Semi-natural Plant Communities Research Articles

Characteristics and Species Diversity of Semi-Natural Plant Communities on Langqi Island.

(1) Background: Islands are relatively independent and fragile ecosystems with unique habitats. Studying the relatively stable semi-natural plant communities on islands can enrich island vegetation data and provide an understanding of the factors affecting species diversity and distribution. (2) Methods: The semi-natural plant communities on Langqi Island (LI) in Fujian Province were sampled, and the redundancy method was used to analyze the correlation between species diversity, community distribution, and environmental factors. (3) Results: (i) There were 432 species of vascular plants, with 306 genera and 110 families; (ii) the semi-natural plant communities consisted of three vegetation types, 10 formations, and 10 clusters; (iii) the species diversity indices of the semi-natural plant communities presented a trend of gradually decreasing along the shrub, tree, and herb layers. Different formations varied in terms of the species diversity index; and (iv) the soil total potassium and nitrogen contents significantly affected the species diversity of the LI semi-natural plant communities, whereas the pH, soil TN content, organic matter content, AK content, and altitude significantly affected the community distribution. (4) Conclusions: Selecting appropriate tree species for mixed forests based on plant characteristics and regional conditions, together with regulating the soil nutrient content, can improve the species diversity of semi-natural plant communities.

Using functional traits to predict pollination services: A review

Pollination is a fundamental ecosystem service. Predictive and mechanistic models linking pollinator community structure to pollination services increasingly incorporate information on unique functional differences among species, so called effects traits. There is little consensus as to which traits are most important in supporting pollination services at either an individual or community level. Here, we synthesise the state of current knowledge regarding the role and efficacy of traits for predicting pollination, as well as the use of different methods for describing the trait structure of pollinator assemblages. We find a wide range of traits are currently used to predict pollination services, including morphological, behavioural and phenological characteristics. However, we show that the evidence demonstrating their importance is often limited or mixed. There is a trade-off in how traits are used between those that are easier to measure, available for many species but have only limited evidence for their role in pollination, vs. those that are harder to measure but with a more robust link with pollination service delivery. We highlight how community weighted means and measures of functional diversity offer important, albeit different insights into pollination service delivery. We discuss how their relative importance is likely to depend on the goals of the study. To maximise fully the utilisation of traits to predict pollination services, future research should be directed towards the widespread and consistent validation of the links among different traits and the pollination service across crop and semi-natural plant communities. Ideally this also needs to address geographical and taxonomic biases in trait collection.

You Reap What You Sow: A Botanical and Economic Assessment of Wildflower Seed Mixes Available in Ireland

Planting wildflower seed mixes has become popular with individuals and community groups aiming to promote wildlife and enhance local biodiversity. Recently, however, these seed mixes have been criticized with respect to the origin of the seeds and the species they contain. There is a growing awareness that the unintended planting of exotic species may disrupt native ecological networks, introduce aggressive weeds, or facilitate the establishment of invasive species in new localities. In this study, we purchased two packets of twelve brands of wildflower seeds available in Ireland from stores or online suppliers. In total, the 24 packets contained 69,409 seeds weighing 304 g, and represented 92 plant species in 23 families. Only 25% of the seed packets purchased in Ireland originated from Ireland, and only 43% of the plant species we identified are considered native to Ireland. To reinforce this point, the most frequent species, Phacelia tanacetifolia, which occurred in nine of the twelve brands, is not a native Irish plant species. Multivariate analysis identified no obvious grouping of seed mixes based on their intended target group (e.g., bees, butterflies, wildlife), which might be expected had manufacturers followed scientific guidance describing which plants are preferred by which pollinator group. The creation of patches of diverse floral habitats in gardens and urban settings can significantly benefit wildlife and human wellbeing. Our results, however, reinforce the need for caution before using wildflower mixes in attempts to restore or recreate natural or semi-natural plant communities.

