Geobotanical study of ruderal vegetation in the geoecological monitoring program of roadside ecosystems of the Cherkasy oblast

Abstract

The article is devoted to the dynamics of the spread of ruderal vegetation in phytocenoses of the roadside ecosystems of the Cherkasy oblast. Due to the high plowed area of the region, roadside field protection strips, in which, in fact, phytocenoses with the participation of ruderal plants are formed, are mostly very narrow (on average 10–15 m). Such ecotopic limitation creates extremely harsh ecological conditions in which only competitive (and sometimes aggressive) species survive. Unlike most works devoted to the formation of the phytodiversity in roadside phytocenoses, the authors follow the concept of infraecosystems presented in previous publications. The main distinguishing feature of this concept is the assumption of different states of formation of natural ecosystems on roadsides. In particular, by comparing the available phytodiversity in roadside phytocenoses with the «National Catalog of Biotopes», the degree of completeness of ecosystem formation at 19 study sites was assessed. Highways in the meridional (11 polygons) and latitudinal (8 polygons) directions were investigated within the Cherkasy oblast. Among the investigated phytocenoses at 19 polygons, only 4 phytocenoses, which spatially coincide with gas stations (Esco gas station, exit from the city of Uman, SOCAR gas station, near the village of Sharyn), or with relatively isolated settlements at the exits to the main route (Bilashki village, Rotmistrivka village). Invasive species (more than 10), which take an active part in the formation of the phytodiversity, were also found at all landfills. According to our estimates, the general trend of the formation of roadside ecosystems falls under the principle of Le Chatelier-Brown compensation, according to which the biosphere confirms its extraordinary ability to support life every time. After all, it can reduce, eliminate, and finally nullify any destructive (man-made) impact, filling existing and creating new ecological niches. Such an understanding of the geobotanical component in monitoring studies will help in the future to more correctly determine the role of man and the biosphere in the formation of anthropogenic landscapes, one of the more dynamic varieties of which are roadside landscapes.