Folia Geobotanica - Traditional and non-traditional ways of grassland management with regards to biodiversity conservation
Guest Editors
Tomáš Vymyslický, Agricultural Research, Ltd. Troubsko, Czech Republic
Martina Fabšičová, Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
Martin Jiroušek, Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic; and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Theme & Objectives
The lack of complex care for valuable habitats and their entire biota is one of the major problems of agricultural landscapes. Critical situation of declining populations and species extinction requires well-designed and consistent management aimed at promoting biodiversity and ecosystem services. So far, only limited attention has been paid to the protection of species associated with arable land, fallows, grasslands and early successional stages of vegetation. In the complex of habitats including grasslands and arable fields, management heterogeneity significantly increases microhabitat diversity that promotes diversity of plant species and vegetation types.
Fallows are habitats characterized by rapid vegetation succession after soil disturbance and are often associated with species-rich plant and animal communities. As fallows often form ecotones, a transition area between different communities, they may host species typical for many diverse habitats. Fallow communities are often overlooked and neglected as researchers focus on more "attractive" habitats such as meadows or steppes. Consequently, we still have only limited knowledge of fallow communities, which offers many opportunities for their future systematic research.
This Special Issue will cover the results of research of grasslands and fallow communities, their diversity and management presented at the international conference Traditional and Non-traditional Ways of Grassland Management with Regards to Biodiversity Conservation held in Znojmo, Czech Republic on September 19-20, 2022. It was promoted by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (this opens in a new tab) within research project TAČR TH04030244 "Biodiversity increase and support of ecosystem services in the agricultural landscape through alternative management practices in grasslands and pastures”. Some of the contributions will support United Nation Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land (this opens in a new tab).
EXPECTED PUBLICATION: Early 2024
(Accepted articles will be made available Online First (this opens in a new tab) on an ongoing basis.)
About the Guest Editors
Mgr. Tomáš Vymyslický, PhD, Postdoc and Researcher at Agricultural Research, Ltd. in Troubsko, Czech Republic, is a member of the Czech Botanical Society, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, The International Legume Society and EUCARPIA. His research interest is focused on the study of genetic resources of different species of the family Fabaceae and their use in agriculture and landscape; grassland vegetation; fallow and barren vegetation; and rare and endangered species of the Czech flora. Mgr. Vymyslický is trying to connect botany, nature conservation, and agriculture in his research. He produces not only scientific papers but also application results like patents, utility models, and certified methodologies. A very important aspect for Mgr. Vymyslický is the popularization of achieved results. His completed research projects can be viewed here (this opens in a new tab).
Mgr. Martina Fabšičová is a Plant Ecologist in the Department of Vegetation Ecology at the Institute of Botany, CAS in Průhonice, Czech Republic whose research interests are broadly focused on spatio-temporal dynamics of different types of grassland vegetation from dry to the mountain and alpine grasslands, and heathlands. She is also interested in the population biology of threatened and clonal species, especially grasses. Mgr. Fabšičová devotes special attention to the study of soil seed banks and species dispersal in different ecosystems and has also studied fishpond biodiversity for a long time. She cooperates closely with the public in the framework of citizen science and nature conservationists in designing management practices, particularly in agricultural landscapes. Mgr. Fabšičová is a member of the Czech Botanical Society. Her academic profile can be viewed here (this opens in a new tab).
Mgr. Martin Jiroušek, PhD, Botanist and Ecologist in the Department of Plant Biology at Mendel University and also in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Masaryk University which are both in Brno, Czech Republic, he focuses mainly on plant diversity and vegetation science. Most of Mgr. Jiroušek’s past research dealt with mires and Sphagnum mosses, e.g., with respect to climate change or nitrogen deposition. Recently, his research interests are broader, somewhere between vegetation survey and classification, conservation biology and overall functioning of ecosystems, mainly of wetlands or anthropogenic vegetation. Mgr. Jiroušek is teaching several botanical courses at Mendel University, giving lectures, practices and organizing field excursions. He is a member of the Czech Botanical Society. Mgr. Jiroušek’s academic profile can be viewed here (this opens in a new tab).
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