Abstract
This paper investigates and evaluates the effects of ecological management on the vegetation of roadside verges in the Netherlands, conducted by the Ministry of Transport (Public Works Department). A total of 545 releves, made between 1986 and 1988, were re-examined in 2001. Data were analysed for changes in number of species, rarity of species, red list (endangered) species and syntaxonomical species groups. The total number of species almost did not change. Common species increased while rare species decreased. The red list species declined by 40%. Species from shrub and woodland, from fertile, wet soils and from nitrophilous fringes increased, while species characteristic of relatively open and nutrient-poor habitats and some pioneer communities decreased. Plant communities were valued, and phytosociological changes were evaluated, using the deductive method of Kopecký and Hejný and knowledge about vulnerability, rarity and replaceability. In 44.5% of the 465 evaluated releves, the vegetation value remained unchanged, in 23.0% it decreased and in 32.5% it increased. The different trends tended to counterbalance one another, resulting in an unchanged mean vegetation value. The increase in vegetation value is mainly due to the increase in releves containing species rich Arrhenatheretum-subassociations. The decrease is mainly due to a decrease in moist heath, dry sandy pioneer communities and grasslands on relatively poor soils, and the increase of species-poor nitrophilous tall herb communities and woody vegetation. In some of the verges studied, the vegetation value decreased as a result of inappropriate management and construction. Suggestions for improvement are given. Local successes indicate that appropriate management can considerably improve the botanical value of roadside verges, and consequently their value for other life forms.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
The total number of species in roadside verges almost did not change.
Verbatim
e0“The total number of species almost did not change”
Claim · model-written summary
Common species increased in the roadside verges.
Verbatim
e0“Common species increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Rare species decreased in the roadside verges.
Verbatim
e0“rare species decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
Red list (endangered) species declined by 40%.
Verbatim
e0“The red list species declined by 40%”
Claim · model-written summary
Species from shrub and woodland, from fertile, wet soils and from nitrophilous fringes increased.
Verbatim
e0“Species from shrub and woodland, from fertile, wet soils and from nitrophilous fringes increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Species characteristic of relatively open and nutrient-poor habitats and some pioneer communities decreased.
Verbatim
e0“species characteristic of relatively open and nutrient-poor habitats and some pioneer communities decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
In 44.5% of the 465 evaluated releves the vegetation value remained unchanged.
Verbatim
e0“In 44.5% of the 465 evaluated releves, the vegetation value remained unchanged, in 23.0% it decreased and in 32.5% it increased”
Claim · model-written summary
In 23.0% of the evaluated releves the vegetation value decreased.
Verbatim
e0“In 44.5% of the 465 evaluated releves, the vegetation value remained unchanged, in 23.0% it decreased and in 32.5% it increased”
Claim · model-written summary
In 32.5% of the evaluated releves the vegetation value increased.
Verbatim
e0“In 44.5% of the 465 evaluated releves, the vegetation value remained unchanged, in 23.0% it decreased and in 32.5% it increased”
Claim · model-written summary
The mean vegetation value was unchanged because the different trends counterbalanced one another.
Verbatim
e0“resulting in an unchanged mean vegetation value”
Claim · model-written summary
The increase in vegetation value is mainly due to an increase in releves containing species rich Arrhenatheretum-subassociations.
Verbatim
e0“The increase in vegetation value is mainly due to the increase in releves containing species rich Arrhenatheretum-subassociations”
Claim · model-written summary
The decrease in vegetation value is mainly due to a decrease in moist heath, dry sandy pioneer communities and grasslands on relatively poor soils.
- Outcome
- decreasee0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Comparator
- moist heath, dry sandy pioneer communities and grasslands on relatively poor soilse0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The decrease is mainly due to a decrease in moist heath, dry sandy pioneer communities and grasslands on relatively poor soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Species-poor nitrophilous tall herb communities and woody vegetation increased.
Verbatim
e0“the increase of species-poor nitrophilous tall herb communities and woody vegetation”
Claim · model-written summary
In some of the verges studied, vegetation value decreased as a result of inappropriate management and construction.
Verbatim
e0“In some of the verges studied, the vegetation value decreased as a result of inappropriate management and construction”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude that appropriate management can considerably improve the botanical value of roadside verges.
- Outcome
- botanical valuee0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“appropriate management can considerably improve the botanical value of roadside verges”