KLÍMA-21 Füzetek 61. szám - VAHAVA Hálózat

192 „KLÍMA-21” FÜZETEK: KLÍMAVÁLTOZÁS – HATÁSOK – VÁLASZOK
EFFECT OF CLIMATIC VARIABILITY
ON THE RESTORATION SUCCESS OF OPEN SANDY GRASSLANDS
By
TÖRÖK, KATALIN – LOHÁSZ, CECÍLIA – SZITÁR, KATALIN
Keywords: drought index, life form strategies, climate change, mowing, aridification.
Drought periods are a major reason of vegetation stress in the Hungarian lowland. The effect
of climate was investigated in relation to life form traits in a restoration project aiming to restore
endemic grassland community in former black locust plantations. Black locust plantations are
species poor habitats and respresent a threat to biodiversity by invading surrounding seminatural
habitats. After clear-cutting of black locust plantations, resprouting was hindered by chemical
treatment, while weed abundance was decreased by mowing and hay removal. The vegetation of
the treated and of the control plots became different over the 8 years, but composition and species
abundance were still far from the target endemic grassland community (Festucetum vaginatae)
by 2003. Increased drought resulted in lower vegetation cover in both the control and the treatment
plots. Species in different life form groups responded differently. Negative correlation was
found between the abundance of spring annuals and perennial monocots with drought, while the
correlation between perennial dicots and summer annuals with drought was positive. Only summer
annuals showed different sensitivity in the control and the treatment plots (not significantly),
as drought resulted in higher cover in mowed plots. This is not necessarily a response to less precipitation,
as reduced competition and increased open space can also contribute to higher cover.
Altogether it was found that the share of different species groups and their response to drought
contributed to different vegetation development in the control and the treatment plots.
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AMPHIBIANS
By
PUKY, MIKLÓS
Keywords: climate change, amphibians, Hungarian observations.
Climate change increasingly threatens several animal groups, primarily aquatic or semiaquatic
species, such as amphibians, which have small migration radius and complex habitat
requirements. Long term data sets indicate that recent climate changes influence the distribution,
survival, extinction, morphology and reproduction biology of certain species. Several
observations are available on population size changes and successful colonisation of new
areas due to weather-dependent factors in Hungary. Besides, the green toad (Epidalea viridis)
was recorded to have two successful reproductive cycles within a year in 2008, which had
not been recorded before. The limited information available suggests that long-term study
of all amphibian species in different habitat types is called for to describe climate-induced
alterations in order to provide a firm basis for future conservation interventions if necessary.