Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dry grasslands on sedimentary outcrops of the Dniester canyon (Ukraine)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Biologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The main aim of this article is to characterize vegetation data of dry grassland communities on sedimentary outcrops of the Dniester Canyon (Ukraine) ecologically and to provide their syntaxonomy. For this purpose, we collected 155 relevés, and included published data from Ukrainian and Moldovian literary sources. We used cluster analysis, including the nomenclatural types of previously described relevant associations from the study area and adjacent territories. As a result, we recognized two associations of the order Alysso-Sedetalia and six of the order Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis. Two associations of pioneer communities with therophytes and succulents were transferred from the endemic alliance Sempervivo ruthenici-Schivereckion of the class Asplenietea trichomanis to the widely spread alliance Alysso-Sedion of the class Sedo-Scleranthetea. Five associations of petrophytic steppes were transferred from different alliances within the classes Festuco-Brometea (Genisto tetragonae-Seselion peucedanifoliae, Festucion valesiacae) and Sedo-Scleranthetea (Alysso-Sedion) to the alliance Galio campanulati-Poion versicoloris within the class Festuco-Brometea. We also described the new association Cephalario uralensis-Agropyretum cristati. Furthermore, we tested for ecological differences between these associations using ecological scales of the Ukrainian flora and measured soil parameters. We conclude that the relief, geological structure, soils, and climate parameters determine the distribution and diversity of the communities as well as their particular floristic features.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abduloieva OS, Didukh YP (1999) Luchno-stepova roslynnist’ erodovanykh skhyliv Prydnistrov’ya (natsional’nyy pryrodnyy park “Podilski Tovtry”) v aspecti ii okhorony. Ukrainskyi fitotsenolohichnyi zbirnyk. Ser. A 3(14):10–36 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Abduloieva OS (2002) Do syntaxonomii kserophitnoi trav’yanystoi roslynnosti Zakhidnogo Lisostepu (Prydnistrovs’ke Podillya, Tovtrovyy kryazh, Kremenetski hory). Ukrainskyi fitotsenolohichnyi zbirnyk. Ser. A 1(18):124–144 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrienko TL, Peregrym MM (2012) Ofitsiyni pereliky rehional’no ridkisnykh Roslyn administratyvnykh oblastey Ukrainy (dovidkove vydannya). Alterpress, Kyiv (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Boiko M (2008) Checklist mochopodipnych Ukrainy. Ailant, Kherson (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Braun-Blanquet J (1936) Über die Trockenrasengesellschaften des Festucion vallesiacae in den Ostalpen. Berichte der Schweizerischen Botanischen Gesellschaft 46:169–189 (in German)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chytrý M, Tichý L, Holt J, Botta-Dukát Z (2002) Determination of diagnostic species with statistical fidelity measures. J Veg Sci 13:79–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2002.tb02025.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chytrý M, HennekensSM J-AB, Knollová I, Dengler J, Jansen F, Landucci F, Schaminée JH, Aćić S, Agrillo E, Ambarli D, Angelini P, Apostolova I, Attorre F, Berg C, Bergmeier E, Biurrun I, Botta-Dukát Z, Brisse H, Campos JA, Carlón L, Čarni A, Casella L, Csiky J, Ćušterevska R, Dajić Stevanović Z, Danihelka J, de Bie E, de Ruffray P, de Sanctis M, Dickoré WB, Dimopoulos P, Dubyna D, Dziuba T, Ejrnaes R, Ermakov N, Ewald J, Fanelli G, Fernández-González F, Fitzpatrick Ú, Font X, García (2016) European vegetation archive (EVA): an integrated database of European vegetation plots. Appl Veg Sci 19(1):173–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1979). Bern. URL: www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention

  • Czirbus N, Nyilas T, Rauczik B, Hetényi M (2016) Investigation of the effect of soil mineral composition on soil organic matter stability: Soil & Water res.: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.17221/47/2015-SWR

  • Dalgaard P (2008) Introductory statistics with R. Springer

  • Dengler J, Becker T, Ruprecht E, Szabó A, Becker U, Beldean M, Bita-Nicolae C, Dolnik C, Goia I, Peyrat J, Sutcliffe LME, Turtureanu PD, Uğurlu E (2012) Festuco-Brometea communities of the Transylvanian plateau (Romania) – a preliminary overview on syntaxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity. Tuexenia 32: 319–359 + 2 tables

