Alien Origin Research Articles

Syntaxonomy, synphytoindication analysis and anthropogenic transformation of forest vegetation in Kyiv city

The aim of this work was to determine the floristic composition, phytocoenotic diversity of woody vegetation, degree of anthropogenic transformation and ecological analysis using the synphytoindication method. The objects of our study were forest communities, forest-parks and green area of Kyiv. In 2015–2015, we fulfilled 323 relevés that were made by the standard procedure. All plant species were recorded. For each relevés geographic coordinates are indicated. The floristic analysis of the woody vegetation of Kyiv was conducted using the Braun-Blanquet approach and the phytosociological table was constructed with non-hierarchical clustering algorithm for vegetation classification so called DRSA («distance-ranked sorting assembling»). Phytoindication method was used for environmental analysis. We assessed amplitudes of syntaxa by phytoindication method for moisture (Hd), acidity (Rc), soil nitrogen content (Nt), total salt regime (Tr), light in community (Lc) and we calculated hemeroby index. Synecological amplitudes are characterized by the values of the minimum, maximum and average values ecofactors of the aggregate description of each community. Systematic, biomorphological, geographical structures were analyzed as well. We used hierarchical agglomeration cluster analysis of syntaxons to estimate the similarity of the species composition of the cenoflor. We identified that woody vegetation is divided into two classes Querco-Fagetea and Robinietea which include 11 communities types of rank association-variant. A total number consist of 169 species 133 genera 59 families. Species of alien origin constituted 20-40% of the cenofloras, which indicate increasing anthropogenic impact. Recreational load is a leading factor in anthropogenic impact. Biomorphological analysis indicates the predominance of herbal perennial plants – hemicryptophytes in the species composition of plants. And we determined that the nitrogen content in soil, acidity and moisture are the environmental factors leading to differentiation of vegetation. For assessment of anthropogenic transformation we used hemeroby index. Main purpose of the hemeroby index is to determine the degree and dynamics of human impact on plant communities. Hemeroby index is ecologically well founded, plausible and easy to interpret. The lowest level is represented in phytocoenoses order Fagetalia, followed by the communities of order Quercetalia and Chelidonio-Robinietalia from class Robinietea. Robinia pseudoacacia + Chaerophyllum temulum communities were most disordered. To determine the degree of anthropogenic transformation of vegetation under the influence of recreational activity we used eco-cenological spectrum changing analysis. It was found that increasing homogenization of the vegetation and the occurrence of ruderal communities dominated by alien invasive species are symptomatic of the synanthropization process. The proportion of terophytes, the ratio of the proportion of adventitious species to aboriginal, and apophytes to the natural species in disturbed and homogenized forests are increasing.

Distribution of invasive plants in urban environment is strongly spatially structured

Context Urban environments create a wide range of habitats that harbour a great diversity of plant species, many of which are of alien origin. For future urban planning and management of the green areas within the city, understanding of the spatial distribution of invasive alien species is of great importance.

INTRODUCED TREE SPECIES IN TERMS OF PROTECTED AREAS: RISKS AND CHALLENGES

Some issues of handling of exotic species in natural protected areas are analyzed. The risk factors that threaten the gene pool of local populations are found to be the following: possible penetration of dangerous diseases and pests of alien origin, and some related exotic species into the natural ecosystems of Ukraine; low resistance of arboflory native species against them; the possibility of hybridization between local and exotic species; reducing the biological stability of ecosystems. The necessity to improve atural security legislation of Ukraine to its approach to European and international standards and to prevent the impact of introduced factors as biological hazards is substantiated.

Zisland Explorer: detect genomic islands by combining homogeneity and heterogeneity properties.

