Meadow Plant Communities Research Articles

Natural forming of vegetation cover on black coal mining dumps in the environs of Kopeysk (Chelyabinsk Oblast)

The article considers the current forming of vegetation and biotopes as a result of natural overgrowth of territories disturbed during black coal mining in the environs of Kopeysk town (Chelyabinsk Oblast). The 88 species of vascular plants were detected on the waste banks and spaces between them, the 7 species of vascular plants are woody species. It has been established that in the process of natural overgrowth of dumps, forest and meadow plant communities are actively formed from pioneer ruderal and halophytic communities. By methods of multidimensional statistics, 15 phytocoenochores have been determined and the discriminate of which is d identified by the tree species, which are forming the forest canopy. The identified plant communities are characterized by specific regimes of the fundamental abiotic factors of biotopes and make up a series of biotopic and coenotic substitution, forming a sylvant (forest) and pratant (meadow) successional series. It has been shown that in the process of natural overgrowth, the formation of forest (primarily birch) and meadow coenoses proceeds in parallel, and the invasive species Acer negundo L. plays an active role in sylvatization. It has been established that the leading hand in the formation of the coenotic structure of communities belongs to soil mineralization, acidity, aeration and variability of soil moisture. The obtained data on biotopes and successional series can be used in the development of the biological stage of landfill revegetation after coal mining impacts with the formation of woody or grass plant communities.

Assessment of the biological activity of soil in meadow plant communities comprising ash-leafd maple

Assessment of the biological activity of soil in meadow plant communities comprising ash-leafd maple

Fire as a Factor in the Dynamics of Meadow Vegetation: A Model Experiment in Western Siberia

The state of meadow vegetation in areas with different ages of experimental spring burnout (from 1 to 12 years ago) was studied in the Tomsk region for 3 years. On experimental plots of 1 m2 and 100 m2 (small- and middle-scale levels, respectively), the dynamics of species richness, total projective cover of vegetation, and aboveground phytomass reserves were characterized, and the structure of communities was analyzed. It was revealed that a single fire in the spring significantly reduces species richness for small-scale plots and increases the total projective cover for middle-scale plots. Structural differences from control plots can be traced from 1 to 4 years for different characteristics. The effects of fire are more prominent for small-scale plots. To suppress tree growth and maintain the existence of meadows, grass fires seem to be a less effective practice than mowing. At the same time, the results obtained potentially allow us to consider prescribed burning as a tool for maintaining the stability of meadow plant communities in the south of Western Siberia, preventing them from becoming overgrown with tree undergrowth, in cases with a controlled frequency of burning and the use of appropriate fire safety measures.

