Mixed Deciduous Coniferous Forest Research Articles

Labile and Stable Fractions of Organic Carbon in a Soil Catena (the Central Forest Nature Reserve, Russia)

The composition of soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important soil quality indicator. We investigated the effect of site-specific soil-forming factors on plant debris and SOC properties along a soil catena with Retisols and Stagnosols in a mixed coniferous–deciduous forest. We examined sites at the summit and middle slope positions with relatively well-aerated soils and sites at footslope positions with waterlogged soils. The concentrations of labile and stable pools of SOC were determined using the method of three-stage chemodestruction. The degree of litter decomposition was calculated, and ash content was determined in the folic and histic soil horizons. The results of our study showed that SOC mostly accumulated in the forest litter and histic horizons of Stagnosols at the footslope positions. The forest litter, folic, and histic horizons were dominated by labile carbon. Equal concentrations of labile and stable carbon were typical of the mineral horizons. The location of the soil in the catena affects the partition and characteristics of SOC in umbric and albic soil horizons. SOC was found to be more stable in the soils at the footslope positions compared to the soils in other locations, because of the lower decomposition of plant remains. Larger stocks of organic carbon, including labile carbon, were restricted to the footslope catena positions.

Comparative analysis of the myriapod fauna (Diplopoda, Chilopoda) of the Shumen Plateau and the Madara Plateau (Northeastern Bulgaria)

Abstract At present, the inventory lists of the Myriapoda of many geographical areas in Bulgaria and the comparative analyzes of the similarity between such local faunas are scarce or completely missing. The present paper presents the results of the comparative analysis of α- and β-diversity of the myriapoda communities in natural habitats in two regions in Northeastern Bulgaria – the Shumen Plateau and the Madara Plateau. The compared habitats in these plateaus have similar geographical, soil and climatic conditions, and similar species composition of plant formations. The analysis of the structure of the myriapoda communities included estimation of species diversity by determining the Shannon-Wiever index (H’) and the Berger-Parker index (d). The degree of similarity between the species composition of the communities was analyzed by the Czekanowski-Dice-Sörensen, Jaccard, Bray-Curtis, Horn, Morisita-Horn indices and the corrected Chao-Sörensen and Chao-Jaccard indices. The species diversity of the millipede community in the Shumen Plateau is much greater than that of the Madara Plateau, while the diversity of the centipede communities in the two plateaus does not differ significantly. In both classes the greatest species diversity is registered in deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests. Chao-Sörensen and Chao-Jaccard indices of similarity for the myriapod communities in these habitats are the highest, approaching 1, in contrast to the other sites where the registered species composition of the centipedes is smaller and the degree of similarity is about 0.6.

Determination of species-specific leaf angle distribution and plant area index in a cool-temperate mixed forest from UAV and upward-pointing digital photography

Leaf angle distribution (LAD) is an essential canopy element that controls the foliage projection function (G-function), which is a parameter for estimating the plant area index (PAI). In recent studies, digital cover photography (DCP) has been applied to estimate the PAI (PAIDCP) in many terrestrial ecosystems. However, few studies related to this topic have been performed in mixed forests, where LAD features differ among multiple species. This study sought to evaluate the PAIDCP in a cool temperate mixed deciduous-coniferous forest in western Japan using a field-based G-function that was estimated from digital images captured by using a small uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV; a quadcopter). The intensive UAV observations showed that measured throughout a vertical canopy profile of the deciduous broadleaved tree species, LAD was plagiophile-planophile for Fagus crenata, but was planophile throughout the canopy for Carpinus tschonoskii. Meanwhile, for the other dominant coniferous Abies firma species, we assumed either plagiophile or spherical for LAD and the G-function based on previous studies instead of measuring the parameters directly using the small UAV. With the species-specific LAD and G-function of dominant tree species, we compared the four-year PAIDCP time series with those based on a direct method using litter-trap inventories (PAIlit). The results indicate that PAIDCP provided more suitable representation of the canopy than that obtained assuming the spherical LAD for all tree species in the forest, although estimations of PAIlit includes uncertainties, mainly associating with measurements of specific leaf area (SLA). Our study highlights that in mixed forests with a tall canopy and multiple species it is important to ascertain species-specific LAD values for accurate estimation of the PAI using digital cover photography. Overall, we argue that the combined UAV–DCP photographic approach serves as a powerful tool for estimating the PAI.

