Ecological Cenotic Variations and Demographic Features of Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill s.l. (Ranunculaceae) Cenopopulations in Kirov Oblast

Abstract

The ecological conditions of habitats and demographic parameters of Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill s.l. in ten cenopopulations (CPs) in Kirov oblast are assessed. It has been established that the species generally inhabits green moss and herbaceous pine communities dominated by anthropophobic species within the studied part of the range. A large proportion of anthropotolerant species is characteristic of phytocenoses that are significantly exposed to anthropogenic pressure. P. patens s.l. is a hemistenobiotic species. The amplitude of the ecological space of the studied P. patens s.l. CPs under the conditions of Kirov oblast does not exceed the limits of the ecological range according to Tsyganov’s scales (1983); however, the values of the soil humidity scale are close to the maximum limit, while the values of the humidity factor scale are close to the minimum limit. The discomfort index that was calculated using phytoindication data for all studied species habitats made it possible to determine the level of their favor. It has been established that the conditions of forb-grass meadow with bracken in the bracken-herbaceous pine forest provide more optimal ecological parameters for the growth of the species. The least favorable conditions for P. patens s.l. development are formed in cowberry-green moss and herbaceous pine forests, where the maximum discomfort indices are recorded: 1.09 and 1.01, respectively. The studied CPs are characterized by low density and generativity, which demonstrate a reduction trend on a gradient of ecological conditions.