  • Dengler J, Wagner V, Dembicz I, Grassplot Consortium (2018) GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands. Phytocoenologia 48:1–17. https://doi.org/10.1127/phyto/2018/0267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Didukh YP (1989) Florystychna klasyfikatsiia uhrupovan hisopovoi flory. Ukrainskyi botanichnyi zhurnal 46(6):16–21 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Didukh YP (ed) (2009) ChervonaknygaUkrainy. Roslynnyj svit. Globalkonsalting, Kyiv (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Didukh YP (2011) The ecological scales for the species of Ukrainian flora and their use in synphytoindication. Phytosociocentre, Kyiv

    Google Scholar 

  • Didukh YP, Vasheniak YA (2018) Vegetation of limestone outcrops in Western and central Podilla (Ukraine). Tuexenia 38:1–26. https://doi.org/10.14471/2018.38.023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubyna DV, Dziuba TP, Iemelianova SM, Bagrikova OV, Borisova OV, Borsukevych LM, Vynokurov DS, Gapon SV, Davydov DA, Dvoretskyi TV, Didukh YP, Zhmud OI, Kozyr MS, Konishchuk VV, Kuzemko AA, Pashkevych NA, Ryff LE, Solomakha VA, Felbaba-Klushyna LM, Fitsailo TV, Chorna GA, Chorney II, Shelyag-Sosonko YR, Yakushenko DM (2019) Prodrome of the vegetation of Ukraine. Naukova dumka, Kyiv (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Euro+Med (2006) Euro+Med PlantBase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Available at: http://ww2.bgbm.org/EuroPlusMed/22.10.2017

  • Géhu JM (1961) Les groupements végétaux du basin de la Sambre Française (Avesniois, Dé partement du Nord, France) II. Vegetatio 10: 161–208 (in French).

  • Harbar VV (2016) Rendzyny Podilskykh Tovtr: heneza, poshyrennia, vykorystannia, okhorona: Dissertation Geographical: 1–232+supplements 25 p. (in Ukrainian)

  • Hennekens S, Schaminée J (2009) TURBOVEG, a comprehensive data base management system for vegetation data. J Veg Sci 12(4):589–591. https://doi.org/10.2307/3237010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herenchuk KI (1980) Pryroda Khmelnytskoi oblasti. Vyshcha shkola, Lviv (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Janišová M, Bauer N, Botta-Dukát Z, Čarni A, Chytrý M, Coldea G, Csiky J, Dúbravková D, Fenesi A, Igic R, Kącki Z, Kish R, Korzeniak J, Krstivojevic M, Krstonošić D, Bita-Nicolae C, Rédei T, Ruprecht E, Stančić Z, Škodová I, Tichý L, Willner W (2014) Rocky grassland vegetation (Stipo-Festucetalia) of the Pannonian Basin and the Carpathian Mts – biogeographical patterns revealed by semi-supervised classification. – Oral presentation at the 23rd workshop of European vegetation survey Ljublana, Slovenia

  • Janišová M, Dúbravková D (2010) Formalized classification of rocky Pannonian grasslands and dealpine Sesleria-dominated grasslands in Slovakia using a hierarchial expert system. Phytocoenologia 40(4):267–291. https://doi.org/10.1127/0340-269X/2010/0040-0444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolomiychuk VP, Vynokurov D (2016) Syntaxonomy of the Festuco-Brometea class vegetation of the Azov Sea coastal zone. Hacquetia 15(2):79–104. https://doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2016-0018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kondratyuk S (1998) The second checklist of lichen–forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of Ukraine. Phytosociocentre, Kyiv