Genomic islands are genomic fragments of alien origin in bacterial and archaeal genomes, usually involved in symbiosis or pathogenesis. In this work, we described Zisland Explorer, a novel tool to predict genomic islands based on the segmental cumulative GC profile. Zisland Explorer was designed with a novel strategy, as well as a combination of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of genomic sequences. While the sequence homogeneity reflects the composition consistence within each island, the heterogeneity measures the composition bias between an island and the core genome. The performance of Zisland Explorer was evaluated on the data sets of 11 different organisms. Our results suggested that the true-positive rate (TPR) of Zisland Explorer was at least 10.3% higher than that of four other widely used tools. On the other hand, the new tool did not lose overall accuracy with the improvement in the TPR and showed better equilibrium among various evaluation indexes. Also, Zisland Explorer showed better accuracy in the prediction of experimental island data. Overall, the tool provides an alternative solution over other tools, which expands the field of island prediction and offers a supplement to increase the performance of the distinct predicting strategy. We have provided a web service as well as a graphical user interface and open-source code across multiple platforms for Zisland Explorer, which is available at http://cefg.uestc.edu.cn/Zisland_Explorer/ or http://tubic.tju.edu.cn/Zisland_Explorer/.

AM and DSE colonization of invasive plants in urban habitat: a study of Upper Silesia (southern Poland).

Interactions between invasive plants and root endophytes may contribute to the exploration of plant invasion causes. Twenty plant species of alien origin differing in invasiveness were studied in terms of status and typical structures of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes (DSE) in urban habitats in Silesia Upland (southern Poland). We observed that 75 % of investigated plant species were mycorrhizal. The arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) of most plant species was of the Arum morphology. The nearly 100 % mycorrhizal frequency, high intensity of AM colonization within root cortex and the presence of arbuscules in all mycorrhizal plant species indicate that the investigated species are able to establish AM associations in the secondary range and urban habitats. DSE were present in all mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal species. The frequency of DSE was significantly lower in non-mycorrhizal group of plants, however, sclerotia of DSE were found mainly in the roots of non-mycorrhizal plant species. The group of species native to North America including three Solidago congeners have the highest values of all AM mycorrhization and DSE indices. Moreover, we observed that most mycorrhizal invasive species belonged to the family Asteraceae. In turn, representatives of Poaceae had the lowest values of AM mycorrhization. Nevertheless, quite high values of DSE frequency were also encountered in roots of Poaceae species. The high invasiveness of the representatives of the Asteraceae family from North America support theory that both taxonomic pattern, and the fact of root endophytes colonization contribute to invasion success. While, the taxa of Reynoutria also represent successful invaders but they are of Asiatic origin, non-mycorrhizal and weakly colonized by DSE fungi.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10265-016-0802-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Native, alien, cosmopolitan, or cryptogenic? A framework for clarifying the origin status of rotifers

Among small organisms, it is often difficult to distinguish native from alien species because we cannot easily determine where they originate. They are often labelled cosmopolitan or cryptogenic, euphemisms that indicate that we are uncertain of their origin. This lack of infor- mation obscures our understanding of biogeography and ecosystem functioning, thus limiting our ability to control biological invasions. Here, we propose a simple method using existing data to improve assessments of freshwater Rotifera. We tested the usefulness of 8 of 10 attributes of alien species, taken from a framework originally designed for distinguishing alien marine crustaceans, and added one new attribute. We used this framework to verify the origin status of 16 rotifers referred to in the literature as alien, cosmopolitan, tropicopolitan, or new to Europe. We assigned the alien status to 11 species that scored positively for at least half of the attributes; only 3 of these species were previously classified as alien in the literature. Cryptogenic status was assigned to 5 species, including 1 previously considered to be alien in Europe. The most efficient predictors of alien origin status were 2 attributes: appearance in areas where not previously found, and rela- tively restricted distribution in the assessed area compared to the distributions of native species. We propose this method as a first step towards assessing the status of a species whose origin is unclear, before more labour-intensive tools such as genetic analysis are employed. The use of a formal protocol to screen the existing data makes the origin status assessment transparent, open to discussion and subject to revision as new information becomes available.

Good Faith in English Contract Law: A 'Contagious Disease of Alien Origin'

This paper seeks to address the current position of good faith within English contract law. It contradicts the proposition that good faith is a “contagious disease of alien origin” by instead suggesting that the principles introduced by good faith and relational contract theory are simply a mutative development on classical contract theory. In so doing, the paper suggests that these principles simply seek to uphold the objectives of classical contract theory of facilitating economic exchange, albeit by different means. It rationalizes this development according to the theory of creative destruction, that in dynamic processes, objectives may only be achieved by the destruction of the old processes. The paper further considers the suppositions introduced by this paper in both a theoretical and practical context in relation to English contract law jurisprudence.

