Habitat diversity in the sandy forest-steppes of the Kiskunság (Hungary)

Kiskunság National Park (Hungary)

01.06.2021
17:00 - 18:30
Institut für Biologie

Laszlo ERDÖS (Budapest): Most of Central Europe belongs to the nemoral forest zone and is covered by closed-canopy forests. However, large areas of the Carpathian Basin receive so lit-tle precipitation that closed forests are not able to survive. Regions covered by sand are particularly dry due to the poor water-retention capacity of sand. The largest among these sandy regions is the Kiskunság in Hungary, which harbors a unique forest-steppe formation, formed by a mosaic of various forest, shrub, and grassland communities. While most of these forest-steppes have been destroyed during the last few centuries, some of these ecosytems did survive and are currently under le-gal protection. This lecture aims to provide an introduction into the fascinating habi-tat diversity of the region while also highlighting some of the most interesting adap-tations that enable the survival of plants and animals in this harsh environment.