    Google Scholar 

  • Korotchenko IA (2004) Stepovaroslynnist’ pivdennoichastynyNatsional’nogopryrodnogoparku “Podil’skiTovtry”. Naukovyi visnyk Chernivetskoho universytetu Biolohiia (Biolohichni systemy) 223:197–221 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Krasova O, Smetana M (1999) Stepova roslynnist balky Kobylnoi. Ukrainskyi fitotsenolohichnyi zbirnyk. Ser A 1-2(12–13):21–30 (in Ukrainain)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kukovytsia HS (1992) Novyi syntakson Poetum versicoloris ass. nova stepiv Zakhidnoho Podillya. Ukrainskyi botanichnyi zhurnal 51(1):27–30 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kukovytsia HS, Movchan YI, Solomakha VA, Shelyag-Sosonko YR (1994) Syntaksonomiya luchnykh stepiv Zakhidnogo Podillya. Ukrainskyi botanichnyi zhurnal 51(2–3):35–48 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuzemko AA (2012) Ukrainian grasslands database. Biodivers & Ecol 4:430–430. https://doi.org/10.7809/b-e.00217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuzemko AA, Becker T, Didukh YP, Ardelean IA, Becker U, Beldean M, Dolnik C, Jeschke M, Naqinezhad A, Ugurlu E, Ünal A, Vassilev K, Vorona EI, Iavorska OH, Dengler J (2014) Dry grassland vegetation of CentralPodolia (Ukraine) – a preliminary overview on syntaxonomy, ecology and biodiversity. Tuexenia 34:391–430. https://doi.org/10.14471/2014.34.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarenko YK, Srebrodolskyi BI (1969) Mineralogia Podillia. Vyd-vo Lviv. Universytety, Lviv (in Ukrainian)

  • McCune B, Mefford MJ (1999) Handbook–PC-ORD. Multivariate analysis of ecological data. Version 4. MjM software design, Gleneden Beach, Oregon, USA

  • Moravec J (1967) Zudenazidophilen Trockenrasengesellschaften Südwestböhmens und Bemerkungenzur Syntaxonomie der Klasse Sedo-Scleranthetea. Folia Geobotanica et Phytotaxonomica 2:137–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mucina L, Bültmann H, Dierßen K, Theurillat J-P, Dengler J, Čarni A, Šumberová K, Raus T, di Pietro R, Gavílan García R, Chytrý M, Iakushenko D, Schaminée JHJ, Bergmeier E, Santos Guerra A, Daniëls FJA, Ermakov N, Valachovic M, Pignatti S, Rodwell JS, Pallas J, Capelo J, Weber HE, Lysenko T, Didukh YP, Pignatti S, Capelo J, Weber H, Solomesh A, Dimopolous P, Aguiar C, Freitag H, Hennekens SM, Tichý L (2016) Vegetation of Europe: hierarchical floristic classification system of vascular plant, bryophyte, lichen and algal communities. Applied vegetation science 19 (supplement 1): 3-264. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12257

  • Müller T (1961) Ergebnisse pflanzensoziologischer Untersuchungen in Südwestdeutschland. Beitr Naturkd Forsch Südwestdtschl 20:111–122 (in German)

    Google Scholar 

  • Onyshchenko VA (2001) Roslynnist’ karbonatnykhvidslonen’ pryrodnogozapovidnyka “Medobory”. Ukrainskyi fitotsenolohichnyi zbirnyk Ser. A 1(17):86–104 (in Ukrainian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pînzaru P (1997) Genisto-Seselion peucedanifolii – aliantanoua in vegetatia calcarelor Sarmatianului Mediudin Republica Moldova. Dep. Chisinaua 1469-M.: 29 (in Romanian)

  • Pînzaru P (2006) Tipurile asociaţii lornoidin vegetaţia destîncării dininter fluviu Nistru Prut // Aspecte ştiinţifico-practice adezvoltăriidura bilea sectorul ui forestier din Republica: 242–250 (in Romanian)

  • Pînzaru P (2015a) Asplenio ruta-murariae-Allietum flavescentis - asociație nouă în vegetația Republicii Moldova. Simpozion științific internațional „Horticultura modernă – realizări și perspective”, dedicat aniversării a 75 de ani de la fondarea Facultății de horticultură. 1-2 oct. Chișinău: 375-379

  • Pînzaru P (2015b) Sedo acri-Saxifragetum tridactylitis – asociație nouă ăn vegetația Republicii Moldova. Culegere de materiale. Conferința Științifică Biologia și Progresul Științific. Consacrată Aniversării a 85-a de ani din ziua nașterii și 62 de ani de activitate științifică și didactică a Profesorului univesritar, Petru Cg. Tarhon. Chișinău: Pontos: 78-85 (in Romanian)