Dynamics of the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses in the Upper Volga basin in the 21st century (on the example of the catchment basin of the Logovezh river)

The article contains the results of researching of the dynamics of the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses within the territory of the catchment basin of the Logovezh river in the XXI century. The researched territory is located in the Upper Volga basin in the zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests and characterized by high forest cover and swampiness. The research is based on the materials of the expedition work, carried out in the summer of 2021, the data of thematic maps and literary sources, processed using GIS. As a result of field researchs, the current position of the sources of elementary watercourses has been established, the indicator of the change in the length of their channels in the XXI century has been calculated. The fact of both increasing and reducing the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses with the predominance of their reduction processes has been established. Against the background of the restoration of the landscapes of the researched territory, there is a partial increase in the length of the channel network of elementary watercourses.

Landscape structure of the center of the Oksko- Klyazminskoye plateau of the Vladimir region (Russia)

The article presents a map of the modern landscape structure of the territory of the central part of the landscape subprovince of the Oksko-Klyazminskoye plateau. The researched area is located in the central part of the East European Plain in the zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests on the territory of the Volga-Oka interfluve within the Meshcherskaya province. The center of the Oksko-Klyazminskoye plateau is characterized by a predominance of forestry land use with prospects for the development of transport infrastructure, in particular, the construction of the Europe - Western China transport corridor. To predict the impact of projected economic objects on natural complexes, it is necessary to research the landscape structure of the territory at the hierarchical level of landscapes. The research is based on the analysis of thematic maps, scientific literature, remote sensing data, and the results of author's field research, conducted in 2019-2020. During the research 6 landscapes were identified. The results of the research are of great practical importance for assessing and predicting the environmental impact of the construction and operation of economic facilities and for conducting further geographical and environmental researches.

Dung analysis of the East Milford mastodons: dietary and environmental reconstructions from central Nova Scotia at ∼75 ka years BP

To reconstruct a mastodon diet and provide a snapshot view of environmental conditions in eastern Canada prior to the onset of the Wisconsinan glaciation, we analysed the faunal and floral components of dung associated with juvenile mastodon remains from East Milford, Nova Scotia, dated to 74.9 ± 5.0 ka cal BP. The diverse assemblage of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and macroinvertebrate remains in the dung suggests that the mastodons lived in a spruce-dominated mixed coniferous–deciduous forest with a strong boreal aspect interspersed with wetlands rich in charophytes, sedges, cattails, bulrushes, and bryophytes. The abundance of spruce needles and birch samaras in the dung sample is consistent with an inferred browsing behaviour, having been reported for other mammutid species previously. The limited diversity and near-absence of coprophilous fungi, such as Sporormiella, in the dung could have an impact on understanding the influence of feeding strategies on the presence of coprophilous taxa in sedimentary records, and thus interpretations of megafaunal abundance. The dung also yielded the earliest known Canadian remains of the bark beetle Polygraphus cf. rufipennis, gemmulae of the freshwater sponge Eunapius cf. fragilis, and loricae of the rotifer Keratella cochlearis.

