In climbing plants, fruits can be formed at different heights, depending on the height of external support. However, the effect of height on fruit and seed traits in invasive vines of Cucurbitaceae has not been intensively studied so far. In Europe, Echinocystis lobata, a North American member of Cucurbitaceae, is considered one of the most abundant invasive alien plants spreading in natural riparian forests, thickets, and tall herbs, whereas it is a rare species in urban woodlands. In this study, we tested the variability of selected fruit and seed traits of E. lobata in connection with habitat origin (natural, semi-natural, and anthropogenic), habitat type (using the EUNIS habitat classification), height (the distance between the fruit and the ground), and geographical position. The study was conducted in 2018 in 65 sites located in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia. In each study site, a random sample of 10 fresh mature fruits of E. lobata was collected from subsequent 0.50 m intervals of height. The length, the width, and the weight of the fresh fruits, as well as the total number of seeds and number of undeveloped seeds per fruit, were examined. Moreover, the well-developed seeds from selected study sites were weighed. The statistical analysis showed the significant effect of habitat origin, habitat type, and height on most of the studied fruit and seed traits. The largest range of height (from 0.00 to 4.00 m) was observed in two types of habitats (F—heathland, scrub, and tundra; and G—woodland, forest, and other wooded land). The total number of seeds per fruit was positively correlated with the length, width, and weight of the fresh fruits. The fruits were a little heavier and bigger in natural habitats located in the northeast of the study area. The distribution of fruits at different heights may contribute to better dispersal of seeds by animals and wind, and may also better protect the seeds from being eaten by granivorous animals. The defence against seed-eating animals is expected to be stronger in semi-natural habitats, as well as on banks and shores of inland surface waters, where the seed production is the highest. The influence of seed traits on seed germination and seedling survival in various habitats and their importance in the invasiveness of E. lobata require further study.

Abstract:In the Old-Polish Industrial Region (Southern Poland, Central Europe), specific remnants of former iron-ore extraction occur. These interesting post-mining habitats influence the plant cover which emerges on them. In this paper, I analyzed the impact of the former iron-ore mining on the increase of plant species richness in forest communities. I analyzed the floristic composition of 100 phytosociological relevés (plots) made in the mining areas, their surroundings and 100 associated soil samples. I found that within the island communities developing in the former mining fields, there was a considerable increase in the number of species of native flora (in comparison with communities of nontransformed areas). This increase in species richness is caused chiefly by the increased proportion of species characteristic of the syntaxa from the Querco-Fagetea class -species exclusively attached to the mesophilous forest communities developing in gob piles whose limits are marked by the material extracted and scattered around in ancient times. My research suggested that in this case, mining activity exerted a positive influence on the biodiversity in forested areas, improving the quality of soils and creating mesophilous forest communities growing on remnants of former iron-ore extraction, which are specific islands among acidophilous forest communities growing in the non-transformed areas.

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The impact of former iron ore mining on the transformation of vegetation cover of the Gielniowski Hump (Małopolska Upland) The impact of the 17th-19th century iron ore mining on the current state of vegetation cover of the Gielniowski Hump, an upland region situated within the Old Polish Industrial Region (a former centre of mining and smelting), was studied. In the course of the research, the detailed floristic lists were compiled using the cartogram method (ATPOL grid) and phytosociological relevés were made according to the Braun-Blanquet method. Relevés were taken both at the post-mining sites (on spoil banks) and, for comparative purposes, in the adjacent, not affected areas. The obtained results show significant differences between the flora and vegetation of the sites affected and unaffected by mining. These differences result from the changed mineralogical composition of soil in the post-mining areas, which has lead to an increase in the proportion of mesophilous forest communities and in the number of species of the class Querco-Fagetea as compared to the unaffected sites. Overall, the former iron ore mining activity has increased the biodiversity level in the Gielniowski Hump mesoregion due to an increase in the total number of species in the area, brought about by the formation of a mining-related habitat mosaic.

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Streszczenie W pracy przedstawiono nowe stanowiska 12 rzadkich (lub regionalnie rzadkich) roślin naczyniowych w Polsce, tj. Cochlearia danica , Colchicum autumnale , Cuscuta campestris , Lythrum hyssopifolia , Ostericum palustre , Pedicularis sylvatica , Plantago coronopus , Ranunculus arvensis , Rosa gallica , Sesleria uliginosa , Succisella inflexa oraz Veronica prostrata .

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