1_This article uses several examples to describe transformations of early medieval settlement structures-mostlyfrom pre-urban central agglomeration-to the communal town as it is reflected in archaeological finds. The attention was focused on three main questions: 1) What were the dynamics of the early medieval settlement? 2) Is thereany evidence for a communication network in the pre-urban period and after the town was founded? 3) What arethe changes in organisation of space and how does the pattern of a built-up area in this period appear? The sitesselected include-Prague, Chrudim and Hradec Králové in Bohemia, Brno in Moravia, Opava in the Czech partof the Upper Silesia, Wrocław in the Lower Silesia, Gdansk and Szczecin in the Polish part of Pomerania. Mostpre-urban centres experienced growth in the 12th century. The street network was still tentative although there was agreater tendency towards a stable street network. Polish towns which had well preserved timber structures experienceda development of complex homesteads from the 11th century at the latest. A system of rectangular lots emerged onlyin Prague and probably slightly later in Wroclaw. With regards to new elements in the architecture of timber dwellings,house foundations in the 13th century employed framed houses constructed using two main techniques: 1) posts setin the ground 2) posts set in foundation beams. The latter technique is exemplified by dwellings where a cellar ispresent underneath an overground floor. Stone houses were built in Prague as early as the 12th century., 2_ At other sites,construction of such dwellings dates back to the 13th century, in Gdansk even to the 14th century. This comparativestudy has revealed common patterns in the urbanisation of Central Europe during the transformations in the 12th and13th centuries, although the speed of diffusion of the various new trends differed between the various urban centres., Rudolf Procházka., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
We surveyed ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in 10 stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), all monoculture stands 5–100 years old, in western Slovakia, Central Europe, over two successive periods, October 2013 – March 2014 and October 2014 – March 2015. The winter in each period was exceptionally mild. Ladybirds were collected from the lower branches of pine trees using beating trays and were present in 61% of the 1040 samples (one sample containing ladybirds from 20 branches, 1 m long each). In total 3965 individuals of 20 species were recorded. Non-conifer dwelling species associated with broadleaved trees or herbaceous plants prevailed (45% of species), followed by conifer specialists (40%) and generalists (15%). Although 13 species were found at least in one winter month, December, January or February, only four of them, Exochomus quadripustulatus, Coccinella septempunctata, Harmonia axyridis and Hippodamia variegata, were recorded continually during both winters. The number of species, the abundance of all ladybirds and the abundance of dominant species (E. quadripustulatus, C. septempunctata and H. axyridis) decreased from late autumn towards winter and remained lowest during this most adverse time of the year for ladybirds. Overwintering species assemblages of ladybirds changed over time and varied with age of pine stand. Our results suggest that Scots pine in Central Europe supports species rich assemblages of ladybirds from late autumn to early spring and, being widely distributed, it could be suited to winter surveying of ladybirds at large spatial scales to reveal behavioural and ecological responses of species to changing weather or different climates.
The phylogeographic pattern of the temperate shrub Lonicera nigra (Caprifoliaceae) in Europe was inferred from molecular and fossil data. Population samples and pollen data from most of the contemporary natural distribution were analysed. While chloroplast DNA sequences revealed no intraspecific variation, AFLP data show a non-random geographic pattern. Two genetically different groups, distinguished by Bayesian clustering, divided the distribution area of L. nigra into south-western and north-eastern regions with a contact zone situated approximately in the upper part of the Danube Valley. Iberian populations constitute an additional distinct genetic group. Pollen evidence supports the genetic data, indicating that L. nigra might have survived in glacial refugia located in Central Europe. Nevertheless, this evidence should be considered only as indicative and supplementary, as an unambiguous determination of the species is not possible based on the information on pollen in the literature.
Comments on 11 species of cyanophilic lichens are presented. A new combination Peccania cernohorskyi is proposed, commented on and typified. Anema nodulosum, A. prodigulum, Lempholemma intricatum, Leptogium ferax, Porocyphus rehmicus and Zahlbrucknerella calcarea are reported from Slovakia for the first time, Leptogium biatorinum and L. magnussonii from Hungary, and Anema prodigulum, Heppia adglutinata, Leptogium biatorinum and Psorotichia taurica from the Czech Republic. Leptogium cretaceum is lectotypified.
The Central European flora is an important source pool of plant species introduced to many regions throughout theworld. In this study,we identified a total of 759 plant species of the Central European flora that are currently recognized as alien species in Australia. We explored temporal patterns of introduction of these species to Australia in relation to method of introduction, growth form, naturalization status and taxonomy. Across all species, substantially larger numbers of species were introduced between 1840 and 1880 as well as between 1980 and the present, with a small peak of introductions within the 1930s. These patterns reflect early immigration patterns to Australia, recent improvements in fast and efficient transportation around the globe, and emigration away from difficult conditions brought about by the lead up to the Second World War respectively. We found that the majority of species had deliberate (69%) rather than accidental (31%) introductions and most species have not naturalized (66% casual species, 34% naturalized species). A total of 86 plant families comprising 31 tree species, 91 shrub species, 533 herbaceous species and 61 grass species present in Central Europe have been introduced to Australia. Differential patterns of temporal introduction of species were found as a function of both plant family and growth form and these patterns appear linked to variation in human migration numbers to Australia.