Опыт использования ГИС при оценке природоохранной ценности городских лесов (на примере парка «Савин Наволок», г. Петрозаводск, Республика Карелия)

The information about the state and nature conservation value of the recreational forests of the Savin Navolok Park is presented. Maps of vegetation and localization of rare and protected species of vascular plants, mosses, lichens and fungi have been compiled. Nine types of forest have been identified in the Park where birch herb-rich forests (31.8 %), spruce forests (25.2 %), and pine forests (16.3 %) prevail. About a quarter of the studied territory (25.6 %) is covered by mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, aspen and willow forests. The flora of the Park is characterized by high species diversity: 258 species of vascular plants, 40 species of mosses and 45 species of lichens have been identified. In comparison with adjacent territories, distinctive feature of the studied flora is the presence of a large number of species of the southern taiga subzone (19.7 %), including nemoral species on the northern border of their distribution range (Corydalis solida, Pulmonaria obscura, Tilia cordata, etc.). In the Savin Navolok Park, 8 species protected in the Republic of Karelia are registered: Galium odoratum, Humulus lupulus, Lentaria afflata, Neckera pennata, Punctularia strigosozonata, Thalictrum kemens, among which species Calypso bulbosa and Cypripedium calceolus are listed in the Red Data Book of Russian Federation. Species Chaenotheca brachypoda and Ulmus glabra are included in the list of taxa of the Republic of Karelia that need special attention to their state in the natural environment and are recommended for biological surveillance. According to the Federal Law “On Specially Protected Natural Areas”, the natural complexes of the Savin Navolok Park satisfies the criteria for give this territory the status of a specially protected natural area in the rank of a natural monument or a state botanical reserve of regional significance “Savin Navolok”.

Postglacial history of the Steppe Altai: Climate, fire and plant diversity

The Steppe Altai is a natural transition zone between the Central Asian steppes and deserts and the Siberian taiga. Various lakes located in the Kulunda lowland, the biggest part of the Steppe Altai, provide a unique archive of the environmental history of the Altai Mountain piedmont and adjacent plains. Palaeorecords from two lakes, Maloye Yarovoye and Kuchuk, provide the longest high-resolution records of the Steppe Altai and south-western Siberia, allowing us to describe the environmental history of the region with high accuracy since the last deglaciation. The main objective of this study was to establish the interrelationship between plant biodiversity, climate, and fire dynamics in the Steppe Altai from postglacial time to present day. We used several techniques for this task, including pollen and geochemical analyses, quantitative reconstruction of climate and biodiversity using multivariate statistics, and estimation of macrocharcoal accumulation rates and sources of fuel. Based on analyses of the two palaeorecords, we conclude that plant diversity and evenness show a strong positive correlation with annual precipitation. Pinus sylvestris spread throughout Kulunda lowland after 10.8 ka BP, and maximal spread of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests in south-western Siberia occurred between 7.2 and 2.7 ka BP. We propose that the maximum development of the ribbon-like forests dominated by Scotch pine characterized the Steppe Altai at that time. Forest fires occurred sparsely during the Holocene but were not inherent in pre-Holocene time. Before 650 CE, the main fuel for the fire was grass; however, forest fires rapidly increased in the Steppe Altai after 650 CE and prevailed over steppe fires after 1420 CE. Increased fire activity over the last millennium was likely human-induced.

Epiphyllous bryophytes in Arboretum Mlyňany (Slovakia)

Epiphyllous bryophytes in Arboretum Mlyňany (Slovakia)

Different preferences for new versus old nestboxes by birds, rodents and social insects

The use of artificial nestboxes has improved the understanding of the ecology and behaviour of secondary cavity-nesting animals. Although earlier investigations have shown that nestbox characteristics can influence where animals roost or breed, the impact of ageing of nestboxes on occupation rates has rarely been investigated with experiments based on choice. In this study, the occupation rate of new and old wooden nestboxes set up side by side on the same tree (n = 140 pairs) was investigated in mixed coniferous-deciduous forest in Lithuania. Great tits Parus major and pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca evidently preferred to breed in new nestboxes, while hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius and yellow-necked mice Apodemus flavicollis did not show any preference to a certain nestbox type and equally occupied old and new nestboxes. Saxon wasps Dolichovespula saxonica also occupied both nestbox types equally and a similar tendency was observed in European hornets Vespa crabro. By contrast, black garden ants Lasius niger showed a tendency to occupy old nestboxes. The results of the present study are important when considering the use of nestboxes in monitoring small hole-nesting birds and hazel dormice. The preference of birds for new nestboxes may influence long-term monitoring results when nestboxes become older and when old nestboxes are replaced with new ones. This important limitation has not been emphasised in review papers on the inadequacies of nestboxes in studies of hole-nesting birds. However, as ageing of nestboxes does not influence the occupation rates by hazel dormice, the use of nestboxes does not bias the results of long-term monitoring of this species.

