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Structure of aboveground phytomass of abandoned and managed mesic meadows in the forest zone: a case study from the Central Forest Reserve, Russia

ABSTRACT Widespread ecological succession occurs in abandoned temperate semi-natural meadows, but the process is still not fully understood. In the Central Forest Reserve, located in the Tver Oblast of northwest Russia, meadows that were abandoned in the 1980s and 1990s still have not been fully overgrown by woody vegetation. The aim of our study was to examine how abandonment influences the structure of aboveground phytomass and community weighted means of leaf traits in the meadows of this forest zone. We compared the phytomass structures of abandoned meadows in the core area of the reserve and managed meadows in the surrounding area, which both belong to the Cynosurion cristati Tx. 1947 alliance. Mixed effect models were applied to estimate the effects of management on the phytomass fractions and community weighted means of the specific leaf area and leaf area apart from differences in other factors of the ecotope, estimated as Ellenberg’s indicator values based on 100 m2 relevés. The vascular plant biomass was significantly lower while moss biomass and the specific leaf area were significantly higher in abandoned meadows than in managed meadows, but there was no significant difference in litter accumulation. The studied abandoned meadows lacked sufficient productivity to allow rapid changes toward tall-herb ruderal communities. However, the observed changes of community structure indicate that appropriate management will be required to maintain these meadows.