The interrelations of herbage productivity with mouse-like rodents and forest litter in linden and ash flood oak grove of Prysamar'ya

Abstract

The relationships between the productivity of herbage as one of the structural elements of forest biogeocenosis with the nature of the formation and chemical composition of the forest litter and the activity of mouse-like rodents in linden and ash flood oak grove of Prysamar’ya were investigated. It was found that leaf-litter affects to the species composition and the degree of development of grass of investigated biogeocenose. It was revealed that the trophic removal of herbage phytomass by mouse-like rodents in the initial period of vegetation promotes its products. As a result, the above-ground herbage on rodent habitats increases by 1.2 times. The alienation of above-ground herbal phitomass in natural conditions under the influence of mouse-like rodents in the middle of the vegetation season increases in areas devoid of rodents’ influence by 1.05 times. It was found that in the final vegetation season, the above-ground herbage at the rodents’ exposure sites decreases by 1.3 times. It was investigated that the above-ground herbage for the whole vegetation season in the natural conditions of the flood oak grove was 115.4 g/m2, and in experimental areas, devoid of rodents’ exposure was 124.0 g/m2. Thus in the study biogeocenosis the value of herbage productivity was under the influence of mouse-like rodents and it reduced to 1.07 times during the whole growing period. In turn, the grass contributes to the increase in stocks of leaf-litter, ash elements including trace elements in forest litter. The quantitative proportion of herbaceous plants in leaf-litter and the chemical composition of grass in two synusias (wild chervil and starwort) were studied. It was revealed that the air-dry weight of the above-ground parts of herbage in synusia of wild chervil was higher than in synusia of starwort. It was determined that the accumulation degree of individual trace elements varies in different species of herbaceous plants. The maximum content of Mn, Pb and Cu more at wild chervil and Ti, Mo, V, Ni and Cr maximum contents were marked at starwort.