Lignicolous fungal assemblages and relationships with environment in broadleaved and mixed forests from the North-East Region of Romania

Background and aims – Lignicolous fungal assemblages perform numerous functions in forest ecosystems, one of the most important being their capacity to decay wood. As a consequence of their belonging to different ecological niches, the forest ecosystem influences the fungal assemblages in terms of species richness and composition. Methods – In this study we analyzed the main lignicolous macrofungal assemblages in some deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in the North-East Region of Romania. We searched to find fungal indicator species for a certain forest type and which are the main drivers and their effects on the composition of the lignicolous macrofungal assemblages. Fungal assemblages were identified using a hierarchical agglomerative clustering procedure, while diagnostic species for each cluster were identified based on the indicator value index. Relationships between fungal composition of plots and environmental variables were performed using detrended and canonical correspondence analyses.Key results – A total of 377 fungal taxa in approximately 4600 records (in 59 plots) were identified. Six distinct clusters of lignicolous fungal assemblages were defined and separated three groups: 1) species-rich lignicolous fungal assemblages in beech forests (1 cluster), 2) well defined fungal assemblages in the mixed broadleaved-coniferous forests (2 clusters), and 3) fungal assemblages typical to oak forests (3 clusters). Ordination methods highlighted the forest type as the most important factor influencing the fungal composition of plots. Forestry Aridity Index, tree diversity and large trees basal area were also important factors for fungal assemblages but with a lower contribution. Conclusion – In the studied region, fungal assemblages changed from oak to beech and to mixed, broadleaved-coniferous forests mainly as a consequence of different tree composition. Climate also shaped fungal composition but to a lesser extent.

СЕТЬ ОСОБО ОХРАНЯЕМЫХ ПРИРОДНЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ ПЕРМСКОГО КРАЯ1

The paper considers the modern network of protected natural areas in the Perm region. The study determines the current status of the network and the priorities of its geographical formation; investigates representation of six natural areas in the network; identifies the role of protected areas in biodiversity conservation. Based on the regional method, the degree of the protected areas natural environment degradation has been established. The network of protected areas consists of 361 objects of federal, regional and local significance. The total area reaches 10.7% of the Perm region‘s territory. The main component of the network is represented by 257 protected areas of regional importance. In the region, 6 natural areas have been identified: middle taiga, southern taiga, mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, Kungur forest-steppe, Western Urals, Northern Urals. Theinternational level of the protected areas network development has only been achieved in the Northern Urals. The share of protected areas in the middle taiga is higher than the average Russian level; for mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, it is close to the average Russian level. The least protected are southern taiga (4.8%) and forest-steppe ecosystems (3.8%). The most disastrous is conservation of the natural environment of the Kungur forest-steppe. There is a very small number of forest-steppe areas suitable for creating full-fledged protected areas. 89 rare species of biota inhabit the protected areas. All mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates that are rare for the Perm region are covered with complete protection. Outside the network of protected areas, there are habitats of 7 species of birds, 21 species of angiosperms, 1 species of the fern-like, lycopods and lichen. On this basis, it is possible to develop territorial protection measures. The average environmental degradation of regional protected areas in the Perm region as a whole is 1.45 points. The degradation of protected areas is increasing in the series: middle taiga – Northern Urals – southern taiga – Western Urals – mixed coniferous-deciduous forests – Kungur forest-steppe.

Fine-Root Turnover, Litterfall, and Soil Microbial Community of Three Mixed Coniferous-Deciduous Forests Dominated by Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis) Along a Latitudinal Gradient.

