Phytocenosis structure of meadows in the Golionka River Valley (The Tuchola Pinewoods) as compared with the situations dating 40 years back

The transition into an intensive management in meadows has brought about essential transformations in its vegetation and a destruction of many peatland and swamp ecosystems. Once frequent communities decreased their area, disappeared or got transformed into others. In the structure of meadow phytocenoses in the Tuchola Pinewoods, still around the mid 20th century there were often noted e.g. a well-preserved community of Angelico-Cirsietum oleracei, whereas now in the region one observes mostly its different degenerated forms and rich floristic patches covering inconsiderable areas. Based on contemporary relevés as well as the 1970s flora records made in the valley of the Golionka River in the Tuchola Pinewoods a record of the phytocenoses found in those two periods of phytocenoses were broken down into. At present in the phytocenosis structure there dominate the phytocenoses representing class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea in a form of 8 associations or communities, which occur in total in almost 60% of the areas analysed. About 20% is covered by reed beds (Magnocaricion). The other part is made up of phytocenoses representing classes Atremisietea vulgaris, Koelerio glaucae-Corynephoretea canescentis and Trifolio-Geranietea. It is a typical phytocenosis structure of extensively used meadows on dewatered peats. A large group of plant communities show ...