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Spreading of native Spergularia species along roadsides of Transdanubia (NW Hungary)
141-150Views:186During the systematic floristic research along Transdanubian roads (NW Hungary) since 2013, two native halophyte Spergularia species has been found. Due to the well known spreading near motorways in Eastern-Central Europe, the appearance of Spergularia marina along roads in north-western Hungary is not a surprise. Occurrences of the species were registered along fourteen main roads. Some of the stands are very rich where S. marina forms single-species lines along the asphalt edge. The spreading of Spergularia media along roads is yet much less intensive. Four stands were found near the motorways M1 and M7, main road 74, and the common section of the main road 86-87. Both species are native in the Hungarian plains, being specific elements of Pannonic alkali grassland associations, however, their secondary migration along road edges is promoted by road salting, intensive management of roads and increased vehicle traffic. In this paper, we specify secondary occurrences of the two Spergularia species, discuss their ecological and abiotic circumstances and publish corresponding distribution maps. Due to recognition problems in Spergularia, a corrected determination key was provided.
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Continuing spread of Plantago coronopus along Hungarian roads
19–26Views:619In the course of our research of Hungarian transport routes, we observed an intensive spread of the Atlantic-Mediterranean Plantago coronopus L., a recently established species in Hungary. Between 2017 and 2019, it was detected in 47 flora mapping quadrats, which increased the total number of occurrences to 81 since 2013. Besides motorways, the main Hungarian transport routes were involved as well. 26 occurrences have been recorded along the roads 4/E60, E573, 8/E66, 86/E65 and 87, which are severely affected by international traffic. However, on routes avoiding international transit traffic, the species’ occurrences are still rare. In some cases, the predominant direction of traffic appeared to influence the formation of new stands. It is very likely that the first individuals that appeared along the section of the M86/E65 motorway between Szombathely and Hegyfalu in 2019, arrived primarily by northbound traffic, rather than along the road 86, which runs parallel to it only a few hundred meters away. Likewise, it seems certain that the spread of the species along the roads M1/E60, E75 (Mocsa, Tata, Páty) and M7/E71 (Fonyód, Balatonlelle, Kajászó) as well as the road 8/E66 (Bakonygyepes, Veszprém) is due to reproduction of older extensive local populations. At several localities along the outer bend of roundabouts or near the exits of motorways, a dispersal role of intense winter road salting was also observed. The largest populations were located mostly along ditches, next to the (often bare) lane of roadbeds that are heavily affected by mechanical and osmotic stress. The majority of stands were found within a 3 meters wide belt along the asphalt strip (5 meters was measured in the lawn of a cemetery once). Since the species is present continuously at several localities since 2013, it is considered as naturalised in Hungary, and its further spread can be confidently predicted. The current status of the species in Hungary is naturalised (non-trans¬former) neophyte.