EVALUATION OF ONTOGENETIC AND VITAL STRUCTURES OF STELLIARIA HOLOSTEA L. IN BEECH FORESTS IN THE SOUTH OF LOW SAXONY, GERMANY

Abstract

In this study, we conducted the plant population investigations in the Goettingen forest, located in Low Saxony, Germany, from 2022 to 2023. Our research focused on six distinct populations of Stellaria holostea L. across six plots within the forest. These plots encompassed varying tree species and forest management conditions, including a young beech managed forest (Plot #1), a virgin beech forest (Plot #2), and four managed old beech forest plots (Plots #3-6) subjected to different anthropogenic influences. To assess these coenopopulations' ontogenetic and vitality structures, we employed a range of scientific methodologies, including geobotanical description, morphometry analysis, complex vitality assessment, and statistical data analysis. Morphometric analyses allowed us to discern the characteristic size parameters of S. holostea plants within each specific habitat. Notably, our findings revealed that the ontogenetic spectra of S. holostea in areas varying in the intensity of anthropogenic influence exhibited incompleteness, except in the virgin forest plot, where all ontogenetic stages were observed. We conducted a factor analysis to gauge vitality, identifying critical morphological parameters unique to each population. Our results indicated a pronounced level of resilience in coenopopulations residing in areas devoid of forestry activities. Specifically, five of the six S. holostea populations were classified as having low vitality (class c). In contrast, the highest vitality class (class a) was predominantly observed among the populations residing in the virgin forest. This study, utilizing S. holostea as an exemplar species, highlights the considerable disruption that forestry management imparts upon the herbaceous layer of forest ecosystems and underscores the resultant degradation in population quality.