Ecological landscape units of the Dobrepolje-Struge karst

Abstract

The Dobrepolje-Struge polje is a typical karst polje of Slovenia’s Dinaric karst region. Distinctly prolonged in the direction of the Dinaric Alps, it lies in a deep trough between the Mala gora and Suha krajina plateaus. The bottom of the Dobrepolje-Struge polje, the karst corrosion plain around Ponikve, and the neighbouring hillslopes of Mala gora, Suha krajina, and the Čušperk plateau comprise the Dobrepolje-Struge karst, so named after its central relief unit. Among the natural elements that form the Dobrepolje-Struge karst, rock, relief, soil, and vegetation were found to be of greatest importance. The natural elements of the Dobrepolje-Struge karst are closely connected and interdependent. The most typical and most significant combinations of natural elements form ecological landscape units. We determined these units by overlapping content layers of rock, relief, soil, and vegetation employing the Geographical Information System. From 648 theoretically possible combinations, nineteen units were actually established, but based on the criteria of typicality and significance, we further identified six ecological landscape units in which similar or identical conditions appear relative to rock, relief, soil, and vegetation.