Further east: eutrophication as a major threat to the flora of Vladimir Oblast, Russia

Abstract

Eutrophication remains a major threat to the flora of Western Europe despite measures to reduce nitrogen emissions. Although nutrient enrichment has been recorded for both inland waters and adjacent seas, there is almost no evidence from Russia for large-scale anthropogenic eutrophication of soils and its impact on terrestrial biota. I used the distribution grid data (337 grid squares, ca. 96 km(2)) on 1,384 vascular plants of Vladimir Oblast for two periods (1869-1999 vs. 2000-2012) to estimate the shifts in mean Ellenberg's indicator values for nitrogen and soil reaction. Decadal changes in the flora of acid sandy Meshchera Lowlands were observed directly during two grid surveys of 2002 and 2012 based on a coarser grid (50 squares, ca. 24 km(2)). Despite the spatial correlation of Ellenberg's indicator values for soil reaction and nitrogen, mean grid values for nitrogen are growing in areas with both acid and neutral soils. The changes in mean grid indicator values for nitrogen are caused by either local extinctions of species from nutrient-poor habitats or spread of nitrophilous plants. I found that oligotrophic habitats are declining rapidly within the eutrophic loamy landscapes. In contrast, changes in landscapes with acid sandy soils are caused by increasing number of records of nitrophilous species, both invasive and native. These two processes have different spatial patterns caused by varying levels of geochemical buffer capacity and should be considered separately. Fragmentary historical data on Vladimir Oblast flora agrees with the overall European picture of eutrophication in the twentieth century.