Influence of Prunus spinosa L. shrub on the grassland vegetation in western Romania

Prunus spinosa L. is a shrub species that is leading the permanent grassland to the shrubland successional phase. This species has a great occurrence in western Romania and is difficult to control it because it has a great ability of vegetative spreading from roots. The massive presence of this species in some grassland is due mainly to the abandonment and to the diminishing of the livestock. The vegetation was analysed with the linear point-quadrat method. This work has in view to analyse the influence of this species on some vegetation parameters as species richness, number of grasses, legumes and other species, contribution of grasses, legumes and other species, biodiversity indexes (Shannon – H’ and Simpson – D and pastoral value VP.