Vegetation in the vicinity of Cape Zhelaniya (Severnyy Island of Novaya Zemlya archipelago)
Authors: Kholod S. S. 
Published: July 2020

The results of the study of vegetation of the extreme northern point of the Novaya Zemlya archipe­lago, the vicinity of Cape Zhelaniya, which belongs to the southern variant of the polar desert zone, are represented. On the basis of 150 relevés, 20 syntaxa of the floristic classification of the several ranks (6 associations, 1 community type, 4 subassociations, 9 variants) were identified.

Zonal vegetation belongs to the ass. Saxifrago oppositifoliae–Cerastietum regelii ass nov. hoc loco (Table 1, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 12; field number 68, Novaya Zemlya archipe­lago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya area, 5.8 km to south-west of Pospelov Bay, loamy terrace plateau, 76°53ʹ31ʺ N, 68°20ʹ55ʺ E, August 26, author — S. S. Kholod; Table 8, syntaxon 1) within the class Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani Daniёls, Elvebakk et Matveyeva in Daniёls et al. 2016 (Daniёls et al., 2016). Within the ass. Saxifrago oppositifoliae–Cerastietum regelii 2 subassociations and 2 variants are described. Subass. S. o.–C. r. typicum subass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1, relevés 1–14, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) of the subassociation — relevé 12, Fig. 2). Subass. S. o.–C. r. cetrarielletosum delisei subass. nov. hoc loco (Table 1, relevé 15–36, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 20, field number 79, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya vicinity, the coastal part of Natalia Bay, the mouth of the river Grishina Shara, gentle slope to the seashore, loamy-gravelly, 76°50ʹ26ʺ N, 68°44ʹ55ʺ E, August 29, 2015, author — S. S. Kholod) with 2 variants: S. o.–C. r. c. d. typica (Table 1, relevés 15–31; Fig. 3) and S. o.–C. r. c. d. inops (Table 1, relevés 32–36; Fig. 4).

The vegetation of wet sites is presented in 2 syntaxa. Ass. Deschampsio borealis–Bryetum pseudotriquetri ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 2, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 9, field number 160, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya vicinity, near Cape Serebrennikov, wet, sea side strip, 76°57ʹ31ʺ N, 68°19ʹ44ʺ E, September 16, 2015, author — S. S. Kholod; Table 8, syntaxon 2), in the drainage gullies. Ass. Deschampsio borealis–Bryetum pseudotriquetri is divided into 2 variants: D. b.–B. p. typica (Table 2, relevés 1–10; Fig. 5) and D. b.–B. p. inops (Table 2, relevés 11–15; Fig. 6). Ass. Campyliostellati–Orthothecie­tum chrysei ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 2, field number 57, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya vicinity, 4.2.km to the south of Cape Loshkin, 76°57ʹ03ʺ N, 68°07ʹ49ʺ E, August 24, 2015, author — S. S.  Kholod; Table 8, syntaxon 3) on loamy areas with periodic stagnation of water. Ass. Campyliostellati–Orthothecietum chrysei includes 3 variants: C. s.–O. c. typica (Table 3, relevés 1–13; Fig. 7), C. s.–O. c. Racomitrium lanuginosum (Table 3, relevés 14–26; Fig. 8), C. s.–O. c. Allocetraria madreporiformis (Table 3, relevés 27–30; Fig. 9). The vegetation of nival sites is reflected in two syntaxa. Ass. Stellario edwardsii–Ditrichetum flexicaulis ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 4, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 8, field number 1, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya vicinity, 2.5 km to the south of Cape Elizabeth, on the front of a small terrace edge on the sea side plain, small rock, 76º56ʹ39″ N, 68º17ʹ53″ E, August 15, 2015, author — S. S. Kholod; Table 8, syntaxon 4; Fig. 10). Ass. Dicranoweisio crispulae–Cetrarielletum delisei Matveyeva 2006 subass. cerastietosum regelii subass. nov. hoc loco (Table 5, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 6, field number 41, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya vicinity, 6.3 km to the south of Cape Elizabeth, the fine-stony slope of the terrace on the coastal plain, 76°54ʹ52ʺ N, 68°10ʹ02ʺ E, August 22, 2015, ­author — S. S. Kholod; Table 8, syntaxon 5). There are 2 variants in subass. Dicranoweisio crispulae–Cetrarielletum delisei cerastietosum regelii: D. c.–C. d. c. r. typica (Table 5, relevés 1–19, Fig. 11), D. c.–C. d. c. r. inops (Table 5, relevés 20–27, Fig. 12).

