Louky a pastviny jsou významným zdrojem biodiverzity v krajině a formují i krajinný ráz. Na orné půdě mohou být obnoveny buď spontánní sukcesí, nebo osetím komerčními a regionálními směsmi. Druhové složení směsí by mělo odpovídat místním podmínkám. Obnova degradovaných luk, které byly v minulosti většinou intenzivně využívané, hlavně silně hnojené, nebo naopak opuštěné, je často dlouhodobým procesem. Všeobecně obnova luk hodně záleží na tom, které luční druhy rostou v okolí a jak snadno se na cílovou plochu dostávají. and Meadows and pastures are an important source of biodiversity in the landscape with their special landscape character. In arable land they can be revitalized through spontaneous succession or by sowing with a regional commercial seed mixture, whose species composition should correspond to local conditions. Revitalization of degraded meadows used in the past in an intensive manner (they were usually highly manured), or which have been abandoned, is a long-term process. In general, revitalization of meadows depends on which species are growing in the vicinity and how easily they can spread up to the locality under revitalization.
Gymnadenia densiflora was recently either misinterpreted or not accepted as a distinct taxon by several authors. To resolve its taxonomic position and differentiation from the related G. conopsea, a detailed study of the morphology, chromosome numbers and distribution of these two taxa in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and neighbouring areas was carried out. Chromosome counts showed an invariable diploid chromosome number (2n = 40) for G. densiflora, while G. conopsea is diploid, tetraploid and rarely also pentaploid (2n = 40, 80, 100). Results of morphometric analyses (principal component analysis, cluster analysis, classificatory and canonical discriminant analysis) confirmed a good morphological separation between G. densiflora and G. conopsea. Characters such as the width of the second lowermost leaf, height of the plant, number of flowers in the inflorescence, number of leaves, and the ratio of height of the plant and distance from the stem base to the base of the uppermost sheathed leaf contributed most to this separation. Our study supports the recognition of G. densiflora as a distinct species.
Vegetation succession was studied for 12 years on an abandoned nutrient-poor small field surrounded by a strip of natural grassland. No fertilizers or herbicides were applied. Few weeds or annuals were present during this period. Only two plants, i.e. Agrostis capillaris and Festuca rubra, dominated during the 12 years. At two spatial scales (0.04 and 0.4 m2 ) a dramatic increase in species richness was recorded during the first two years. However, no further trend in species richness occurred after the sixth year of succession. Successional changes were directed and continuous. The rate of succession depended on the distance from the neighbouring meadow. Vegetation at the margins of the transect developed more slowly and diverged from the middle during the succession.