Flora of Site "Ostrasyevy Yary" of Belogorye State Nature Reserve (Russia)

Abstract

The article presents in tabular form a list of vascular plants of the "Ostrasyevy Yary" section of the Belogorye Nature Reserve (Borisovsky District, Belgorod Region), which includes 585 species. The list is compiled on the basis of literature data, the authors' own materials and materials of the studied herbariums. For each species, information is given on the presence of the species for two periods – before and after 2000, an indication of the first year of registration, information on herbarium collections, information on the habitats of the species, and an ecological group. A brief history of the study of the flora of the territory, starting from the 1930s, is also given, erroneous indications are mentioned. The analysis of the revealed tendencies of changes in the flora of the modern composition in comparison with the second half of the 20th century was carried out. It is shown that the number of species in the protected area is growing, and the addition of flora is very significant (from 14 to 42 % in different habitats). The composition of the flora on the bottom of the ravine (groups of aquatic, coastal-aquatic species, and species of wetlands) changed most noticeably (42 % of previously unrecorded species), which occurred as a result of both natural successional changes and as a result of the environment-forming activity of beavers. Here, among the species recorded in the 21st century, the proportion of plants with anemochoric fruits and seeds is relatively large. There is a significant change in the composition of species of disturbed habitats (a group of weed species): 23 % has increased, 24 % has not been confirmed. There is a large absolute and relative increase in species living in the forest (forest group of species) – 31 %, where among the species first recorded in the 21st century there are relatively many plants with fruits and seeds edible for birds. Differences in the composition of species growing in open habitats (groups of meadow and steppe species) can be explained both by real changes in the flora and by year-to-year dynamics in the abundance of species. Protected vulnerable species continue to be recorded on the territory – they are found in the forest and on the steppe slopes. The largest number of protected species that cannot be confirmed are plants that live on steppe slopes (steppe species), especially chalk outcrop species. The number of naturalized alien plants is most significant in the forest – these are tree and shrub introduced species (5 species), many of them also develop open habitats, begin to occur on the bottom of the gully and when open slopes are overgrown. They are the main danger for the natural communities of the forest-steppe zone. In open habitats, alien species are almost all annuals (listed in the article), with the exception of Solidago canadensis, which may pose a threat to existing natural communities.