Biodiversity & Ecology

English

Abstract: The aim of the Regional Vegetation Database of Kiskunság (GIVD ID EU-HU-001) was to study the effect of different land-use on plant biodiversity. The Kiskunság region is a highly heterogeneous cultural landscape in central Hungary, with unique natural values, high diversity of land-use, its own well-defined environmental problems, and ongoing socio-economic changes, thus being an ideal setting for conducting integrative socio-ecological research and setting up an LTSER platform. In the past few years, we expanded the KISKUN LTER program into a broad-scale research framework or LTSER program by (1) covering all major land-use/habitat types occurring in the region; (2) reaching regional representativity by having multiple sites. Within the 7,500 km² study region, using a pre-defined algorithm we selected a network of 16 sites (5 x 5 km) that covers the regional variability in land-use pattern, naturalness, and soil. We sampled three replicate stands (if available) of all major habitat types (arable land and vineyards, old-fields, natural grasslands and woodlands, forest plantations) in all 16 sites between 2006 and 2008. In a total of 604 plots (20 x 20 m) we detected the plant species present and estimated their cover.