BOTANY WITH THE BASICS OF HYDROBOTANY (AQUATIC PLANTS OF UKRAINE) - B.Ye. Yakubenko - 2011

XII. PROTECTION OF PLANTS AND THEIR PLANT COMMUNITIES.

The state and protection of higher aquatic vegetation in Ukraine.

According to D.V. Dubyna [23], the higher aquatic vegetation of Ukraine comprises 122 associations belonging to 22 alliances, 11 orders, and 6 classes. The greatest syntaxonomic richness and diversity are characteristic of the classes (48 associations, 8 alliances, 3 orders) and Phragmito-Magnocaricetea (helophytic communities with 35 associations, 5 alliances, and 3 orders). A somewhat smaller diversity in Ukraine is represented by the Class Lemnetea (21 associations, 3 alliances, 2 orders). The remaining classes (Ruppietea, Zosteretea, Isoeto-Littorelletea) are characterized by one, more rarely two associations.

The highest syntaxonomic richness is typical of the Water bodies of the Steppe (105 associations) and Forest-Steppe (100 associations), while a lower richness is found in the Ukrainian Polissia (88 associations). In the water bodies of the foothill and mountain belts of the Carpathians, 23 associations have been identified, and 25 in Crimea. Communities of 37 (42%) associations are commonly distributed in the water bodies of Ukrainian Polissia, 39 (39%) in the Forest-Steppe, and 22 (21%) in the Steppe; sporadic communities account for 30 (34.2%), 34 (34.0%), and 47 (45%), respectively.

Extremely rare in Ukrainian Polissia are phytocoenoses of 11 associations (Batrachietum fluitantis, Hydrochareto-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Lemnetum gibbae, Myriophylletum altemiflori, Nymphoidetum peltatae, Potametum alpini, Potametum nodosi, Wolffietum arrhizae, Zannichellietum palustris, Typhetum laxmannii, Isoetetum lacustris), and in the Forest-Steppe — 5 (Hydrochareto-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Nymphoidetum peltatae,

Myriophylletum altemiflori, Sparganietum minimi, Potametum sarmatici), and in the Steppe — 7 (Aldrovandetum vesiculosae, Calltricho-Lemnetum minoris, Ceratophylletum submersi, Glycerietum fluitantis, Glycerio fluitantis-Oenanthetum aquaticae, Potametum obtusifolii, Veronico beccabungae-Callitrichetum stagnalis).

The highest syntaxonomic richness is observed in the water bodies of floodplains, estuarine areas of large rivers, and the upper reaches of artificial reservoirs, whereas the lowest is found in the water bodies of mountain rivers and lakes.

The highest rarity index of the coenofund is exhibited by the alliances Nymphaeion albae (Potametea) and Lemnion minoris (Lemnetea).

Direct protection of higher aquatic vegetation is carried out within the territories of the Danube and Black Sea Biosphere Reserves, Dniester-Oril, Polissia, Rivne, Roztochchia, and Cheremosh Nature Reserves, Azov-Sivash, Vyzhnytsia, Halych, Homilshyna Forests, Desna-Starogutsky, Synevyr, Svyati Hori, Podilskie Tovtry, and Yavoriv National Nature Parks. Protection is also implemented within regional landscape parks such as Bokal Spit (AR Crimea), Dykanka, Kremenchuk Floodplains, Nyzhnivorskliansky (Poltava Region), Dniester Canyon (Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil Regions), Zahrebillia (Ternopil Region), Malovanka (Khmelnytsky Region), Meotyda (Donetsk Region), Nadsliuchansky (Rivne Region), Pechenizke Pole (Kharkiv Region), Prypyat-Stokhid (Volyn Region), Prudyshchansky, Seimsky (Sumy Region), Kinburn Spit and Tylihul (Mykolaiv Region), Trakhtemirov (Kyiv Region), Chernihiv (Chernihiv Region), and in numerous national and local nature sanctuaries.

