The Distribution of Ligularia Sibirica (L.) Cass. in Estonia and Changes in Its Population
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Biuletyn Ogrodów Botanicznych, 12: 11–22, 2003 THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIGULARIA SIBIRICA (L.) CASS. IN ESTONIA AND CHANGES IN ITS POPULATION Rozmieszczenie Ligularia sibirica (L.) Cass. w Estonii i zmiany jej populacji Ülle KUKK Environmental Protection Institute of the Estonian Agricultural University, Akadeemia 4, 51003 Tartu, Estonia ABSTRACT 1992; Roosaluste and Kukk T. 2001). Objective reasons can come from the age of taxon, bio- The distribution of Ligularia sibirica (L.) logical and ecological peculiarities, and the Cass. has considerably diminished in the recent location inside the borders of distribution area, 30 years in Estonia. Using herbaria, literature, the relic status etc. Subjective reasons can be and 8-year monitoring data a distribution map of caused by several forms of human activities different periods is presented in the article. The influencing and changing habitats, by cessation analysis of the monitoring data indicates the of the management of semi-natural habitats, or diminishing of the size and vitality of the major- by direct physical destruction of plants. ity of preserved subpopulations. The cessation of Usually, the reasons do not function alone but mowing and grazing, in addition melioration and are closely connected. However, for making pollution of habitats in floodplain and paludified recommendations for conservation it is essen- grasslands have caused their overgrowing with tial to know them. The basic biological data is a shrubs and forest, which is suggested as the main ground for management decisions. reason of the decrease. The location of Ligularia The aim of the present study is to compare sibirica on the border of distribution area as an the past and current distribution and habitat affecting agent has been discussed as well. descriptions of Ligularia sibirica in Estonia; and analyze the data of ecology and population KEY WORDS: Ligularia sibirica (L.) Cass., dynamics, to elucidate the situation and main distribution, population size, monitoring, habi- reasons for the changes. tats, land use. MATERIAL AND METHODS INTRODUCTION Species and general distribution Siberian groundsel (Ligularia sibirica (L.) Ligularia sibirica is a stout 100–130 (even up Cass.) is one of the species that has become the to 170 cm) tall perennial from the family centre of attention in the western part of its dis- Compositae (Fig. 1). The rhizome is short and tribution area. Its rarity in most Eastern and thick, its stems erect, mostly not ramified. The Central European countries (Appendix 3., 1999) lower leaves are kidney-shaped, long-stalked and has impelled us to set about studying and moni- sheathing at the base, to 30 m across, all toothed, toring it, elucidate the reasons for the decrease the upper leaves are much smaller and stalkless. and to find the best conservation measures. The Numerous yellow flower heads stand in a spike- number of localities in Estonia has always been like cluster. The seeds are supplied with pappus. small and has continually diminished in the past Ligularia sibirica is widely distributed in the decades. The current situation demands quick continental zone of Eurasia. The main distribu- reaction and active conservation measures to tion area is the European part of Russia and the maintain the localities still preserved. Siberian taiga zone, reaching the southern coast There are several reasons why plants are of the Okhotsk Sea and Yakutia (Hultén & Fries rare. Generally the reasons of their rarity can be 1986, Poyarkova 1961). The species occurs, but divided into two groups (Fiedler and Ahouse is not threatened, in Murmansk and Pskow 11 Ülle Kukk of local literature (Eichwald 1937, Frey 1965, Kukk Ü. 1999, Laasimer 1978, Sammul 2001), the database of the Environmental Protection Institute of the Estonian Agricultural University, the herbarium specimens stored in the Institute of Zoology and Botany of the Estonian Agricultural University and Tartu University, and the data of inventory of old localities of rare plants. In 1969, the first inventory of them was started in Estonia, and it has been continued regularly. A distribution map of Ligularia sibiri- ca has been compiled using the UTM grid sys- tem (the size of the grid squares of 10 × 10 km within the 50 × 50 km quadrangles). The populations of Ligularia have been inventoried repeatedly since 1983. Germination tests were carried out in 1985 and 1986. In 1994, systematic monitoring was started. We intended to find out: a) the extent and tendency of the changes in population size and viability, Fig. 1. Ligularia sibirica (L.) Cass. in Southern Estonia. b) the reasons of changes which have happened both to population and habitat. Therefore, in 1994–1996 permanent monitoring plots with regions, but it is endangered in the northern