Changes in biomass in the meadow plant community during succession

In this research, we determined the changes in species diversity, and biomass in the degraded meadow community during the successional process and also determined the effects of climate, and mowing, there were objects to the restoration of the successional process vegetation community of degraded meadow at the Mungunmorit soum, while fenced 1-hectare area since 2009. Our results showed that four stages of the restoration successional process, which were; stage1: Carex duriuscula-forb-Leymus chinensis community, stage2; Grass-forb community, stage 3; grass community, stage4 was after the mowing process at the primary community and it was changed to Grass-Kobresia community. Therefore, the biomass of green plants increased from stage 1 to the first of stage 3 (147.6 г/м2 -224.1 g/m2), but middle and end of stage 3 biomass were decreasing (68 g/m2), while these processes the biomass of litter were accumulated (102.1 g/m2). After the mowing, at stage 4 the biomass of the green plant was gradually increased (295 g/m2-330 g/m2). The species diversity of the community had been showing the result same as a biomass change. According to the results, the grazing effect for 14 years at the degraded meadow community, there were species richness, species diversity, and green plant biomass increased at the 7-8th years after fencing. On the other hand, for quite a long time fencing was self-affecting negatively on the vegetation community. That’s why proper grazing management and mowing at the right time were effects positively the production of the vegetation community also the annual precipitation was affecting green plant biomass and it increased. Татмын нугын ургамал бүлгэмдлийн биомассын сэргэх сукцесстэй уялдан өөрчлөгдөх нь Хураангуй. Бид Төв аймгийн Мөнгөнморьт суманд доройтсон татмын нугын ургамал бүлгэмдлийн 1 га талбайг 2009 оноос эхлэн 14 жил хашиж хамгаалан байгалийн аясаар нөхөн сэргэх үйл явцыг судалж, сэргэх сукцессийн үед ургамал бүлгэмдлийн биомассын өөрчлөлт болоод түүнд зүйлийн олон янз байдал, тухайн жилүүдийн цаг агаарын хүчин зүйлс болон хадлан хадалтын хэрхэн нөлөөлж буйг илрүүлэхийг зорилоо. Судалгааны үр дүнгээр тус бүлгэмдэлд 4 шаттай сэргэх сукцесс явагдсан. Үүнд: 1-р шатанд Нангиад түнгэ-алаг өвс-ширэг улалжит бүлгэмдэл, 2-р шатанд Алаг өвс-үетэнт бүлгэмдэл, 3-р шатанд Үетэнт бүлгэмдэл, 4-р шатанд Бушилз-үетэнт бүлгэмдэл байгаа ба энэ шат нь бүлгэмдлийг хадсаны дараах үетэй давхцаж байна. Ногоон ургамлын биомасс сукцессийн 1-р шатнаас 3-р шатны эхэн хүртэл нэмэгдэж (147.6 г/м2 -224.1 г/м2) байснаа 3-р шатны дунд, төгсгөл орчимд багасаж (68 г/м2), хагдны хуримтлал нэмэгдсэн (102.1 г/м2). Харин ургамал бүлгэмдлийг хадсаны дараагаар буюу сукцессийн 4-р шатанд ногоон ургамлын биомасс эргэн нэмэгдсэн (295 г/м2-330 г/м2). Бүлгэмдлийн зүйлийн олон янз байдал нь ногоон ургамлын биомасстай ижил зүй тогтолтой байсан бөгөөд цөөн наст ургамлууд (r2=0.607) болон алаг өвсний (r2=0.778) биомасс нь зүйлийн олон янз байдалтай шууд хамааралтай байна. Түүнчлэн өндөр ургадаг үетэн, улалжийн биомасс нэмэгдэхэд намхан ургадаг эдгээр ургамлууд бүлгэмдлээс түрэгдэж буй нь олон янз байдлыг буурахад хүргэж байна. Үүнээс үзэхэд доройтсон татмын нугын ургамал бүлгэмдлийг мал бэлчээрлэлтээс чөлөөлөхөд бүлгэмдлийн зүйлийн баялаг, олон янз байдал болон биомасс нэмэгдэж бүлгэмдэл 7-8 жилд сэргэж байна. Гэвч хэт удаан хугацаанд хашиж хамгаалахад хагдны хуримтлалыг нэмэгдүүлж байна. Иймд ургамал бүлгэмдлийн бүтээмжийн тогтвортой байдалд зохистой хэмжээний мал бэлчээрлэлт болон тодорхой давтамжтай хадлан хадалт нь эерэг нөлөөлдөг байна. Түүнчлэн цаг агаарын цаг агаарын хүчин зүйлс тэр дундаа хур тунадас нь ургамал бүлгэмдлийн биомассыг нэмэгдүүлж буйг бидний судалгаа харуулж байна. Түлхүүр үгс: Биомасс, татмын нуга, сукцесс

Clonal dominant grass Leymus chinensis benefits more from physiological integration in sexual reproduction than its main companions in a meadow.