Vegetation of dry moderately and low snow-covered sites is presented by the 2 syntaxa. Ass. Pseudephebo pubescentis–Bryocauletum divergentis Kholod 2007 subass. saxifragetosum cespitosae subass nov. hoc loco (Table 6, nomenclature type (holotypus hoc loco) — relevé 15, field number 152, Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Severnyy Island, Cape Zhelaniya vicinity, 1.0 km to the south-east of Cape Serebrennikov, rocky ridge on the coastal plain, 76°56ʹ 50″N, 68°25ʹ45ʹʹ E, September 15, 2015, author — S. S. Kholod; Table 8, syntaxon 6; Fig. 13). Community type Papaver polare–Saxifraga oppositifolia (Table 7; Table 8, syntaxon 7, Fig. 14) which combines extremely sparse cover of vascular plants, mosses and lichens.

The associations Dicranoweisio crispulae–Cetrarielletum delisei and Pseudephebo pubescentis–Bryocauletum divergentis can be considered as regional, which include subassociations described elsewhere in relation to where the typical syntaxa have been described. The zonal association of the Novaya Zemlya — Saxifrago oppositifoliae–Cerastietum regelii, has a number of common diagnostic species combinations to the ass. Deschampsio borealis–Aulacomnietum turgidi (Table 8, syntaxon 8) of the Se­vernaya Zemlya (Draba micropetala, Papaverpolare, Phippsiaalgida, Saxifragacernua and others) may be put in Papaverion dahliani Daniёls, Elvebakk et Matveyeva in Daniёls et al., 2016. Similarly, two associations of wet sites from these two archipelagos can be placed in one union: the Deschampsio borealis–Bryetum pseudotriquetri of the Novaya Zemlya and Stellario edwardsii–Bryetum cryophili Matveyeva 2006 (Table 8, syntaxon 10) of the Severnaya Zemlya. These associations bring together several common species: Phippsiaalgida, Bryumcryophilum, Warnstorfiasarmentosa. Probably, associations reflecting the vegetation of nival sites — Dicranoweisio crispulae–Cetrarielletum delisei Matveyeva 2006 with two subassotiations: typicum (Table 8, syntaxon 13) and cerastietosum regelii (together — regional association), Stellario edwardsii–Ditrichetum flexicaulis of Novaya Zemlya and Ranunculo sabinei–Phippsietum algidae Matveyeva 2006 (Table 8, syntaxon 12) of Severnaya Zemlya — can be attributed to one union. These syntaxa bring together a number of common species included in the diagnostic groups: Papaverpolare, Phippsiaalgida, Niphotrichumericoides, Polytrichastrum alpinum s. str., Cetrarielladelisei and others.

In all groups of characteristic species, only 3 — are exclusive — Deschampsiaborealis, Calliergongiganteum, Cinclidiumsubrotundum, inherent to ass. Deschampsio borealis–Bryetum pseudotriquetri, and 16 — are selective. Species richness in syntaxa varies from 62 to 126. The highest number of species is recorded in the ass. Campylio stellati–Orthothecietum chrysei, the lowest — in the extremely sparse cover of the com. type Papaver polare–Saxifraga oppositifolia. The number of taxa in communities varies from 4 to 37. The proportion of the species number with high constancy (IV, V) in all syntaxa is extremely small and varies from 6.5 % in com. type Papaver polare–Saxifraga oppositifolia up to 14.3 % in the ass. Stellario edwardsii–Ditrichetum flexicaulis. Only few species have a high coverage. In general, these are mosses: Scorpidiumrevolvens (up to 40 %), S. cossonii, Ditrichumflexicaule, Racomitriumlanuginosum, Niphotrichumericoides, which in some cases form carpets with of 15–20 % cover. The same cover value is inherent for some species of lichens — Brodoaintestiniformis and Melaneliahepatizon. The high cover values among vascular plants are noted only for Deschampsiaborealis (to 65 %). There are 2 main types of plant-cover structure: regular-cyclic and sporadic-spotty. As part of the first variant are separated: connected and broken-reticulated. Many plants have the form of cushion: up to 8–9 cm in a height and to 10–12 cm in a diameter. There is a single layer which has (an average height of 10 cm) in vertical structure.