Diversity of Mulgedio-Aconitetea communities in the Sudetes Mts. (SW Poland) in the Central European context

Aims : To describe the compositional and ecological diversity of Mulgedio-Aconitetea communities in Sudetes Mts. their foothills. Study area The (Southwestern Poland). Methods A total 399 vegetation relevés from own field studies literature were sorted into groups that match higher syntaxa EuroVegChecklist associations described literature. Diagnostic species so delimited determined with phi-coefficient association, maps produced. Direct ordination methods applied to identify main environmental gradients shaping plant communities. Results We distinguished nine associations, belonging four alliances: submontane colline ( Petasition officinalis Geranio phaei-Urticetum dioicae , Petasitetum hybridi Chaerophyllo hirsuti-Petasitetum albi Prenanthetum purpureae ), upper montane nitrophilous Rumicion alpini Rumicetum ); subalpine a dominance graminoids ferns Calamagrostion villosae Poo chaixii-Deschampsietum cespitosae Crepido conyzifoliae-Calamagrostietum Athyrietum filicis - feminae ) tall-herb Adenostylion alliariae Cicerbitetum alpinae ). Altitude, light availability, bedrock type, which determines nutrient availability soil reaction, played an important role differentiating studied Conclusions For convenience, we placed alliances separate orders as EuroVegChecklist. fact our diagram separated only two suggests need further research this matter. Taxonomic reference Euro+Med (2006-) for vascular plants. Syntaxonomic Higher follow Mucina et al. (2016). Abbreviations db-RDA = distance-based redundancy analysis; EIV Ellenberg indicator value; pANOVA permutational analysis variance; PCoA principal coordinates analysis.