The Flora of the Hortobágy National Park by J. Szujkó-LaczaReview by: Jiří Kolbek and Jiří LiškaFolia Geobotanica & Phytotaxonomica, Vol. 20, No. 1 (1985), pp. 102-103Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4180566 .

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102 FOLIA GEOBOTANICA ET PHYTOTAXONOMICA 20, 1985

ion of these maps. Each map is accompanied by a detailed analysis of the individual taxa, carried out from various points of view.

Chapter 6. Discussion and conclusion. In the conclusion the authors summarized the principles on which the work is based. Although they are aware of the variety and different qualities of the data used, they conclude that the broad-scale pattern has been obtained in the European pollen data for the last 13 OOO years.

In the following subchapter they deal with the methodology applied to the interval of 2000 ? 8000 years, and with that of 9000?13000 years. The authors discuss here the results of a principal components analysis.

In the next subchapter, the results of vegetation reconstruction are summarized, and the rate of vegetation and climate changes in the individual phases of the Holocene are discussed.

In the last subchapter considerations based on geological investigation are put forward con? cerning migration roads, changes in vegetational composition and refugia during the Holocene.

The book is supplemented by a list of sites of the databases, from which it follows that the authors have used only selected papers or that the references used as a basis are incomplete.

At the end of the book, references are cited which are relatively scarce in relation to the large volume of the work.

The present book will undoubtedly contribute to the fundamental palynological literature and will serve as a springboard for further palynological research.

Blanka Pacltova

J. Szujk6-Lacza (ed.)

THE FLORA OF THE HORTOBAGY NATIONAL PARK

In: Z. Kaszab (ed.): Natural History of the National Parks of Hungary, No. 3. ? Akademiai Kiado, Budapest 1982, 172 p., 152 Figs. + Photos, 17 Tabs.

The majority of indigenous species of fauna and flora with great genetic richness is concentrated in nati6nal parks. The exploration and protection of these values are the primary tasks of the staff of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Their first attention was given to the Horto- bagy National Park (HNP), the area of which (64,000 ha) includes a very characteristic vegetation with special fauna and flora. The results of its inventarization are published in three volumes. The first two have described the fauna, while this third volume presents the flora of this interesting territory.

A characteristic of the HNP is the mosaic distribution of habitats: rivers, canals, lakes, perio? dically drying ponds, meadows, pastures etc., but most characteristic and specific for this area is the dry halophytic and "loess vegetation". The investigation presented could serve as the basis for a future comparative study of changes of the flora both in space and time, as influenced by different natural and artificial factors. Therefore the inventarization was done in the HNP ter? ritory and two adjacent preserved thermophilous oak-forests which represent relics of the climax forest communities.

The volume submitted contains a list of 1772 taxa (see below). The data sources are varied: literature, field records and collections of various herbaria. Most of the data are results of three- years' investigation (1974?76). Therefore the authors believe the list of the vascular plants might be more complete, while the number of species and localities concerning cryptogams is more influenced by the number of visits (mostly valid for the microscopic organisms). Apart from that, the present check-list has a new character, including all groups of plants. The locali? zation is completed by a grid code of the system currently used in Central European flora mapping.

Results of this huge work are 116 new findings for the whole Hungarian flora. Four new species are described: the alga Spirogyra kolae Hajdu and the fungi Agaricus bernardiiformis Bohus, A. macrosporoides Bohus and Urocystis tothii Vanky; moreover four new macrofungi species remain to be described in the future. The total number of cryptogams (982) is higher than that of the vascular plants (774), but the latter are dominant, as usual.

The present work contains 8 contributions by authors: J. Szujk6-Lacza (a history and natural conditions), L. Hajdu and G. Zrupk6 (aquatic algae), Zs. P. Komaromy (soil algae), J. Gonczol

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BOOKREVIEWS 103

and S. T6th (microfungi), M. Babos (macrofungi), K. P. Verseghy (lichens), S. Orban (bryo? phytes), J. Szujk6-Lacza, G. Feketa, D. Kovats, L. Szab6 and Z. Slroki (vascular plants). All these contributions contain lists of species and their localities, only the chapter concerning macrofungi includes also taxonomical and ecological remarks on selected species with interesting quantitative distributional relationship of precipitation and fruitbody production of halophilous species Agaricus bernardii. The chapter dealing with vascular plants includes various information on species distribution and diversity.

The mentioned volume is mainly concerned with listing plants. Unfortunately there ia no de? tailed characteristic of this area which would emphasize its specificity (at least in the introduction). Data on ecology and phytocenology would be especially valuable, because the territory of the HNP is an exceptional area with unique phenomena. The work contains some inaccuracies or formal mistakes. The terms "species" and "taxa" are not well used in some cases. Some check? lists are arranged in alphabetic order, others according to systematics (e.g. aquatic versus soil algae etc.). Some species are cited twice under different names (e.g. p. 93: Buetlia punctiformis and B. punctata); on the other hand different species have identical numbers (e.g. p. 122: Fra' garia vesca and Fraxinus angustifolia; p. 132: Rumex acetosa and R. acetosdla). Some numbers in different places in text and cover do not agree: total number of taxa (cover: 1772 and p. 14: 1762), total number of soil algae (p. 50: 113, p. 14: 131 new for the HNP!), incorrect sums on the p. 14 (last line in text and in Tab. 1). The newly described alga Spirogyra kolae (p. 14) is not listed on p. 29! Fig. 5 shows an aquatic community and not a "meadow" (p. 5). The text contains a re? latively large amount of spalling errors in nomenclature. These errors could have been avoided by more careful editorial work. In some examples modern nomenclature should have been used. Some groups of cryptogams (especially hepatics) include a low number of species (the discovery of some xerophytic species is probable).

In spite of these inaccuracies the publication of this work is very valuable, because it deals with an area containing a significant part of the gene bank not only of Hungary. It is especially necessary to emphasize the first elaboration of some groups of cryptogams. This is a welcome intention and it could be recommended for further areas in other countries.

Future volumes of this series will deal with the results of the floristic and faunistic exploration of the Kiskunsag National Park.

JlRi KOLBEK Jib! Li?ka

Liquan Zhang

VEGETATION ECOLOGY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY OF FRITILLARIA MELEAGRIS L. AT THE KUNGSANGEN NATURE RESERVE, EASTERN SWEDEN

Acta Phytogeographica Suecica 73, Uppsala 1983, Almqvist et Wiksell International, 92 pp., 45 Figs., 29 Tabs.

The last issue of APhS is devoted to the study of FritUlaria mdeagris growing in a nature reserve near Uppsala. FritUlaria is a bulbous perennial. This type of plant has often been studied by population biologists. The life history of bulbous perennials is relatively well known. One may ask why FritUlaria was chosen for this study. The answer is that FritUlaria is an endangered species in the major part of its distribution area in Europe due to the drainnage and fertilization of meadows, and that irregular flowering is interesting from the viewpoint of plant biology.

Zhang's study deals with various aspects of the life history: demography, life cycle, dry matter allocation, seed biology. It is very typical of FritUlaria that it needs a very long time of vegetative growth to reach its reproductive age. The age of first reproduction is determined by size of the bulb. Irregularities of flowering are probably controlled by bulb size but some aspects are unknown at present. FritUlaria is able to transform reserves from the old bulb to the new one, being able to remain without above ground shoots for some years. This fact may complicate demographic studies based only on the counting of visible plants as in the Orchida- ceae family. The study was performed on permanent plots situated along a water gradient.

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