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

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

Submediterranean dry and mesophilous grasslands (Brometalia erecti Br-Bl. 1936) have some patches in the Eastern part of the region connected to the surfaces covered by sedimented sand or loess. Their compositional and structural features mainly depend on grazing regime resulted in spreading some dominant grass species (Bromus erectus, Brachypodium pinnatum, Briza media, Festuca rupicolá) (SZABÓ et al 2006). Diversity of various arable weed communities would be mentioned among non-woody vegetation types, but they don't afford to MÉTA method and protocol. Data collection Field data collection was executed between 2003-2006 as a grid-based, satellite-image supported (SPOT4), multi-attributed, large-scale mapping method so called META (Molnár et al 2007). It is based on Á-NÉR2003 mapping and habitat guide (MOLNÁR 2003, BÖLÖNI et al 2003). The goals of the research were: 1) to collect data of all natural and semi-natural habitat types in Hungary 2) to create maps of semi-natural vegetation patches and 3) to evaluate landscapes with vegetation types and their attributes as well, 4) to evaluate territorial extension and spatial distribution of the wastelands that could be the basis of grassland regeneration. The database is constructed on a hexagon grid system of 35 hectars covering the whole area of the country as the primary mapping units (HORVÁTH et al 2008). Approximately 100 hexagons are associated into a quadrat at landscape scale as a secondary mapping unit. In hexagons main existing habitat types, their roughly estimated areas and several vegetation attributes are listed (e.g. naturalness, neighbourhood, land use). This multi-attributed database is suitable to determine natural-based habitat quality, to estimate the relations of the wastelands in the Hungarian landscape and to compose the prognosis of future changes for vegetation and landscape. For more details see MOLNÁR et al (2007). Data analysis In our work we present landscape characteristics and habitat types of non-woody habitats in Külső-Somogy region. On the basis of MÉTA method a non-statistical quantitative analysis and evaluation was carried out on one hand, spatial thematic maps were constructed for displaying the actual semi-natural grasslands and wastelands and their spatial patterns at broad (landscape) scale on the other. Occurrence and relative areal proportion (ha) of non-woody habitat types and habitat groups were calculated and compared with each other. Habitat diversity was defined as the number of habitats or the occurrence of their landscape patches. Most important non-woody habitat types, habitat groups and associated habitat groups were displayed on GIS thematic maps with appropriate additional layers (e.g. settlements, hydrological and geographical elements) using ESRI Arc View 3.3 software from valid hexagons of 95 quadrats. Habitat types in hexagons of 6 quadrats were estimated by the aerial photo owing to missing data. Basic non-woody habitat types and their abbreviations: Al - Standing water communities with Trapa, Lemna, Salvinia and Ceratophyllum, A23 - Euhydrophyte communities with Nymphaea, Nuphar, Utricularia and Stratiotes, A3a - Slowly running water communities with Potamogeton and Nymphoides, Bla - Eu- and mesotrophic reed and Typha beds, Bib - Oligotrophic reed and Typha beds of fens, floating fens, B2 Glyceria, Sparganium and Schoenoplectus beds, B3 - Water-fringing helophyte beds with Butomus, Eleocharis and Alisma, B4 - Tussock sedge communities, B5 - Non-tussock beds of large sedges, B6 - Salt marshes, BA - Mosaic/Zonation of marsh communities of channels, ditches and artificial lakes, CI - Soft and hard water flushes, D2 Molinia meadows, D34 - Mesotrophic meadows, D5 - Water-fringing and fen tall herb communities, D6 - Tall herb communities of floodplans and marshes, El -