Flora and vegetation of urbanized areas on the example of the Melekeska and Shukralinka valleys within Naberezhnye Chelny

Abstract

The paper deals with the examination results of flora and vegetation of the Melekeska and Shukralinka valleys within Naberezhnye Chelny. The most common plant associations are identified, they are Bromopsetum variograminosum, B. varioherbosum, Festicetum variograminosum, Calamagrostetum epigeiosum; Phragmitetum australis associations are identified in the flooded areas. Anthropogenically altered areas with a high mosaicity of listed above associations communities and ephemeral weeds are widely represented. The volume and structure are shown in the areas flora. This area is subjected to constant anthropogenic load. Taxonomic and geographic analyses of flora as well as a range of vital forms and ecological types are submitted. 120 plant species from 94 genera and 40 families have been identified. The position of the leading families is like that in regional flora, Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae are leading. Perennial polycarpic grasses especially long-rhizome (21,7%) and tap-root (15,0%) dominate among biomorphs (69,2%). Species with wide ranges are of paramount importance, they are Euro-West Asian (30,9%), Eurasian (27,5%), Holarctic (11,7%) and the percentage of alien species is 8,5%. Ruderal (36,7%), meadow (17,5%) and humid meadow (11,7%) species are leading in the ecological-coenotic spectrum. The adventive flora is represented by 16 species and it is briefly analyzed. Valley floras of some other Middle Volga rivers have been compared.