The bioecological characteristics of plants determine their status and role in the community. The advantages of dominant species in the community compared with companion species in terms of physiological and ecological characteristics remain unclear. When both dominant and companion species in grassland plant communities are clonal, these plants are able to share resources within clones (physiological integration). However, it is unclear how the clonal dominant and companion species differ in the effect of their physiological integration on sexual reproduction. We chose Leymus chinensis, the dominant species of the most widespread meadow plant communities in the semiarid and arid regions of northern China, and its main companion species L. secalinus, Calamagrostis ripidula, C. pseudophragmites, and C. epigeios and conducted a series of in situ field experiments in a homogeneous environment, including the determination of the phenotypic characteristics of reproductive ramets with connected (allowing physiological integration) and disconnected (preventing integration) tillering nodes for each species, as well as 15N leaf labeling of ramet pairs at the milk-ripe stage. In the clonal populations of the five grasses, physiological integration between vegetative ramets and reproductive ramets interconnected by tillering nodes significantly increased the leaf, stem, inflorescence and ramet biomasses of reproductive ramets, and relative changes in ramet biomass were greatest in L. chinensis. 15N labeling showed that vegetative ramets supplied nutrients to reproductive ramets through tillering nodes; the amount of translocated 15N per unit of reproductive ramet biomass was highest in L. chinensis. Overall, our results indicate that in the five clonal grasses, physiological integration between functionally different ramets under tillering node connections had a significant positive effect on sexual reproduction, indicating interspecific consistency in the contribution of physiological integration to sexual reproduction between the dominant and companion species, but this positive effect was greater in the dominant species L. chinensis than in the four main companion species. Therefore, differences in the physiological integration ability between the dominant and main companion species, identified for the first time in this study, may explain, at least partly, the dominance of L. chinensis in the community.

The influence of environmental factors on the composition and structure of associations of plant communities of floodplain meadows

The article discusses the patterns of formation of plant associations in the composition of meadow, floodplain phytocenoses, depending on environmental factors. The aim of this research is to determine the stability of the ecosystem as a whole, since the most important indicator of the state of the ecosystem is the structure of the vegetation cover of the soil. Monitoring of plant communities was carried out and the influence of a number of environmental factors on the composition and structure of meadow associations of floodplain meadows was studied.

Success of passive and active restoration of lowland hay meadows with regard to current and historical references

The restoration of hay meadows is one of the major challenges in temperate Europe, to overcome the drastic loss and degradation of these semi-natural habitats. Evaluation of restoration success requires the definition of a relevant reference ecosystem. Historical phytosociological relevés dating from the 1960s–1970s, before large scale agriculture intensification, may be used as the reference framework for such purposes. However, this reference framework may no longer be pertinent in our present-day ecological and socio-economic context. In this study, we assessed the success of three restoration techniques for lowland hay meadows, based on plant species richness and composition and functional traits, by comparing the restoration trajectories to historical and current references. The three restoration techniques, passive restoration mowing, active fresh hay transfer and active sowing of threshing material, were implemented depending on the initial level of degradation and the proximity to well-preserved meadows. The species composition of restored meadows clearly differed from historical references but converged toward current references, for both passive and active restoration techniques. Historical references are characterized by short, stress-tolerant dicotyledonous plant species with small specific leaf area, indicators of nutrient-poor environments. The gap observed between plant communities of historical and current meadows suggests that the historical data are an over-ambitious target for restoration purposes and can hardly be considered relevant to our present-day context. Therefore, creation of a new reference framework of lowland hay meadows is needed for the adequate implementation of restoration projects. Successful outcomes of active and passive techniques must encourage practitioners to adapt the choice of the restoration method depending on the local ecological context, i.e., level of degradation and proximity to well-preserved habitats.

State of <i>Limonium</i> <i>gmelinii</i> (Plumbaginaceae) Coenopopulations in the Republic of Khakassia

Abstract—The study is focused on the characteristic halophyte of Khakassia – Limonium gmelinii (Willd.) Kuntze (Plumbaginaceae). There is no information on the structure and assessment of the state of the coenopopulations of L. gmelinii in Khakassia. The materials were collected in 2022 from steppe and meadow plant communities with varying degrees of salinity. It was found that L. gmelinii coenopopulations are stable. The studied coenopopulations are normal, complete and incomplete. The left-sided type of the ontogenetic spectrum is formed in the alkaline steppe with low total projective cover and sufficient moisture; centered – on slightly saline or almost non-saline substrate of grass-covered steppe and meadow communities under different moisture regimes. The change in the ontogenetic structure and an increase in the undergrowth are associated with seed renewal and ecological and phytocenotic conditions of habitats. The density of individuals depends on the ecological and phytocenotic environment. The maximum total score of organismal and populational characters in Limonium gmelinii individuals was observed on slightly saline and practically non-saline soils in the cold sagebrush-grass and sagebrush real steppes of Khakassia. On the steppe meadows with low salinity, extensive grass cover and lack of moisture, the species does not reach the optimum. On highly saline soils, under low competition from related species and sufficient moisture, the total score of organismal and population characters reaches an average value.

