Grazing management is very popular nowadays and number of sites with grazing animals with the aim of restoring the sites is steadily growing. All the effects of grazing on grazed grasslands are not elucidated yet. This thesis focused mainly on the contribution of zoochory to restoration of species rich grasslands on stands cleared from Robinia pseudoacacia and stands cleared from Prunus spinosa brushwood. For the purpose of monitoring changes in vegetation, permanent plots have been established. In order to identify sources of new species occurring in permanent plots, inventory of species growing in neighbourhood of the permanent plots has been done, samples of soil seed bank, sheep buttons and seeds from sheep wool have been germinated in a greenhouse. Monitoring of permanent plots showed reduced regrowth of R. pseudoacacia and P. spinosa. We have also found that greater changes in species composition occurred in more degraded stands than in stands better-preserved. Germinating experiments proved soil seed bank being mainly the image of aboveground vegetation with minor importance to restoration of species rich grasslands. On the other hand sheep seem to be of great use for dispersal of seeds both by epizoochory and endozoochory when walking between different stands. This finding is of great importance for...

Although semi-natural grasslands in Europe are declining there is often a time delay in the local extinction of grassland species due to development of remnant populations, i.e., populations with an extended persistence despite a negative growth rate. The objectives of this study were to examine the occurrence of remnant populations after abandonment of semi-natural grasslands and to examine functional traits of plants associated with the development of remnant populations. We surveyed six managed semi-natural grasslands and 20 former semi-natural grasslands where management ceased 60-100 years ago, and assessed species response to abandonment, assuming a space-for-time substitution. The response of species was related to nine traits representing life cycle, clonality, leaf traits, seed dispersal and seed mass. Of the 67 species for which data allowed analysis, 44 species declined after grassland abandonment but still occurred at the sites, probably as remnant populations. Five traits were associated with the response to abandonment. The declining but still occurring species were characterized by high plant height, a perennial life form, possession of a perennial bud bank, high clonal ability, and lack of dispersal attributes promoting long-distance dispersal. Traits allowing plants to maintain populations by utilizing only a part of their life cycle, such as clonal propagation, are most important for the capacity to develop remnant populations and delay local extinction. A considerable fraction of the species inhabiting semi-natural grasslands maintain what is most likely remnant populations after more than 60 years of spontaneous succession from managed semi-natural grasslands to forest. / <p>authorCount :3</p>

Insect, soil and vegetation sampling was carried out to determine processes driving insect and plant diversity in species rich grasslands in the White Carpathian Mountains Protected Landscape Area in the Czech Republic. At the same time, the occurence specialized insects was detected for Melampyrum nemorosum and Rhinanthus spp. (Orobanchaceae).