Flora and Vegetation of the Czech Republic

This book summarizes basic information on the diversity of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and plant communities in the Czech Republic. It explains the patterns in botanical diversity in this country by linking them to environmental factors, biogeographical history and human impact. Basic taxonomic accounts of the flora are completed with an analysis of relict, endemic, rare and other biogeographically important species. The history of vegetation since the late Pleistocene is characterized based on a new synthesis of palaeoecological data and types of current vegetation are described following a recently developed system of national vegetation classification. Special attention is paid to the altitudinal zonation of vegetation, areas with high diversity of different vegetation types, species richness of plant communities, dynamics of current changes in vegetation and underlying causes. Alien flora is characterized separately with emphasis on the dynamics of the spread of introducedspecies, patterns in the invasibility of habitats and landscapes, and impact and management of alien plants. Individual species of invasive alien plants are characterized in detail. Finally, various aspects of conservation of botanical diversity are assessed, including its legal basis, protected plant species, Red List and Red Data Book, national system of protected areas, Natura 2000 network in the Czech Republic, mapping of habitats for conservation purposes, management of threatened plant species and their habitats and ecological restoration. This book also contains a basic description of the physical geography of this country, emphasizing the factors that shape the patterns in botanical diversity, and a detailed overview of the history of botanical research since the Renaissance up to the present. The flora and vegetation in this country is illustrated by numerous maps, graphs and photographs of plant species and communities.