Carbon dynamics in forests and in particular in soils are of primary importance in the context of climate change. A better understanding of the drivers controlling carbon storage is needed to improve climate mitigation strategies. Carbon storage is the result of a balance between inputs and outputs. Carbon inputs in the soil come from plant residues and root exudates, which are further transformed by microorganisms and stored in the long term. Here, we measured litter and fine-root production in three mixed forests dominated by Pinus koraiensis along a latitudinal gradient and performed a litterbag experiment to better understand the driving factors of decomposition. We found that over the three sites litter production was controlled by climatic factors, soil properties, and forest stand characteristics, whereas decay rates were mainly controlled by microbial community structure and soil stoichiometry. For fine roots, production differed among sites, and higher production was consistently observed in the top soil layers compared to deep soil, although the root distribution along the soil profile differed among sites. Fine-root decay rates were mainly controlled by fine-root stoichiometric characteristics. This article emphasizes the complexity of fine-root dynamics even for a single species. Environmental drivers impact on both production and decay, and we suggest performing manipulative field experiments to better identify the mechanisms involved in soil carbon cycling.

Геоботанічні аспекти екотонізації природних ландшафтів

Відзначено, що більшість сучасних ландшафтів – як натуральних природних, так і антропогенних – мають характер екотонів. Наголошено, що екотонізація виразно позначається на педобіогенному компоненті-чинникові ландшафту. Зауважено, що формування екотонів відбувається як на макро- й мезо-, так і на мікрорівні організації рослинного компоненту. Проілюстровано, що явище поступового переходу від однієї фізико-географічної зони до іншої яскраво проявляється на прикладах лісостепу Правобережної України – як у межах екотону "зона мішаних лісів" – "лісостеп", так і в смузі екотону "лісостеп" – "степ". Наголошено, що процесам екотонізації ландшафтів істотно сприяє втручання антропогенного чинника. Розглянуто різні варіанти екотонізації лісових фітоценозів, зокрема висвітлено особливості природних і антропогенних екотонів "ліс – галявина", "ліс – прогалина", "ліс – узлісся", "ліс – зруб" тощо. Відзначено високий рівень біорізноманіття, властивий лісовим ландшафтам завдяки їхній екотонізації. Проаналізовано феномен "екотону в часі", що проявляється на сукцесійних стадіях розвитку лісових фітоценозів. Окреслено основний зміст концепцій змін порід деревної лісової рослинності відповідно до поглядів В. П. Кучерявого та Г. Ф. Морозова. Зауважено, що сукупна дія природних і антропогенних чинників увиразнює розмитість меж природних регіонів і в такий спосіб підсилює екотонізацію ландшафтів, зокрема лісових. Наголошено, що дослідження екотонів становить комплексну міждисциплінарну наукову проблему, що перебуває на пограниччі географії, геоботаніки, лісознавства, ландшафтної та соціоекології.

Machine Learning Techniques for Tree Species Classification Using Co-Registered LiDAR and Hyperspectral Data

The use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) techniques for recording and analyzing tree and forest structural variables shows strong promise for improving established hyperspectral-based tree species classifications; however, previous multi-sensoral projects were often limited by error resulting from seasonal or flight path differences. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard’s LiDAR, hyperspectral, and thermal imager (G-LiHT) is now providing co-registered data on experimental forests in the United States, which are associated with established ground truths from existing forest plots. Free, user-friendly machine learning applications like the Orange Data Mining Extension for Python recently simplified the process of combining datasets, handling variable redundancy and noise, and reducing dimensionality in remotely sensed datasets. Neural networks, CN2 rules, and support vector machine methods are used here to achieve a final classification accuracy of 67% for dominant tree species in experimental plots of Howland Experimental Forest, a mixed coniferous–deciduous forest with ten dominant tree species, and 59% for plots in Penobscot Experimental Forest, a mixed coniferous–deciduous forest with 15 dominant tree species. These accuracies are higher than those produced using LiDAR or hyperspectral datasets separately, suggesting that combined spectral and structural data have a greater richness of complementary information than either dataset alone. Using greatly simplified datasets created by our dimensionality reduction methodology, machine learner performance remains comparable or higher to that using the full dataset. Across forests, the identification of shared structural and spectral variables suggests that this methodology can successfully identify parameters with high explanatory power for differentiating among tree species, and opens the possibility of addressing large-scale forestry questions using optimized remote sensing workflows.

