IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE STUDY AND CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY OF RARE PLANT SPECIES IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF SARATOV STATE UNIVERSITY
Authors:   Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, Kashin A.S. , Shilova I.V. ,   Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, Parkhomenko A.S. ,   Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky
Published: December 2024

The preservation of floral diversity in the Saratov region is especially important. It occupies an extremely in-
teresting botanical and geographical position, the consequence of which is that about half of the species are locat-
ed on the border of their distribution and about 1/5 of them belong to the rare category. In the XX century, about
2% of the total number of species have already disappeared from the territory of the Saratov region. In this regard,
the efforts of the scientific team of the Botanical Garden of the N.G. SSU. Chernyshevsky focuses on the imple-
mentation of an integrated approach to studying the state of populations of rare and endangered species in the re-
gion and developing effective measures to preserve and restore their numbers. The main objects of these studies in
the last decade have been Tulipa suaveolens, Colchicum bulbocodium subsp. versicolor, Delphinium pubiflorum,
Fritillaria, F. meleagroides, Globularia bisnagarica, Iris pumila and their closest relatives. In addition, populations
of Calophaca wolgarica and Trapa natans, which disappeared from the flora of the region, were studied in adjacent
territories for the purposes of reintroduction. The nature of morphological variability in the populations of these
plant species was revealed by both traditional and geometric morphometry, the age, spatial and vital structure of
populations, seed productivity, the structure of communities with the studied species, as well as the genetic struc-
ture of populations using ISSR markers and markers of plastid and nuclear DNA. For some of the studied species,
a comparative analysis of genomes was performed using chromosomal and molecular markers, as well as genome
sizes. During the reintroduction of species to the Saratov region. From regions with different climatic conditions,
the same algorithm was used to monitor polymorphism in prospective donor populations and identify genetic di-
versity in natural populations in order to select the optimal genotypes of donor plants. After the creation of rein-
troduction populations, they were compared with natural recipient populations in all these parameters. We con-
ducted such studies in populations of Trapa natans L. Astrakhan, Volgograd and Voronezh regions and Calophaca
wolgarica (L. fil.) DC. Volgograd and Rostov regions. In order to preserve biodiversity in the botanical garden of
the SSU, an in vitro genetic bank of rare and endangered species of the Saratov region and adjacent territories has
been created using the method of clonal micropropagation and deposition. Currently, 37 species of 27 genera of
17 families are supported in it under the conditions of deposit. Of these, 19 species, 15 genera and 12 families are
listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.