Self‐stabilizing maintenance process in plant communities of alpine meadows under different grazing intensities

AbstractBackgroundsGrazing prohibition and reduced grazing intensity, as two important “vegetation close‐to‐nature recovery” methods, have been suggested as economical and effective technologies for enhancing forage production. However, numerous studies have found that the yield of forage could be increased by removing or reducing grazing in a short time in some steady stage of alpine Kobresia meadows, but not in others. To reveal the mechanism behind this phenomenon, we proposed a series of experiments.MethodsWe monitored the plant and soil characteristics in the key steady stages of Kobresia meadows under reduced and prohibited grazing conditions in the same geographic and climatic environments in the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau for 6 years. We estimated the relationships between the plant community and soil nutrients and obtained the following results.ResultsAll measured variables were positively correlated with each other. The plant community structure had higher path coefficients to aboveground biomass, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen than to other factors. The plant community structure played an important role in response to grazing intensity. Different plant functional groups (PFGs) had different responses to grazing intensity, which led to plant community re‐establishment or re‐organization under different grazing intensities. Poaceae and Kobresia were more sensitive to grazing intensity than other PFGs, and the ratio of Kobresia biomass (including Kobresia humilis and Kobresia pygmaea) to the total biomass of Poaceae and Kobresia could be used as an indicator of regime shifts within plant communities. With Kobresia pygmaea as the dominant species, the prohibition of grazing was not an efficient approach to increase the yield in the steady stages because this treatment needed more time to recover aboveground biomass. If Poaceae is the dominant PFG, grazing should only be prohibited for 3 years in the steady stages because the aboveground biomass will decrease if grazing is prohibited for more than 3 years.ConclusionsTherefore, the different steady stages of alpine meadows require different recovery methods to increase recovery efficiency and speed.

Warming-driven indirect effects on alpine grasslands: short-term gravel encroachment rapidly reshapes community structure and reduces community stability.

The community stability is the main ability to resist and be resilient to climate changes. In a world of climate warming and melting glaciers, alpine gravel encroachment was occurring universally and threatening hillside grassland ecosystem. Gravel encroachment caused by climate warming and glacial melting may alter community structure and community stability in alpine meadow. Yet, the effects of climate warming-induced gravel encroachment on grassland communities are unknown. Here, a 1-year short-term field experiment was conducted to explore the early stage drive process of gravel encroachment on community structure and stability at four different gravel encroachment levels 0%, 30%, 60%, and 90% gravel coverage at an alpine meadow on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, by analyzing the changes of dominant species stability and species asynchrony to the simulated gravel encroachment processes. Gravel encroachment rapidly changed the species composition and species ranking of alpine meadow plant community in a short period of time. Specifically, community stability of alpine meadow decreased by 61.78-79.48%, which may be due to the reduced dominant species stability and species asynchrony. Species asynchrony and dominant species stability were reduced by 2.65-17.39% and 46.51-67.97%, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that gravel encroachment presents a severe negative impact on community structure and stability of alpine meadow in the short term, the longer term and comprehensive study should be conducted to accurate prediction of global warming-induced indirect effects on alpine grassland ecosystems.

The contribution of common and rare species to species abundance patterns in alpine meadows: The effect of elevation gradients

