Leucojum aestivum is a native, protected ornamental and medicinal plant in Hungary and in Ukraine too. The aim of our work was to establish in vitro cultures of this bulbous plant. Prior to surface sterilisation the old leaves and roots were dissected from the bulbs and they were stored in a refrigerator (2-3°C) for different periods (1 week for the first starting experiment and 5 weeks for the second one). After sterilisation, bulbs, bulb scales and leaves of the bulbs were placed on Murashige and Skoog's (1962) medium with 1 mg/1 benzyl-adenine (BA) and 0,1 mg/1 naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). At the first starting experiment 81,3%, and at the second one 92,3% of the explants turned to be sterile. Bulblets and roots were developed on the explants in the case of using bulb plates together with bulb scales and leaves as inoculua. The best result was achieved after 5 weeks chilling and it was possible to gain little bulbs from the bulb leaves too.

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Leucojum vernum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a bulbous geophyte from Central Europe known as medicinal and ornamental plant. Native population of this species can be found in the Peres Forest (parcels number 23-24) from Velyka Dobron Wildlife Reserve (Western Ukraine), monitored continuously since 2014. The aim of this study was the morphometric evaluation of the species and the chemistry analysis of the soil in which the species grow. According to our results the length of leaf sheath was the most variable parameter from the evaluated morphometric indicators (number of leaves, maximum leaf length and width, bract length, leaf sheath length, scape length, and bulb diameter). Correlations were found between maximum leaf length and scape length, but also between maximum leaf length and bract length. Soil chemistry analysis showed that the chemical properties of the soil are favorable for the studied plants. The soil pH was slightly acidic, the humus content and the supply of alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen were high, and the amount of soluble P2O5 was moderate. Differences between the territories were found with respect to the soil agrochemical parameters.

Between 2019 and 2022, we studied the avifauna and environmental conditions of two wet-land habitats located in close proximity to each other in Transcarpathia (nearby to the village of Dyida, Zakarpatska Oblast, Ukraine)—one being a natural, currently protected but drying and highly degraded former bog (Tóvár Ornithological Reserve), whereas the other one being an ar-tificial pit lake (Lake Dyida). Lake Dyida is used as a beach and recreation area during the summer nesting season of birds. Both of these wetlands border with agricultural lands. Bird species that occur in both of the investigated habitats are affected by severe anthropogenic disturbances. A total of 27 795 individuals of 58 bird species from 34 families were observed in the two areas over the four study years. Results indicate that the species composition of the two study sites differed considerably, both on annual and seasonal basis. Seasonal precipitation totals strongly influence the current spatial ratios of terrestrial and waterbird species, and show a strong positive correlation with the seasonal total number of bird species. Maximum numbers of birds are recorded in spring and summer at Tóvár and in autumn and winter at Lake Dyida. In the case of Lake Dyida, these could partly be due to the autumn–winter appearance of migratory waterbirds and the end of the beach season. Despite the impact of numerous anthro-pogenic factors and habitat distrubances, the natural wetland is much more species-rich even in its degraded condition than the artificial wetland, which has been confirmed not only for bird species but also for plant species in the two areas. The obtained results revealed that duck spe-cies consider the deep-water pit lake as an alternative habitat during periods of drought, but for waders the great water depth makes this site less exploitable. In Europe, too, drying out due to seasonal precipitation shortages is an issue of increasing concern, especially for wetlands bea-cuse artificially maintained lakes and reservoirs cannot fully take over the role of natural lakes, marshes and bogs, which will have severe consequences for nature protection and species con-servation in the future.

The Wildlife Reserve of Velyka Dobron – which is located next to the village of Velyka Dobron (Hungarian: Nagydobrony), the fourth most populous Hungarian community in Transcarpathia – is the third-largest protected reserve of national importance in the country. We used a Geographic Information System to process and map the historical geographical place names of the settlement and the protected area (pieces of land within the cadastral boundaries but located either outside the settlement boundary or on its outskirts) based on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd military surveys, a cadastral map dating back to 1865 and the documents available in the Beregszász branch of the State Archives of Transcarpathian Oblast (fonds 125, description 6, file 344), as well as literary materials. As a result, a database comprising a list of 57 place names of the area was compiled. Likewise, a map of the pieces of land within the former cadastral boundaries and in the Nagydobron’ Wildlife Reserve was made. Analysis of forest area and land use changes showed that 16 pieces of land within the cadastral boundaries, but located either outside the settlement boundary or on its outskirts, have completely lost their former nature and as a result became part of the inner area of the settlement. Consequently, the compiled database and maps may help to specify the location of the ongoing research and clarify the accurate place of the earlier studies.