engleski

Floristic, microclimatic, pedological and geomorphological features of the Balinovac doline on North Velebit (Croatia)

A deep karst area of the Velebit mountain range has abundant in large dolines (sinkholes) – karst depressions with frequent temperature inversions resulting in vertical inversions of the plant cover. Although the initial research dates back to the fifties of the twentieth century (Horvat 1952-1953), the dolines of the Dinaric karst have not undergone a systematic multidisciplinary research until today. It is for this reason that floristic, microclimatic, pedological and geomorphological research of the Balinovac doline on North Velebit was carried out during 2008 and 2009. The research goal was to determine the correlation between the flora, microclimate, soil, geomorphological features of the doline and the selected ecological parameters affecting its floristic composition. Plants along the north-south profile were listed, and five points were determined at which soil pits were analysed for the purpose of determining the soil type and collecting samples for laboratory analyses. The temperature and the relative air humidity were continuously measured for the period of one year. For the purpose of comparison with the results of the laboratory pedological analyses and the field-measured values, the recorded plant species were assigned indicator values of the selected ecological parameters according to Landolt (1977). The research results confirmed the presumed temperature inversion affecting the vertical formation and composition of the flora in the doline.

Balinovac doline; flora; microclimate; soil; geomorphology; ecological parameters

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