Проблеми охорони рідкісних видів рослин на заповідних територіях Українського Розточчя

The protected area Kurgalsky is situated on the south-western coast of the Gulf of Finland near the Estonian border and has the status of a regional nature reserve (zakaznik). It comprises a marine area with a number of small islets. The Kurgalsky Nature Reserve is included in the network of Helcom Baltic Sea Marine Protected Areas and Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites). This area is a refuge for a great number of rare and threatened species and plant communities of high conservation value. Based on the research carried out by the authors in the 2000s in the Kurgalsky Reserve and analysis of all previously published information on vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens, as well as vegetation of the area, the most valuable botanical objects were identified. New data on the locations of many rare and protected species were obtained. Six species of mosses (Atrichum flavisetum, Aulacomnium androgynum, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Sphagnum aongstroemii, S. palustre, Ulota intermedia) and 9 lichen species (Alectoria sarmentosa subsp. sarmentosa, Evernia divaricata, Menegazzia ter-ebrata, Nephroma bellum, Parmeliella triptophylla, Ramalina baltica, Scytinium subtile, Xanthoparmelia loxodes, X. pulla) listed in the Red Data Book of the Leningrad Region were found in the Reserve in the 2000s for the first time, including the nationally red-listed Aulacomnium androgynum and Menegazzia terebrata. Moreover, new locations of 17 protected species of vascular plants, 3 liverwort species and 2 lichen species were discovered. An annotated list with new locations of rare and protected species is represented. The total number of red-listed species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in the Kurgalsky Reserve is 78 (50 vascular plant species, 11 bryophytes and 11 lichen species), including 11 vascular plant species, 1 moss species and 2 lichen species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. Besides, 2 vascular plant species, 5 bryophytes and 19 lichen species are proposed to be included in the Red Data Book of the Leningrad Region. Maps of the distribution of protected species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens known from the Reserve are published for the first time. The spatial distribution of red-listed species was analyzed. Despite the fact that each of the considered groups (vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens) has its own biological and ecological features that determine their distribution within the area, it is possible to distinguish some general patterns in the spatial distribution of the species. Thus, the largest number of rare and threatened species, habitat specialists and indicator species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens are clearly associated with rare or unique landscapes in the Kurgalsky Reserve. An important feature of the distribution of bryo-phytes and lichens is their specific relationship with the long-term characteristics of substrates and microclimatic features of habitats. The Kurgalsky Nature Reserve is definitely one of the most valuable, biologically diverse and rich protected areas of the Leningrad Region, and it is extremely important to safeguard this unique area.

Rare plant species are suggested to be less resistant to herbivores than common species. Their lower apparency and the fact that they often live in isolated populations, resulting in fewer herbivore encounters, might have led to the evolution of reduced defences. Moreover, their frequent lower levels of genetic diversity compared with common species could negatively affect their resistance against enemies. However, the hypothesis that plant resistance depends on plant regional and local rarity, independently of habitat and competitive and growth strategy, lacks evidence. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the performance and preference of one belowground and three aboveground generalist invertebrate herbivores from different taxonomic groups as indicators of plant resistance. Herbivores were fed a total of 62 regionally and locally rare and common plant species from Switzerland. We accounted for differences in a plant's growth and competitive strategy and habitat resource availability. We found that regionally and locally rare and common plant species did not generally differ in their resistance to most generalist herbivores. However, one herbivore species even performed better and preferred locally and regionally common plant species over rarer ones, indicating that common species are not more resistant, but tend to be less resistant. We also found that all herbivore species consistently performed better on competitive and large plant species, although different herbivore species generally preferred and performed better on different plant species. The latter indicates that the use of generalist herbivores as indicators of plant‐resistance levels can be misleading. Synthesis: Our results show that rare plant species are not inherently less resistant than common ones to herbivores. Instead, our results suggest that the ability of plants to allocate resources away from defence towards enhancing their competitive ability might have allowed plants to tolerate herbivory, and to become locally and regionally common.

