SPECIES RESTITUTION – A WAY TO IMPROVE FLORISTIC DIVERSITY OF MEADOW COMMUNITIES IN „SKARPA URSYNOWSKA” NATURE RESERVE (POLAND) Maria JANICKA1*, Bogumiła PAWLUŚKIEWICZ2 1Department of Agronomy, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, Poland 2Department of Environmental Improvement, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, Poland *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract The landscape reserve „Skarpa Ursynowska” is one of the 12 nature reserves situated in Warsaw (Poland). It was created in 1996 to protect piece of the high Vistula escarpment along with meadows and peat bogs of high natural values, which are located at the foot of Vistula escarpment. Cessation of management (from 1998 year) and the neglected, non-functioning drainage system for many years, as well as the storm canal banks covered with the concrete, have contributed to changes in habitat conditions and in botanical composition of post-marsh meadow communities. Floristic impoverishment of meadow communities, development of herbaceous (mainly willow) communities and invasive, arable land weeds and ruderal plants were demonstrated. These communities were characterized by small natural values, which reduced the aesthetic and landscape value of the reserve. The inadequate protection status of the meadow communities of the “Skarpa Ursynowska” reserve obliges to take action to stop the above mentioned processes and to restore the multi-species meadow communities. For this purpose, seedlings of wild flowers, dicotyledonous plant species (grown in laboratory conditions from seeds obtained from natural sites) were planted. The studies were carried out during 2015–2016. The growth and development of plants, the condition and range of the populations and the threats of 22 plant species were determined. It was found that most populations of species from drier habitats survived and unsuccessful were especially species with higher water requirements. On that basis, further protective measures were established. Keywords: Restitution of meadow species, wild flowers, post-marsh meadow, „Skarpa Ursynowska” nature reserve, Poland. Introduction The flora of the meadows and pastures is one of the most endangered elements of the vegetation. The impoverishment of the floristic diversity is being observed in the whole world, in various types of grassland communities (Pärtel et al., 2005). The threat to the Polish flora, although lesser than in Western Europe, increases rapidly (Trąba et al., 2006; Warda and Kozłowski, 2012; Kucharski, 2015). The community of floristic-rich “lowland hay meadows” Arrhenatherion elatioris (6510-1), for example, becomes more and more sparse. It is typical for the areas outside the rivers’ floods, on the eutrophic and mesotrophic habitats, not especially humid or dry. Thanks to colourfully flowering plants these meadows belong to the most decorative elements of the landscape (Kozłowski, 2002). The most important reasons of the decreasing in floristic diversity of the meadows are the habitats’ fragmentation and their degradation, caused mainly by the irrational human activity (Plantureux et al., 2005; Winter et al., 2008). More than 1/3 of the threatened species in Poland dies because of too small ranges of the local plant populations (Falińska, 2004). The excessive drying of the habitats, especially on the organic soils, influences the intensification of the decomposition 1800 process, the mineralisation of organic substance and the decreasing in physicoaquatic properties of the soils (Kozłowska, 2005). These changes are progressed due the abandonment of management, what causes negative changes in the species composition of the meadow communities (Zarzycki and Misztal, 2010; Sienkiewicz-Paderewska et al., 2012; Janicka et al., 2016). It is being evaluated that the half of grassland in Poland is neglected or degraded, and the part – excluded from use. The improvement of the floristic diversity of the meadows’ communities requires the active protection and the restoration of the flora. The choice of the method depends on the species, the restoration area and financial possibilities (Hedberg and Kotowski, 2010; Scotton et al., 2012). The seedlings’ production and planting is the best method of the rare and threatened species’ introduction, which dispersal is limited, and the species of low light, nutrients and water-competition, what effects the low survivability of the seedlings and young plants in the presence of primary sward (Walker et al., 2004; Wallin et al., 2009). The aim of the studies was the evaluation of the possibilities of increasing in meadow communities’ floristic diversity as the result of species introduction to the impoverished meadow-patches dominated by Arrenatherum elatius in the landscape reserve “Skarpa Ursynowska” and the restoration of its environmental values, basically the landscape and aesthetical functions. Material and methods The study area. The landscape reserve “Ursynowska Slope” is one of the twelve natural reserves in Warsaw (Poland). It was established in 1996 to protect the part of the high Vistula Slope (the highness of the slope in the reserve area – 5-18 metres, gradient 24-600) with the meadows and peatlands of high natural value at its background (20,8 ha, the insulation cover 155,35 ha) (The Edict, 1996; 2011). That area is the part of Warsaw Area of the Protected Landscape (The Edict, 2007). It is characterised by the presence of 126 taxa of the vascular plants, including Dryopteris cristata, the threatened species (Category V according to Zarzycki et al., 2002) (Wysocki and Budzikowski, 1996; Grabowska, 2016). Amongst the mycobiota three species from The Red Book of Polish Plants and Fungi are being noticed (Snopek 2016). The reserve serves as the migration corridor, provides the nesting or breeding sites for the amphibians, birds and mammals. It is the refuge for the invertebrates with many rare species, including daylight butterflies, such as Lycaena dispar, Polyommatus bellagrus and Cupido argiades (Kozłowski and Sielezniew, 1996; Snopek, 2016). The meadow site covers 12 quarters (10.7 ha). It was drained and managed in the years 1952- 1953. In the seventies and eighties of XX century the intensive pasture-meadow management was carried out on that area. After the system transformation the management was limited to the one, summer cut. Since 1998 the meadow communities are not being mowed. The water conditions are being shaped with constant groundwater inflow from under the slope and frequent surface runoff. As the result the low peats on the loose sands were developed (Pawłat et al., 1996). On the majority of the meadow area the muck soils, subtype peaty-muck (30-40 centimetres of muck layer) with strongly decomposed peat (25-50 centimetres) are present. Below the sandy formations and locally gyttja occur. The soils in the root layer characterise themselves by very large amounts of phosphorus (more than 1050 mg P∙kg-1 d.m. of the soil), very small amounts of potassium (85-228 mg K∙kg-1 d.m. of the soil) and pH in the range from 5.5 to 6.8 (Janicka et al., 2016). The groundwater level maintains during the vegetation period at 60-90 (120) cm. The surveys were carried out in the years 2015-2016. The vegetation period in 2015 was unusually warm and dry, the Vinczeffy hydrothermic index was equal only to 0.091 mmC-1. The July, August and September were described as extremely dry (Vinczeffy, 1984). The winter period 2015/2016 characterised itself by low temperatures and the lack of snow 1801 coverage. In 2016 the summer was not such hot as in 2015 and the hottest month was June. The water supply for the plants was generally good. The methods. In the spring of 2015 (after the previous cutting of sward) twenty two native plant species were introduced to the Arrhenatherion elatioris community (Tab.1). The diasporas were collected on the meadows of PLH 140016 protection area near Mniszew (Kozienice county, Mazovian voivodeship) in 2014. The seedlings from the laboratory were planted in the northern part of the reserve (geographical coordinates 52o16’ N; 21o05 E). The following parameters were being determined: (1) the plants’ growth and development – once a month the heights were measured, in three points on the diagonal of the area covered by peculiar species and the developing phase was determined, (2) the community range (in cm2), (3) the community condition in the 5-points scale: very poor condition, more than 80% of the plants wither or yellow, poor condition, 50-80% of the plants wither or yellow, average condition, 30-50% of the plants wither or yellow, good condition, 5-30% of the plants wither or yellow, very good condition, plants brightly green, traces of withering or yellowing. The results were analysed statistically with use of the variance analyses (ANOVA) and the Tukey test with significance level 0.05. Table 1. The characteristics of the plant species planted in the reserve “Ursynowska Slope” Species* Family Life Dura- Plant Height form bility no. (cm) 1 Achillea millefolium L. Asteraceae H B 48 21.6 2 Allium angulosum L. Amaryllidaceae G B 13 24.4 3 Armeria maritima (MILL.) WILLD. Plumbaginaceae H B 33 5.6 4 Artemisia campestris L. Asteraceae C B, S 17 12.3 5 Centaurea stoebe L. Asteraceae H B, D 22 14.6 6 Cnidium dubium (SCHKUHR) THELL. Apiaceae H B 1 25 7 Dianthus deltoides L. Caryophyllaceae C B 14 10.8 8 Eryngium planum L. Apiaceae H B 27 11.2 9 Galium boreale L. Rubiaceae H B 17 44.8 10 Hypericum perforatum L. Hypericaceae H B 25 14 11 Inula britannica L. Asteraceae H B 7 2.7 12 Lysimachia vulgaris L. Primulaceae H B 48 17.7 13 Lythrum salicaria L. Lythraceae H B 9 49 14 Plantago lanceolata L. Plantaginaceae H B 17 22.9 15 Potentilla erecta (L.) RAEUSCH. Rosaceae H B 42 7.9 16 Rumex acetosa L. Polygonaceae H B 9 14.9 17 Sanguisorba officinalis L. Rosaceae H B 1 22.2 18 Scabiosa ochroleuca L. Dipsacaceae H B, D 22 14.1 19 Thalictrum flavum L.