Occurrence of invasive alien plant species in the floodplain forests along the Mura River in Slovenia

Background and purpose: The objectives of our study were to identify invasive alien plant species (IAS) in the main Natura 2000 forest habitat types (FHT) along the Mura River in Slovenia, and to estimate their abundance and cover. The aim of our study was to find out a) Which IAS appear in the research forests? b) What is their frequency and cover percentage? c) Whether individual IAS prosper better in some FHT than others? d) What is the correlation between the cover of IAS and the tree layer cover? Materials and methods: We analysed the fidelity of invasive plant species to individual FHT. The studied FHTs along the Mura River were the following: 91E0* (Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior), 91F0 (Riparian mixed forests of Quercus robur, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor, Fraxinus excelsior or Fraxinus angustifolia, along the great rivers) and 91L0 (Illyrian oak-hornbeam forests). Two forest areas of about 600 ha were studied in total. With the intention to calculate number and cover of IAS some statistical analysis was made. In addition, correlations between the abundances of the most present IAS and cover of upper tree layer were carried out. Results: In total, 15 IAS were recorded in studied FHTs. Some species, like Robinia pseudoacacia, Impatiens glandulifera, I. parviflora, Fallopia japonica (incl. F. x bohemica), Erigeron annuus, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Amorpha fruticosa, Conyza canadensis and Juncus tenuis occur only in one or two FHTs, while some species can be found in all studied FHTs (e.g. Solidago sp.). We found out that the most threatened forests are those with prevailing Salix alba, Alnus glutinosa, Fraxinus angustifolia and Ulmus laevis tree species. Those are the forests of FHT 91E0 which have less dense tree canopies, grow closest to the river and on the wettest sites. We found a statistically significant higher number and cover of IAS in the FHT 91E0 and the lowest number and cover in FHT 91L0. Conclusions: Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (FHT 91E0) along the Mura River are most prone to invasion of IAS. The increasing presence of IAS in the study areas seriously affects natural regeneration, stability, and continuity of floodplain forests in all other FHTs in the study area. At the same time the amount of IAS in these forests also depends on management measures and their intensities which accelerate light availability. Some measures and guidelines for managing of these forests with the purpose of reducing IAS impacts are suggested in this study.