Identification of valuable biotopes was carried out on the example of a small territory —the “Gagarka” forest park, located on the Northern coast of the Gulf of Finland within the borders of St. Petersburg (Fig. 1). Field data on landscapes, vegetation, flora and fauna were collected in 2018 to proof the need to create a specially protected natural territory of regional significance. The study area of 58.7 ha is an accumulative sea terrace with absolute elevations not exceeding 2.5 m above sea level. Despite of small area size, the vegetation is quite diverse and it is represented by the coniferous (spruce and pine) forests, several types of black alder forests, tree and shrub fens, littoral meadows, coastal and aquatic vegetation. Rare species of herbaceous plants and shrubs listed in the Red books of the Russian Federation (Krasnaya…, 2008) and St. Petersburg (Krasnaya…, 2018) are recorded and they often dominate in the plant communities. The preservation of biological diversity may be successful only if the landscapes and the biotopes hosting plant and animal species, including rare ones, are protected. Objects of protection can be both rare and typical ones for the regional biotopes. The environmental value of biotopes of the “Gagarka” forest park was assessed according to the following criteria: ecotopic (areas with rare and specific landforms, soils, hydrochemical regime), geobotanical (the presence of primary plant communities, rare plant communities; widespread, but with a tendency to reduce the area as a result of natural or anthropogenic impacts), floristic (the presence of rare species and species located on the border of their ranges), faunistic (the pre­sence of rare animal species, the species richness of fauna, the presence of permanent habitats of animals and birds, as well as biotopes used in certain seasons: during breeding, nesting, molting and migration). In addition, the compliance of biotopes with the European habitat classification EUNIS (European Nature Information System) was taken into account (Davies et al., 2004, EUNIS, 2018). Plant communities are the main indicator of habitats, and their borders mark the boundaries of habitats. In this regard, the geobotanical map (Fig. 2) is the basis for creating a map of biotopes. In addition to the geobotanical map, the map of actual landscapes, the map of the locations of rare plant species, and faunistic materials were used to create a map of valuable biotopes (Materialy…, 2018). It shows 6 types of habitats, that are particularly important for the conservation of biological and biotopic diversity (Fig. 3). All valuable habitats of the “Gagarka” forest park are located in the littoral zone of the Gulf of Finland and near its coast. They are grouped into 4 categories: black alder forests as a model of natural tree communities of the Littorina terrace and habitats of rare plant and animal species, coastal fens as rare plant communities on the territory of St. Petersburg and habitats of rare plant species, littoral meadows as rare plant communities on the territory of St. Petersburg and habitats of rare plant and animal species, shallow waters of the Gulf of Finland as habitats with highly productive communities of macrophytes, rare plant species, with a large species diversity and a high number of birds, including rare ones. The creation of new protected area “Gagarka” is necessary to preserve the habitats and rare species that grow and live here.