New Stand of Invasive NeophyteAmbrosia artemisiifoliaL. and Its Potential Reproduction

ABSTRACT A new stand, formed by some fifty individuals of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., an invasive plant of alien origin, was discovered at the Katowice railway station (southern Poland), in 2011. Two years later, the stand (increased to more than 160 individuals in the meantime) was re-visited, phytosociological survey was made, and four soil cores (5 cm deep and 80 cm2 surface area, each) were taken for seed bank studies. The phytosociological sampling revealed 28 co-occurring vascular species, most of them representing hemicryptophyte and geophyte life forms. According to Ellenberg's values, the species pool indicated sunny (L7 and L8 species dominating) and semi-dry (mainly F4 species) habitat for the common ragweed population, whereas Zarzycki's soil granulometric data reflected coarse-grained soil. Albedo of the soil was lower than that of the vegetation thus sparsely vegetated sites were considered as heat accumulating microhabitats that might support establishment of the thermophilic A. artemisiifo...

Application of Gas Chromatography with the Mass Detector (GC-MS) Technique for Detection of Beeswax Adulteration with Paraffin

Abstract To detect beeswax adulteration with hydrocarbons of alien origin (e.g. paraffin), gas chromatography with mass detector (GC-MS) technique was used. The method has been verified here on beeswax samples with different addition (3, 5, 10, 30, and 50%) of paraffin and validated under the conditions of repeatability and within - laboratory reproducibility. The addition of paraffin to beeswax can already be detected on the basis of an analysis of the chromatograms. The intensity of individual alkane peaks increased with the increase of the amount of paraffin added to the beeswax. This increase was the mostly visible for the alkanes with even numbers of carbon atoms in the molecule: C24H50, C26H54, C28H58, C30H62, C32H66, and C34H70. These observations have also been proven by quantitative analysis performed using the internal standard method. Adding paraffin to beeswax resulted in an increase in the total contents of n-alkanes as well as individual alkanes, and in particular, of the even-numbered alkanes. The addition of paraffin to beeswax also resulted in the appearance of alkanes containing over 35 carbon atoms in the molecule, which were not detected in beeswax. The method for determination of beeswax hydrocarbons with the GC-MS technique is characterised by satisfactory repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility. This method can be used for the detection of beeswax adulteration with hydrocarbons of alien origin (e.g. paraffin).

Alien beetle species in the republic of Moldova: A review of their origin and main impact

A list of beetles considered to be of alien origin in the Republic of Moldova has been set up, with data on their origin, habitat, trophic range and economic impact. Altogether, 75 alien beetle species have been revealed, which represents 2.98% of local coleopteran fauna. The most numerous taxonomic groups are Curculionidae (30 species), Staphylinidae and Chrysomelidae (by 11). The majority of non-native beetles originates in Europe, Asia and Mediterranean region, while comparable less number of species originates in Africa and North America. From the total number of the investigated alien beetles 26.67% are agricultural, forest and storage pests.

The amathiiform Ctenostomata (phylum Bryozoa) of New Zealand--including four new species, two of them of probable alien origin.

The status of the vesiculariid ctenostome genus Amathia in New Zealand has been evaluated on the basis of all known material, including historic specimens in museums and those newly collected during formal surveillance of ports, harbours and vessels for possible alien species. Eight species are recognised, four of them new to science. Amathia gracei n. sp. and Amathia zealandica n. sp. are the only apparently endemic species. Amathia chimonidesi n. sp. appears to be a previously unrecognised alien species and is known only from shipping harbours and/or yacht marinas and some nearby beaches. Amathia similis n. sp. has been known in the Auckland area since the 1960s but was confused with A. distans Busk. Amathia bicornis (Tenison-Woods), A. biseriata Krauss, A. lamourouxi Chimonides and A. wilsoni Kirkpatrick are Australasian species that occur naturally on both sides of the Tasman Sea. Of this latter group, A. bicornis was discovered only at a single locality on the southwest coast of North Island in 1983 on a fucoid seaweed and it may be relatively re-cently self-introduced. A specimen of A. lendigera (Linnaeus) in the Museum of New Zealand, purportedly from Napier, is considered to be based on a misunderstanding or a labelling error and does not represent a failed alien introduction. The Amathia-like vesiculariid Bowerbankia citrina (Hincks) sensu lato is newly recorded for New Zealand. Keys are provided to the amathiiform (i.e. Amathia and Amathia-like) Ctenostomata of New Zealand and to the worldwide species of Amathia and Bowerbankia with zooid clusters spiralled on stoloniform axes.