Atmospheric mercury deposition to forests in the eastern USA

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition to forests is important because half of the land cover in the eastern USA is forest. Mercury was measured in autumn litterfall and weekly precipitation samples at a total of 27 National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) monitoring sites in deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in 16 states in the eastern USA during 2007–2014. These simultaneous, uniform, repeated, annual measurements of forest Hg include the broadest area and longest time frame to date. The autumn litterfall-Hg concentrations and litterfall mass at the study sites each year were combined with annual precipitation-Hg data. Rates of litterfall-Hg deposition were higher than or equal to precipitation-Hg deposition rates in 70% of the annual data, which indicates a substantial contribution from litterfall to total atmospheric-Hg deposition. Annual litterfall-Hg deposition in this study had a median of 11.7 μg per square meter per year (μg/m2/yr) and ranged from 2.2 to 23.4 μg/m2/yr. It closely matched modeled dry-Hg deposition, based on land cover at selected NADP Hg-monitoring sites. Mean annual atmospheric-Hg deposition at forest study sites exhibited a spatial pattern partly explained by statistical differences among five forest-cover types and related to the mapped density of Hg emissions. Forest canopies apparently recorded changes in atmospheric-Hg concentrations over time because litterfall-Hg concentrations decreased year to year and litterfall-Hg concentrations were significantly higher in 2007–2009 than in 2012–2014. These findings reinforce reported decreases in Hg emissions and atmospheric elemental-Hg concentrations during this same time period. Methylmercury (MeHg) was detected in all litterfall samples at all sites, compared with MeHg detections in less than half the precipitation samples at selected sites during the study. These results indicate MeHg in litterfall is a pathway into the terrestrial food web where it can accumulate in the prey of songbirds, bats, and raptors.

Estimation and spatial-temporal pattern of forest aboveground biomass and NPP in Heihe Region, Heilongjiang Province, China

Based on 1390 fixed plots data collected in 2005 and 2010 in Heihe Region of Heilongjiang Province, biomass allometric models of tree species in northeastern China were applied to calculate aboveground biomass (AGB) and net primary productivity (NPP). Based on ETM+ ima-geries in 2005 and 2010, Kriging and co-Kriging methods in geostatistics were applied to interpolate AGB and NPP and different variogram models were compared. The distribution maps of AGB and NPP were produced using the best interpolation method. The change of AGB and NPP over time and space and the impacts of stand types and terrain factors (aspect, slope and altitude) on the distributions of AGB and NPP were analyzed by comparing the distribution maps in different years. The results indicated that AGB had an increasing trend and areas with AGB higher than 40 t·hm-2 also increased. However, NPP decreased from 2005 to 2010. Some high NPP regions were changed into low NPP regions. AGB and NPP were correlated with forest terrain factors, especially altitude, which indicated that the distribution of biomass and NPP were highly influenced by altitude. During the study period, AGB increased at all slope aspects while NPP decreased, AGB and NPP had an increasing trend with raised slope degree andaltitude, the AGB and NPP of evergreen coniferous forest increased most, and the AGB of mixed deciduous-coniferous forest and NPP of broad-leaved deciduous forest had the least increase.