The Bashkir Trans-Urals (the eastern part of the Republic of Bashkortostan) includes the low mountains and foothills of the eastern slope of the Southern Urals, as well as the adjacent Sakmaro-Tanalyk and Kizilo-Urtazym plains. The vegetation is forest-steppe and steppe. Despite the small amount of precipitation (350-450 mm/year), there are quite a lot of mires, especially in the northern part of the study area. Mires are located mainly on the slopes of mountains and hills and at their foothills, in endorheic basins, in river floodplains, and often have a large area (up to several hundred hectares). All mires are eutrophic, their vegetation cover includes paludified birch and black alder forests and treeless reed, reed-sedge, moss-sedge plant communities. In 2023, more than 240 mires were identified in the Bashkir Trans-Urals, 60% of the total area of which (more than 8 thousand hectares) were disturbed as a result of drainage and peat extraction. There are very few publications about the distribution and the state of populations of rare plant species in the mires of the study area. The aim of this work is to summarize and to analyze the data on the representation of rare species of vascular plants in the mires of the Bashkir Trans-Urals. Currently, in the mires of the Bashkir Trans-Urals, 32 rare plant species in need of protection have been identified, including 25 species (Table 1) listed in core list of the Red Data Book of the Republic of Bashkortostan [Martynenko, 2021], as well as 7 species are included in the Appendix II to this book, i.e. “List of flora and fungi that require special attention to their condition in the natural environment and monitoring in the Republic of Bashkortostan” (Carex dioica, Ranunculus lingua, Salix myrtilloides, Salix pyrolifolia, Saussurea parviflora, Baeothryon pumilum, Utricularia intermedia). Two species (Liparis loeselii. and Orchis militaris) are included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation [Order ..., 2023]. The largest number of rare mire species belong to the families Orchidaceae (11 species) and Cyperaceae (4 species). About 80% of these rare species are stenotopic and have a fidelity score for the mire ecotope III-V. Therefore, the destruction or degradation of their habitats will lead to the disappearance of their local populations in the Bashkir Trans Urals. Little is known about the population size of rare species growing in the mires of the Bashkir Trans-Urals. Local populations of these species are often small and usually consist of several dozen, rarely hundreds of individuals (Carex serotina, Dactylorhiza russowii, etc.). For few species, for instance, Orchis militaris, the subpopulation size within the mire can amount to several thousand individuals, but, depending on weather conditions, there are extreme fluctuations in the number of plants in different years. A decrease in the number or disappearance of subpopulations of rare plant species depends on different factors, i.e., fluctuations in the water level in lakeside mires, the habitat degradation along the edges of mires due to grazing and haymaking (Artemisia laciniata), drying out of mires due to a decrease in the groundwater level after droughts (Liparis loeselii, Saxifraga hirculus), drainage, peat extraction, peat fires and recreation. Currently, populations of rare and protected species of vascular plants have been identified in 58 mires. The most valuable for the protection of rare species of vascular plants are the mire vegetation complexes of the natural monuments “Nurok Mire”, “Karpis Mire”, “Starobalbukovskoye Mire” [Muldashev et al., 2020]. Most of the mires of the Bashkir Trans-Urals, where habitats of rare species have been identified, do not have conservation status. Searching for new locations and monitoring local populations of rare plant species are a necessary for organizing effective protection of the biodiversity of this region, which is characterized by a high degree of agricultural development. Factors causing a reduction or disappearance of local populations of rare species in the mires of the Bashkir Trans-Urals are the consequences of drainage, fluctuations in the water level in lakeside mires, grazing and haymaking along the edges of mires, drought and recreation.

The article characterizes the peculiarities of the formation of forest ecosystems as centers for the distribution of rare species within the territory of Mezyn National Nature Park. The research area is notable for its diverse ecotopic conditions, which support a wide variety of forest species of vascular plants and corresponding communities, including oak, linden-oak, maple-linden-oak, linden, and hornbeam-oak forests. The forest group of vascular plant flora in the territory of Mezynskyi NNP includes 18 species, with 10 species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine and 8 species having regional protection status in Chernihiv Oblast. Among the forest species from the Red Data Book of Ukraine, the non-moral group predominates, including Neottia nidus-avis, Listera ovata, Epipactis atrorubens, Epipactis helleborine, Platanthera bifolia, Platanthera chlorantha, Lilium martagon, and Allium ursinum. Among the species of vascular plants in forest ecosystems that are protected at the regional level in Chernihiv region, within the study area, 7 species of the division Polypodiophyta are distinguished, specifically: Dryopteris cristata, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Matteuccia struthiopteris, Polypodium vulgare, Polystichum aculeatum, P. brauni, and Phegopteris connectilis. Anthropogenic impacts on the forest areas of Mezyn NNP, including on rare species of vascular plants, can be classified into the following groups: production and traditional economy, recreational activities, forestry activities and control measures, and violation of the protected area. The greatest impact of the recreational factor is on recreational forest areas and areas around settlements. The development of measures and plans for the protection of rare species will ensure the principles of protecting forest ecosystems as a whole (general) and their individual components (special). The article presents a system of environmental measures for the protection and conservation of rare forest species of vascular plants, and suggests measures for further conservation and monitoring of these species. To address the issues of conserving rare species, the article recommends optimizing the zoning system of the park territory, expanding the protected area, and including existing protected areas and habitats of rare flora species within its composition.

