Investigation of the invasive plant infestation of the railway line between Gödöllő and Hatvan

Abstract

Railway systems are considered as a special environment and they can play a key role in the spread of the invasive plant species. In Hungary, there was no survey that specifically examined the importance of these linear facilities before. Our survey aims to examine the condition of the Gödöllő-Hatvan railroad line in terms of the levels of invasive plant-infection and what can be the role of the railway itself in it. The data were collected manually by walking along the entire examined railway track section, where the invasive species were recorded within the 10 meter range of the outer axis of the open railway track. The latter was divided into 30 one-kilometer long sections and 120 two hundred and fifty meters long subsections. The exact position of each invasive species was recorded in these (sub)sections. The surveyed area was very diverse in habitat types. In the present study, the spatial distribution of the most common species is also presented in the studied trajectory section, highlighting the most infected areas. Contrary to our preliminary idea, the latter did not always occur in the immediate vicinity of the settlements. The survey did not demonstrate that this railway line promotes the spread of all occurring invasive species probably due to the very diverse habitats but for a general conclusion the study should be extended both in space and time.