Trapping wood boring beetles in Italian ports: a pilot study

Invasive alien species cost forestry billions of euros every year and their early detection is becoming of utmost importance. The aim of this study is to improve some of the techniques available for trapping alien wood boring beetles (Scolytinae, Cerambycidae, and Buprestidae) arriving at high-risk sites, such as ports. During 2009–2011, trapping carried out in four Italian seaports tested the comparative efficiency of different luring (single-lure vs. multi-lure traps) and trap designs (cross-vane vs. multi-funnel). In addition, trap captures within the ports were compared with those obtained in surrounding areas. Six out of 49 species trapped in 3 years of investigation were of alien origin: four Scolytinae and two Cerambycidae. The number of species trapped in multi-lure traps was as high as that resulting from the sum of the single-lure traps. The two trap designs performed equally well, but multi-funnel traps were more robust and easier to use in ports. In 2011, the number of species trapped in ports and surrounding areas was similar, although differently distributed. On a total of 26 species trapped in this experiment, nine were exclusive to ports, of which three aliens, eight were exclusive to surrounding areas, of which one alien, and nine were common to both habitats, of which one alien. In conclusion, we suggest the use of multi-funnel traps baited with different lures for monitoring alien wood boring beetles in ports. Using traps outside the port is also recommended to validate the surveillance program.

English

  A survey was conducted on traditional vegetables in three districts of northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The objective was to determine which alien and native plant species were collected from the wild or cultivated for use as leafy vegetables. The survey documented 72 vegetable species of which nearly half were alien species. The majority of the vegetables were collected from the wild (56 species) and only 16 were cultivated. Alien species were preferred more extensively than native species (2.5 times more), despite the larger variety (larger choice) of the latter (38 native versus 34 alien species). Nearly 53% of traditional vegetables of alien origin belong to well-known vegetable families that are indigenous to the study area, suggesting that there is a classification system that allows people to explore new plant sources. This makes a case that Indigenous Knowledge Systems can expand the menu by incorporating newly introduced species. However, this also suggests that alien species, which are weedy and easily obtained around the home, is displacing native species as a major food source. Our findings also suggest that wild vegetables might have been predisposed for use due to their medicinal value.   Key words: Ethnobotany, food plants, homegardens, leafy vegetables, Maputaland, traditional vegetables.

Ecology of Compounding Disturbances: The Effects of Prescribed Burning After Clearcutting

Disturbance regimes in much of the boreal forest have shifted from wildfire to clearcutting over the last century, resulting in concerns for biodiversity. Because the boreal forest has evolved under a natural fire regimes, we hypothesized that application of prescribed burning (PB) after clearcutting would result in plant communities more similar to wildfire than clearcut only. However, because clearcutting + PB involves multiple disturbances in a short interval, we proposed an alternate hypothesis that clearcutting + PB would result in a species composition and trait assemblage that differ from those that develop after a single wildfire or clearcutting event. We determined species composition, diversity, and trait composition of 17 clearcut, 17 clearcut + PB, and 15 wildfire sites of jack pine (Pinus banksiana) dominated forests in northwestern Ontario, Canada 15–37 years after disturbance. Contrary to our primary hypothesis we found that clearcut + PB formed communities different from wildfire and clearcut, the latter two being similar. Clearcut + PB harbored more early successional species associated with seed banking, wind dispersal, deciduous foliage, and alien origin than wildfire or clearcut sites, which showed no specific trait associations. Taxonomic and trait analysis of clearcut + PB sites exhibited effects of compound disturbances, as observed after short-interval fires, supporting our alternate hypothesis. We concluded that PB after clearcutting formed plant communities significantly different from those developed either after clearcutting or wildfire alone. We attribute this community divergence to the compounding effects associated with the addition of prescribed fire to these previously disturbed forests.

