Biodiversity surveys of grassland and coastal habitats in 2021 as a documentation of pre-war status in southern Ukraine
- Author:
- Skobel N., Borovyk D., Vynokurov D., Moysiyenko I., Babytskiy A., Bednarska I., Bezsmertna O., Chusova O., Dayneko P., Dengler J., Guarino R., Kalashnik K., Khodosovtsev A., Kolomiychuk V., Kucher O., Kuzemko A., Shapoval V., Umanets O., Zagorodniuk N., Zakharova M. & Dembicz I.
- Year:
- 2023
- Journal:
- Biodiversity Data Journal
- Pages:
- 11: e99605 [19 p.]
- Url:
- https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e99605
Background:
This paper presents two sampling-event datasets with occurrences of vascular plants,
bryophytes and lichens collected in May-June 2021 in southern Ukraine. We aimed to
collect high-quality biodiversity data in an understudied region and contribute it to
international databases and networks. The study was carried out during the 15th Eurasian
Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) Field Workshop in southern Ukraine and the Dark Diversity
Network (DarkDivNet) sampling in the Kamianska Sich National Nature Park. By chance,
these datasets were collected shortly before the major escalation of the Russian invasion
in Ukraine. Surveyed areas in Kherson and Mykolaiv Regions, including established
monitoring plots, were severely affected by military actions in 2022. Therefore, collected
data are of significant value in the context of biodiversity documentation. The knowledge
about the biodiversity of this area will help to assess the environmental impact of the war
and plan restoration of the damaged or destroyed habitats. The first preliminary analysis of
collected data demonstrates the biodiversity richness and conservation value of studied
grassland habitats.
New information:
We provide sampling-event datasets with 7467 occurrences, which represent 708 taxa
(vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens) collected in 275 vegetation relevés. Amongst
them, vascular plants are represented by 6665 occurrences (610 taxa), lichens - 420 (46)
and bryophytes - 381 (51). Several new species were reported for the first time at the
national or regional level. In particular, one vascular plant species (Torilis pseudonodosa)
and two lichen species (Cladonia conista, Endocarpon loscosii) were new to Ukraine. One
vascular plant (Stipa tirsa), two species of bryophytes (Rhynchostegium megapolitanum,
Ptychostomum torquescens) and three species of lichens (Cladonia cervicornis, C.
symphycarpa, Involucropyrenium breussi) were recorded for the first time for the Kherson
Region. Additionally, these datasets contain occurrences of taxa with narrow distribution,
specialists of rare habitat types and, therefore, represented by a low number of
occurrences in relevant biodiversity databases and particularly in GBIF. This publication
highlights the diversity of natural vegetation and its flora in southern Ukraine and raises
conservation concerns.
Keywords: bryophytes, dry grasslands, flora, lichens, occurrence data, sampling-event data, steppe,
vascular plants.
- Id:
- 35203
- Submitter:
- zpalice
- Post_time:
- Wednesday, 08 March 2023 14:23