Wetland vegetation in the sub(alpine) zone of the West Carpathians (Poland, Slovakia) was studied with particular reference to the following questions: (i) What are the main types of (sub)alpine fen, bog and spring vegetation above the timberline in the West Carpathians? (ii) Which major environmental gradients are associated with the variation in floristic composition? (iii) What determines the α-diversity of bryophytes and vascular plants in the different vegetation types? Vegetation plots were sampled and direct measurements of certain environmental characteristics recorded. Cluster analysis was used to distinguish the vegetation types, DCA and CCA to reveal the main vegetation gradients and environmental factors, and general regression models to identify the factors determining the α-diversity. Classification at the level of 12 clusters was ecologically and syntaxonomically interpretable. Two associations not mentioned in the most recent vegetation survey of Slovakia were distinguished and the syntaxonomical positions of others revised. The synthesis of collected and published vegetation data for the two countries has modified the classification concept of (sub)alpine wetlands in the West Carpathians. Whereas pH predominantly determined floristic differences among classes, different factors governed the species composition within classes. While the diversity of the vegetation of springs (Montio-Cardaminetea) was mostly determined by water chemistry, altitude and geomorphology appeared to be more important within fens and bogs. The species richness of spring vegetation was more influenced by mineral richness than water pH and for bryophyte richness the slope inclination was also important. The species richness of fens and bogs increased with pH. It is concluded that the ecological gradients influencing the floristic composition and species richness of (sub)alpine wetlands are strongly habitat-dependent.
Habitat affinities of the red-listed and EU Habitat Directive moss species Hamatocaulis vernicosus and the more widely distributed allied species Scorpidium cossonii and Warnstorfia exannulata were analysed. Ecological preferences of these fen mosses, with respect to water pH, water conductivity, Ellenberg’s moisture and nutrient indicator values, were compared in three different European locations (Bohemian Massif, the West Carpathians and Bulgaria) using logistic regressions fitted by means of Huisman-Olff-Fresco models. Inter-specific co-occurrences of the species were also investigated. Warnstorfia exannulata preferred slightly acid conditions, about pH 5.6 at all the locations studied. Ecological behaviour of S. cossonii was very similar at all the locations, where it occupied base-rich habitats (pH > 7). The pH optimum of H. vernicosus, occupying habitats in the middle part of the base richness gradient, varied between locations from 6.0 in Bulgaria to 6.7–7.0 in the West Carpathians and Bohemian Massif. Niche diversification followed the gradient in Ellenberg nutrient indicator values and was similar at all the locations. In the Bohemian Massif and Bulgaria, the occurrence of W. exannulata was further associated with a relatively high moisture indicated by the Ellenberg indicator value. The results obtained from the Huisman-Olff-Fresco models accord with the results of inter-specific co-occurrences. Moreover, the latter method revealed a link between H. vernicosus and the occurrence of disjunctly occurring boreal sedges, suggesting the relic nature of H. vernicosus habitats at these locations.
Vegetation with species of Utricularia and that dominated by Eleocharis quinqueflora, which occupy the same habitats. was studied in minerotrophic mires and oligotrophic wetlands associated with ponds. Relative towater and soil chemistry, the communities of Utricularia ochroleuca s.l. and U. intermedia occurred in mineral-poor and those of U. minor and U. australis in mineral-rich conditions. Rare stands with U. vulgaris occurred in conditions that were intermediate in mineral richness. Four communities belonging to the class Isoëto-Littorelletea were distinguished. Vegetation without bladderworts and dominated by E. quinqueflora occurs in calcareous fens and belongs to the class Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae (the Caricion davallianae alliance). Vegetation with U. intermedia is characterized by high vascular plant cover and belongs to the class Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae. Utricularia ochroleuca s.l. prefers open, acidic and waterlogged depressions in peat, whereas U. intermedia grows mostly in the shade under vegetation canopy. In this study, U. minor and U. australis have been found mainly in the more alkaline and mineral-rich habitats, and both species also tolerated extremely high mineral richness.
