The vegetation relevés stored electronically in the Czech National Phytosociological Database are reviewed. The database was established in 1996, with the central database located in the Department of Botany, Masaryk University, Brno (www.sci.muni.cz/botany/database.htm). On 15 November 2002 this central database contained 54,310 relevés from the Czech Republic, collected by 332 authors between 1922–2002. Ca. 54% of the relevés were taken from published papers or monographs, 21% from theses and the rest from various unpublished reports and field-books. These relevés include 1,259,008 records of individual plant species. Territorial coverage of the country by the reléves is irregular as the areas with attractive natural or semi-natural vegetation are more intensively sampled, with gaps in coverage of less attractive or poorly accessible areas. Most relevés are of broad-leaved deciduous forests (Querco-Fagetea), meadows (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea), dry grasslands (Festuco-Brometea), and marsh grasslands (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea). The quality of the data is discussed, such as researcher bias, preferential selection of sampling sites, spatial autocorrelation and missing values for some data elements.
A series of maps showing the level of invasion of the Czech Republic by alien plants was developed based on a quantitative assessment of the level of invasion of 35 terrestrial habitat types at different altitudes. The levels of invasion were quantified for 18,798 vegetation plots, using two measures: proportion of the species that are aliens and total cover of alien species. Separate assessments were made for archaeophytes and neophytes. Within each habitat, the level of invasion was related to altitude using generalized linear models. The level of invasion, depending on the measure used, decreased with altitude in 16 out of 20 habitats for archaeophytes and 18 out of 23 for neophytes. In two habitats, one measure of the level of invasion increased with altitude for archaeophytes. The values of the level of invasion predicted by generalized linear models for particular combinations of habitats and altitudes were projected onto a land-cover map and digital elevation map of the country. Four maps showing the level of invasion were produced, based on the proportion of the species that are archaeophytes or neophytes, and cover of archaeophytes and neophytes. The maps show that both archaeophytes and neophytes are most common in lowland agricultural and urban areas, whereas they are sparsely represented in mountainous areas. At middle altitudes, agricultural areas are more invaded than forested areas. Outside agricultural and urban areas, high levels of invasion are found especially in lowland sandy areas and river corridors.
A phytosociological synthesis of weed vegetation of southern Moravia (Czech Republic) was performed using the Braun-Blanquet approach. Gradsect sampling, i.e. a priori stratified selection of sampling sites, was used for the field survey. Using this method, 115 quadrants of the Central European mapping grid (6 × 5.6 km) were chosen. Three hundred and ten relevés recorded in 1997–2002 were classified, based on the Cocktail method, which defines sociological species groups and then creates formal definitions of vegetation units. In total, nine associations of the class Stellarietea mediae were distinguished in southern Moravia. Three associations were included in the alliance Caucalidion lappulae (Lathyro-Adonidetum, Euphorbio-Melandrietum, Veronicetum hederifoliotriphylli) and three in the alliance Scleranthion annui (Aphano-Matricarietum, SperguloScleranthetum, Erophilo-Arabidopsietum). For each of the alliances Veronico-Euphorbion, Spergulo-Oxalidion and Panico-Setarion one association was distinguished, respectively, SetarioFumarietum, Panico-Chenopodietum polyspermi and Echinochloo-Setarietum pumilae . Species composition of these associations is documented in a synoptic table. Their structure, ecology, and distribution are commented.