Journal
JOURNAL OF CAVE AND KARST STUDIES
Volume 74, Issue 1, Pages 127-134Publisher
NATL SPELEOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.4311/2011LSC0216
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Funding
- Hungarian National Development Agency [TAMOP-4.2.2/08/1/2008-0008, TAMOP-4.2.1/B-09/1/KONV-2010-0005]
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Species composition and the vegetation pattern of the understory were investigated in different sized solution sinkholes in a woodland area of the Mecsek Mountains (southern Hungary). Vegetation data together with topographic variables were collected along transects to reveal the vegetation patterns on the slopes, and a species list was compiled for each sinkhole. The results indicate that the vegetation pattern significantly correlates with sinkhole size. In smaller sinkholes, vegetation does not change substantially along the transects; in larger sinkholes, however, vegetation inversion is pronounced. We also found that sinkhole size clearly influences the number of vascular plant species, in accordance with the well-known relationship between species number and area. In the forest landscape, many medium-sized and large sinkholes have developed into excellent refuge areas for glacial relicts, mountain, and wet-woodland plant species.
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