Analysis of the Structure of Flora of Artificial Phytocoenosis and Assessment of its Competitiveness against Invasion of Alien Plants and their Suitability for the Creation Introduction Populations of Rare Species of the Caucasian Flora

Abstract

The flora and its immigration groups in the plot “Caucasus“ in M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden (Kyiv) were studied. Their compositions and stability of formed artificial phytocoenoses were analyzed. During 70 years of directed job on the phytogeographical plot “Caucasus“ a number of flora complexes have been successfully formed, in which the vegetation of the Caucasus has been modeled. Those artificial phytocoenoses in which the share of plant species of the Caucasian flora is high and predominates over the share of other plant species, the authors consider as mature. The prevalence of specially introduced species among the edificators is especially important for the full-fledged modeling of a plant group under ex situ. These in the studied plot “Caucasus“ include forest stands, they were the most resistant to phytoinvasions. Artificial florocomplexes of sparse forests, steppes, and meadows also have a high species diversity of introduced species, but in this, they are significantly inferior to the corresponding phytocoenoses of the Caucasus. In general, there is a tendency that in the conditions of the botanical garden artificial phytocoenoses with the formed coenotic structure are resistant to the settlement of local plants and weeds and in their composition grows mainly a high proportion of rare plant species. Those artificial phytocoenoses in the plot “Caucasus“, in which the share of introducers is less than 30%, should not be considered as formed, as such plantings are unstable to the spread of weeds and invasive plants. A tendency was found that mature artificial phytocoenoses are the most suitable for the successful formation of populations of rare species of Caucasian flora.