The study was performed based on an inventory of alien flora in Daugavpils City. During the field studies all the alien species were recorded applying a regular grid consisting of 344 quadrats of 500 m × 500 m. Data of the 84 quadrats that cover all railway lines in the city were analysed to identify relationships between the distribution of alien plants and the location of railway lines. First the obtained data were compared with the first flora inventory in the city, which was conducted from 1975 to 1983. Comparison of data of the previous inventory and those obtained by us showed that the number of the recorded alien taxa along railways differed: 95 and 38 taxa, respectively. Secondly, some factors affecting the distribution of alien species along railway lines were analysed. Obtained results indicate that the highest concentrations of alien plants occurred in areas where railways are crossing or are located close to the adjacent cultivated and abandoned allotments, areas of private houses or cemeteries. Railway management measures such as topsoil disturbance and application of herbicides were found to be important human-induced factors affecting the distribution of annual alien taxa. The results of geospatial and statistical analyses demonstrated that the geographical distribution of alien species in general did not coincide with railway lines. However, the distribution of three species, i.e. Dracocephalum thymiflorum, Erysimum durum, and Lappula squarrosa, was associated only with railway lines, demonstrating the importance of railway infrastructure elements for the expansion of these species.
ObjectiveDiterpene alkaloids are secondary plant metabolites and chemotaxonomical markers with a strong biological activity. These compounds are characteristic for the Ranunculaceae family, while their occurrence in other taxa is rare. Several species of the Spiraea genus (Rosaceae) are examples of this rarity. Screening Spiraea species for alkaloid content is a chemotaxonomical approach to clarify the classification and phylogeny of the genus. Novel pharmacological findings make further investigations of Spiraea diterpene alkaloids promising.ResultsSeven Spiraea species were screened for diterpene alkaloids. Phytochemical and pharmacological investigations were performed on Spiraea chamaedryfolia, the species found to contain diterpene alkaloids. Its alkaloid-rich fractions were found to exert a remarkable xanthine-oxidase inhibitory activity and a moderate antibacterial activity. The alkaloid distribution within the root was clarified by microscopic techniques.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-3013-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Alien species are reaching different areas, including also cemeteries. Inventory of invasive flora of cemeteries of the city of Daugavpils actually is the first such type of work to such level of detail on the Latvian scale. Field studies were conducted in 10 cemeteries of the city of Daugavpils. The obtained results are indicative of a comparatively high proportion of invasive plant species in the cemeteries. 49 invasive alien species were found. In the cemetery areas these are spreading mainly from greeneries, but there are also such taxa, which have accidentally reached the cemeteries. The most frequent plant in the Daugavpils cemeteries is Spiraea chamaedryfolia. Taking into account the trends of migration, sex-age structure of population, climate change, availability of exotic and new ornamental plants, it is most likely that the number of invasive species will grow in the future.
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