Grasslands and coastal habitats of Southern Ukraine: First results from the 15th EDGG Field Workshop

Abstract

The 15th EDGG Field Workshop took place from 24 May to 3 June 2021 in Southern Ukraine (Kherson and Mykolaiv administrative regions). Over 10 days, we sampled different types of grasslands, mainly focusing on dry grasslands of the classes Festuco-Brometea, Koelerio-Corynephoretea canescentis, and Festuco-Puccinellietea (steppic, sandy and saline, respectively) but also taking into account other open habitats, such as mesic grasslands and dunes. In total, we sampled 50 nested-plot series with 7-8 grain sizes from 1 cm2 to 100 m2 and, in some cases, up to 1000 m2 ("EDGG Biodiversity Plots"), plus 74 additional normal plots of 10 m2 . We comprehensively sampled vascular plants as well as terricolous bryophytes and lichens, and, for the first time also Sciaridae (Diptera, Insecta). One vascular plant species (Torilis pseudonodosa), as well as two lichen species (Cladonia conista and Endocarpon loscosii), were recorded for the first time from Ukraine. Two species of moss (Rhynchostegium megapolitanum and Ptychostomum torquescens) and three species of lichen (Cladonia cervicornis, C. symphycarpa, and Involucropyrenium breussi) were reported for the first time for the Kherson region. We summarize the scale-dependent richness values and compare them with those from other studies. The report concludes with a photo diary with impressions from the Field Workshop.

Biodiversity surveys of grassland and coastal habitats in 2021 as a documentation of pre-war status in southern Ukraine

“…Studies of local biodiversity "blankspots" and under-represented taxa are important to supplement our knowledge about the diversity of ecosystems across the globe and to support their appropriate management and conservation. Ukrainian grasslands, with their known high diversity, are still quite understudied compared to other grassland regions ( Didukh et al 2020 , Kuzemko et al 2022 , Moysiyenko et al 2022 ). To address this issue, we performed two field studies in southern Ukraine in 2021: the 15th EDGG Field Workshop and the DarkDivNet sampling in the Kamianska Sich National Nature Park.…”