Diversity of soils in the Dnipro River valley (based on the example of the Dnipro-Orilsky Nature Reserve)

Yakovenko, Volodymyr; Kunakh, Olga; Tutova, Hanna; Zhukov, Olexander

doi:10.2478/foecol-2023-0011

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The moisture conditions are the leading factor affecting the structure of the vegetation cover (Lozano-Parra et al, 2018). The analysis of climate data indicates an increase in summer drought conditions, which further emphasizes the role of topography as a factor that redistributes climate resources (Yakovenko et al, 2023). Our results are in line with studies that show that in the Steppe zone of Ukraine, the average annual air temperature increased by 3.5 °C between 1945 and 2019.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Steppe vegetation islands in the gully landscape system: Hemeroby, naturalness and phytoindication of ecological regimes

Mykhailyuk,

Lisovets,

Tutova

2023

Regul. Mech. Biosyst.

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The article reveals the peculiarities of the vegetation cover of the gully system as a landscape where there are islands of steppe vegetation and their relationship with other types of natural and semi-natural vegetation. The steppe vegetation patches are islands of a vegetation type that was previously typical for a large geographically widespread physical and geographical zone. The steppe vegetation is a complex of species that is best adapted to climatic conditions and is a factor in ensuring the sustainable functioning of zonal landscape complexes. The limited nature of the remnants of steppe vegetation raises the issue of conservation of steppe vegetation and, if possible, restoration of their distribution. The field research was conducted in the Mayorska valley (Dnipropetrovska oblast, Ukraine) (48°16'41" N, 35°8'21.49" E). During the summer of 2023, the presence of all vascular plant species was recorded in 289 sample plots of 4 × 4 m in size. The vegetation cover of the gully system was represented by 263 plant species. The analysis of the synoptic phytosociological table allowed to determine that the vegetation cover of the studied gully system is represented by the six classes of vegetation. The highest level of species diversity was characteristic of Festuco-Brometea. A slightly lower number of species was observed for Molinio-Arrhenatheretea and Agropyretalia intermedio-repentis. The lowest number of species was observed in some associations of Phragmito-Magnocaricetea, as well as in Galio-Urticetea and Onopordetalia acanthi. The Festuco-Brometea steppe vegetation communities occur at the greatest distance from possible sources of anthropogenic impact, which are the slopes of the gully. The Festuco valesiacae-Stipetum capillatae associations were usually located in the upper third of the slopes, and the Stipo lessingianae-Salvietum nutantis and Salvio nemorosae-Festucetum valesiacae associations were usually located in the middle third of the gully slopes. The Festuco-Brometea steppe vegetation communities preferred habitats with the highest level of insolation compared to all others. All other syntaxon, with the exception of Robinietea, were in moderate insolation conditions and did not differ from each other in this respect. The class Robinietea was found under the lowest insolation level compared to all other syntaxon. The Phragmito-Magnocaricetea community prefers conditions with the highest level of topographic wetness index. The highest naturalness was found for such syntaxon as Festuco-Brometea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea and Phragmito-Magnocaricetea. The lowest naturalness was found for such syntaxon as the class Artemisietea vulgaris. The hemeroby of the communities was negatively correlated with the number of species and the Shannon diversity index. The use of geomorphological variables, phytoindication assessments of environmental factors, naturalness and hemeroby as predictors allowed to discriminate syntaxon with an average accuracy of 85.5%. The leading gradient was a differential gradient that distinguishes biotopes with high insolation, variability of moisture conditions, high carbonate content, and high naturalness and low hemeroby from biotopes with higher levels of topographic moisture supply and phytoindication soil moisture estimates, higher soil nitrogen content, and higher ombroclimate indicators, and, accordingly, opposite indicators of naturalness and hemerobia. This gradient distinguishes between natural steppe (Festuco-Brometea) and meadow (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) communities on the one hand and semi-natural and artificial ecosystems on the other. The practical significance of the study is that the role of hemerobia and naturalness indicators is emphasized for natural and semi-natural communities. Urban areas have been the usual testing ground for the use of hemeroby indicators. Our research indicates that in the context of significant anthropogenic transformation of the landscapes of the steppe zone of Ukraine, hemeroby and naturalness indicators can be applied to a wide range of ecosystem types. These indicators are appropriate for use in the practice of implementing projects to assess the environmental impact of planned activities. The assessment of hemeroby and naturalness of ecosystems based on botanical data should be recommended as a standard protocol for performing environmental impact assessments. It should also be noted that the spread of shelterbelts and artificial forest plantations within the gully systems is unacceptable. The reason for this is the provocation of erosion processes on the slopes of the gullies due to the destruction of steppe vegetation, which has the best erosion control capacity. Also, artificial forest plantations are a factor in the spread of invasive plant species, which is a negative factor that worsens the functional properties of plant communities and their diversity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Steppe vegetation islands in the gully landscape system: Hemeroby, naturalness and phytoindication of ecological regimes

Mykhailyuk,

Lisovets,

Tutova

2023

Regul. Mech. Biosyst.

