Zygmunt Dajdok

ABSTRACT Since 2004 Nasturtium officinale belongs to the group of plants protected by law in Poland. In some regions of Poland it is considered as a threatened species and appears on red lists. The species was found on ca. 130 locations within the country (ATPOL squares 10x10 km). Despite very low number of the Nasturtium officinale localities, it could occur in large population size. The species composition and structure of the phytocenoses built by N. officinale seems to be not investigated enough. The work shows the outcomes of the botanical researches carried out in 2004 and 2005 in south-west Poland. Field data with 18 relevés were gathered from nine localities, in this eight newly found. In phytosociological table the floristic composition of the Nasturtium dominated patches (Nasturtietum officinalis) and also this, where Nasturtium occurs as a sporadic species, were shown. Phytocenoses with Nasturtium officinale were found alongside watercourses, periodically dried up, and also on the banks of larger rivers. No data were available about occurrence of Nasturtium officinale in quarries till now. One of the newly found population grows in out of use marl quarry in Strzelce Opolskie, were Nasturtium occurs in artificial channels, on rock walls and on the banks of small, shallow water reservoirs. This proofs the new possibilities for the species to adapt to anthropogenic conditions and strongly transformed habitats.

DAJDOK, Z. AND SZCZĘŚNIAK, E. 2009. Occurrence of Alopecurus myosuroides (Poaceae) on farm- lands of the Gilow vicinity in Sudetes Foreland. Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica Polonica 16(2): 237-248. Krakow. PL ISSN 1640-629X. ABSTRACT: Alopecurus myosuroides (Black grass) is an annual grass classifi ed in Poland and other central European countries as archaeophyte originating from Mediterranean areas. In many regions of Europe the species is included to the group of expansive plants. In Poland during last few years more and more attention is paid to the possible effect of increasing its populations on cultivated plants. A complete map of the species distribution in Poland was not published up to now, that's why each report on new locality of Black grass seems to be important, a specially when in such locality the species started to spread without any control. Locality of A. myosuroides near Gilow was discovered in 2004 and since then controlled once a year. The paper presents short review of the species localities known from Poland, as well as description of its population and composition of phytocoenoses found near Gilow.

Plant epiparasitism (hyperparasitism, secondary parasitism) is a known phenomenon in hemiparasitic mistletoe-like species of the Santalales (families Viscaceae, rarely Santalaceae and Eremolepiaceae), and vines of the genus Cassytha (Calvin and Wilson 2009). Dodder epiparasitism was recently reported when Cuscuta epithymoides was described parasitizing six hemiparasite plant species (Piwowarczyk et al. 2018). Our field surveys of the flora of the Widawa river valley (51°07′47″N, 17°07′45″E, Lower Silesia, southwest Poland), conducted in 2018, revealed the presence of two coexisting dodder populations, C. europaea and C. lupuliformis, covering the area of 900 m². Both analyzed dodder species are holoparasites devoid of roots and leaves and are characterized by following morphological traits. C. europaea is characterized by (i) stems 0.7 to 1 mm thick, up to 1 (1.4) m long, yellowish, reddish to purple, (ii) inflorescences lateral, compact, spherical, 7 to 10 mm long, with (3) 7 to 10 (18) flowers, (iii) flowers sessile, white to pinkish, 2.5 to 3 mm long, tetra (31%) or pentamerous, with two styles, stigma divergent, anthers hidden inside corolla, (iv) capsule globose, 1.4 to 2.4 mm long, with two to four seeds. C. lupuliformis is characterized by (i) stems 1.5 to 3.4 mm thick, up to 1.4 (1.8) m long, rust-green, yellowish to reddish, with protruding groups of purple-colored cells around stomata, (ii) inflorescences lateral, loose, racemose-spicate, up to 10 (12) cm long, with (5) 10 to 15 (22) small spikes composed of two to six flowers, (iii) flowers sessile to short pedicellate, white to pink, 3.5 to 5 mm long, pentamerous, with one style, stigma oval, anthers sessile, hidden, (iv) capsule conical, 4 to 7.4 mm long, with two seeds. The total genomic DNA of both species was extracted, and the internal transcribed spacer region was amplified and sequenced, using the ITS7A (Aguilar et al. 1999) and ITS4 (White et al. 1990) primers. The obtained sequences showed the highest similarity to C. europaea (99 to 100%, nearest: AY554401) and C. lupuliformis (96 to 99%, KU707914). The 614- and 604-bp sequences were deposited in GenBank (accession nos. MH973641 and MH973642, respectively). Anatomical analysis, utilizing a standard protocol for paraffin sectioning, confirmed the parasitic relationship between both holoparasites. Haustoria of C. europaea, penetrating stems of C. lupuliformis and connecting to its vascular tissues, were typically developed (Yoshida et al. 2016). We also observed autoparasitism in both taxa. Dodders are multihost obligate holoparasites, which suggests that their infesting mechanism is universal and adjustable to a particular host. As shown by our study, Cuscuta spp. can be also the host for other dodder species. This points to the lack of cellular and behavioral defense mechanisms protecting against attack of other dodders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on dodder-dodder epiparasitism. Dodder species have dissimilar host and habitat requirements, accounting for their spatial isolation and the rarity of interactions. Habitats of the populations studied here partially overlap in river valleys, enabling occasional epiparasitism. In general, the parasites are more strongly affected by epiparasites than the autotrophs (Heide-Jorgensen 2008). Accordingly, C. lupuliformis is more severely affected than autotrophic hosts, and its stems dry out when parasitized by C. europaea. The dodder-dodder epiparasitism seems to be unprofitable for both species, the host and the parasite.

