Comparison of vascular plants in herb layers of ecotones in urban and non-urban forests in Brzesko city (Polish Carpathian foreland)

Abstract

Nowadays, human influence is more noticeable in urban and non-urban ecosystems, which, in turn, leads to the transformation of valuable natural resources. This article presents a study on the diversity of species composition of the vascular herb layer species of ecotones in selected urban forests of the city of Brzesko and in forests outside the city. All forests represented the association of oak–hornbeam plant. The results showed that there are inconsistent and consistent vascular plant species with the Tilio-Carpinetum habitat in urban and non-urban forests. Plant species were significantly (c2 test, p < 0.05) found more frequently in the herb layer of non-urban forests than in urban forests. This proves, among other things, that the influence of anthropogenic activity is more on these objects than in forests outside the city.

The Impact of Adjacent Road on Vascular Plant Species Composition in Herbaceous Layers of Peucedano-Pinetum and Tilio-Carpinetum Urban Forests in the City of Warsaw (Poland)

“…The urban heat island has a negative impact on living organisms, including plants [3], as it increases their water demand [4] and reduces their drought resistance, which is common in the urban agglomerations of Poland. Studies have shown that the occurrence of the urban heat island phenomenon facilitates the development and expansion of species that do not belong to these habitats [5][6][7]. Roads are one of the main anthropogenic elements of the urban infrastructure.…”