The floristic differentiation of microhabitats within kurgans in the desert steppe zone of southern Ukraine

Results of the studies on the floristic biodiversity of the kurgans in the Pontic desert steppe of the Black Sea Lowland (Kherson Region) are presented. Twenty-six of about 130 kurgans higher than 3 m, distributed over an area of approx. 1500 km<sup>2</sup>, were surveyed and the flora of 5 microhabitats within every kurgan (top, southern and northern slope, southern and northern foot) was examined. The richness of the kurgan flora is estimated at 305 species. Species of alien origin constituted 23% of the total flora, which indicates limited anthropogenic influence. Species of two classes, <em>Festuco-Brometea</em> and <em>Stellarietea mediae</em> were predominant, which also confirmed the semi-natural character of the kurgan flora. The lowest number of species was recorded on top, which was relatively rich in synanthropes, particularly therophytes (<em>Stellarietea mediae</em>). The north side was richer in species than the south side of the kurgans. Steppe species were the most stable and important component of the flora of the slopes (45-47% of the species represented the class <em>Festuco-Brometea</em>). The total flora of the foot contained more species and was more diversified than the flora of the slopes (although the mean number of species was similar in both habitats), but each species occurred at low frequency. There was a higher proportion of species which were introduced from the area surrounding the kurgans, e.g. weeds, halophytes, meadow species, as well as trees which are rarely found in the desert steppe zone. In spite of the small size of the kurgans, significant differences between the floristic composition of the various microhabitats were detected.

Status and development prospects for indigenous freshwater finfish and crayfish farming in Greece

AbstractThe Hellenic freshwater aquaculture sector has been dominated by the alien rainbow trout since the early 1950s. This species actually represented 96.5% of the total inland production in 2007. Other groups of species accounted for minor production volumes and, apart from common carp, most of them are also of alien origin. Therefore, an absence of production diversification, the presence of alien species, which in some cases have seriously impacted aquatic biodiversity, and emerging consumer sensitivity towards environmentally friendly practises require thorough re‐assessment of native species with promising aquaculture potential. This trend is particularly evident in Eastern Europe and Asia, where native species (particularly cyprinids) outcompete alien species. The current review aims to outline past and present farming efforts on native fish and crayfish species in Greece, which collectively belong to six families, and to discuss future development prospects.

Lost in Space: Technology and Turbulence in Futuristic Cinema of the 1950s

Lost in Space:Technology and Turbulence in Futuristic Cinema of the 1950s Andrew J. Huebner Before a commencement audience at Lehigh University in 1949, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) anticipated the central question guiding a forthcoming wave of futuristic Hollywood science fiction. In his remarks that day, titled "Science and the Spirit of Man," David Lilienthal asked the graduates and their guests, "Is our advancing technology good? Is the ever more important machine good? Or [is it] evil?"1 Just four years removed from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, few in the audience would have missed the Cold War implications. Indeed, the cluster of 1950s films on futuristic space travel and alien invasion introduced audiences to all manner of weird machines, robots, weapons, and other phenomena, of human and alien origin, meant, in part, to represent nuclear arms, and the scholarship on those films has emphasized the Cold War elements accordingly.2 Yet for the AEC chairman—and for futuristic cinema in the 1950s—the problem of technology did not stop with atomic weaponry or the standoff with the Soviet Union. "It reaches into the lives of every one of us, old and young, rich and poor, you who graduate today and you who are freshmen," he said. "It concerns the housewife, the librarian, the [End Page 6] chemist; it must be faced by the clergyman, the professor and the physician no less than by the businessman and public official. For this is the kind of world we live in—the world of the machine—and this is the struggle of our time." Science and technology could "exhaust," "poison," "foul," or "devastate" the natural world, although they just as likely might "eliminate filth and congestion and disease...strengthen the soil...conserve the forests...humanize man's environment." In the hands of democracies, he said, returning to Cold War geopolitics, scientific and technological innovations promised to deliver humanity to the heights of individual freedom. In that scenario, "Men can direct technology so that it can carry mankind toward the fulfillment of the greatest promise for human life and the human spirit in all history."3 Lilienthal gave hopeful answers to his own questions that day, yet he recognized their thorniness in the "turbulent times in which we live."4 Futuristic films of the 1950s, for all their cheap thrills and crude storylines, took a similar tack. They shared Lilienthal's expansive view of technology, looking beyond the Cold War and voicing broad concerns over the triangular interplay of nature, religion, and scientific advancement. This article seeks to re-imagine space and alien potboilers, from Destination Moon (1950) to The Time Machine (1960), as signs of such disruption in postwar values, concerns, and relationships—indicators that the Cold War and other socio-political developments were changing the tenor of everyday life in America.5 To accomplish that, the article puts the movies into the context of contemporary debates airing in scientific, religious, political, and journalistic circles during the 1950s. Such positioning reveals that popular cinema offered American audiences a safe and entertaining space for confronting and comprehending the profound anxieties of the era. How might the technological revolution reach into "the lives of every one of us?" Americans found answers to that question—sometimes [End Page 7] disturbing ones—in the great cinematic clashes of men, machinery, and aliens of the 1950s. Naturally, the atomic bomb animated much of the insecurity and fear of the decade. Its development raised the public profile and institutional support of scientists, while simultaneously eroding confidence in their moral authority. The public association of scientists with the birth and implementation of atomic weaponry increasingly rendered them both authors of great human suffering and pawns of government, military, and industry. Filmmakers duly infused their pictures with such Cold War themes. Yet they also articulated a postwar shift in popular attitudes toward nature, the growth of a nascent environmental movement, perceptions of antagonism between technology and nature, and concerns about global population increases. The Cold War helped spur a concurrent spike in American religiosity in the 1950s, reviving public discussion—and cinematic coverage—of piety's place in a world of galloping technological change. Celluloid science fiction pitted...

