B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 34. 2003 (Budapest, 2003)

Szurdoki, Erzsébet: Peat mosses of North Hungary

The place Lókosár is situated near Aggtelek village. The bedrock is calcareous, thus the Sphagnum patches could establish only in sites of special local conditions (SOMLYAY and Lőkös 1999). The Zemplén Mts is the easternmost part of the Northern Mountain Range. The subsequent zonal associations, from lower to higher elevations, are usually dominated by oaks, hornbeam and beech and there are also extensive planted spruce forests. Peat moss occurrences are in the northern part of the range, dominated by acidophilous oak and beech forests (Luzulo-Genisto tinctoriae-Quercetum, Luzulo-Deschampsio-Fagetum) with numerous Carpathian and acidofrequent floristical elements. In the degraded parts of the forests birch stands appear mixed with heath patches (Betulo-Callunetum). On open slopes, extensive presence of Nardetum is observed. The Komlóska and Kemence valley system contains numerous Sphagnum occurrences in montane alder forests, fens and even on the dryer parts of meadows (VAJDA 1969, SIMON 1970, 1977, VOJTKÓ and MARSCHALL 1995, SZURDOKI et al. 2000). In the Bcreg Plain five mires were investigated: Nyíres-tó, Báb-tava, Bence-tó, Zsid-tó and Navad. The Bereg Plain, in the northeastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain, is somewhat colder and more humid than the rest of the Plain. Its mires are developed in oxbow lakes. Nyíres-tó and Báb-tava are bogs with various plant communities; the oligotrophic ones (e.g. Eriophoro vaginati-Sphagnetum, Carici lasioearpae-Sphagnetum recurvi, Betulo pubescenti-Sphagnetum) are in the centre of the mires while marsh and swamp communities are adjacent to these. Both mires have been supplied by artificial water replenishment since 1986. Navad mire was similar to the above ones but a fire has damaged it in 1967. Only a few Sphagnum patches have survived the fire, and after the artifical water replenishment they have totally disappeared (FlNTHA 1994). Recently, small alder swamps and large patches of Salix cinerea. Typha latifolia or Glyceria maxima dominate this pond. Lake Zsid-tó is covered by alder and willow swamps with numerous floating islands. Bence-tó has open-water surface in the centre, but its size and deepness has changed several times in the past. The open water is surrounded by different associations of Salix cinerea and other marsh and tall-sedge communities. In 1998 the mire received natural water replenishment, the water table became much higher and all Sphagna have disappeared. The peat mosses lived under willow shrubs in the outer part of the mire (SIMON 1992, NAGY 2002, SZURDOKI and NAGY 2002). The Bátorliget Nature Reserves and Júlia-major are situated in the Nyírség, in NE Hungary, which is also part of the Great Hungarian Plain. The relief of the Nyírség is determined by different sand formations. Mean annual temperature (10 °C) is lower here than in other parts of the Plain. The annual precipitation is about 550 mm, with a maximum in July (BORSY 1961 ). The Bátorliget Nature Reserves is a complex of different vegetation types including mires, marshes, fens, flooded forests and oak-forest. The reserve is surrounded by agricultural land and large parts of the reserve bear some signs of earlier human impact {e.g. drainage). In the last half century the potential distribution of different wetland communities has decreased dramatically (SOÓ 1953, STANDOVÁR et al. 1991). Together with his colleagues Standovár found one small patch of peat moss, which has disappeared in the last decade. The Júlia-liget is situated near Piricse village in the vicinity of the Bátorliget Nature Reserves. This is a complex of meadows, fens and swamp communities. There are several peat moss patches on the floor of a Salici pentandrae-Betuletum pubescentis stand (JAKAB and LESKU 1995, 1996, LES KU and JAKAB 1997, JAKAB 1997).