Vitality Structure of the Populations of Vegetative Motile Plants of Forest Ecosystems of the North-East of Ukraine

Abstract

Background: The vitality level of the populations has turned out to be statistically reliably associated with such coenotic factors: age and density of forest stand. In general, the vitality spectra vary widely: the quality index Q of the populations ranges from 0,00 to 0,50, that is, it fully covers the theoretically possible scale of the values of this coefficient, which indicates the sensitivity of the vitality structure of the populations to the ecological-coenotic conditions and determines high informative value of the vitality analysis. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the vitality structure of the populations of vegetative motile plant species – typical representatives of the grassy layer of forest ecosystems of the North-East of Ukraine as a factor that determines their stability and dynamics. Methods: The analysis of the vitality structure is based on the field studies of the populations of 4 vegetative motile species of plants – Aegopodium podagraria L., Asarum europaeum L., Carex pilosa Scop. and Stellaria holostea L. in forest ecosystems of the North-East of Ukraine. Vitality analysis was carried out according to Yu. A. Zlobin’s methodology. Vitality analysis procedure, classically, is carried out in three stages: 1) Selection of quantitative features that characterize the vital status of the individual plant; 2) Evaluation of vitality of individual plants that were included in the sample; 3) Integral assessment of the population’s vitality. Depending on the ratio in the population of plants of classes a, b and c, the population belongs to one of three vitality types: prosperous, equilibrium or depressive. Results: The obtained estimates of the vitality structure of populations of the clone-forming plants in the grass-shrub layer of forests of the North-East of Ukraine can be considered quite reliable, because they are based, in general, on a complete analysis of the morphological structure of about 13 thousand ramets of the studied species of plants. The statistical reliability of estimates of the population’s vitality structure is predominantly between 70 and 99% and only in some cases lower than 70%. As the clone grows older, its ramet’s vitality decreases and the clone degrades. New young clones, that start to form on the basis of genets, replace old ones. Such ramets have increased vitality, greater stress and competitive resistance. Due to the mechanisms of clone substitution in the living cover, the dominance of nemoralis herbs persists for a long time. Conclusion: The vitality spectra of the populations of the studied species of plants vary widely: the quality index Q of the populations ranges from 0,00 to 0,50, that is, it covers full theoretically possible scale of the values of this coefficient, which indicates the sensitivity of the vitality structure of the populations to the ecological-coenotic conditions and determines high informative value of vitality analysis. Prosperous populations: two populations A. europaeum of the associations Quercetum (roboris) coryloso (avellanae) – convallariosum (majalis) and Quercetum (roboris) coryloso (avellanae) – convallariosum (majalis), two populations A. podagraria of the associations – Pinetum (sylvestris) vacciniosum (myrtilli) and Querceto (roboris) – Pinetum (sylvestris) convallarioso (majalis) – vacciniosum (myrtilli), one population S. holostea of the association Querceto (roboris) – Pinetum (sylvestris) vacciniosum (myrtilli) and one population C. pilosa of the association Querceto (roboris) – Pinetum (sylvestris) vaccinioso (myrtilli) – convallariosum (majalis).