Vol 108, No 5 (2023)

The study of materials from Western and Eastern Siberia and the Far East has revealed a significant variability of an important diagnostic feature (the shape of spines) in Aulacoseira alpigena and a wider range of the species. This study and published data make it possible to emend the diagnosis of A. alpigena and reduce it to the synonyms of a morphologically similar species A. helvetica.

Menegazzia terebrata is a foliose macrolichen listed in the Red Data Books of most European countries and in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The species is stenotopic, for which the variety of suitable biotopes is limited; therefore, habitat disturbance under natural and anthropogenic factors is the main reason for decreasing its population. Most records of the species in European Russia were made in the mid 19th – mid 20th centuries. The purpose of this study was to assess the state of coenopopulations and ecological features of M. terebrata in the communities of the Kivach Nature Reserve (Republic of Karelia). The studies were carried out in the territory of Kivach Nature Reserve on sample plots of 625 m², where general characteristics of plant communities and habitat characteristics were recorded. The size of each coenopopulation was determined as well as the coverage area on the surface of the substrate (cm²), the number of thalli, their ontogenetic state, associated species in lichen synusia. For the first time in the last 80 years, 4 habitats of M. terebrata were found on the territory of the Republic of Karelia. Based on literature and own data, a map of the species distribution in Northern Europe was compiled. The discovered population is the northernmost of all currently existing in the territory of the European part of Russia. M. terebrata prefers more shaded and humid conditions, occupying vertical surfaces of mossy rocks in deciduous forests with the last fire 93–120 years ago. The lichen occurs in communities with bryophytes, in lichen synusia with common species of shady habitats: Lepraria sp., Cystocoleus ebeneus, Peltigera sp. Totally 144 thalli of M. terebrata with a total area of 1228 cm² were identified at four ontogenetic states assigned to two age periods: pregenerative (two variants of virginal state – \({{v}_{1}}\), \({{v}_{2}}\)), and postgenerative (subsenile – ss, senile – s). These coenopopulations follow the strategy of vegetative reproduction, as evidenced from the presence of soralia and fragmentation of the thalli. The size of the thalli and the predominance of virginal and subsenile thalli with abundant soralia indicate a long-term good prospect for the development of the coenopopulations, and allow us to assess the state of the species as normal. The existence in a specially protected area, the presence of a suitable substrate (vertical rock outcrops of significant size), as well as forest communities with a certain microclimate (shading, high relative humidity) create the necessary conditions for the conservation of M. terebrata. The results obtained are the basis for changing the status of M. terebrata in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Karelia from “0” (probably extinct) to “1” (endangered).

The pollution of natural forests preserved on the territory of the Irkutsk city was studied in terms of the level of adsorption of aerosol particles (particulate matter, PM_x) by main forest-forming species of woody plants. The needles of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.), as well as leaves of Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) were sampled on the laid test plots to study their sorption capacity in relation to PM_x. Using the methods of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray spectral microanalysis, a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and chemical composition of aerosol particles on the surface of needles and leaves was shown. The adsorbed PM_x particles were found to contain carbon, silicon, sulfur, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, and magnesium in the greatest amount; a significant proportion of heavy metals present in the form of metallized particle accumulations, in which the metal content can reach 80%. It has been shown that aerosol particles actively penetrate needle/leaf tissues through stomata and cuticle, damaging them. With a high level of pollution by PM_x, complete clogging of the stomata and heavy destruction of dermal tissues are often observed. The high level of adsorption of particulate matter by needles and leaves of trees indicates a high cleaning capacity of urban forests. At the same time, pollution with PM_x particles has a powerful negative effect on physiological and biochemical processes of a tree organism, which is manifested in a sharp violation of the parameters of photosynthesis, transpiration, and inhibition of growth processes.

As a result of identification the moss collections from Shikotan, Kunashir, Iturup and Urup islands (Southern Kuril Islands, Russian Far East) collected by T.I. Koroteeva, V.E. Fedosov, A.V. Shkurko, N.S. Liksakova, and A.K. Ezhkin in 2015–2021, new species for the islands were revealed: 6 ones for Urup, 8 for Iturup, 10 for Kunashir, and 19 for Shikotan. For the first time, 4 species new for the Kuril Islands were discovered, including three new for the Sakhalin Region (Forsstroemia cryphaeoides, Haplocladium intermedium, Rhizogemma staphylina, Meteorium buchananii). Another 3 species found in the islands are new for the Southern Kuriles (Dicranum fragilfolium, Gollania turgens, Hygroamblystegium varium). Most of the discovered species are rare in both the Sakhalin Region and the Russian Far East. To date, the moss flora of the Southern Kurils numbers 468 species and is the richest bryoflora in Russia.

Digitisation of the Moscow University Herbarium (MW) was started in the spring of 2015. Since October 2016, we have been publishing the images of specimens on the portal of the Moscow Digital Herbarium (https://plant.depo.msu.ru/) in open access mode. Gradually, we started to publish extended metadata on our portal, like full transcriptions of labels and georeferences, i.e. the coordinates of collection sites for each specimen. As of January, 14, 2023, two thirds of the specimens of the Moscow University Herbarium (693168 specimens, or 66%) are georeferenced, while 359593 specimens are still in work. The article describes the geodata of the Moscow University Herbarium both in the geographical aspect (data coverage for different regions) and in the aspect of georeferencing accuracy. General guidelines for georeferencing herbarium collections are given.

The All-Russian Scientific Conference with international participation “XII meeting in memoriam of Ekaterina Alexeevna Galkina – Types of mires of Russian regions” was held at the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS on February 3, 2023, and traditionally dedicated to the International Wetlands Day. The conference was attended by 109 specialists from 17 cities of Russia and Belarus, 15 scientific institutions, 8 universities and 7 conservation agencies. During the conference, 18 in-person and 5 online reports were presented.