Vol 12, No 5 (2019)

The composition and ecological–geographical features of the rarest endemic species of vascular plants of Siberia are considered, including 50 species known so far only from their classical location (so-called stenoendemics). Their share is about 1% of the flora of vascular plants of Siberia. For the first time, according to floristic zoning, the composition of the chorological groups of the stenoendemics of Siberia has been established. The zones of concentration of their ranges are determined. The largest number of species studied (23) is concentrated in the Altai–Siberian ecoregion. A significant number of stenoendemic species is also represented in the Baikal–Siberian (10) and West Siberian (8) regions. It has been quantitatively proven that the most favorable conditions for the existence of stenoendemics are in Southern Siberia. The mountain systems of Altai and Sayan provide the most diverse spectra of habitats for the successful implementation of microevolutionary processes, as well as the level of isolation sufficient to isolate new species. For the determination of the environmental conditions conducive to the speciation processes, the grouping of the studied species according to their belonging to floristic complexes is carried out. More than a third of the studied species of the Altai–Siberian ecoregion (9 out of 23) are confined to the high-mountain floristic complex. Stenoendemics of the forest floristic complex are concentrated in the Altai–Siberian and West Siberian ecoregions and form a grouping comparable in value to the high-mountain floristic complex types. In the Baikal–Siberian, species of the steppe floristic complex predominate, which is due to the diversity of the steppe areas and their insular character. It has been established that the level of state protection of the studied species is unacceptably low, since none of them are listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. To assess the degree of study and the prospects for further research on endemic species, a methodology for their ranking by quantitative indicators has been developed and tested. The recommendations presented in the article should be the basis for the consideration of questions regarding the inclusion of the studied endemic species of vascular plants of Siberia into the lists of rare and endangered plants of the Russian Federation.

Specific features of distribution of climate-forming factors in Siberia are discussed. The study area includes three regions: the West Siberian Plain, Central Siberia, and mountain systems of Southern Siberia. Climate and ecological resources (air and soil temperature, atmospheric precipitations, and snow cover) in each region are evaluated. A detailed analysis of the temperature in the soil profile to a depth of 0.8 m is performed. Vertical soil profiles are grouped according to the rate of summer heating and winter cooling. The area of Siberia is differentiated on the basis of soil temperatures. A new approach to assessing integrated climate–ecological resources of a large area is proposed. The regularities are generalized for all of Siberia.

Data on population dynamics and dominance structure in the shrew community in the environs of Magadan in 2011–2018 are presented. Even-toothed shrews and Laxmann’s shrews (S. isodon and S. caecutiens) were generally dominant in the catches, and the slender shrew, the Siberian large-toothed shrew, the Kamchatka shrew, and the least shrew (S. gracillimus, S. daphaenodon, S. camtschaticus, and S. minutissimus) were secondary species with regard to abundance. The increases and decreases in the numbers of all species were coincident to varying degrees, and the differences in the dominance structure in the different years were relatively small. The status of only two species varied: they were the Laxmann’s shrew, characterized by the largest amplitude of number fluctuations, and the slender shrew, for which an increase in abundance occurred recently in the region. The role of some factors in the regulation of the number of animals is discussed.

The growth and reproduction parameters in offspring of abundant (Lymnaea stagnalis) and rare (Stagnicola corvus) pulmonate species originating from the specimens captured in water bodies with different forms and levels of anthropogenic contamination are determined in a reproduction experiment by cross-fertilization (CF) and self-fertilization (SF). It is shown that SF leads to an increase of pre-reproductive age, a decline in fecundity, and a decreasing amount of breeding individuals and growth rate of population numbers. An increase in the contamination level of water bodies leads to a decrease in the ability to SF in L. stagnalis. Compared to this species, S. corvus is characterized by a reduced ability to SF. It could be one of the most crucial reasons for the low abundance of S. corvus in nature.

This article is devoted to the ecological problem of effective urban landscaping and increasing the role of green plantings in stabilizing the environment. The paper summarizes the material on the complex bioecological assessment of functionally different urban green areas of Vladivostok. There are six types of urban plantings: ordinary plantings, squares, intraquarter gardening, old city public gardens, city parks, and intraurban recreational forests. The questions of the specificity of their species composition, conditions of growth, and the intensity of influencing anthropogenic press are considered. An almost fourfold increase of environmental stress in the following series is noted: city parks → intra-quarter gardening → intraurban recreational forests → old city public gardens → line plantings → squares. Most attention is paid to a comparative analysis of tree–shrub species and plantation accumulation of heavy metals: the main markers of technogenic pollution of the urban environment. The correlation regularities in the accumulation of heavy metals by plants in the conditions of Vladivostok urban ecosystems were found and a geochemical association of the main metal pollutants was established: Fe_4.1 Zn_2.0 Pb_1.9 Cu_1,4 Ni_1.3. It is shown that the intensity of heavy-metal transformation by green plantings increases 3 times in a ranked series: intraurban recreational forest → city parks → old city public gardens → intra-quarter gardening → squares → line plantings. On the basis of the research and earlier results, a complex assessment of the functional condition of city green plantings is performed. For a practical solution, the author offers the functional status index (IFS) of plantings as an integral indicator of the ecological condition of vegetation and soils of green plantings and their capability for heavy-metal transformation in the conditions of the urbanized environment. The high functional status of ordinary plantings and squares, caused mainly by the active accumulation of heavy metals by soils and plants, is noted. This index is one and a half times lower for old city gardens and intraurban recreational forests. In conclusion, the author recommends using the results in the organization of a rational system of urban landscaping and differentiated measures of care for plantations of various functional purposes.