Scholarly record
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PROPERTIES OF SOIL, TREE STAND AND GROUND COVER VEGETATION IN SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS L.) STAND IN HYLOCOMIOSA FOREST SITE TYPE IN LATVIA
Abstract
In spite that the Hylocomiosa is the second most widespread forest site type in Latvia, the correlations between soil properties, stand structure and ground cover vegetation remain insufficiently studied. The hypothesis of soil heterogeneity within a single forest site type was in ground to research the connection between the woody and ground cover vegetation and the soil parameters within the area of single forest sub quarter. The research was conducted in a young growth of Scots pine, which was characterized using measurements in six sample plots. Ground vegetation was assessed using the Braun-Blanquet and point-quadrat method. Soil was characterized through soil pit descriptions and laboratory analyses (pH, organic matter content, hydrolytic acidity, soil texture, soil type according the Latvian and World Reference Base soil classification systems). Four different soil types were identified across the sample plots of the studied forest stand. A total of 77 ground vegetation species were recorded. The biological diversity characterizing Shannon index ranges between from 2.24 and 3.02 across sample plots. The hypothesis was confirmed - soil type significantly affects both the stand dendrometrical indices and ground cover vegetation diversity. Ellenberg indicator values, particularly the soil pH indicator values, demonstrate that ground vegetation species composition reflects actual soil properties.
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