AreDeschampsia caespitosa(L.) Beauv. Tussocks Safe Sites for Seedling Recruitment in the Succession of Wet Meadows?

In stressful and harsh environments, safe sites for seedling recruitment may be created by nurse plants, which accumulate propagules and subsequently facilitate the establishment of individuals. The main goal of the presented studies focused on observations of seedling recruitment in small and large tussocks of Deschampsia caespitosa derived from patches of unmanaged Molinietum caeruleae meadows situated along the successional gradient and dominated by small meadow species (Patch I), by macroforbs (Patch II), or overgrown by trees and shrubs (Patch III). The studies showed that, irrespective of patch character, Serratula tinctoria, Selinum carvifolia, Lysimachia vulgaris and Filipendula ulmaria are among the best colonizers of Deschampsia caespitosa tussocks. The gradual decrease in number of species and offspring abundance along the successional gradient may be connected with a prolonged period of water stagnation accelerating the development of fungal pathogens, a major cause of mortality for ...