16E2

E. Herbaceous communities and communities of lichens and mosses

Mountain hay meadows

Relationships with habitat classifications. EUNIS: E2.31 Alpine mountain hay meadows; PAL. CLASS.: 38.31 Alpine mountain hay meadows; HD 92/43: 6520 Mountain hay meadows; Bondev (1991): 26 Grass communities (Agrostideta capillaris, Nardeta strictae etc.) replacing spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), silver pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Balkan pine (Pinus peuce Griseb.) forests, 44 Grass communities (Agrostideta capillaris, Nardeta strictae, Bellardiochloeta violaceae etc.) replacing ordinary beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and white fir (Abies alba Mill.); 73 Mesophytous grass (Agrostideta capillaris, Festuceta rubrae, Cynosureta cristati etc.) communities replacing mostly forests of Moesian beech (Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca) and ordinary hornbean (Carpinus betulus).

Conservation status. BDA, HD.

Category. Vulnerable [VU – A1, 2 B1 C3 D2 E2 F1 G1 H2 I J L2].

General characteristics. Mountain hay meadows are secondary, long-term derrivative plant communities that have originated on the places of destroyed mesophytic oak, beech or coniferous forests in the mountains. The soils are fresh and humid Eutric and Dystric Cambisols and Mollic Cambisols. The bed rock is silicate in most cases, more rarely sandstones, schists, magma rocks, etc. The climatic conditions are characterized by more moderate air and soil temperatures of relatively small amplitudes. The  air humidity during the vegetation period is higher compared to the lowland hay meadows. The exposure is mostly northern, sometimes with eastern and western components, but rarely southern. Regular mowing maintains and prevents the invasion of the neighbouring woods. When mowing stops, restoration of the forest vegetation is observed. As a result of grazing the development of grass tufts is increased and the meadows are converted into mountain pastures. The differences in the relief characteristics and the intensity of use contribute to the specificity of the local environment, hence different plant communities develop. The differences are due to the altitude range and the species that occur at different altitudes. Conditionally, the lower border of the mountain hay meadows is 800–1000 (1200) m alt. where the belt of the hills passes into the mountain belt of mesophyllous oak, hornbeam or beech forests. The upper border is also conditional and varies between 1600 and 1800 (2000) m alt. This is the altitude at which the coniferous vegetation changes into subalpine shrub vegetation. The projective cover of the mountain hay meadows very often is up to 100%. Most of the species are high (60–80 cm) or medium high.

Mesophilous mountain meadows dominated by Agrostis capillaris are widely distributed in the country, mainly in the Balkan Range and Rila and Rhodopi Mts. Their optimal development is between 1000 and 1600 m alt. Most often the communities are monodominant, with rich species composition. Festuca nigrescens has high abundance in many phytocoenoses. The constancy and abundance of other grass species like Anthoxanthum odoratum, Briza media, Cynosurus cristatus, Festuca pratensis, Holcus mollis, Trisetum flavescens, and legumes like Lotus corniculatus, Trifolium alpestre, T. aureum, T. campestre, T. montanum, T. pratense, T. repens are also high. Alchemilla glaucescens, Bistorta major (= Polygonum bistorta), Bupleurum falcatum, Campanula patula subsp. epigea, Galium verum, Hypericum maculatum, H. perforatum, Knautia arvensis, Leontodon autumnalis, L. hispidus, Orchis laxiflora, Plantago lanceolata, P. media, Poa angustifolia, Primula elatior, Ranunculus montanus, Rhinanthus rumelicus, Rumex acetosa, R. acetosella, R. crispus, Silene roemeri, Stellaria nemorum, Veronica chamaedrys, Viola tricolor occur very often as well. Mesoxerophytic varieties with the meso-xerophytic vicariants Achillea collina, Filipendula vulgaris (= Filipendula hexapetala), Galium verum, Hieracium hoppeanum, Poa bulbosa, Potentilla argentea, Scleranthus perennis occur in drier places. In Pirin and Rila Mts., the mountain hay meadows dominated by Agrostis capillaris occur sporadically on shallow, stony, alkaline soils (Rendzic Luvisols) as well. diferential species are Cerastium banaticum, Hieracium hoppeanum, Sesleria korabensis and Thymus jankae. Festuca pratensis is the edificator at lower altitudes, mainly up to 1200 m alt., on richer and more humid soils, on flat or slanting areas the ediphicator is. The mesophyllous character of the vegetation is emphasized by Alopecurus pratensis, Poa palustris, and P. sylvicola. The presence of annual grasses such as Apera spica-venti, Bromus arvensis, B. mollis, etc. is relatively constant. The phytocoenoses of Agrostis capillaris with co-ediphicator Poa sylvicola are relatively rare, at lower altitudes in the mountains.,. The floristic structure of the phytocoenosis does not differ from that of the remaining meadow communities from the same group. Festuca nigrescens plays an important role in the composition of the mountain hay meadows but very rarely is a dominating species. The communities dominated by Festuca nigrescens occur on humus-rich, well-drained soils, but sometimes on poorer, podzolic and leached soils.

The mesophytic and hygro-mesophytic meadow communities belong to class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea and order Arrhenatheretalia. The mesophytic pastures and meadows of low herbs developing in the hilly and mountain regions belong to the alliance Cynosurion cristati. In Bulgaria (Rila and Rhodopi Mts. and probably in other mountains as well) the association Pastinaco hirsutae-Festucetum nigrescentis has been established. It is characterized by a combined grazing-mowing exploitation regime.

Characteristic taxa.

Distribution in Bulgaria. The mountain hay meadows are distributed in all Bulgarian mountains from (800) 1200 up to 1800 (1900) m alt.

Conservation importance. The mountain hay meadows play an important role in soil-protection and water-regulating. They are a significant source of forage as well. The following plants of conservation importance occur: Alchemilla bulgarica, A. erythropoda, Galium boreale, Geum rhodopaeum, Herminium monorchis, Linum extraaxilare, Silaum silaus, Silene sendtneri subsp. balcanica (= Silene velenovskyana), Traunsteinera globosa, Verbascum jankaeanum, Veronica rhodopaea, Viola gracilis, V. orbelica, V. rhodopeia. The  fungi of conservation importance (Entoloma incanum and Hypoderma commune) also occur.

Threats. Grazing, causing degradation and ruderalization; termination of mowing that causes development of shrubs, trees and communities of Pteridium aquilinum; ploughing; use of pesticides and other substances in the meadows and neighbouring territories; sowing of mixtures of alien species; unregulated tourism..

Conservation measures taken. The habitat is included in Annex 1 of the national Biodiversity Act. Part of the mountain hay meadows are within the borders of protected areas and sites of the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000: Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan National Parks, Vitosha and Balgarka Nature Parks, West Rhodopi and Central Rhodopi Protected Sites of Natura 2000, etc. Part of the mountain hay meadows (mainly those within protected areas) have been studied floristically, syntaxonomically and faunistically.

Conservation measures needed. Regular mowing; clarification of the syntaxonomy of the meadows; mapping and monitoring of the best preserved and most vulnerable habitats.

References. Dimitrov 2002; Ganchev et al. 1964; Meshinev et al. 2005.

Authors: Veska Roussakova, Marius Dimitrov


Mountain hay meadows (distribution map)