The aim of the experiment was to determine suitable substrate type and optimal plant size for transfer of plantlets from in vitro to ex vitro under experimental outdoor conditions. Tests focused on the effect of substrate type (muddy and sandy) and starting size of plantlets gained through in vitro seed germination (0-3, 3.1-5,5.1-6, 6.1-10 cm) on plant growth. Three parameters (fresh weight, length, and the number of leaves) were compared to evaluate growth. Basic water parameters in experimental water tanks were regularly measured (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, shadow intensity) and controlled to reach similar conditions to those in the natural habitat of this species. Overwintering was studied in a cellar with newly defined size categories (<6, 6.1-8, 8.1-10, 10.1-12, 12.1-15 cm). Both substrate type and starting size of plantlets significantly impacted growth. Plantlets grew better in the muddy substrate while a 100% success rate of rooting was gained with a starting size of 6.1-10 cm in both substrates. The biggest increase in fresh weight was observed with a starting size of 3.1-5 cm and 5.1-6 cm in both substrates. The greatest increase in fresh weight was observed in plants with a starting size of 3.1-5 cm in the muddy substrate (more than 95% increase). The best overwintering results were gained in the 6.1-8 cm size category.
Post-industrial sites form a unique phenomenon in the landscape. They enable us to study the human-altered succession of communities. Regarding this, we studied an ant community in three types of habitats – reclamation and spontaneous succession in an ore basin together with unaltered surroundings in the Czech Republic. More than 30 years after being abandoned, the site with spontaneous succession was more species rich than the reclaimed one. Moreover, spontaneous succession created a habitat that was more similar regarding ant diversity to the unaltered surrounding environment than that after traditional reclamation. Ants dependent on tree vegetation were rather rare in both the reclaimed and spontaneous succession parts of the ore basin compared to the surrounding landscape. The relative abundance of socially parasitic ants increases in a gradient from the reclaimed basin, through the basin with spontaneous succession to the unaltered surroundings. Our study highlighted the fact that the formation of ant communities at post-industrial sites is clearly more complicated than for other arthropods, including related aculeate hymenopterans. The potential of both reclaimed and spontaneous succession basins for harbouring endangered species appeared to be lower for ants than for other taxa indicated by recent studies.
This study deals with populations of the European-South-Siberian geoelement Adenophora liliifolia (L.) A. DC. in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland, where this species has its European periphery distribution. We studied the population size, genetic variability, site conditions, and vegetation units in which A. liliifolia grows. Recent and historical localities of A. liliifolia were ranked into six vegetation units of both forest and non-forest character. A phytosociological survey showed differences in the species composition among localities. Only a weak pattern of population structure was observed (only 22% of total genetic variation present at the interpopulation level, AMOVA analysis), with moderate values for gene diversity (Hj = 0.141) and polymorphism (P = 27.6%). Neighborjoining and Bayesian clusterings suggest a similar genetic background for most of the populations from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, contrary to the populations from Hungary, Romania, as well as two populations from Central and South Slovakia. This might be explained by a relatively recent fragmentation of the A. liliifolia populations in Central Europe. Nevertheless, it seems that several populations in Romania, South Hungary, and Slovakia were isolated for a longer period of time and their genetic differentiation is more evident.
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