СИНАНТРОПІЗАЦІЯ ФЛОРИ ВОЛИНСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ

<span>Volyn region is located in North-Western Ukraine. Its territory is plain in the North and poorly hilly in the South with a total obliquely in a Northerly direction. The climate is temperate continental with mild winters and moderately warm enough wet summer. Sod-podzolic and meadow soils is predominate, sod, forest-steppe podzolized soils, typical black less common. According to physical and geographic zone, the area belongs to the zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests; by geobotanical zoning of Ukraine – the European broadleaved forest region, East European and Central provinces. Some 1272 species of vascular plants of natural flora were registered in the Volyn region during filed surveys in 1999-2015 together with retrospective data and herbarium collections. Among them the synanthropic group was isolated, which includes 507 species (over 38% of all the species). Local synanthropic apophytes species (ca. 287) are dominated over antropophytes (220 species). The ratio between these two groups is 1.3:1. This is the evidence that the synanthropic flora was formed with domination of local explerent apophytes followed by adventive plant species. Species with active dissemination strategy in seminatural and transformed ecosystems like hemiapophytes (149 species) are dominated among the apophytes by the degree of adaptation to the anthropogenically transformed conditions. It was found that 220 species belong to antropophytes among which the kenophytes (111 species) dominate by time of invasion. We also registered some 109 species of arheophytes. The ratio between these two groups is 0.9:1.0, which indicates the moderate degree of invasion of alien species to the study area. The xenophytes (111 species) are dominated by the method of invasion. The epekophytes (159 species) – species that which grow in communities that would disappear with the cessation of human activities dominate by the degree of naturalization. We distinguished the group of alien species with high phytocoenotic activities that are the herbaceous annuals or milticarpos with the core root system without underground shoots of North American origin.</span>

СОВКИ (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUOIDEA, NOCTUIDAE SENSU LATO) ЗОНЫ ХВОЙНО- ШИРОКОЛИСТВЕННЫХ ЛЕСОВ ВЕРХНЕГО И СРЕДНЕГО ПРИАМУРЬЯ: РУБЕЖИ СМЕНЫ ФАУН

The faunal boundaries of Noctuid moths within the zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests of Upper and Middle Amur (Amurskaya oblast, Khabarovskii Krai, Russia) are discussed. 4 faunal boundary lines are established by the data on the distribution of noctuid species. Middle Zeya boundary is the strongest with 24% effectiveness; 103 nemoral and forest-steppe species do not cross the boundary in their distribution to the north. The second strongest is Lower Bureya boundary (17% effectiveness), which limits the distribution of 53 nemoral species to the west. Lesser Khingan boundary (7%) and Lower Zeya boundary (9%) are less effective.

Efficacy of semiochemical-baited traps for detection of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the Russian Far East

The efficacy of various combinations of pheromones and plant volatile lures for detection of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in traps was tested in field bioassays in a mixed coniferous-deciduous forest near Vladivostok in the Russian Far East in 2009 and 2010. Traps detected 30 species (490 specimens) in 2009 and 23 species (182 specimens) in 2010. Overall, 38 longhorn beetle species were detected, with 15 species common to both years. Species composition differed among lure treatments, but the number of species detected with any single lure did not vary significantly among lures (12-16 species per lure in 2009; 3-10 species per lure in 2010). Type of lure significantly affected mean catch per trap of five species in 2009 and 2010. For these same species, lure type also significantly affected the efficacy of detection, i.e., the proportion of traps that captured at least one specimen of a given species. The combination of racemic E-fuscumol and spruce blend (a blend of five monoterpenes) positively affected mean catch of Tetropium castaneum (L.). Racemic 3-hydroxyhexan-2-one (K6), alone or combined with ethanol, increased mean catch of Anaglyptus colobotheoides Bates. The combination of K6 and ethanol increased mean catch of Phymatodes testaceus (L.), and the combination of racemic 3-hydroxyoctan-2-one and ethanol increased mean catch of Molorchus minor (L.). Use of longhorn beetle pheromone lures in trapping surveys increases the mean catch and probability of detecting certain species of Cerambycidae, including those that may be exotic and potentially invasive. Sample-based rarefaction indicated that eight traps per site were insufficient to detect all of the longhorn species potentially attracted by any individual lure treatment, i.e., species accumulation curves failed to reach an asymptote in most cases.