  • Pînzaru P (2015c) Sedo acri-Allietum lusitanici Pînzaru (2006) corr. h. l. – în vegetația de stâncării din bazinul superior al fluviului Nistru (R. Moldova, Ucraina). Culegere de materiale.Conferința Științifică Biologia și Progresul Științific. Consacrată Aniversării a 85-a de ani din ziua nașterii și 62 de ani de activitate științifică și didactică a Profesorului univesritar, Petru Cg. Tarhon. Chișinău: Pontos: 86-92 (in Romanian)

  • Romaschenko K, Didukh YP, Solomakha V (1996) Syntaksonomia klasu Helianthemo-Thymetea cl. Nov. roslynnosti kreidyanykh vidslonen pivdenno-shidnoi Ukrainy. Ukrainskyi fitotsenolohichnyi zbirnyk, Ser. A: 49-62 (in Ukrainian)

  • Rushchuk AD, Pinzaru PY, Rushchuk VD, Khlebnikov VF (2005) Soyuz Genisto tetragonae-Seselion peucedanifoliae Pinzaru 1997 na territorii levoberezhya Dnestra v Moldove. Geoekologicheskie i bioekologicheskie problemyi severnogo Prichernomorya: 63–66 (in Romanian)

  • The State Standart GOST 26107–84. (n.d.) Pochvy. Metody opredeleniya obschego azota (in Russian)

  • The State Standart GOST 26423–85. (n.d.) Pochvy. Metody opredeleniya udelnoy elektricheskoy provodimosti, pH i plotnogo ostatka vodnoy vyityazhki (in Russian).

  • The State Standart GOST 26424–85. (n.d.) Pochvy. Metod opredeleniya ionov karbonata i bikarbonata v vodnoy vyityazhke (in Russian).

  • The State Standart GOST 26213–91. (n.d.) Pochvy. Metody opredeleniya organicheskogo veschestva (in Russian).

  • Tichý L (2002) JUICE, software for vegetation classification. Journal of Vegetation Science 13:451–453. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2002.tb02069.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber HE, Moravec J, Theurillat I-P (2000) International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. 3rd edition. Journal of Vegetation Science 11:739–768. https://doi.org/10.2307/3236580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willner W, Kuzemko AA, Dengler J, Chytrý M, Bauer N, Becker T, Biţă-Nicolae C, Botta-Dukat Z, Čarni A, Csiky J, Igić R, Kącki Z, Korotchenko I, Kropf M, Krzystojević Ćuk M, Krstonošić D, Rédei T, Ruprecht E, Schratt-Ehrendorfer L, Semenishchenkov I, Stančic Z, Vasheniak I, Vynokurov D, Janišová M (2017) A higher-level classification of the Pannonian and Western Pontic steppe grasslands (Central and Eastern Europe). Applied Vegetation Science 20(1):143–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12265

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zaverukha BV (1985) Flora Volyno-Podolii i ee genesis. Naukova dumka, Kyiv (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are sincerely thankful to Anna Kuzemko, Monika Janišová, and Thomas Becker for their inspiring research activity. Also, to Jürgen Dengler, Wolfgang Willner, Milan Chytrý, Idoia Biurrun, and Pavel Pinzaru for their help with rare scientific papers, and valuable suggestions. We are grateful to the Editor Katarína Hegedüšová and two anonymous reviewers for their important comments, corrections and suggestions. We are also grateful to Igor Goncharenko for conducting the one-way ANOVA analysis and Tukey’s post hoc test. Furthermore, we are grateful to Dr. Vitalii Virchenko and Dr. Nadiia Kapets for the determination of the bryophytes and lichens from our expeditions, Oleg Orlov for soil type determination, and Ivan Ukrainets for bedrock type determination. We appreciate the financial support of the trustees from Rufford Small Grant Fund for our investigation and organization of the expedition (2016-2017) to distant parts of the Dniester River to collect our data. We also appreciate Gabrielle Oke and Deborah Oke for the linguistic improvements of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnologies, Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnitsa, Ukraine

    Iuliia Vasheniak

  2. M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, NAN of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

    Yakiv Didukh & Iuliia Rozenblit

Authors
  1. Iuliia Vasheniak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yakiv Didukh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Iuliia Rozenblit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Iuliia Vasheniak.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

ESM 1

(DOCX 1883 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vasheniak, I., Didukh, Y. & Rozenblit, I. Dry grasslands on sedimentary outcrops of the Dniester canyon (Ukraine). Biologia 76, 1109–1126 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00709-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00709-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation