This study deals with the ecological requirements and the
Holocene dynamic of Central European woodland malacofauna. The
first part of the study, which is a review of the literature,
summarises the environmental factors influencing woodland
snails, the development of Central European environment and the
spread of molluscs during the Holocene, the use of mollusc
assemblages in palaeoecological reconstructions, and the modern
analogues of the Early and Middle Holocene forests in Central
Europe. In the second, experimental, part of the study the
species richness and the variability of the species composition
were compared within four forest types (pine forests, birch
forests, oak forests and talus forests), which resemble the
succession of forest vegetation in the Early and Middle
Holocene. The measured environmental factors were analysed and
their effect on the variation in species composition was
tested.
Sampling was carried out at 17 woodland sites in all four
forest types situated in the Czech Republic. Snail assemblages
were studied by searching by eye and litter sampling within a
defined quadrat of 10x10 m. The vegetation was studied in
detail at this area and samples of herb biomass and topsoil and
soil from the depth of 10 cm were sampled. Moreover, another
six variables from studied sites were meassured and recorded
(e.g. aspect and slope, the depth of soil, elevation). The
obtained data were evaluated and analysed using Microsoft
Office Excel 2007, STATISTICA 12, and CANOCO 5. Nonparametric
correlations and ordination methods were used.
Altogether 3561 individuals belonging to 60 land snail species,
with the majority of strictly forest species, were recorded.
The lowest number of individuals and species were found in pine
forests. On the contrary, the species and individuals richness
was  the highest in the talus forests with elm, maple and lime
trees. A positive correlation was found between the number of
species and calcium content in herb biomass. Three factors with
a significant effect on the land snail species composition were
determined using CCA analysis. The content of calcium in the
herb biomass explained the highest proportion of species
variation (14.7%), the next significant factors were index of
xericity (12.8%) and soil depth (12.1%). Preliminary we can
conclude that the main compositional gradient in the studied
forest snail species assemblages reflected the Holocene
succession of forest vegetation. However, the increase of data
set is necessary due to the ecologically and also historically
promoted variability.