Floristic diversity versus utilization value of selected semi-natural Central-European grassland communities: A study from Poland

Floristic diversity in agricultural landscapes results primarily from the diversity of semi-natural grasslands. Due to economical reasons, farmers are interested in agricultural intensification, while semi-natural grasslands are associated with low productivity. Therefore, 10 semi-natural grassland plant communities that are widespread across Central Europe and have different habitat requirements were studied: 4 from the Phragmitetea class, 4 from Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, and 2 from Festuco-Brometea. The study answers the following: (1) What is their floristic diversity and utilization value? (2) Is there a significant relationship between the diversity of vascular plant species and the utilization value of the examined communities? (3) If yes, what is the character of this relationship? The highest floristic diversity was shown by the Festuco-Brometea communities: Adonido-Brachypodietum pinnati and com. Brachypodium pinnatum. The average utilization value of the analyzed semi-natural plant communities was poor or very poor, but it varied within the plant communities, and the percentage of the relevés of at least a good utilization value was high for some communities. For most of the analyzed communities, the linear and statistically significant relation of H’ index with utilization value score (UVS) was observed. H’ index was positively related with UVS for Phragmitetum australis, Caricetum gracilis, Caricetum ripariae, and Deschampsietum caespitosae. H’ index was negatively related with UVS for Phalaridetum arundinaceae, Alopecuretum pratensis, Lolio-Cynosuretum, and Adonido-Brachypodietum pinnati. The study showed that the relationship between floristic diversity and utilization value depends on the type of plant community.

Conservation and Restoration Prospects of Semi-Natural Plant Communities when Creating Parks in the Southern Russia’s Steppe (a Case Study of the 70th Anniversary of Victory Park)

Preserving the least transformed vegetation cover plots and using them as park zones when expanding urban development areas is one of the most promising areas of urban planning. There is very little experience in creating such parks in steppe regions. This study is the basis for the development project of the first park of this type in the Rostov Region. The goal of the study is to analyze the vegetation cover in the 70thAnniversary of Victory Park to identify valuable plant communities with a high preservation and to include them subsequently in to the Park’s landscape project. For this purpose, we carried out a detailed zoning of the vegetation in the territory, revealed its relationship with the soil cover, the terrain, and the anthropogenic pressure. To collect and process data, we used generally accepted methods of botanical research. We carried out a comparative analysis of the systematic, ecological, and phytocoenotic spectra of the associations identified. In the territory of one land unit, we found coenopopulations of two protected species: Bellevalia sarmatica and Iris pumila. A low wild-grass overgrowing and a relative high abundance of steppe grasses and herbs in some areas of species suggest a likely prospect for the territory to become virgin over the next 10 to 15 years. Based on the results of our study, we have identified areas which, if preserved and maintained, will allow to create close-to-steppe vegetation zones in the Park.

Effects of Low Doses of Herbicides on Different Endpoints in the Life Cycle of Nontarget Terrestrial Plants.

Herbicide drift may cause adverse effects on natural and seminatural plant communities, and it has been debated whether the current ecological risk assessments are adequate to protect nontarget terrestrial plant species. In the present study, 9 nontarget terrestrial plant species with different lifespans (3 annual/6 perennial) belonging to 6 different plant families were exposed to 4 herbicides with different modes of action at the vegetative (6-8 leaf) and reproductive (bud) stages separately. The plant tests were conducted under controlled conditions in 2 greenhouses, 1 located in Denmark and 1 in Canada. For both growth stages, effects were recorded on vegetative (above-ground biomass 3 wk after treatment) and reproductive endpoints (number and germinability of seeds). In most cases, responses following exposure at the juvenile stage were greater than responses following exposure at the reproductive stage. For the combinations of herbicides and plant species included in the present study, we found that the sensitivities of vegetative and reproductive endpoints were equal, or else vegetative endpoints were more sensitive than reproductive endpoints. We also found that annual species were more sensitive than perennial species. The overall conclusions cover many different response patterns, and it is evident that some effects may not be found in the currently used standard tests. Generally, more pronounced effects were obtained in Denmark compared with Canada, highlighting the fact that even under standardized test conditions and following common guidelines, several uncontrollable factors can still induce variable results. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1389-1404. © 2021 SETAC.

Mid-term changes in the physiognomy of plant communities and functional plant groups define successional pathways of mountain vegetation in the province of Córdoba (Argentina)

Abstract To identify restoration strategies over degraded semi-natural plant communities, successional pathways and their local controls should be identified. The objective of this work is to quantify the changes in the physiognomy and functional groups of plant communities in the Sierras Chicas of Córdoba along seven years. Lyapunov coefficients were calculated and arranged in two-phase diagrams, identifying different successional pathways over two soil categories and six plant communities. Du Rietz`s life forms were identified defining several plant functional groups. Results showed two successional pathways in the field of azonal soils and three in the field of intrazonal soils. Rainfall, extent of human-caused disturbances, and plant interactions are the leading causes explaining the changes in the structure of the plant communities. Fire and overgrazing retract the successions by altering the cover of plant communities and their functional groups.