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“…The diversity of soils is increasingly drawing attention from scholars [44][45][46]. In a 3-year study, Li et al [47] determined the impact of different cultivation management practices on soil quality in saline cotton fields in Southern Xinjiang.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the Spatial Distribution Pattern of Soil Diversity in Southern Xinjiang and Its Influencing Factors

Luo,

Fan,

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Soil diversity plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance and ensuring the sustainability of the land. Xinjiang is a typical arid and semi-arid region of China, and the study of Xinjiang soils is significant for understanding soil properties in all such environments. This study applied the moving window technique and the species–area curve model from ecology to establish optimal analysis windows, calculate landscape pattern indices, and reveal soil distribution characteristics in Southern Xinjiang. Additionally, we used geographic detectors to identify the primary influencing factors in different geomorphic regions. The results indicate a positive correlation between soil richness and area in the Southern Xinjiang region. The Tarim Basin, despite being the largest area, shows the lowest diversity and evenness indices. Overall, mountainous areas have higher soil evenness when compared to basins. In terms of natural factors, temperature, precipitation, and topography play a crucial role in the variation of soil diversity in mountainous areas, while parent material has a greater influence in the basin regions. The characteristics of soil diversity vary by region and are influenced by the interactive effects of various natural factors. However, the impact of human activities also requires consideration. The low evenness poses a greater challenge for soil restoration in the basin regions. Soil conservation efforts in arid regions are of paramount importance. The research findings can provide valuable insights for the development of sustainable agriculture, soil conservation, and for addressing climate change challenges in arid regions.

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“…At that time, the reserve included the lands of the Dnipropetrovs'k Forestry Enterprise (888 hectares), Kirovskyi State Farm (72.2 hectares), water fund lands (203 hectares), and Dniprodzerzhynsk Forestry Enterprise (2603 hectares). The current area of the Dnipro-Orylskiy Nature Reserve is 3759.4 hectares, with more than 30% of its area covered by water (Yakovenko et al, 2023). The reserve is located in the Dnipro district of Dnipropetrovsk oblast (region).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How much space is needed for biodiversity conservation?

Trifanova,

Zadorozhna,

Novitsky

et al. 2023

Biosys. divers.

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The EU's 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework call for 30% coverage of land and sea protected areas and strict protection for 10% of land area to prevent and reverse biodiversity loss. Ukraine has declared its aspiration to integrate into the European Union and must back up its statements with action and do everything to achieve such ambitious conservation goals. Like many European countries, Ukraine faces great challenges on this route. The significant level of anthropogenic transformation of the territories makes it very difficult to find new areas to expand the boundaries of the nature reserve fund. The practical steps to create nature reserves are significantly limited by legal mechanisms that guarantee land users' ownership of the relevant land plots. An important task in nature conservation is to develop indicators that can clearly and easily demonstrate the importance of areas for conservation. Such tools are necessary to convince policy makers and land users of the need to protect the relevant areas. The indicators of importance for biodiversity conservation should be scale-independent, as both large areas and small areas are important for conservation. In this article, we consider the case of a project to expand the boundaries of the Dnipro-Orylskiy Nature Reserve by adding five areas directly adjacent to it. The number of species included in the various Red Data Lists was chosen as an indicator of the conservation value of the territory. The species-area relationship was used to assess the role of scale. The number of species on the Red Lists was considered instead of the classical relationship that considers the total number of species in a community. The normalised deviation from the regression relationship was considered as an indicator of the conservation value of the respective area, which is statistically independent of the area of the site. The different Red Lists are compiled according to different criteria, so the indicator of conservation value for each Red List focuses on the relevant conservation aspect. The results of the conservation value assessment can be presented graphically, which clearly demonstrates the role of the respective areas in the maintenance of biological diversity. The proposed algorithm for assessing conservation value can be applied to a wide range of environmental protection tasks. In terms of further research, it is important to assess the role of ecosystem function assessment in the design of protected areas.

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Diversity of soils in the Dnipro River valley (based on the example of the Dnipro-Orilsky Nature Reserve)

Cited by 12 publications

References 54 publications

Steppe vegetation islands in the gully landscape system: Hemeroby, naturalness and phytoindication of ecological regimes

Steppe vegetation islands in the gully landscape system: Hemeroby, naturalness and phytoindication of ecological regimes

Quantifying the Spatial Distribution Pattern of Soil Diversity in Southern Xinjiang and Its Influencing Factors

How much space is needed for biodiversity conservation?

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