Ancient settlements as natural heritage sites: the first occurrence dataset on vascular plant species from ancient settlements in the Lower Dnipro region (Ukraine)

Abstract

This work is the long-term outcome of an international Ukrainian-Polish team work, aiming to assess the role of ancient settlements for steppe conservation and protection. The dataset contains georeferenced occurrences of vascular plant species on 18 ancient settlements (Lower Dnipro, Southern Ukraine), collected during 2015-2020 period. Additionally, to the total species list, the publication presents the taxonomic coverage (according to GBIF Backbone Taxonomy), the frequency classes of occurrences of the total taxa, and the floristic differences among studied sites. The report shows also the high sozological value of the studied ancient settlements, the high levels of vascular plant species richness, and the various means of the plant species protection (according to the Bern Convention, the Red Data Book of Ukraine and regional red lists). This work provides the first occurrence dataset from ancient settlements in Ukraine. The dataset includes 3.210 occurrences of vascular plants recorded during the study period of 2015-2020 conducted in the Lower Dnipro region. As ancient settlements were generally considered as steppe refuges, a great attention was paid to the native steppe species, as well as to the rare components of the flora. The dataset includes 1.525 occurrences of steppe species and 87 occurrences of rare species, respectively. The dataset could be useful for further research of ancient settlements` floristic richness, but also analyzes and comparison with other objects of cultural origin (e.g. kurgans, hillforts, old cemeteries, forgotten parks and sacred groves etc.).

Ancient settlements as natural heritage sites: the first occurrence dataset on vascular plant species from ancient settlements in the Lower Dnipro region (Ukraine)

“…The ancient settlements of the Lower Dnipro, along with the nature conservation sites, are characterised by a high representation of steppe and rare Red-listed vascular plants, which emphasises their role as a refuge of dry grasslands ( Dayneko and Moysiyenko 2020 , Dayneko et al 2020 , Moysiyenko and Dayneko 2021 ).…”

Catastrophic flooding effects on a Wisconsin wet prairie remnant: A shift in the disturbance regime?

“…The lack of fire is thought to limit the opportunities for recruitment of species [5][6][7][8]. Fragmentation and isolation both decrease the likelihood of fire and the possibility of reinvasion of lost species [9,10]. They will also change the abundance and types of animal dispersal vectors [11].…”