The paper presents the investigation data of 6 cut-over peat lands in central area of Kirov Region (on the example of Zuev, Orichev, Slobod, Kirov and Chepez areas). The authors found the new locations of 10 rare plant species enlisted in the regional Red Book and species that have limited distribution in a region or have narrow ecological range ( Gymnadenia conopsea, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Epipactis helleborine, Epipactis atrorubens, Platanthera bifolia, Trichophorum alpinum, Botrychium multifidum, Dryopteris cristata, Thelipteris palustris, Huperzia selago ). They also describe the process of phytocoenoses. The study shows the development of new typical boggy plant societies as a result of secondary bogging (on the example of Trichophorum alpinum , Drosera rotundifolia , Carex nigra , Eriophorum vaginatum , Parnassia palustris ). The paper estimates the state of rare species populations. The authors analyze the ability of the species to inhabit artificial landscapes and anthropogenically modified phytocoenoses. That shows an explerent component of ecological-phytocoenotic strategy. Secondary boggy landscapes can play the role of refugiums for the species which habitats were lost due to industrial impact.

Assessing the representativeness of protected areas is necessary to optimize their national and regional networks, as well as to improve the protection of rare and endemic species. In the Republic of Bashkortostan, an analysis of the distribution of rare vascular plant species in need of protection has been carried out on the basis of synthesizing all sources of high-precision georeferenced data, i.e., databases of herbarium specimens and geobotanical releves. The result of these works was the creation of a graphic database: the Rare and Endangered Species of Vascular Plants of the Republic of Bashkortostan GIS map. This GIS map includes three main vector layers: a point layer containing information about 4932 rare species localities, a Protected Areas Boundaries layer, and a grid layer with cells 6' in latitude by 10' in longitude (10.8 × 10.2 km). Based on these layers and standard procedures of the QGIS 3.4 program, an algorithm has been developed to analyze the patterns of distribution of rare species throughout the region, as well as to identify areas with a high diversity of these species and their covering by the existing network of protected areas. Using the example of two grid map cells with a high diversity of rare species, approaches to identifying and delineating further sites of protected areas have been considered using space images and a digital elevation model. To estimate the protection level of the unique combinations of rare species, the distribution of all sets of these species within the existing protected areas is assessed. This makes it possible to justify the creation of two new protected areas. This approach does not exclude, but significantly reduces the volume of field investigations and can significantly reduce the time and financial costs of creating new protected areas to optimize the protection of rare and endangered plant species.

Nature reserves are one of the most important measures in saving biodiversity, however, during the climate change, a real danger arises, that these territories would not be able to fulfill the objectives. In order to mitigate negative effects of climate change in protected areas it is necessary to create and apply management programs, based on future ecosystems needs. The main aim of presented study was to evaluate sensitivity of rare and vulnerable species to climate change in order to suggest measures for better management of nature reserves in the future. According to scientific literature, 12 biological and ecological plant characteristics determining sensitivity of species (limiting factors) have been detected. 73 plant species that are protected in Lithuanian reserves were evaluated qualitatively according to limiting factors of climate change. As the result, it was offered to apply additional protection measures to 47 species in the light of climate change. Groups of plant species that should be affected highly negatively or highly positively were identified. 16% of plant species protected in nature reserves were evaluated as very sensitive to climate change and the condition of these plants may worsen. On the other hand, 14 plant species were given as least sensitive to negative effects and future climate is more favorable to species growth and spread than the existing. The highest danger is predicted for Silene chlorantha (Willd.) Ehrh., and the best condition is predicted for Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. Dactylorhiza incarnata (L.) Soó. The study also gives recommendations for the protection of rare plants in the future. Different management measures are taken into account: mitigation of the direct effect of climate change (I), improvement of an existing level of rareness (II), respecting the relation to physical and biological environment (III), consideration of spread and geographical limits (IV). Three management intensity levels were suggested according to species sensitivity.

