieversio montanae-Nardetum strictae has Eastern Alps. already been classified by several authors for spatially In subalpine and alpine regions, the Sieversio limited regions (e.g. Lu¨di 1948; Braun-Blanquet montanae-Nardetum strictae establishes mostly 1949; Hartl 1963; Bischof 1981). Although Peppler between 1,800 and 2,200 m a.s.l. (Oberdorfer 1978), (1992) and Peppler-Lisbach and Petersen (2001) but is also found in lower regions at about 1,600 m divide the association into two subassociations with a.s.l. (Peppler-Lisbach and Petersen 2001). According two variants each, their data mainly refer to Germany, to the pH of the topsoil, the community establishes and only marginally include the Alps. For the Alps, usually above acidophilous bedrock (Gigon 1971; Heiselmayer (1985) divided the community into three Marschall and Dietl 1974; Oberdorfer 1978; Peppler subassociations; however, the author only refers to the 1992; Ellenberg 1996; Peppler-Lisbach and Schro¨der Radsta¨dter Tauern (Kleinarltal, Salzburg). Thus, to 2004), but is sometimes also found above calcareous date, a clear classification of this community in the 123 Plant Ecol Eastern Alps is still missing (Grabherr and Mucina calcareous sedimentary rocks in the northern and 1993). Therefore, the major objective of this study was southern regions and of silicate bedrock in the central to clearly and comprehensively classify the Sieversio massif, sometimes even with superimposed calcareous montanae-Nardetum strictae for the entire Eastern isles (Bo¨gel and Schmidt 1976, Fig. 1). The pH values Alps by (1) generating a detailed inventory of this plant of the topsoil (0–10 cm) range from 3.7 to 7.8 community, (2) characterizing subgroups, and (3) (Niedrist et al. 2008), whereas high pH values are examining distribution patterns of this community. mainly found above calcareous bedrock and low pH values above silicate bedrock (Scheffer et al. 2002). Methods Data collection Research area A total of 357 vegetation releve´s from 27 different sites were taken from the literature (Appendix 1) Most of the vegetation releve´s were taken from Tyrol after the method of Braun-Blanquet (1964). Thereby (Austria) and South Tyrol (Italy) with some coming the plot size ranges from 12 to 25 m2.We from Vorarlberg (Austria) and Trentino (Italy). The incorporated only data on vegetation releve´s having research area is situated between 47°360–46°140 N and exact information on land use, geographical coordi- 10°080–12°420 E and covers an area of about nates, and site factors. Unfortunately, the data set 20,000 km2 (Fig. 1). Annual precipitation ranges from from literature just partially covers the research 800 to 2,200 mm with maximum rainfall from June to area. To cover the research area entirely, we July and mean annual temperatures between 0 and 8°C consulted local experts (farmers, park rangers and (Fliri 1998). High ranges

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