The current state of relic rocky grasslands with Sesleria tatrae and Calamagrostis varia in the Eastern Sudetes (Śnieżnik Massif, SW Poland)

Abstract

The unique, basophilic rocky grasslands on the Pulinka rock near Kletno in the Śnieżnik Massif (Eastern Sudetes) have been known since the 1960s. The aim of the study was to, re-analyze the status of this plant community with reference to species composition, functional structure, habitat conditions and syntaxonomic position 50 years afer its discovery, and first description. For this purpose, we used archival and contemporary data. The obtained results revealed close compositional similarity between the vegetation plots collected in 1968 and 2022. The abundance of relic species documented in phytosociological relevès has remained constant (Sesleria tatrae, Galium anisophyllon) or increased (Scabiosa lucida). Additionally, the first locality of Calamagrostis varia was found on the Pulinka – a species not yet recorded in the Sudetes. On the other hand, some regular fluctuations in the abundance of sporadic species were observed. However, these were not reflected in changes in community-weighted means for environmental variables (temperature, light, nutrients, soil reaction, and moisture) and functional traits (specific leaf area, seed mass, and leaf dry matter content). We also found no differences in the functional diversity index (FD Rao) between the first and last surveys. Therefore, the lack of temporal changes in the main ecological features may indicate a high stability of the studied grasslands despite the pressure of external factors (progressive climate warming and nitrogen deposition). The phytosociological analysis carried out suggests that the studied community belongs to the class Elyno-Seslerietea and the order Seslerietalia caeruleae. However, due to the unusually poor species composition of the studied rocky grasslands, we did not find it currently possible to classify them at the alliance and association level. This requires further studies and classification based on broader data, including Western Carpathian calcicolous swards.