Ecological niche modeling uses environmental variables associated with species distribution points to simulate species distribution and its importance in biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to quantify plant community composition and species abundance distribution (SAD) in alpine meadows at different elevations and to assess the contribution of rare and common species to SAD. We established a permanent study plot of 210 hm2 in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China, surveyed 315 sample squares (0.5 m × 0.5 m), and calculated the Hill numbers. The results showed that (1) a total of 72 species were surveyed at different altitudes, with Kobresia humilis and Kobresia macrantha as the main dominant species; (2) the SADs of overall and common species fit the ecological niche model (GSM (Geometric Sequence Model)), indicating that ecological niche differentiation is the main factor influencing SAD. The fitted model for rare species SAD varied with elevation, suggesting that various ecological processes influence rare species SAD. (3) Hill numbers showed a “single peak” pattern with increasing elevation. The number of rare species was higher than that of common species. Still, the distribution frequency of common species was significantly higher than rare species. The correlation between common-rare species sequences and cumulative species distribution was high. This indicates that common species dominate the species diversity pattern of the community, are the main contributors to the SAD pattern, and should be protected first. Rare species are also important carriers of community function and include much spatial information. Rare and common species work together in different ways to influence and maintain the species diversity patterns of alpine meadow plant communities.

Recovering the lost potential of meadows to help mitigate challenges facing California’s forests and water supply

Groundwater systems in snow-dominated drainage areas supply cool baseflows that support instream and downstream users late into the dry season. Yet, these catchments are becoming rarer with climate change and anthropogenic pressures that threaten groundwater systems. Restoration of low-gradient meadows and streams can recover a catchment’s natural storage potential, especially in Mediterranean biomes such as the Sierra Nevada of California where summer groundwater recharge is scarce. The degradation of meadows due to intense human modification has decreased groundwater elevations and shifted wet meadow plant communities toward more xeric forest and shrub communities. We applied machine learning tools to find potential “lost meadows” that may no longer support high groundwater elevations or meadow vegetation but do exhibit basic geomorphic and climatic characteristics similar to existing meadows. The model reveals potential meadow habitat in the Sierra Nevada of nearly three times its current extent. We offer two conceptual applications of the model for incorporating meadows in watershed restoration planning. The first application focuses on strategically expanding wet meadows already associated with fuel breaks for increasing wildfire resistance. The second shows how meadow restoration in post-wildfire landscapes could increase capture of sediment from burned hillslopes where increased sediment storage would benefit water storage. Meadows are important habitats that have become degraded due to long-term overuse. Re-envisioning their potential extent shows that, with restoration, meadows could also serve as components of California’s multi-tiered efforts to manage pressing threats to its forests and water supply.

Processes underlying the assembly of plant communities: The role of environmental filtering heterogeneity in a competition–dispersal experiment

AbstractQuestionInterspecific competition and seed dispersal are key mechanisms that may influence plant community assembly, but their relative importance remains difficult to disentangle as they can be affected by abiotic conditions (environmental filtering). We experimentally studied the balance between these processes in a Molinia wet meadow plant community in which abiotic constraints are mostly represented by flooding, while agricultural practices such as mowing prevent the dominance of a few competitive species. We hypothesized that (H1) mowing, by decreasing competitive exclusion and (H2) seed addition, by increasing immigration, both enhance plant species diversity, and that (H3) small variations in flooding intensity become secondary to these processes in determining species assembly.LocationFrench National Nature Reserve “Etang de Cousseau”, Nouvelle Aquitaine, France.MethodsIn a three‐year experiment, we added seeds of 17 species characteristic of Molinia wet meadows and managed above‐ground competition through mowing. We measured spatial variations in soil moisture as an indicator of the flooding regime. We recorded species relative cover, species richness and evenness annually, and measured light availability, linked with canopy openness, twice.ResultsFrom the beginning of the experiment, small‐scale variations in soil moisture mainly affected species richness, composition and evenness, and canopy openness. Mowing significantly increased light availability and evenness, and affected the relative cover of several species, but not species richness. The addition of seeds did not influence any of the variables monitored during the experiment.ConclusionOur study helps to disentangle processes underlying community assembly in wet meadows. It demonstrates significant and rapid effects of mowing on canopy opening and on community assembly, while seed addition had only a slight effect, possibly explained by an insufficient decrease in competitive interactions through mowing or unmeasured processes. It also shows that abiotic heterogeneity remains a primary driver of community assembly, even on a small scale. Finally, our results suggest that the respective weight of the different filters (dispersion, environment, competition) is subject to interannual variability or environmental stochasticity.

