To the syntaxonomy of anthropogenic vegetation of the Kursk Region
Authors: Arepieva L. A. 
Published: July 2024

The article presents information about new syntaxa of anthropogenic vegetation in the Kursk Region. We have been conducting research on this type of vegetation since 2003. As a result, a syntaxonomy of synanthropic vegetation of Kursk was elaborated (Arepieva, 2015) and a number of papers were published, describing the diversity of phytocenoses of anthropogenic ecotopes of the region. In this paper, 24 associations and 1 derivative community from 4 classes of anthropogenic vegetation are characterized.

210 complete relevés made by the author in 2003–2022 on the territory of Kursk and the regional centers of the Kursk Region were used in the work. Some information about the natural conditions of the region is given in Table 1.

Classification is carried out according to Braun-Blanquet approach (Westhoff, Maarel, 1978). The data were treated by IBIS 7.2 software package (Zverev, 2007). The identification of new syntaxa was carried out in accordance with the “International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. 4th edition” (Theurillat et al., 2021).The names of the higher syntaxa follow «Vegetation of Europe…» (Mucina et al., 2016). Synoptic tables include only species with constancy above I. Cluster analysis of relevés by the Ward binding method and DCA ordination based on the complete matrix “species composition × relevé” were carried out by PAST 2.17 software package (Hammer et al., 2001). Ecological conditions were assessed with the use of average values by H. Ellenberg et al. (1992) ecological scales and processed by IBIS software (Zverev, 2007).

In the class Sisymbrietea, the ass. Hordeetum murini Libbert 1932 was identified (Table 2, Fig. 1). It belongs to the alliance Sisymbrion officinalis and the order Sisymbrietalia sophiae. These communities are found in courtyards, on ruderalized lawns, along sidewalks and highways.

Ass. Setarietum verticillatae Méndez 1984 (Table 2, Fig. 2) was assigned to the class Digitario sanguinalis–Eragrostietea minoris, the order Eragrostietalia, the alliance Spergulo arvensis–Erodion cicutariae. These stands grow on ruderalized lawns, along sidewalks, on abandoned flower beds, near buildings.

In the class Artemisietea vulgaris and the order Onopordetalia acanthii, 4 associations were identified, they occur near railway embankments and highways, in wastelands. Two associations (Carduo acanthoidis–Onopordetum acanthii Soó ex Jarolímek et al. 1997 and Carduetum acanthoidis Felföldy 1942) were assigned to the alliance Onopordion acanthii (Table 3, Figures 3 and 4). Two associations (Artemisio vulgaris–Echinopsietum sphaerocephali Eliáš 1979 and Artemisio–Oenotheretum rubricaulis Passarge 1977) were assigned to the alliance Dauco-Melilotion (Table 4, Fig. 5).

The order Agropyretalia intermedio-repentis and the alliance Convolvulo arvensis–Agropyrion repentis unite communities of the late successional stages. They include 4 associations (Table 5, Fig. 6): Saponario officinalis–Petasitetum spurii Passarge 1964, Anisantho–Artemisietum austriacae Kostylev 1985, Elytrigio repentis–Cirsietum arvensis Prunier et Guenat in Prunier et al. 2018, Dactylido glomeratae–Lupinetum polyphyllis Bulokhov et al. 2020. These communities are common in wastelands, along roads.

A derivative community Phalacroloma annuum we also assigned to the class Artemisietea vulgaris (Table 5, Fig. 7).

The class Epilobietea angustifolii includes 4 orders and 4 alliances. 4 associations were identified in the order Arctio lappae–Artemisietalia vulgaris and the alliance Arction lappae (Table 6 and 7, Figures 8 and 9): Hyoscyamo nigri–Conietum maculati Slavnić 1951, Helianthetum tuberosi (Moor 1958) Oberdorfer 1967, Geranio sibirici–Arctietum tomentosi Bulokhov et al. 2020 and a new ass. Geranio sibirici–Festucetum giganteae ass. nov. hoc loco. Holotypus: Table 7, relevé 25, Kursk Region, Kursk, courtyard of the house No. 20 on Stepan Razin Street (51.743497° N, 36.190895° E), 22.08.2020, author – L. A. Arepieva. Diagnostic species: Festuca gigantea and Geranium sibiricum. It unites stands with a predominance of Festuca gigantea and Geranium sibiricum. They are common in shaded, infrequently disturbed habitats near the walls of buildings, in parks and squares.

There are 4 associations in the order Circaeo lutetianae–Stachyetalia sylvaticae and the alliance Aegopodion podagrariae (Table 10, Fig. 12): Symphyto officinalis–Anthriscetum sylvestris Passarge 1975, Arctio tomentosi–Rumicetum obtusifolii Passarge 1959, Chaerophylletum bulbosi Tüxen 1937, Urtico dioicae–Rubetum caesii Golovanov 2017. They are often found in shaded areas (near the walls of buildings, in gardens and parks).

In the order Galio-Alliarietalia and the alliance Geo urbani–Alliarion petiolatae, 3 associations were identified (Table 12, Figure 13): Geo urbani–Chelidonietum majoris Jarolímek et al. 1997, Parthenocissetum insertae Bulokhov et al. 2020, Torilidetum japonicae Lohmeyer ex Görs et Müller 1969. They are common in open and shaded disturbed habitats.

Three associations were assigned to the order Convolvuletalia sepium and the alliance Senecionion fluviatilis (Table 13): Calystegio–Angelicetum archangelicae Passarge 1959, Calystegio sepium–Epilobietum hirsuti Hilbig et al. 1972 and Urtico dioicae–Echinocystietum lobatae Bulokhov et Kharin 2008. The latter association includes 2 variants: typica and Arctium tomentosum. Communities of the variant Arctium tomentosum occur in less humid and eutrophic habitats. Whereas other associations are common in wetter habitats.