In accordance with international agreements in the field of biodiversity conservation, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar, 1971), the Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River (Sofia, 1994), the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979), and the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Bucharest, 1992), indirect protection must be carried out throughout the entire territory of Ukraine. Legislative and regulatory acts aimed at solving tasks for the conservation of higher aquatic plant diversity, and consequently coenotic diversity, include the Laws of Ukraine "On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine" (1992), "On the Plant World" (1999), "On the National Program for The formation of the National Ecological Network of Ukraine for 2000-2015" (2000), "On the Red Book of Ukraine" (2002), and many other acts regulating legal relations regarding the maintenance of an environmental state that would ensure the effective preservation of biotic and landscape diversity. There are also acts concerning the protection of water resources: the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Protection" (1991); the Codes of Ukraine: On Mineral Resources (1994), Forest Code (1994), Water Code (1995), Land Code (2001); and resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "On the Program of Prospective Development of Protected Areas in Ukraine" (1994), "On

the National Program for the Ecological Restoration of the Dnieper Basin and Improvement of Drinking Water Quality" (1997). As we can see, the legislative framework in Ukraine is developed at a high level, but the conservation status of higher aquatic vegetation cannot be considered satisfactory. The exhaustion of the restoration capacities of aquatic ecosystems is caused by the low anthropotolerance of aquatic plant communities and the instability of environmental habitat conditions. Over the past 30 years, the areas of higher aquatic vegetation have increased due to the shallowing of river channels and the overgrowing of shallow waters in artificial reservoirs; however, this does not compensate for the loss of species and coenotic diversity of this vegetation type. In the reservoirs of the Dnieper cascade, even rare communities (Trapetum natantis, Salvinietum natantis) experience a sharp accumulation of organic matter, a decline in water quality, and an impoverishment of the biodiversity of aquatic ecotopes. Data on the distribution of Marsilietum quadrifolia communities (Shatsk Lakes, Volyn Region) are not confirmed, and the areas of Cladietum marisci habitats (water bodies of Odesa and Kherson Regions) are shrinking. According to O.I. Kuzmychov and O.M. Krasnov [48], the areas of communities of the class Isoeto-Nanojuncetea, which formed in a humid and warm climate, are sharply decreasing.

Conventionally undisturbed communities of higher aquatic vegetation of freshwater bodies have been preserved in the territory of many nature reserves, whereas brackish-water communities in Ukraine are found only in shallow-water areas around Zmiinyi Island (Odesa Region) and in certain lakes of the ancient Dnieper delta (Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, Kherson Region).

Most higher aquatic vegetation communities have undergone varying degrees of anthropogenic regression. The leading factors of this impact include the reduction of natural river runoff, pollution by mineral and organic substances, toxins, untreated wastewater, and pathogenic agents from adjacent areas, technogenic destruction of riparian strips, embanking and diking of shores, construction of dams and weirs, ameliorative hydraulic engineering, recreation, and household waste pollution.

In the field of plant ecology, an urgent task is aimed at the protection, conservation, and sustainable use of higher aquatic vegetation and its communities. Most of them in Ukraine have a limited (Marsilietum quadrifolia) or sporadic (Nymphoidetum peltatae, Hydrocharito-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Trapetum natantis, Trapo-Nymphoidetum peltatae) distribution and require primary protection. Endemic and relict species and their communities are at the edge of their ecological range (Lemno-Azolletum filiculoides, Lemno-Azolletum carolinianae, Potameto pervofoliati-Vallisnerietum spiralis, Potameto-Zannichellietum palustris, Potameto-Zannichellietum pedicellatae, Potameto natantis-Nymphaeetum candidae, Myriophyllttum altemiflori, Riccio-Azolletum carolinianae, Ruppietum maritimae, Zosteretum noltii, Zosteretum marinae, Isoetetum palustris, Scirpetum maritimi-triqueten) and require effective protection.

Syntaxa of higher aquatic vegetation play a significant role in water bodies and participate in the natural purification of water from mechanical and chemical pollution, stabilize the soil of coastal areas, and regulate the insolation, Temperature, and gas composition of aquatic ecosystems. They accumulate peat and sapropel. With excessive hyperaccumulation, decomposing organic matter negatively affects aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, aquatic vegetation maintains ecological equilibrium in water bodies. Harvesting of common reed for technical purposes is carried out on an area of over 3,000 ha. Among the communities of higher aquatic plants, There are many species of pharmacopoeial value that are actively harvested (Acorus calamus, Bidens tripartita, Bidens cernua, Gnaphalium uliginosum, Mentha aquatica, Nuphar lutea, Nymphaea alba, Iris pseudacorus, Polygonum hydropiper, etc.).

