Informace o publikaci
Classification, ecological differentiation, and conservation value of Pontic sandy grasslands in the Southern Buh River Basin (Ukraine)
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2022 |
| Druh | Článek v odborném periodiku |
| Časopis / Zdroj | Tuexenia |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| www | https://www.tuexenia.de/publications/tuexenia/Tuexenia_2022_NS_042_0057-0094.pdf |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.14471/2022.42.008 |
| Klíčová slova | CCA; DCA; Festucion beckeri; GIS; habitat; Koelerio-Corynephoretea; nature conservation; phytosociology; vegetation classification; vegetation survey |
| Popis | The Southern Buh River is one of the biggest Ukrainian rivers with diverse landscapes and flora. However, plot-based vegetation studies on sandy grasslands of the river basin are poorly available in literature sources and in the relevant phytosociological databases. This study aims to survey plant communities of sandy grasslands in the Southern Buh River Basin and reveal the main environmental factors determining their differentiation. The dataset, consisting of 105 releves, was classified using unsupervised (modified TWINSPAN) and supervised classification (EUNIS-ESy, EuroVegChecklist). To explore the effect of the environmental variables on the floristic composition and vegetation clusters, I used CCA, DCA, and ANOVA. The current extent of sandy grasslands was assessed in relation to the total area of sand deposits through land-cover analyses. The classification resulted in eight main clusters, which were interpreted as following groups: open sandy grasslands of the Festucion beckeri alliance ( Centaureo savranicae-Festucetum beckeri ass. nova, Centaureo margaritalbaeCaricetum colchicae ass. nova, and two informal communities), pioneer sandy vegetation of disturbed areas dominated by annual species (Mollugo cerviana-Carex colchica and Secale sylvestre-Plantago arenaria communities), and hemipsammophytic dry grasslands (Convolvulus arvensis-Festuca stricta subsp. sulcata and Phleum phleoides-Stipa borysthenica communities). According to the CCA analysis, the major variables determining the differentiation of communities were the organic carbon content of the soil, three bioclimatic parameters (minimum temperature of the coldest month, precipitation of the driest quarter, and precipitation of the coldest quarter) and disturbance including ploughing and intensive grazing. The land-cover analysis showed that sandy grasslands are distributed on 0.46% of the total sandy area. The described plant communities support the existence of several rare and endemic plant species and correspond to the habitat types protected by Resolution 4 of the Bern Convention and the European Red List of Habitats. However, their current extent compared to the total area of alluvial terraces in the study region reflects critically low preservation levels. These findings raise conservation concerns and thus call for future protection of sandy grassland in the Southern Buh River Valley. In consequence, I proposed the establishment of eight new nature conservation areas in the study area. |