Východiska: Systematické review představuje v kontextu s přístupem a filozofií Evidence‑Based Medicine nejvýznamnější a nejhodnotnější typ studie v rámci úrovně vědeckých důkazů. Traumatické poranění mozku patří mezi závažné celosvětové zdravotní problémy u všech věkových kategorií. Traumatické poranění mozku se dle predikce WHO stane do roku 2020 třetí nejčastější příčinou úmrtí. Hyperbarická oxygenoterapie by teoreticky mohla snížit míru poškození mozkových buněk, a tím i počet úmrtí. Cíl: Hlavním cílem tohoto propedeuticky zaměřeného článku bylo poukázat na význam systematického review v rámci přístupu Evidence‑Based Medicine a přiblížit rigorózní a systematickou metodiku jeho tvorby příkladem dílčích výsledků systematického review zaměřeného na hodnocení efektu hyperbarické oxygenoterapie u pacientů po kraniotraumatu. Metodika: Nejprve jsme formulovali review otázku a specifikovali kritéria pro zařazení a vyloučení primárních studií do systematického review. Protokol systematického review jsme vypracovali pomocí softwaru vytvořeného The Joanna Briggs Institute pro tvorbu systematického review. Následovalo vytvoření systematické vyhledávací strategie a tříkrokové systematické vyhledávání publikovaných i nepublikovaných primárních studií v 17 databázích. Vyhledávali jsme experimentální a observační studie bez časového omezení a ve všech jazycích. Výsledky: Celkem jsme nalezli 8 144 studií a odstranili 2 210 duplikátů. Na základě dvoufázového hodnocení relevance a kritického hodnocení metodologické kvality studií pomocí standardizovaného hodnotícího nástroje vytvořeného The Joanna Briggs Institute bylo zařazeno 42 studií. V současné době probíhá extrakce výsledků pomocí standardizovaného nástroje a příprava dat na metaanalýzu. Závěry: Systematická review představují velmi významné pojítko mezi vědeckými důkazy a jejich implementací do klinické praxe. Evidence‑based přístup je možné použít ve všech oblastech, v nichž se tvoří kvalitní primární vědecké důkazy., Background: In the context of Evidence-Based Medicine, systematic review (SR) is perceived as the most important and valuable type of publication with respect to the level of evidence. Traumatic brain injury is a major health problem worldwide and across all ages. According to WHO, traumatic brain injury is to be the third most frequent cause of global mortality and disability by 2020. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could theoretically lead to a decrease in brain cell damage and thus mortality. Aim: The main aim of this methodologically focused paper was to highlight the importance of SR and explain rigorous and systematic methods of its development on an example of a SR of the efficacy of HBOT in adults with traumatic brain injury. Methods: Firstly, we formulated the review question and specified inclusion criteria. The SR protocol was prepared using a software developed for this purpose by The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). A three-step systematic search of published and unpublished studies was undertaken in 17 databases. We searched experimental and observational studies of any date and in any language. Results: We retrieved 8 144 papers and removed 2 210 duplicates. Primary and secondary reviewer undertook independently two-phase paper retrieval and critical appraisal of methodological quality using standardized assessment instrument, developed by JBI. 42 relevant and high-quality papers were included in the SR. Currently, we are extracting data using a standardized instrument, and preparing them for meta-analysis. Conclusions: SR is a very important link between scientific evidence and its implementation into clinical practice. The Evidence-Based approach can be used in all areas with high-quality primary scientific evidence. Key words: craniotrauma – hyperbaric oxygen therapy – systematic review – methodology The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE “uniform requirements” for biomedical papers., and J. Klugarová, M. Klugar, J. Marečková, M. Hájek
The Rejvíz bog is an extensive mire complex in Central Europe, with up to 7 m deep sediments and two natural lakes. Recent vegetation is one of the best preserved examples of Pinus uncinata subsp. uliginosa (syn. P. rotundata) bog woodland in Central Europe. The origin and development of the mire and changes in the surrounding landscape vegetation are reconstructed using sediment stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, pollen analysis and plant-macrofossils analysis, with particular emphasis on the processes that resulted in the origin of Rejvíz bog and on pine woodland dynamics. Based on identified species the water level changes were reconstructed. The sediment started to accumulate more than 9000 years ago at an open mixed-woodland spring with Dichodontium palustre. Later, poor fen vegetation with sedges and horsetails developed. Around 6170 cal. yr BC the fen became inundated for 2000 years and (semi)aquatic vegetation thrived. Next step in the succession followed a decline in water level which resulted in the development of drier oligothrophic vegetationwith a high representation of pine and dwarf shrubs. After ca 1020 cal. yr BC the mire became the bog it is now. Three wooded stages appeared in both the minerotrophic and ombrotrophic developmental phases: before 6720 cal. yr BC, during ca 1960–1020 cal. yr BC and recently. The vegetation in the surrounding landscape developed without marked human interventions up till ca the last six or five centuries, when deforestation and later settlement took place. Comparison with published data from the Góry Bystrzyckie/Orlické hory Mts suggests that not only regional, but also local vegetation changed in a similar way across the middle-altitude eastern Sudetes, following oscillations in climate rather than local changes in mire water regime.
Bílé Karpaty Mts harbour some of the most species-rich managed grasslands in Europe, which contain a number of rare and disjunctly distributed species. Besides specific local environmental factors, the long Holocene history may explain the uniqueness of these grasslands. However, historical interpretations of the palaeoecological evidence from the region are far from unequivocal. While palaeomalacological data indicate persistence of open habitats throughout the entire Holocene, fragmentary pollen data support the hypothesis of a medieval origin of the grasslands. This paper reviews the available phytogeographical, archaeological and palaeoecological knowledge that provides indirect evidence for a prehistoric origin of the grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts. High concentration of rare heliophilous species with a disjunct distribution in the south-western part of the Bílé Karpaty Mts suggest their long-term persistence. The archaeological findings provide evidence for the existence of prehistoric human settlement in this region since the Neolithic (Middle Holocene). Direct evidence for the existence of open human-influenced habitats before medieval times, based on the results of a multi-proxy analysis (macrofossils, molluscs and pollen) of an organic sediment dated back to Roman Age, is also provided. The results indicate the existence of an ancient cultural landscape with a mosaic of open grasslands, natural forests and fields. It is concluded that the evidence presented in this paper supports the hypothesis of prehistoric, rather than a medieval origin of the species-rich grasslands in the Bílé Karpaty Mts.
