Effects of species composition changes and stand development phase on the ground vegetation in the Białowieża Primeval Forest National Park
The relationship between the changes of stand and ground vegetation was studied with the application of one way ANOVA. The performance date of phytosociological picture was treated as an independent variable and some stand characteristics and average ecological coefficients calculated on the ground vegetation species according to the Zarzycki method as the dependent variables. This method allows on objective, statistical assessment and comparison of extant and direction of changes in stands with changes in ground vegetation during last 40 years on different site types occurring on the observation plot located in the Białowieża Primeval Forest National Park. The share of Norway spruce in the lower story decreased significantly on almost all site types except humid mixed broadleaf forest type. It was replaced with the European hornbeam which number increased significantly on the fresh coniferous and fresh mixed coniferous forest site types, while on more fertile sites (fresh mixed broadleaf, fresh broadleaf and humid broadleaf) was close to significance threshold. In many cases the coincidence of changes in stand and ground vegetation was noticed. Greatest changes of stand spatial or species structure and development phases were accompanied by the similar in extend changes of ground vegetation on fresh sites of coniferous, mixed coniferous and mixed broadleaf forest types. It is possible that both stand and vegetation changes were caused by the same factors, to some extend strengthen by the stand – ground vegetation interaction.
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