The Effect of Visitors on the Properties of Vegetation of Calcareous Grasslands in the Context of Width and Distances from Tourist Trails

Abstract

Over the last decades, valuable natural areas considered as zones of silence and rest have been increasingly struggling with the problem of mass tourism. In this study, an investigation of the effect of visitors on the properties of vegetation of calcareous grasslands in the context of width and distances from tourist trails is performed. The study was conducted in seven localities in Cracow (southern Poland) involving calcareous grasslands impacted by tourist trails. The results show that the lower height of plants, the greater number of species and the greater percentage of plant cover damaged by trampling in plots located close to the edge of tourist trails, as well as lower total plant cover and greater mean cover-abundance degree per species along narrow pathways. The dominance of meadow and grassland species, as well as the prevalence of native species, suggests that the composition of the examined vegetation has not been drastically changed. In the majority of the study plots, the dominance of hemicryptophytes and chamaephytes, inconsiderable share of phanerophytes and therophytes, as well as the low share of geophytes, were observed. The infrequent occurrence of species presenting Bidens dispersal type along narrow pathways, as well as in plots located close to the edge of tourist trails, suggests low external transport of epizoochorous seeds by passing people, while the prevalence of species presenting Cornus type in plots located away from the edge of tourist trails might be the effect of dung deposition by animals.

The Effect of Informal Tourist Trails on the Abiotic Conditions and Floristic Composition of Deciduous Forest Undergrowth in an Urban Area

“…The plants growing in plots located further from the tourist trails were taller, except for the plots of informal trails in forest interior sites, where the height of stems was similar. Plants growing close to the tourist trails experience more trampling and other mechanical factors than plants growing further from the trails, and therefore they are usually shorter [40,56]. In the forest interior and forest edge sites, the total plant cover was higher in plots located along informal tourist trails than in plots located along formal trails; however, there was no effect of distance on total plant cover in formal trails.…”

“…It is obvious that plant cover experiences more mechanical damage in the vicinity of tourist trails [40,56]. Numerous authors have claimed that tourist dispersion might have a negative influence on vegetation, especially in trail verges e.g., [59].…”

“…The substantial share of the Bidens and Cornus dispersal modes, especially along formal trails, suggests the successful dissemination of diaspores by dogs accompanying visitors via fur and excreta [73]. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that the substantial occurrence of zoo chorous taxa along wide trails was also observed in calcareous grasslands in Kraków [56]. Moreover, Pickering and Mount [74] evidenced that people passing the formal tourist trails can disseminate diaspores of numerous species via clothing and equipment.…”