Species-specific LTR retrotransposons were first cloned in five rare relic species of drug plants located in the Perm' region. Sequences of LTR retrotransposons were used for PCR analysis based on amplification of repeated sequences from LTR or other sites of retrotransposons (IRAP). Genetic diversity was studied in six populations of rare relic species of plants Adonis vernalis L. by means of the IRAP method; 125 polymorphic IRAP-markers were analyzed. Parameters for DNA polymorphism and genetic diversity of A. vernalis populations were determined.

Biodiversity transect surveys have been undertaken in protected Wilderness Areas and Nature Reserves in Nova Scotia, Canada since 2002. They document plant communities as well as plant and animal species of conservation concern. The Protected Areas Branch wished to have an assessment of the value of these surveys. Fourteen years of sampling data in 80 Wilderness Areas and Nature Reserves were used to determine detectability, density and distribution of species of conservation concern. Two hundred and twenty-two occurrences of species of interest were re- corded. Nine bird species and 19 plant and lichen species were recorded 2 or more times. Densities for bird species ranged from 0.023 individuals per km of transect (± 0.012) for the Boreal Chickadee to 0.727-km (± 0.007) for the Eastern Wood Pewee. Plants densities ranged from 0.02 individuals per km (± 0.01) for the Round-Leaved Orchid to 27.1 individuals per km (± 10.4) for the Bulblet Bladder Fern. Most of the species of conservation concern were rare with 66% being found only once. The method used for the current biodiversity transect surveys appears to be adequate for the more common species of conservation concern when a single protected area is examined. However, less than half the species analyzed had a 95% confidence of being detected within the mean sample length of the transect (4.5 km). All species analyzed were within the sample length when all protected areas were combined suggesting that the present methodology is more useful as a system wide survey rather than for individual protected areas. Twenty-eight of eighty-three species of conservation concern detected during the survey occurred frequently enough for density calculations. Methods that might increase the value of the surveys include grouping species, using species richness measures, using occupancy or accepting lower confidence intervals and confidence limits.Keywords: biodiversity survey, species of conservation concern, species at risk, protected areas

The study analysed three wetlands located in eastern Poland which have been subjected to varying levels of anthropogenic pressure, and conservation measures over the years (Bagno Bubnów, Krowie Bagno and Ostoja Poleska). They are the remnants of the primaeval wetlands, of Western Polesie. The objectives of this study were to: analyse the long-term changes in the frequency of occurrence of plant communities and rare plant and bird species from 1950-1970 (before protective measures were implemented) to 2000-2020 (when protection was in place); assess the changes of the climatic and edaphic habitat conditions during the half-century of transformation processes, using ecological indicators; and indicate the least and most transformed among the analysed areas. The wetlands of western Polesie constitute a sanctuary of great habitat and species diversity. The degree of deformation and the forms of protective activities significantly influenced the biodiversity of the analysed sites. The greatest changes in the occurrence of the plant communities and rare plant species during the half-century took place in Krowie Bagno, while the smallest in Bagno Bubnów. In all areas, the fertility of habitats increased and their humidity decreased. The downward trend is most pronounced in the declining bird populations observed across the studied areas. Strong anthropopressure (drainage) and late protection (Krowie Bagno) contributed to lower biodiversity. Our results confirm that low anthropogenic pressure and early protective measures mean an increase in the diversity of plant species and communities.Preserving the biodiversity of these naturally priceless areas is the priority. The results show that the necessary condition is to stop water loss from these areas. The observed trends in plant communities and rare plant species indicate a high threat to the least transformed wetlands.