The study summarizes the development of ecclesiastical organizations in the Czech lands before 1200, taking into account the wider European context. The author first draws attention to the difficulties associated with the number and character of the preserved sources. Then he problematizes the traditional notion of ecclesiastical dignitaries as mere servants of the duke, confronting the question of tithes and examining evidence of the activity of the archdeacons and archpriests. In conclusion, he focuses on the question of building the parish organization and subscribes to the notion that this was not a centrally controlled activity, but rather a local initiative, although supported by the bishop. and David Kalhous.
Four lamprey species and 55 fish species are considered autochthonous taxa in the Czech Republic. In recent years, as a result of spontaneous migrations, the native ichthyofauna has been increased by three species Sander volgensis, Gymnocephalus baloni, Proterorhinus marmoratus) which, in view of their autochthonous occurrence in the Central European region, are evaluated as native. At present, according to the criteria of the IUCN (2001) version 3.1, two lamprey species and 6 fish species are evaluated as “regionally extinct”. Most of these taxons are denoted as anadromous. One species has been classified in the category “Extinct in the wild”. Two lamprey species and 25 fish species are considered to be endangered to various extent: one lamprey species and 10 fish species are classified as “Critically endangered”; one lamprey species and 5 fish species as “Endangered”; ten fish species as “Vulnerable”. In the course of the past two centuries, attempts have been made at introducing about 30 fish species (see Lusk et al. 1998, Hanel 2003); of these, the introduction of 11 species can be evaluated as successful. Only four non-native species have established stable and naturally reproducing populations in natural conditions (Pseudorasbora parva, Carassius auratus, Ameiurus nebulosus, Gasterosteus aculeatus).
This paper describes the reproductive characteristics of 93 neophytes (alien species introduced after 1500 A.D.) of the flora of the Czech Republic and compares trait values between naturalized invasive and naturalized non-invasive neophytes. Species were sampled and seed collected in the field from multiple localities in the Czech Republic. Traits related to seed production (propagule number per plant and per population), dispersal (propagule size, length/width ratio and weight; buoyancy; epizoochory; terminal velocity) and establishment (germination; seedling relative growth rate; seedling establishment) were measured for each species either in the field, in a common garden experiment or in the laboratory. Invasive species significantly differ from naturalized non-invasive species in propagule length/width ratio (by having lower ratio, i.e. more rounded propagules) and fecundity (invasive species are more fecund, both per individual plant and in terms of the population propagule production). Invasive species have proportionally fewer seedlings establishing in the autumn and better capacity for dispersal by wind than non-invasive species. The results for several traits differ depending on whether or not the effect of phylogeny is included in analytical models. Considering species relatedness expressed as a taxonomic hierarchy, invasive species have lighter propagules and higher population propagule numbers, and marginally significantly differ in producing more propagules per plant and having higher capacity for dispersal bywater.We found that most variation in invasiveness is linked to variation among species within genera. This distribution of relatedness means that predictions of whether a species will become invasive cannot be based on traits of the relatives of the given species at higher taxonomic levels. The distinction made in this paper, i.e. invasive species vs. naturalized but non-invasive species, can potentially contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of traits associated with invasiveness because the crucial transition from the naturalized to invasion stage is rarely addressed in invasion ecology.
In the subcontinental, semiarid lowland region of Central Bohemia (Czech Republic), continuous human impact acting together with diverse natural environmental conditions resulted in the present extraordinarily complex pattern of vegetation. Three radiocarbon-dated pollen diagrams for the area indicate that this complexity results from past vegetation development. During prehistory, places suitable for settlement (with respect to climate, geology, hydrology, etc.) were colonized and transformed first. This resulted in a diachrony in vegetation development due to human activity starting in the first half of the Holocene. This caused an increase in diversity in the region as plant species persisting from previous periods, along with those associated with different agricultural practices, increased. Local abiotic factors affected not only the chronology of human impact but also its specific effects on the ecosystem. Anthropogenic pressure may have had different effects under different conditions. Human population pressure was the mediator between the abiotic diversity and selectively transformed vegetation suitable for the respective habitats. Differences in the chronology of human impact, mixed oak woodland degradation, and the chronology of beech, silver fir and hornbeam expansion are documented for the different ecological zones of the study area. These differences shed light on the mechanisms resulting in some of the important changes in Holocene vegetation. In the absence of man, the decline in mixed oak woodlands, typical of the Middle Holocene in Central Bohemia, would have been probably much slower and less extensive. Unlike in the uplands and mountains, the expansion in the area of beech, silver fir and hornbeam would have been insignificant. The present vegetation resulted to a large extent from management during High Middle Ages. There is almost no continuity in vegetation from the late prehistory to the present.