Invasive and potentially invasive plant species in State Nature Biosphere Reserves of the Altai Republic (Russia)

In the Altaiskiy and Katunskiy State Nature Biosphere Reserves we registered 44 alien plant species, which were considered in Siberia as invasive and potentially invasive. Among them, there were 30 xenophytes and 14 ergasiophytes species. Rumex acetosella L., Impatiens glandulifera Royle, Galinsoga ciliata (Rafin.) Blake, and Strophiostoma sparsiflorum (Mikan ex Pohl) Turcz. are considered invasive in the Altaiskiy Reserve because they actively spread there in natural and seminatural plant communities and habitats. Most of the species had appeared in the territories of the reserves before their establishment as a result of agricultural activity or appeared after their establishment because of activity of the reserves themselves. Despite of a big amount of tourists in the reserves, the invasive and potentially invasive plants are absent on the ecological paths at present.

The plant community: a model for horticultural thought and practice in the 21st century?

This paper discusses the idea of the plant community as a new design model for horticultural planting. It traces the origins of academic ideas about how semi-natural plant communities function in ecological terms and how increasingly the focus of research on these has been to understand the mechanics of change. The paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of horticulturally based plant communities, and looks at how key variables such as plant density and diversity, structural layers, and soil productivity affect both functional properties and also human aesthetic responses to the appearance of communities.

Szata roślinna łąk w dolinie Pisi

Łąki pokrywają ponad 50% powierzchni doliny Pisi. Ich florę tworzy około 200 gatunków roślin naczyniowych, z których około 150 można uznać za typowe dla tych siedlisk. W dolinie odnotowano 14 gatunków uznanych za chronione i zagrożone. Roślinność użytków zielonych doliny Pisi tworzy przynajmniej 15 półnaturalnych zbiorowisk należących do czterech klas. Dominują zbiorowiska z klasy Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, wśród nich odnotowano rzadkie i zagrożone: Molinietum caeruleae, Caricetum cespitosae oraz Arrhenatheretum elatioris. Na uwagę zasługują także użytkowane łąkarsko fitocenozy Caricetum distichae. Występujące w dolinie Pisi zespoły łąkowe są w znacznym stopniu przekształcone w wyniku intensywnych metod gospodarowania i znacznych zmian w siedliskach, na których występują. Wśród nich pięć uznano za zbiorowiska silnie zagrożone.

New Honorary Member of BSPP

Dr Avice Hall does not consider hers a conventional career, in that she has worked in the same place for over 45 years. Avice was given her first hand lens when she was eight and always had a love of flowers. She obtained her BSc in Botany and Zoology in 1966 from the University of Leicester. The lectures in mycology led her to read That Great Hunger by Cecil Woodham Smith, which covers not only the potato famine in Ireland but also some of the social history surrounding the famine. After obtaining a place to do a PGCE, she went to see her ‘moral’ tutor, Dr Elizabeth Wangerman, and admitted that she really wasn't interested in school teaching. Her tutor opened her desk, took out a small leaflet and said, ‘I think that you would like this’; it was about the MSc in Plant Pathology at the University of Exeter. Avice changed career direction and found this new world of plant pathology fascinating. The Advance of the Fungi by E. C. Large, proved to be even more inspiring than That Great Hunger had been. She obtained her MSc in 1967 and then a PhD in 1971 studying clubroot of crucifers. After a short period of work as a plant pathologist at NAAS at Woodthorne, Wolverhampton, where she collected samples for the first cereal leaf pathogen survey, assessed some of the first field trials for fungicides in wheat as well as assessing an early take-all experiment, she started lecturing in Plant Pathology at Hatfield Polytechnic, where she has stayed as the institution has developed and become the University of Hertfordshire. Her lecturing has covered a wide range of subjects including mycology, mycological ecology, plant pathology and the effect of diseases in semi-natural plant communities. Her phytopathological education continued in a variety of ways. An important moment was the discovery that the motto of the plant pathology department in Wisconsin was ‘Keep one foot in the furrow’, which she realized described a way of life for all plant pathologists: research must always benefit the grower. Alongside the lecturing she has supervised sandwich students at the PBI Cambridge and also at several agrochemical companies, research institutes and NAAS (ADAS). All of these varied industrial contacts helped her to follow the motto. In 1990 she had a sabbatical based in the Plant Pathology Laboratory at Hatching Green, Harpenden where she noted that rhododendron had a developing problem with a powdery mildew. From 1991 to 2001, as well as lecturing at Hatfield, she also lectured in plant pathology to all three levels of the BSc horticulture degrees at Writtle Agricultural College. This gave her a good understanding of the horticultural industry that complemented her understanding of arable agriculture. It was from this time that she became more orientated to diseases of horticultural crops. She has supervised over a dozen PhDs and had grants to work on rhododendron powdery mildew, rose black spot and, since 2003, strawberry powdery mildew. Whilst she still uses the phrase ‘keep one foot in the furrow’, she has coined some other important maxims that her students hear frequently: ‘Lower the initial inoculum’, i.e. attack the pathogen as early as possible in the growing season or prevent it overwintering; and ‘There's danger in the debris’. A further observation is that any change in cultivation practices is likely to cause a change in the diseases occurring on a particular crop. Dr Hall has served twice on the Board of the British Society of Plant Pathology, once as an elected member and then for a 5-year period as Secretary. In 2010 she was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Award for educational engagement with business and the professions and in 2012 she was awarded an MBE for her contribution to higher education at the University of Hertfordshire and the community in St Albans. Since September 2010, Avice has been semi-retired and is pleased to be able to spend time on her research on strawberry powdery mildew, more time with her research students, only giving the lectures that she wants to, as well as refusing to go most departmental meetings! Another perk of semi-retirement has been to fulfil a lifelong ambition to see the spring flowers of the Mediterranean.