One of the central questions in ecology is why some species are abundant while others are rare. In plant communities, some studies show that rare plant species are rare because they suffer stronger negative density‐dependent effects from pathogens compared to abundant plant species. Moreover, such pathogen effects are also suggested to be related to phylogenetic distance among plant species. However, the importance of pathogens has been commonly inferred by treating the entire pathogen community as a “black box” without explicitly characterizing pathogen richness and community composition. Here, we test two predictions. First, if rare plant species are more susceptible to pathogens, we predict that rare plant species are associated with a higher richness of specialists (i.e., pathogens that attack only a single plant species) and/or the total pathogen community. If phylogenetically distinct plant species are less susceptible to pathogens, we predict that plant species with higher phylogenetic distinctiveness (i.e., a measure of how phylogenetically distant a species is from other co‐occurring species) are associated with a lower richness of phylogenetic specialists (i.e., pathogens that attack closely related plant species) and/or the total pathogen community. We conducted a survey of the root‐associated pathogen communities from 45 plant species in a subtropical forest. We showed that approximately 40% and 25% of the pathogens were specialists and phylogenetic specialists respectively. In contrast to our first prediction, the richness of the total pathogen community but not the richness of the specialists was found to be positively related to plant species abundance, indicating that rare plant species suffer less from pathogens. Consistent with our second prediction, both the richness of the phylogenetic specialists and the total pathogen community were found to be negatively related to plant species phylogenetic distinctiveness. Furthermore, these correlations were stronger at the earlier plant life stages examined. Synthesis. We found that the root‐associated pathogen communities were less diverse in rare plant species and plant species with few close relatives. These associations varied across multiple plant life stages, suggesting that the strength of the above‐ground–below‐ground interactions change dynamically across plant life span.

There is concern that intensive even-aged forest management in conifer plantations has resulted in the decline of plant species diversity and contributed to the rise of invasive species in western forests. This 3-year study assessed plant species richness, composition of vascular plant species, and presence of rare and nonnative plant species in 73 survey units (2,528 ac) on industrial forestland in northern California. Survey units were evenly divided between conifer plantations and adjacent managed uneven-aged forests in three regions of northern California: Sierra Nevada, Southern Cascades, and Klamath Mountains. We surveyed two forest types within these regions: mixed conifer and true fir. There was no significant difference in species richness between plantations and adjacent forests. Plantations tended to be richer in forbs and graminoids, whereas forests were richer in trees and shrubs. Herbicide applications in plantations significantly reduced shrub species richness, but the effect was short-lived. Rare plant species were equally distributed between plantations and adjacent forests, but plantations contained one additional nonnative plant species. Overall, our findings demonstrate that managed, even-aged conifer plantations maintain plant species richness at a level similar to adjacent managed, uneven-aged forests.

This paper presents an assessment of potential losses and damage costs to rare coastal plant species of Lake Baikal (UNESCO World Heritage Site) as a result of inundation at high water levels. The lake’s ecosystem is characterized by an exceptional diversity of rare and endemic animal and plant species. The construction of a hydroelectric power plant caused an increase in the water level of Lake Baikal, resulting in the inundation of low-lying coastal areas, the destruction of the coastline, alterations to the hydrological regime, etc. However, there are practically no works devoted to water-level modeling and the assessment of its impact on riparian vegetation, including rare species. We conducted fieldwork to determine the abundance of four vulnerable species and identified inundation zones at different high water levels on the basis of digital elevation models based on aerial photography data. The analysis revealed that at the maximum level of inundation, the number of plant species affected would total 5164, amounting to a financial loss of biodiversity estimated at 3098.4 thousand rubles. To mitigate the projected losses, it is imperative to implement measures that restrict water-level fluctuations above the 457.00 m threshold. The absence of flora as an object of state environmental monitoring, which is not specified in the regulatory legal document, must be rectified in a timely manner.

It is often assumed that the northern peripheral populations of species’ ranges are genetically depauperate due in part to founder effects from postglacial colonization. The majority of federally protected plant species are peripheral in Canada, yet we have little information about their patterns of genetic diversity and structure. In British Columbia, the majority of these protected plant species occur in two threatened habitats: the Garry oak and Okanagan shrub-steppe ecosystems. Using universal noncoding chloroplast DNA markers, we investigated genetic diversity and genetic structure in four rare and common plant species pairs inhabiting these two ecosystems. We found that rare species had lower genetic diversity than their common congeners, and detected contrasting patterns of regional diversity and structure based on ecosystem. Species from the Garry oak ecosystem showed lower genetic diversity in the northern deglaciated region and significant differentiation between regions, likely due to limited dispersal between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Species from the Okanagan shrub-steppe, however, tended to have uniform diversity across their range and lack regional structure. This study provides an important first look at the phylogeographic patterns of four rare plant species in British Columbia.