Floodplain woodlands along lower Dyje and Morava rivers
The study covered 14,630 ha of Pannonian, alluvial woodlands and meadows along the lower Morava (March) and Dyje (Thaya) rivers. It is a biodiversity hot-spot for numerous taxa associated
with open woodlands, veteran trees, and wetlands. The terrain is flat (149–184 m a.s.l.), the mean annual temperature and precipitation is 9.6 ◦C and 500 mm. The prevailing trees are pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), narrowleaf ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), and field maple (Acer campestre). Unfortunately, the main traditional managements such as woodland pasture, coppicing with standards, and pollarding were abandoned 150–60 years ago in favour of growing planted forests with 90–150 year rotation.
Owing to its high biodiversity and nature conservation value, the area has gained international and national recognition (e.g. UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, SCIs or SPAs). The “target species” for the Natura 2000 sites include such mature and open-woodland and veteran-tree specialists as the hermit beetle (Osmoderma barnabita), the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo), the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus), the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), or middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius).
Related papers
Saproxylic beetles in tropical and temperate forests – A standardized comparison of vertical stratification patterns. Weiss et al. 2019, Forest Ecology and Management.
Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles.Miklín et al. 2017, Diversity and Distributions.
Fine-scale vertical stratification and guild composition of saproxylic beetles in lowland and montane forests: similar patterns despite low faunal overlap. Weiss et al. 2016, PLoS ONE.
Open-grown trees as key habitats for arthropods in temperate woodlands: The diversity, composition, and conservation value of associated communities.Šebek et al. 2016, Forest Ecology and Management.
Erasing a European biodiversity hot-spot: Open woodlands, veterantrees and mature forests succumb to forestry intensification,succession, and logging in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.Miklín et al. 2014, Journal for Nature Conservation.