Assessment and prediction of the invasiveness of some alien plants in conditions of climate change in the steppe Dnieper region

The flora of the steppe Dnieper region is characterized by an abundance of naturalized alien species, some of which colonised over the last decade. Climate change, associated primarily with increasing temperature, became clearly manifested in this period. We tested the hypothesis that there is an association between climate change and the initiation of invasiveness of some alien plant species in the steppe Dnieper region. For this purpose, comparative studies of the distribution boundaries of naturalized alien trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants were conducted. Along the research route numerous 5–10-year-old broadleaf linden trees ( Tilia platyphyllos Scop.) were found in the man-made plantation communities of Dnipro city in areas with moist soil; seeded undergrowth was located at a significant distance from the adult linden plants. Numerous groups of young 7–10-year-old plants of the smoke trees ( Cotinus coggygria Scop.), which had a seed origin, were found in the shelterbelt and urban recreational plantations. Young 10–12-year-old virginal and generative plants of the black cherry ( Padus serotina Ehrh.) were found in large numbers in both the semi-natural and artificial plant communities at great distances from the adult trees. The alien plant species common hackberry ( Celtis occidentalis L.) showed the ability to form fairly sparse seminal seedlings, which was presented by the plants at the age of 4–7 years in both the natural and urban plant communities. The perennial herbaceous plant common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca L.) was found in the course of the research in ruderal habitats, urban plant communities, and also in the agrocoenoses. The common milkweed reached its greatest abundance in fields of winter crops, where the spread of this species was accompanied by a sharp decrease in the number of other species of segetal plants. Our study results confirm that the extension of the distribution boundaries of alien species over the last decade was not related to the ground conditions of the steppe Dnieper region. At the same time, changes in climatic conditions were favourable for some naturalized alien species because they have created the opportunity for seed reproduction of species away from the maternal plants. Alien species C. coggigria , P. serotina and A. syriaca were also the most sensitive to the influence of the climate changes. Consequently, these species have the greatest potential for increasing their level of invasiveness and endangering the biodiversity in the steppe Dnieper region under conditions of climate change. We suggest that a simultaneous initiation of invasiveness of these several alien species leads to an increase in the degree of threat to the diversity of natural plants in the region. The study results confirm the urgent need for analysis and forecasting of the consequences of introduction of alien species, in order to prevent the undesirable effects that this would bring for the region’s native vegetation.