Species richness and above-ground biomass of vascular plants and bryophytes of poor acidic fens (the Sphagno recurvi-Caricion canescentis alliance), rich Sphagnum fens (the Caricion fuscae and Sphagno warnstorfii-Tomenthypnion alliances) and calcareous spring fens (the Caricion davallianae alliance including tufa-forming spring fens) were studied. The study area was in the western parts of the Outer Carpathians in the border region of the Czech and Slovak Republics. The numbers of species were recorded in plots ranging from 0.00196 to 16m2 and correlated with chemical factors and above-ground biomass. The chemical properties of springwater (mainly pH, conductivity, Ca2+, Mg2+) were the main factors influencing the species richness of vascular plants. Tufa-forming calcareous fen communities (Carici flavae-Cratoneuretum) had the highest species richness of vascular plants. In contrast, the highest species richness of bryophytes occurred at pHneutral sites, in peat forming calcareous fen communities (Valeriano-Caricetum flavae) and in those with Sphagnum warnstorfii and S. teres. Bryophyte species richness of small plots was correlated with the iron concentration in the springwater. The differences in species richness of calcareous fens were related to the mowing regime. Litter mass had a negative effect on the species richness of vascular plants. Mosses responded to high amounts of litter or vascular plant biomass by a significant decrease in biomass. Two types of Sphagnum fens: (a) strongly dominated by Sphagnum flexuosum or S. palustre (rich in phosphates) and (b) polydominant (poor in phosphates), were also compared. In the former, the slope of the regression for the dependence of bryophyte species richness on plot size was less steep.
We investigated patterns of trait-based community assembly in grasslands sampled along a moisture gradient (216 species) using three continuous species-level traits (maximum species height, minimum species height, seed mass), as well as seven nominal traits (flowering phenology, fruit type, pollen vector, clonal growth organs – CGOs, branching type, leaf distribution, lateral spread), some of which are unusual in that a species may possess more than one state per trait simultaneously (e.g. CGO). Additionally, this study tests whether patterns of assembly vary with plot biomass and moisture using both presence-absence and abundance-weighted analyses (two plot sizes: 25 × 25 cm, 75 × 75 cm). Plant species in these grasslands were randomly organized with respect to both maximum and minimum species height; however, coexisting plant species had a significantly smaller mean seed mass than expected by chance, and were significantly convergent in seed mass, consistent with observations from one previous study, and with theory related to environmental or competitive filtering. These patterns were consistent across plot sizes, and were similar whether analyses were abundance-weighted or not, although partitioned analyses show that these patterns are most pronounced in wet grasslands. Grasslands were non-randomly assembled with respect to five of our ten traits including seed mass, fruit type, CGO, branching type and leaf distribution. Among these, only patterns of branching type clearly conformed to the predictions from Limiting Similarity Theory, suggesting that variation in this trait may contribute to species coexistence in these grasslands. In two cases (fruit type, branching type), results differed in significance depending on whether analysis used presence-absence or abundance data; incorporating abundance may be more relevant, however, cover-based abundance measures in small plots can bias trait representation in favour of size over ramet number. In general, patterns were consistent across the two plot sizes. For four traits (seed mass, flowering phenology, leaf distribution and lateral spread) plot-level effect sizes of our tests varied significantly with plot-level biomass production; the slope of these relationships was positive for seed mass, but negative for flowering phenology, leaf distribution and lateral spread. For seven of ten traits, plot-level effect sizes varied significantly with plot-level soil moisture, with positive regression slopes for some traits (flowering phenology, leaf distribution), and negative slopes for others (minimum height, seed mass, fruit type, pollen vector, CGO). These results indicate that community assembly rules related to different functional traits can be responsive to variation in either biomass or soil moisture, or both.
Why is great to be small. We discuss the ecology of land snails in fens and refer to our study with Brandon Schamp, a botanist from Canada, in which we investigated whether coexisting snail species in 145 treeless fen communities in the Western Carpathian Mountains differed more in size than would be expected by chance under limiting similarity theory. Contrary to expectation, coexisting snail species were significantly more similar with respect to body size. Specifically, smaller snail species were over-represented in fen communities in general, and this effect was accentuated in increasingly calcareous fens. Our findings support suggestion that traits related strongly to environmental conditions are more likely to be convergent, as small smail species have an advantage in tolerating freezing conditions over winter when refuges are limited.