Response of Impatiens parviflora functional leaf traits to soil moisture fluctuations in Danube floodplain forests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7494/geol.2026.52.2.181Keywords:
soil moisture dynamics, leaf functional traits, phenotypic plasticity, environmental stress, FluvisolsAbstract
The Danube floodplain forests near Bratislava (Slovakia) represent dynamic fluvial systems currently threatened by climate change-induced alterations in hydrological regimes and soil moisture availability. This study investigates the response of the invasive species Impatiens parviflora DC. to declining soil moisture, focusing on its role as a biological indicator of environmental shifts in Calcaric Pantofluvic Fluvisol (Ochric). We analyzed soil moisture dynamics and leaf functional traits – specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and leaf water content (LWC) – across six sites during a transition from wet (June) to dry (July) periods. Student’s t-tests confirmed statistically significant differences in soil moisture (p < 0.01) and leaf traits between the monitored months. Our results demonstrate a strong negative correlation between SLA and LDMC (r ≈ −0.95), reflecting a functional shift from an acquisitive to a conservative resource strategy under water deficit. These findings highlight the high phenotypic plasticity of I. parviflora, which allows it to thrive in anthropogenically and climatically altered floodplain soils where native vegetation declines, further accelerating biodiversity loss in these protected fluvial habitats.
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