Ozone and Nitrogen Effects on Juvenile Subalpine Plants: Complex Interactions with Species and Colonization by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF)

Increasing concentrations of tropospheric ozone and reactive nitrogen threaten the composition and function of semi-natural plant communities. Using a free-air fumigation system, we investigated the effects of elevated ozone (1.73 × ambient concentration; +O3) and nitrogen (+50 k g N ha year−1; +N) deposition on growth of juveniles of three subalpine grassland species and their colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in situ. In a subsample, the extra-radical mycelium was regularly disrupted to determine the effect of AMF on the plants’ pollutant sensitivity. The plants reacted sensitively to the pollutants: +N increased shoot growth in Festuca rubra, while +O3 decreased root growth in Trifolium alpinum and F. rubra. Colonization with AMF was stimulated by N in Leontodon helveticus and was strongly reduced by O3 in F. rubra and L. helveticus, probably due to lower carbon allocation belowground. Conversely, AMF did not protect plants from O3 neither did they increase the species’ responsiveness to N. Our results indicate that irrespective of AMF colonization, juvenile plants are highly sensitive to O3 stress, probably since their growth is primarily limited by carbon assimilation.

The effect of glyphosate on the growth and competitive effect of perennial grass species in semi-natural grasslands

Biodiversity within European semi-natural biotopes in agro-ecosystem is declining, and herbicide drift from neighbouring fields is considered as an important factor for the decline. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the growth and competitive interactions in a model system of two perennial grass species, Festuca ovina and Agrostis capillaris, are affected by sub-lethal doses of glyphosate in field margins. In a glasshouse experiment with ample nitrogen, the interspecific competitive interactions were found to be significantly affected by glyphosate; the competitive effect of F. ovina on A. capillaris increased and the competitive effect of A. capillaris on F. ovina decreased with increasing doses of glyphosate. Furthermore, the importance of interspecific competition increased with the glyphosate dose. The results of the study of competitive interactions are in agreement with the observed plant community dynamics at the field site where F. ovina was found to be more dominant in plots treated with a relatively high dose of glyphosate. Importantly, the effects of glyphosate on the plant community dynamics critically depended on the effect of glyphosate on the plant competitive interactions. The study concludes that the current practice in the environmental risk assessment of non-target effects of herbicides, where single species are tested in the greenhouse, may be inadequate for assessing the effect of herbicides in semi-natural plant communities. The presented methods can be used for assessing the importance of competitive interactions for the sensitivity of non-target plants to herbicides in risk assessment.

Impact of land-use intensity on the conservation of functional and phylogenetic diversity in temperate semi-natural plant communities

The earth is facing a worldwide decline in biodiversity, with land-use change identified as one of the most important drivers. There is evidence that the loss of diversity has a significant impact on ecosystem functioning. Earlier research focused on species richness, but more recent, functional and phylogenetic diversity came into the picture as the stronger determinants of ecosystem processes. The effects of increasing land-use intensity on functional (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD), however, are still poorly understood. We studied how FD and PD are affected by land-use intensity in temperate plant communities. Our results show that land-use intensity has a clear impact on species richness, but also affects functional and phylogenetic diversity. Intensive agricultural areas fail to support high and sustainable levels of functional and phylogenetic diversity. These results highlight the need for the protection of biodiversity in nature reserves and the conservation of areas with extensive agricultural practices. Because species richness may influence the measures of functional and phylogenetic diversity, we compared the observed FD and PD values with random values generated with a matrix-swap null model. The observed discrepancy between species loss and the loss of FD and PD calls for an integrated approach to biodiversity conservation, in which the different components of biodiversity are considered together.

Herbicide and fertilizers promote analogous phylogenetic responses but opposite functional responses in plant communities

Throughout the world, herbicides and fertilizers change species composition in agricultural communities, but how do the cumulative effects of these chemicals impact the functional and phylogenetic structure of non-targeted communities when they drift into adjacent semi-natural habitats? Based on long-term experiment we show that fertilizer and herbicides (glyphosate) have contrasting effects on functional structure, but can increase phylogenetic diversity in semi-natural plant communities. We found that an increase in nitrogen promoted an increase in the average specific leaf area and canopy height at the community level, but an increase in glyphosate promoted a decrease in those traits. Phylogenetic diversity of plant communities increased when herbicide and fertilizer were applied together, likely because functional traits facilitating plant success in those conditions were not phylogenetically conserved. Species richness also decreased with increasing levels of nitrogen and glyphosate. Our results suggest that predicting the cumulative effects of agrochemicals is more complex than anticipated due to their distinct selection of traits that may or may not be conserved phylogenetically. Precautionary efforts to mitigate drift of agricultural chemicals into semi-natural habitats are warranted to prevent unforeseeable biodiversity shifts.