Psocids (Psocoptera). Chapter 13.2

Among the 231 species of Psocoptera present in Europe, 49 (21.2%) are considered to be of alien origin. Th ey include 29 exotic introduced species and 20 cryptogenic species. Most of the exotic species originated from tropical and subtropical areas, essentially from Africa. Many of them are food pests, moving along with stored products. Th irty-nine of these species occur in buildings in Europe.

Hábitos alimentares da ictiofauna do córrego Franco, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar a dieta das espécies de peixes mais abundantes no córrego Franco (Ivinhema, MS). Os peixes foram capturados mensalmente, no período de março de 2006 a fevereiro de 2007. Para inferência da dieta de espécies que se alimentam de itens macroscópicos, o conteúdo estomacal de cada indivíduo foi retirado, pesado (em g) e posteriormente analisando sob lupa. Os dados obtidos para cada espécie em cada unidade amostral foram analisados a partir dos seguintes métodos: Freqüência de Ocorrência, Índice de Análise Volumétrica e Índice de Importância. Foram coletadas 17 espécies de peixes, na sua grande maioria Characiformes, com dez espécies, duas espécies de Siluriformes, duas de Perciformes, duas de Gymnotiformes e uma de Synbranchiformes. A alimentação das duas espécies estudadas do gênero Astyanax baseou-se principalmente de itens de origem vegetal independentemente da origem; Serrapinnus notomelas alimentou-se de itens vegetais, predominantemente de algas; Hemigrammus marginatus apresentou um hábito alimentar insetívoro principalmente de origem alóctone; Corydoras aeneus e Eigenmannia trilineata alimentaram-se basicamente de insetos aquáticos; sedimento foi o principal item alimentar de Hypostomus ancistroides, seguido por algas e macrófitas; Crenicichla britiskii alimentou-se principalmente de insetos terrestres.

Alien plant species in the protected landscape area of the Odra river meanders: habitat preferences and threats

The protected landscape area of “The Odra River Meanders” is located in the south-west part of the province of Silesia, along the Odra river, on the border with the Czech Republic. This meandering fragment of the Odra river is one of the few places in Europe where natural geomorphological processes are still preserved. During botanical investigations, the occurrence of 363 vascular plant species was confirmed, including 95 species of alien origin. The participation of archaeophytes was 12%, kenophytes 10% and diaphytes 4%. A high participation of these groups of species was noted in habitats transformed by human activities, such as fields, roadsides and hedges, as well as in natural ones, such as steep escarpments and gravel sandbanks which have been shaped by the dynamic flow of the river. The first group of habitats was characterised by the highest proportion of archaeophytes, whereas in more natural habitats, the ascendancy of kenophytes (= neophytes) over older adventives was noted, e.g. the most common and widespread in this area were species from the Reynoutria (Fallopia) genus. The number of alien species in each habitat type was quite high and ranged from 1 to 62.