Restoration of Western Siberia meadow vegetation after fires according to Sentinel-2 data

The paper considers the dynamics of restoration of plant communities of meadows in the south of Western Siberia according to Sentinel data-2. Four subjects of the Russian Federation and nine specially protected natural territories within them were taken. Sentinel-2 data is characterized by a repetition of the survey once every five days and a spatial resolution of 10-20 m, which allows you to track the moment of the fire with high accuracy and record the state of vegetation before and after it. For quantitative evaluation, we used NDVI and NBR2 indices, which were compared for burnt and unburned areas before the fire, immediately after the fire, one year after the fire and two years after the fire. As a result of statistical analysis by the Mann-Whitney test, it was found out that both indices practically do not show the consequences of meadow fires in any way a year after the fire.

Grazing of Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) in Restored Wet Meadows

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is a grass species that can dominate wet meadow plant communities. This study investigated if grazing by cattle on restored wet meadows suppresses reed canarygrass, thereby promoting the restored plant community. This study was conducted at two locations in northwest Minnesota, one managed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the other a Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) wetland bank site. Management practices used were a patch-burn grazing treatment on the TNC site and a high-density, short-duration grazing rotation system on the BWSR site. A pretreatment survey of total species canopy coverage was conducted before grazing followed by periodic surveys up to 7 y after grazing started. Both the patch-burn grazing and the grazing rotation system reduced reed canarygrass canopy cover by 49% compared to non-grazed control sites 5–7 y after grazing. With a reduction in reed canary grass canopy coverage due to grazing, the plant community moved toward a community with higher canopy coverage of Carex pellita that met restoration goals. Some of the species change was to grasses like Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), which is an exotic, invasive grass in prairies. The changed plant community held steady in native plant species richness or had an increase in native plant species richness. This study demonstrates grazing reduces the cover of reed canarygrass, while meeting restoration goals for wet meadows.

Effect of Rudbeckia laciniata invasion on soil seed banks of different types of meadow communities

In the last decades, biological invasions become the main driver of biodiversity loss. The changes can be noticed not only in the above-ground diversity but also in the underground, including seed banks of native vegetation. In this study, we focus on Rudbeckia laciniata, a species introduced to many European and Asian countries, to characterize its soil seed bank as well as to answer the question, how the species influenced soil seed banks of meadow plant communities in two types of habitats (fresh and wet), where traditional mowing was abandoned. Within the habitats, we conducted our study on a three-step scale of invasion, from full invasion, through the transition zone to the control zone, where no invasion of the species has been observed so far. The majority of the R. laciniata seeds were located in the surface layer of soil. We detected, that 47% (in fresh meadow) and 56% (wet meadow) of recorded species occurred only in a soil seed bank, and were absent in aboveground vegetation. Emergence of native plants from the soil seed bank is low due to rapid shading of the soil surface by R. laciniata seedlings. However, a short-term seed bank of the species gives hope that returning to regular mowing brings the desired results in its the elimination from vegetation, in a fairly short time.

The contribution of the spatial hydrological niche to species diversity in rare plant communities of English floodplain meadows

The hydrological niche is one of the few below ground spatial environmental niches, which has been shown to structure English floodplain meadows and other European and African herbaceous ecosystems. However, both the relative contribution of hydrological heterogeneity to the structure of English floodplain meadows across spatial scales and the forms of the individual species’ responses to hydrological heterogeneity remain largely unknown. Here, we use a survey database of 2440 evaluation units sampled in 15 English floodplain meadows to dissect the spatial architecture of this metacommunity and describe the relationship between the abundance of individual species and hydrological heterogeneity. Of the tested species, 65% responded to spatial hydrological heterogeneity, with both monotonic and hump-shaped responses. We found that between-site beta-diversity is much stronger than within-site beta-diversity, with between-site scale hydrological variation explaining twice as much variation in community structure as within-site scale. This leads to the conclusion that a conservation strategy of rare plant communities should include not only the preservation of the diversity of local hydrological regimes, but also, specially, the inclusion in the conservation system of as many and environmentally varied local plant communities as possible.