Trigonocranus emmeae Fieber, 1876 (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Cixiidae) – a new species for Poland

Single macropterous female of Trigonocranus emmeae Fieber, 1876 has been found during the faunistic studies in semi-natural plant communities of Oświęcim city in southern Poland. It is the first record of this species in Poland. Trigonocranus emmeae is rarely collected within the wide range of its distribution, mostly due to its hidden life mode.

Organic Farming and Landscape Structure: Effects on Insect-Pollinated Plant Diversity in Intensively Managed Grasslands

Parallel declines in insect-pollinated plants and their pollinators have been reported as a result of agricultural intensification. Intensive arable plant communities have previously been shown to contain higher proportions of self-pollinated plants compared to natural or semi-natural plant communities. Though intensive grasslands are widespread, it is not known whether they show similar patterns to arable systems nor whether local and/or landscape factors are influential. We investigated plant community composition in 10 pairs of organic and conventional dairy farms across Ireland in relation to the local and landscape context. Relationships between plant groups and local factors (farming system, position in field and soil parameters) and landscape factors (e.g. landscape complexity) were investigated. The percentage cover of unimproved grassland was used as an inverse predictor of landscape complexity, as it was negatively correlated with habitat-type diversity. Intensive grasslands (organic and conventional) contained more insect-pollinated forbs than non-insect pollinated forbs. Organic field centres contained more insect-pollinated forbs than conventional field centres. Insect-pollinated forb richness in field edges (but not field centres) increased with increasing landscape complexity (% unimproved grassland) within 1, 3, 4 and 5km radii around sites, whereas non-insect pollinated forb richness was unrelated to landscape complexity. Pollination systems within intensive grassland communities may be different from those in arable systems. Our results indicate that organic management increases plant richness in field centres, but that landscape complexity exerts strong influences in both organic and conventional field edges. Insect-pollinated forb richness, unlike that for non-insect pollinated forbs, showed positive relationships to landscape complexity reflecting what has been documented for bees and other pollinators. The insect-pollinated forbs, their pollinators and landscape context are clearly linked. This needs to be taken into account when managing and conserving insect-pollinated plant and pollinator communities.

Variety in evolutionary strategies favours biodiversity in habitats of moderate productivity

AbstractThe mechanism whereby biodiversity varies between habitats differing in productivity is a missing link between ecological and evolutionary theory with vital implications for biodiversity conservation, management and the assessment of ecosystem services. A unimodal, humped-back relationship, with biodiversity greatest at intermediate productivities, is evident when plant, animal and microbial communities are compared across productivities in nature. However, the mechanistic, evolutionary basis of this observation remains enigmatic. We show, for natural and semi-natural plant communities across a range of bioclimatic zones, that biodiversity is greatest where communities include species with widely divergent values for phenotypic traits involved in resource economics and reproductive timing, coinciding with intermediate biomass production, whilst each productivity extreme is associated with small numbers of specialised species with similar trait values. Our data demonstrate that evolution can generate a greater range of phenotypes where large, fast-growing species are prevented from attaining dominance and extreme adaptation to a harsh abiotic environment is not a prerequisite for survival.

The impacts of permanent irradiation on the terrestrial ecosystems of the Eastern-Ural Radioactive Trace

The complex radioecological investigations of the East-Ural Radioactive Trace were conducted. Three transects were established in EURT area: central, eastern and western. The current levels of soil contamination near the epicenter of the accident reach 30 × 10 3 kBq/m 2 for 90 Sr and 1 × 10 3 kBq/m 2 for 137 Cs. Contamination levels are reduced in accordance with a power function with increasing distance from the accident site and at a distance of more than 100km become close to background values. In the EURT impact area vegetation is a complex of synanthropic and semi-natural plant communities in various stages of degradation and restoration successions. The current state of phytocenosises on the sites of the demolished local villages is largely determined by the degree of human impact in the pre-accident period, and remediation activities. For most species the viability of their seed progeny, formed in a gradient of radioactive contamination, are either not different from background samples or reduced half a century after the accident. Mutability of seed progeny in impact coenopopulations in all studied species was high. Radioadaptation phenomenon, i.e. increased resistance to provocative irradiation is rare and unstable.