Rainfall fluctuations and vegetation patterns in alkali grasslands – using self-organizing maps to visualise vegetation dynamics

Fluctuations in precipitation can rapidly alter plant species composition in alkali grasslands, particularly by increasing the cover of halophyte forbs due to salinisation or waterlogging stress. This study used Self-Organizing Map (SOM) neural networks to analyse vegetation dynamics across five stands of four alkali grassland types in Hortobágy National Park (eastern Hungary) from 2009 to 2011. SOM revealed that Puccinellia grasslands exhibited the most stable species composition, which is significant for conservation as this habitat supports numerous threatened halophyte species. The method also identified small-scale vegetation changes and provided detailed visualisation of short-term dynamics, suggesting its potential applicability in more species-rich habitats or landscapes.

Lukács, B. A., Török, P., Kelemen, A., Várbíró, G., Radócz, S., Miglécz, T., Tóthmérész, B., & Valkó, O. (2015). Rainfall fluctuations and vegetation patterns in alkali grasslands – using self-organizing maps to visualise vegetation dynamics. Floristisch-Soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e. V. (FlorSoz). https://doi.org/10.14471/2015.35.011