Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok III. - Natura Somogyiensis 12. (Kaposvár, 2008)

Salamon-Albert Éva-Horváth Ferenc: Vegetation of Külső-Somogy in Hungary I.

Discussion In our study we have discussed the areal proportion, distribution and regional spatial patterns of woody habitat types at landscape scale in Külső-Somogy. Analysing regional extension data, more than a half territory of woodlands is covered by semi-natural woody vegetation, mainly by the mesic woody habitats. Uncharacteristic or disturbed woodlands have the second major areal proportion in the region. Dry semi-natural woody habitat types are in subordinated position principally in the central-northern and south-eastern parts. Shrub habitats are concomitants or substituents of semi-natural habitat patches. Studying spatial attributes it is established that quadrats with larger summarized territory of woodlands have a larger proportion of semi-natural woody habitat types. Parts having less woodland territories are rich in uncharacteristic woody stands. Habitat diversity is bigger in woody-rich quadrats in the case of mesic woodlands while habitat diversity is smaller in woody-poor quadrats in the case of dry and rocky woodlands. The actual hydrological status is not determining the occurrence of woody habitat types or patches distribution with exception of certain habitat types (e.g. beechwoods). Outside parts along the Sió channel and Kapos river are really poor in any kind of woodlands. Settlements of Külső-Somogy are not seemed to be the hampering or endangering factors for woodland existence or spreading. After all we could presume that spatial patterns of woody habitat types are influenced by not the natural but the human impacts like land use and forest management. Acknowledgements Data for the analyses were delivered from META workgroup, Institute of Ecology and Botany of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Vácrátót, Hungary). The project was financed by the grant of OM-NKFP/2002: "Magyarország természetes növényzeti örökségének felmérése és összehasonlító értékelése". Further participating botanists: Bódis J., Botta-Dukát Z., Csiky J., Dávid J., Friedrich A., Horváth A., Szalóky I., Juhász M., Kádár G., Király G., Mányoki G., Ortmann-Ajkai A., Pándi I., Pfeiffer N., Szabó A., Varga A. and Zsidákovits J. contributed to field data collection. Thanks for OrtmannAjkai A. for the supervision of early version of the manuscript.