Coastal wetland plant community responses to record-high Lake Superior water levels: An Allouez Bay case study

Here we present findings from a natural experiment to better understand coastal wetland plant community responses to rising water levels. Plant communities were monitored in three vegetation zones (submergent, emergent, and wet meadow) at Allouez Bay, a lacustrine coastal marsh, six times over years 2011–2020. Lake Superior water levels reached record-highs in 2017, and again in 2019. During our six sampling campaigns, we encountered eighty-four vascular plant species, seven of which were non-native. Except for reductions in total plant cover in the wet meadow zone, emergent and wet meadow plant communities were only marginally affected by rising water. Percent cover of non-native species did not increase in a clear pattern. Temporal changes in floristic quality were non-significant at the whole site level, and mean coefficient of conservatism values ranged from 5.3 to 6.0. Aquatic vegetation in the submergent zone was most affected by rising water. Submergent zone richness declined from sixteen plant species in 2011 to zero in 2020. Multivariate PERMANOVA analysis showed significant effects of year on site-wide plant composition. Temporal composition changes were predominately driven by species turnover in the submergent vegetation zone, whereby floating aquatic species were replaced by non-floating species from 2011 to 2017, and an absence of aquatic vegetation along research transects in 2020. Tracking regeneration of aquatic vegetation is a focus of future research as unknown effects from prolonged exposure to record-high water levels may affect natural regenerative processes at Allouez Bay, and potentially at other lacustrine Great Lakes wetlands throughout the basin.

Карта растительности памятника садово-паркового искусства «Осиновая роща» (Санкт-Петербург)

This article continues a series of publications devoted to vegetation mapping of existing and prospective specially protected natural areas of St. Petersburg. The “Osinovaya Roshcha” is a monument of garden art of the late XVIII–early XIX centuries. It is located on the northern border of St. Petersburg in a picturesque kame landscape, where sandy hills alternate with small bogged depressions and lakes. The landscape park of the Levashov-Vyazemsky estate was created in the forested area dominated by spruce, pine and birch. Since the 1780s oak, linden, ash, larch, fir, Siberian, Weymouth and other pines were planted there (Isachenko, 2004). A large-scale map of the actual vegetation of the “Osinovaya Roshcha” park and the adjacent territory was compiled for the first time. The natural forest, bog and meadow plant communities are characteristic features of the northern part of the area. The broad-leaved and coniferous trees, planted in the central part more than 200 years ago, have formed various plant communities, including mixed stands of local flora species and introduced trees. The southern part of the park is occupied mainly by broad-leaved introduced forest stands. Vegetation is divided into three sections in the map legend — natural, introduced, and formed by both native and introduced species. Each section represents vegetation types (or groups of types) (forest vegetation, mire vegetation, etc.); then forest communities are subdivided into classes of formations and formations, bog communities — according to the types of water-mineral nutrition. The mapped units are associations, subassociations and their variants, identified according the ecological-phytocoenotic classification. Territorial units — ecological series and combinations of plant communities — were also used in the map legend. Short-term secondary communities formed under various ecological (mainly anthropogenic) factors are subordinate to conventionally primary ones. They are indicated by indices at the legend numbers. Various types of shading were used on the map to distinguish natural and introduced vegetation. The vegetation map of the “Osinovaya Roshcha” represents a diversity of plant communities: they are forest (spruce, pine, birch) and bog (lowland, transitional, upland) communities typical of the region, as well as old-growth larch (Larix sibirica) and broad-leaved (oak, linden, elm, mixed composition) forests formed by introduced trees. Last ones are rare for the region. The plant community of Carex brizoides, found in the park, is of great interest among the communities of herbaceous plant introducers. This sedge is a rare species for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, which probably like the Poa chaixii was used for sodding the park soils.

Сравнительный анализ горно-луговой растительности Южного и Северного Приэльбрусья (Центральный Кавказ) на фоне усиления антропогенной нагрузки

Geobotanical descriptions were carried out on 16 model sites in the upper reaches of the Baksan and Malka rivers along with the southern and northern spurs of mount Elbrus. Despite the differences in species composition and structure of ecological spectra, the reaction of mountain meadow plant communities of regions to increase anthropogenic load is similar. More significant negative changes and higher synanthropization levels of disturbed meadows in the Southern Elbrus region are probably due to the different history of economic development of the two regions.