D.V. Dubyna [23] divided rare associations of higher aquatic vegetation into synphytosozological categories. The first association (Trapo-Nymphoidetum) is assigned to the first synphytosozological category of the first synphytosozological class (which unites communities with a unique type of association of dominant species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine). It occurs sporadically in the water bodies of the Dnieper Mouth and more rarely in the water bodies of the Desna.

Nine associations (Aldrovandetum vesiculosae, Eleocharito-Marsileetum quadrifoliae, Isoetetum palustris, Hydrocharito-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Nymphoidetum peltatae, Salvinio-Hydrocharietum, Trapetum natantis, Salvinio-Spirodeletum polyrhizae) are assigned to the first synphytosozological category of the second synphytosozological class (which unites communities with a rare type of association where the dominant is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine). Among them, one (Isoetetum palustris) occurs only in the water bodies of Western Ukrainian Polissia, and another (Eleocharito-Marsileetum) — in the western part of the Steppe and in Transcarpathia. The rest are distributed sporadically, with Salvinio-Spirodeletum polyrhizae being the most frequent.

Ten associations are assigned to the second synphytosozological category of the second synphytosozological class (which unites communities with a rare type of association of dominants that are at the edge of their distribution range in Ukraine), of which 5 occur in the northern regions and 5 in the southern regions.

Seventeen associations (Nympharo lutei-Nymphaeetum albae, Najadetum marinae, Najadetum minoris, Lemnetum gibbae, Salvinio-Spirodetum polyrrhizae, Lemno-Salvinietum natantis, Salvinio-Hydrocharitetum, Riccietum fluitantis, Wolffio-Lmnetum gibbae, Lemno-Azolletum carolinianae, Lemno-Azolletum filiculoides, Ricciocarpetum natantis, Trapetum natantis, Eleocharito-Marsileetum quadrifoliae, Hydrocharito-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Isoetetum palustris, Trapo-Nymphoidetum peltatae) are assigned to the third synphytosozological category of the second synphytosozological class (which unites communities with a rare type of association of dominants that are relict species but lack sozological status).

Rare communities of higher aquatic vegetation that need protection are divided into four categories of rarity. The first category includes communities that have already disappeared from the territory of Ukraine (Pilularietum globuliferae). Coenoses of this association have not been recorded in the territory of Ukraine over the past ten years. The second category includes communities on the verge of extinction, comprising four associations (Eleocharito-Marsileetum quadrifoliae, Hydrocharito-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Trapo-Nymphoidetum peltatae, Myriophylletum alterniflori). The third category, comprising endangered communities, includes ten associations (Ceratophylletum tanaitici, Potametum obtusifolii, Wolffio-Lemneetum gibbae, Potameto natantis-Nymphaeetum candidae, Potameto perfoliati-Vallisnerietum spiralis, Lemno (gibbae)-Azolletum carolinianae, Riccietum fluitantis, Ricciocarpetum natantis, Riccio-Azolletum carolinianae, Isoetetum palustris). The fourth category includes 17 associations (Batrachietum rionii, Callitrichetum hermaphroditicae, Callitricho-Hottonietum, Callitricho-Ranunculetum fluitantis, Ceratophylletum submersi, Nymphoidetum peltatae, Sparganietum minimi, Wolffietum arrhizae, Potameto-Nupharetum, Nupharo lutei-Nymphaeetum albae, Batrachio circinati-Alismatetum graminei, Myriophyllo-Nupharetum, Lemnetum gibbae, Batrachio trichophylli-Callitrichetum cophocarpae, Scirpetum maritimi-triqueteri, Aldrovandetum vesiculosae, Spirodelo-Aldrovandetum), whose areas are currently rapidly declining.

Technogenic impact on the plant cover has reached its peak, causing a critical depletion of the phytogenofund and phytocoenofund not only regionally but also globally. By the end of 1983, 14,120 plant species were threatened with extinction worldwide. Over ten years, 326 species disappeared from the wild [58]. Furthermore, 2,171 species are endangered, 2,357 species are vulnerable, 4,606 species belong to the category of risk-rare, and 4,660 are in a threatened, vulnerable, rare, or extinct state.

The species composition of aquatic macrophytes is extremely limited. In the world flora, there are about 1,000 species of these plants [140]. Approximately 195 species of aquatic macrophytes and helophytes grow in the territory of Ukraine. The protection of the flora and vegetation of water-logged ecosystems is of vital ecological importance for waterfowl populations.

Red List of Aquatic Plants of Ukraine [57].