Abstract
The study of the current state and habitats of rare and threatened species of plants is a relevant task of ecological research. The paper presents the results of the study of systematic position, habitats and modern state of populations of a rare species included in the Red DataBook of Ukraine Carlina cirsioides Klokov (=C. acaulis L.). Carlina cirsioides is well-known to European phytosozologists as an endemic and relic species of the Flora of Ukraine. At the same time, the species independence of this taxon is not recognized by the authors of monographs on the Carlina genus and by the authors of “Flora Europaea”. Comparative morphological, chorological and ecological-coenotic analyses do not give sufficient reasons to consider C. cirsioides described by Klokov as a separate species, endemic and relic species of the Flora of Ukraine. According to the morphological traits, the specimens from the lowland part of Ukraine belong to the C. acaulis caulescens subspecies, which is distributed mostly in the lowlaand regions of Europe. Ecological-coenotic conditions of habitats of C. acaulis in the plains of Ukraine are different from those in the mountain regions and are close to the plains habitats of this species in Central Europe. Steppe communities of class Festuco-Brometea, of which C. acaulis is component in the plains part of Ukraine, are close to xerothermic herbaceous communities of Central Europe; forest communities of Erico-Pinetea with C. cirsioides in Ukrainian Polissia and the North-East Poland are very сlose by floristic composition. The removal of separate species status of the plains populations of C. acaulis near the eastern border of the range does not at all downplay its sozological significance. Taking into account the low number of C. acaulis in the Volhynian-Podolian Upland and in the Polesian Lowland, all localities of this species in the lowland part of the range in Ukraine must be taken under protection in situ.
Highlights
Development of the scientific basis of the protection of floristic diversity is a relevant task of ecological surveys at the current stage
C. onopordifolia is included in the IUCN Red List (Melnyk, 2011), and C. cirsioides is assigned to the European Red List of Globally Threatened Animals and Plants (European ..., 1991)
Comparative-morphological and geographical analyses revealed that the populations of this “species” are identified to Carlina acaulis L. and have no significant differences from the populations in the plains regions of Central Europe which belong to subspecies C. acaulis сaulescens
Summary
Development of the scientific basis of the protection of floristic diversity is a relevant task of ecological surveys at the current stage. Special attention should be drawn to rare and threatened species of plants of the natural flonas. Special attention in phytosozological aspect should be paid to the studies of spatial and age structures of populations of rare and extinct species of natural floras (Bowman et al, 2010; Quinones-Perez et al, 2014; Corlett, 2016; Volis, 2016). The flora of Europe includes 13 species of the Carlina genus (Webb, 1976), and the flora of Ukraine contains 5 species: C. acaulis L., C. biebersteinii Bernh. C. onopordifolia is included in the IUCN Red List (Melnyk, 2011), and C. cirsioides is assigned to the European Red List of Globally Threatened Animals and Plants (European ..., 1991). Despite its high phytosozological status, Carlina cirsioides is not sufficiently studied in the systematic, chorological and ecological-coenotic aspects
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