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Late holocene history and vegetation dynamics of a floodplain alder carr: A case study from eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic

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Abstract

Vegetation development in the lowland floodplain alder carr “Na bahně” (eastern Bohemia, the Czech Republic) has been studied by means of pollen and macrofossil analyses and combined with vegetation analysis performed over the last 70 years. Local successional changes started with an oxbow lake (160 cal BC) which has later terrestrialised (630 cal AD). Then it changed from a typical alluvial fen into aSphagnum-dominated spring mire (950 cal AD) supplied by water arising from a river terrace surrounding the locality from three sites. In the centre of this wetland a small patch of alder carr developed (100 cal. AD), showing some tendency towards cyclic succession. The alder carr alternated several times with an openCarex fen (1100 cal AD to recent). The last fen-to-alder carr transition has been documented by direct observation during this century. Possible autogenic and allogenic factors driving the succession are discussed. The model of autogenic cyclic succession corresponds well with direct field observations and can be used to interpret alder carr structure, its dynamics, and function.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dukelská 143, CZ-379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic

    Petr Pokorný, Jitka Klimešová & Leoš Klimeš

  2. Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Petr Pokorný

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Pokorný, P., Klimešová, J. & Klimeš, L. Late holocene history and vegetation dynamics of a floodplain alder carr: A case study from eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic. Folia Geobot 35, 43–58 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803086

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