The present study is focused on Potamogeton polygonifolius – the species considered to be endangered in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland. Field studies were carried out in Lower Silesia and Lusatia in southwestern Poland in order to verify the present state of the marginal populations of P. polygonifolius, to determine the habitat preferences of the species in the study area, to compare the ecological data between marginal and central populations and finally to recognize the factors limiting the easternmost limit of the P. polygonifolius. In total, 18 populations were examined, and 11 relevés were collected. The relevés gathered were compared with 95 relevés made in northwestern Germany, and with 10 relevés collected in German part of Lusatia. There were no significant differences between the ecology of populations of P. polygonifolius on the eastern edge of its range and those in the central part. P. polygonifolius was found growing both in natural habitats like unspoiled peat bogs, and in anthropogenic habitats such as exploited peat bogs and drainage ditches. In both types of habitats its populations were abundant and competent in terms of generative propagation. The lack of geographical barriers as well as biology and fitness of P. polygonifolius individuals from the study area suggest that marginal populations are possibly a part of a large metapopulation, covering whole (Polish and German) area of Lusatia, however this hypothesis was not tested in details. The main factor shaping the easternmost limit of the general range of P. polygonifolius is most likely climate, which prevents P. polygonifolius from spreading farther eastwards.

Carex buekii is a highly adaptive species showing a fairly wide ecological spectrum. It belongs to the group of river corridor plants which are vulnerable to any human activity directed at transformation of river valley habitats worldwide. This study was aimed at: determining the phenotypic variability of the species in the central part of its range, examining effects of soil conditions on the sedge’s morphological traits, and finding out whether the phenotypic plasticity observed may have taxonomic implications. A total of 487 specimens from 26 populations were collected in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia and tested by univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical methods. The analysis involved 16 morphological traits and 7 soil parameters (organic matter, pH, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium). Soil conditions were shown to affect the C. buekii morphology; particularly important was potassium, the only soil parameter that was indicated as a factor affecting in...

The participation of species of alien origin in the flora of individual regions of the world is increasing. A large proportion of these species pose a threat to biodiversity. Issues of the dynamics of changes in the flora and the scale and pace of the processes, with particular emphasis on the biology, ecology, chorology, and genetic variability of the populations of plants of alien origin, including those alien species which are invasive, have been the subject of many years of research in this field in Poland. The present study is an overview of the state of research on invasive plant species in Poland, including the main results of the basic and applied research which have provided the basis for (i) the preparation of a list of invasive plant species for Poland; (ii) assessing the degree of invasiveness of the species analysed, in accordance with the adoption of criteria and the development of methodological solutions. In this work, a new version of the list of invasive plant spec...

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...

ABSTRACT Solidago graminifolia (L.) Elliott occurs in the south-western part of Poland, with a vast majority of localities within the borders of four regions: Opole-Silesia, Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia and Małopolska. The core occurrence area of S. graminifolia is in the central part of Opole-Silesia, in the vicinity of Niemodlin, Opole, and Prószków. During the 20th century, the area of dense distribution of S. graminifolia broadened from around 3 km2 to about 300 km2. Some new localities were also found as far as 180 km from the core area. Solidago graminifolia is spreading mainly in open, anthropogenic or semi-natural habitats. An analysis of ecological indicator values showed that S. graminifolia has a wide tolerance of soil moisture, but other ecological parameters, especially light and soil trophy, showed narrow ranges of tolerance. The highest values of cover and density achieved by S. graminifolia were in abandoned pastures and meadows, in riverbank rushes, on oadsides, and in fallow fields. Rarely were individuals of the species found in forests, although S. graminifolia did occur along pathways and in clearings. Considering the scale of the region, S. graminifolia may be identified as an invasive species that has reached the phase of rapid range expansion.

Anagallis foemina is a species of Mediterranean origin, occurring in Poland mainly in southern regions, on calcareous soils. Since several decades the species is threatened with extinction on a national scale, locally listed only in a few small populations. In Lower Silesia the species was noted at 19 localities before the year 1945. Verification of herbarium specimens conducted in 1961 revealed that vast majority of them concerns Anagallis arvensis for. azurea. It is probable that A. foemina occurred only on two localities, which lately were not confirmed, therefore the species was declared to be extinct in the region. S3owa kluczowe: Anagallis foemina, gin1ce chwasty segetalne, wymieranie archeofitów

Linear marginal habitats play the most important role in creating the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes. We studied the diversity of bryophytes, vascular plants and breeding birds in 70 field margins in the Sudetic Foreland (SW Poland). There was a positive correlation in the total number of species between these groups. We found bryophytes to be a useful indicator of the biological diversity in areas of intensive agriculture. The amount of trees and shrubs (expressed as the number of species, specimens and the total volume) was the factor of the greatest importance with regard to the number of bryophyte species, and the same relation was observed in vascular plants and birds. Moreover, marginal habitats should be managed in an environmentally friendly way, because they play an important role as refuges of threatened bryophytes which are currently not legally protected.