Kovács I. (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 78. (Budapest 1986)
Szujkó-Lacza, J. ; Rajczy, M.: Similarity investigations on a loess steppe fragment in a forest-steppe in Hungary
ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 78. Budapest, 1986 p. 49-62. Similarity investigations on a loess steppe fragment in a forest-steppe in Hungary by J. SZUJKÓ-LACZA & M. RAJCZY, Budapest Abstract — A steppe spot in a forest in the Hungarian forest-steppe region was studied by different methods. Relevés containing true steppe vegetation were delimited from those containing foreststeppe or other types of vegetation with the aid of cluster and diversity analyses. In the steppe relevés the dominant grass species was Festuca valesiaca ssp. pseudodalmatica, while in the foreststeppe relevés Brachypodium pomatum was predominant. The steppe relevés (the centre of the examined spot) show similarity to the zonal Russian steppes in floristical composition in spite of the absence of Stipa species. With 8 figures and 4 tables. Introduction —• On the southern part of East and Central Europe (from SW-Russia through Bessarabia, Hungary, Slovakia, S-Moravia to NE-Austria), one can find areas of variable size covered by loess with steppe black soil (chernozem), degraded chernozem or brown forest soil developed on it (LAVRENKO 1940, MICHALKO —DZATKO 1965, KOVÁCS in ZÓLYOMI 1967, HORÁK 1980). These types of soil are rich in nutrients and the plant communities of the forest-steppe and steppe zone live here in zonal or extrazonal situation (LAVRENKO 1940, ZÓLYOMI 1956). Species number in this vegetation zone is probably one of the highests under the temperate climate. The original vegetation has been removed from most of this zone because the advantageous characters of these soils render these areas suitable for cultivation and for grazing. The remaining more or less undisturbed vegetation spots have been thoroughly studied by various botanists. The loess forest-steppe (Germ. Waldsteppe; Russ. lesostep), forest and steppe vegetation were studied by KELLER (1916, 1923), SZAFER (1936), BORZA (1937), KOTOV & KARNAUKH (1940), LAVRENKO (1940), WILHELMY (1943), MEUSEL (1954-55), ZÓLYOMI (1957, 1958, 1967), ELAGIN (1963), MATVEEVA (1963), MICHALKO—DZATKO (1965), DOHMAN (1968), HORÁK (1980). Thefloristic composition of the loess steppe in Mezőföld (Hungary, close to the Danube river) was first described by MENYHÁRT (1877) and later by BOROS (1953, 1959); and that of Dunaföldvár was described by ENDRÉDI & HORVÁTH (1979). The loess steppe plant community: Salvia (nutanti-nemorosae ) — Festucetum sulcatae pannonicum was first studied by ZÓLYOM (1958) and a geographical variant of this association in Hungary (tibiscense ) was described by JANKÓ and ZÓLYOMI (1962). Forest-steppe and steppe plant species often occur on the forest tracks of the loess forest-steppe forest community : Aceri iatarico-Quercetum pubescenti-roboris (hungaricum), because felling opened the forest artificially, thus providing sufficient light conditions for these species (ZÓLYOMI 1957). Studying the flora of the loess forest "Kerecsendi berek erdő" we noted a patch of vegetation on a relatively wide forest-road (7 meters here) which appeared to be a true steppe fragment. The following questions were raised: — Is this patch of vegetation a true steppe fragment with a specific species composition or is it only the edge of the forest-steppe? — Ifit is a real steppe spot, can it coexist with the forest for an extended period? — Is there any relationship between the width of the road and the existence of the steppe fragment? •— Is this fragment related to the extensive zonal steppes or to the forest-steppes? 4 Term. Tud. Múz. Évk. 1986.
