PDFKaraycheva G. & Vladimirov V. 2025.
Railway network as a pathway for the introduction and spread of alien plant species in Southern Bulgaria.
6th Balkan Conference of Biosciences, 30-31 Oct. 2025, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Abstract:
The railway network is one of the pathways for the introduction and spread of alien plant species.
The areas around the stations are some of their first habitats, from where they subsequently migrate and enter semi-natural and natural habitats. The purpose of the present study is to identify the plant species distributed around 37 railway stations in southern Bulgaria and to assess the proportion of alien and invasive species.
As a result of the field study, 399 species of Magnoliophyta were identified. Of these, the families with the largest number of species were: Asteraceae (65 species), Poaceae (43), Fabaceae (35), Brassicaceae (19), Rosaceae (18) and Amaranthaceae (16). From a phytogeographical point of view, the group of species with the largest share were: the Euro-Asian (16.9%) and the EuroMediterranean species (15.1%). Alien (adventive) species were 43 and represented 11.6% of all identified taxa, ranking third in number of representatives. Higher number of alien species was found at the following stations: (1) stations with intensive traffic; (2) sites with abandoned wagons and unmaintained terrain. Most of the alien species were of North-American origin (31%), followed by those originating from South America (10%).
The high share of aliens confirmed that the railway network was one of the main pathways for the introduction of those species in the Bulgarian flora. The results of this study are the basis for monitoring and elaboration of control measures for the alien plants associated with this pathway.
Acknowlegement: This work was supported by “The Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science under the National Program “Young Scientists and Postdoctoral Students – 2” 2024;
Scientific Research Center at the Agricultural University of Plovdiv-project 05-24.
