Communities of the class Festuco-Brometea in Yelanetskyi Step Nature Reserve

Abstract

The article provides characteristics of the steppe vegetation of the class Festuco-Brometea within Yelanetskyi Step Nature Reserve. A history of geobotanical studies of this territory is briefly outlined. In total, vegetation of the class belongs to two orders, three alliances, six associations, and one variant. Communities of the alliance Festucion valesiacae in the reserve are represented by sod-cereal steppes and include one association and one variant. Communities of this alliance are formed in the areas that are exposed to anthropogenic factors; most often they are located on abandoned lands or areas under moderate grazing on the planes. Communities of the alliance Stipion lessingianae grow on black soils (chernozem) but with some inclusion of limestone. This alliance includes three associations which occupy ravine slopes of various steepness and exposure. The alliance Potentillo arenarie-Linion czerniaevii is represented by the communities on the limestone outcrops. It was established that the last two alliances demonstrate higher floristic diversity, which can be explained by differentiation of syntaxa within the area. The communities of these alliances include species from the European Red List and the IUCN Red List. Species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine are present in all syntaxa. A number of threats for the steppe communities on the study area have been identified.

Abandoned Croplands: Drivers and Secondary Succession Trajectories under Livestock Grazing in Communal Areas of South Africa

“…Grazing is believed to have been influential in the development and maintenance of grasslands; therefore, it has an impact on secondary succession. Grazing resulted in an accelerated formation of a predominantly perennial species grassland community [79] in abandoned fields. Borovyk [80] observed that prolonged cessation of grazing after several years of grazing accelerated the development of the original plant population.…”

The Alien Fraction of the Woody Flora of Yelanetskyi Step Nature Reserve, Southern Ukraine

“…Also, we calculated the values for natural plant communities for this area, which are represented by communities of alliances Festucion valesiacae Klika 1931, Stipion lessingianae Soo 1947, Potentillo arenarie-Linion czerniaevii Krasova et Smetana 1999, from the class Festuco-Brometea (see Table 1). Detailed characteristics of syntaxa are given in our earlier publication (Konaikova, 2019).…”