part the size of 10 × 10 m were established in four of Leningrad region (Kotiranta et al. 1998). It is sites, named after the names of villages: Anne, mainly confined to Eastern Europe, being very Sootaga, Väägvere and Tagula (Fig. 2). The rare in Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Byelorussia, plot location was chosen in the spots of the Hungary, Czech and Slovak Republics, mean frequency of specimen what was estimat- Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Austria and France ed visually. On the figures the sites were (Andru‰aitis 1985, Hegi 1987, Kneblová 1950, marked with the first letter(s) of the site name: Procházka & Pivniãková 1999, ·egulja & Krga A, S, V, T. The rest of the sites (Edise, Jõhvi, 1990, Fischer 1991, Olaczek 2001). According Kikaste, Õisu) where the number of plants was to Hegi (1987), the plant represents the subarc- small were studied without plot establishment. tic-Siberian element in the Central European Flora. The species does not occur in Lithuania, Finland and Scandinavia, and in the great part of West European countries (Ingelög et al. 1993). Estonia remains on the border of its con- tinuous distribution area, and Ligularia sibirica is considered a relic from the boreal climatic period. The species is included in the Red Data Book of Estonia in Category 1 (endangered), and since 1936 it has been legally protected. Since 1994, it has been strongly protected in Category I (Kukk Ü. 1999). In Estonia, there are three categories of species protection, consider- ing the degree and specific features of a pro- Fig. 2. The distribution of Ligularia sibirica (L.) tection regime. Cass. in Estonia. G existing localities Monitoring methods ✚ extinct localities The available information about the distribu- monitoring sites tion of Ligularia sibirica is based on the sources A, S, T, V signs of the monitoring sites 12 The distribution of Ligularia sibirica (L.) Cass. The sites were monitored with the interval of Ligularia sibirica has been found in 17 1 to 3 years. The habitat description includes UTM squares. If the minimum distance vegetation type, the coverage (in percent) of between two different subpopulations is deter- shrub and herb layers, the list of associated herb mined to be at least one km, 18 localities have species and their abundance on a 5-point scale, been found altogether. More than a half of them growth conditions, surrounding habitats, and have disappeared since 1969. At present, 8 sub- the sources of human impacts. The habitats populations are known, placed in six 10 × 10 were classified into site types according to the km squares (Fig. 2). Still existing sites of hierarchical classification of natural habitat Ligularia sibirica are located in eastern and types compiled by Paal (1997). Soil properties southern part of Estonia only, the distribution were estimated on the basis of Paal’s classifica- line goes in NE-SW direction through the main- tion (1997). Light conditions of habitats were land of Estonia. Approximately half of the estimated on visual basis. The habitats were localities have vanished and some of the pre- divided into open (no shade), semi-open (partial served ones are very small. shade) or closed (total shade). The area of population, the total number of Life cycle plants (when possible), and abundance in a com- The beginning of Ligularia sibirica vegeta- munity were the parameters recorded. The tion falls into the end of April or the beginning population size was counted at every monitor- of May, when a basal leaf rosette develops. The ing time (4 to 7 times) in four sites, and two flowering period starts in the middle of July and times in all localities. In the monitoring plot all lasts till the middle of August. The seeds ripen tussocks were counted, and coverage (in per- at the end of August or in September and spread cent) was estimated. The number and height of usually by wind. Distribution by animals is also generative shoots in tussock, the proportion of possible. The data of the seed germination abili- different life cycle stages (vegetative, genera- ty are different: according to our experience it tive, juveniles) were counted; the type and level was very low in open ground, and reached about of damages, and viability of plants were record- 50% in greenhouse conditions. Procházka and ed on a 3-point scale. The analyzed parameters Pivniãková (1999) have given much higher ger- were: the total number of specimens in every mination ability in the Czech Republic. subpopulation; the number of specimens in Vegetative reproduction is possible by rhizome a plot (100 m2); the proportion of flowering splitting, but it is ineffective because of its slow plants, vegetative adults and seedlings; the growth, which is about 6 mm per year (Sammul, number and height of flowering shoots in a tus- unpublished). At the same time, this could sock. In data analysis, the population indexes explain why Ligularia sibirica often grows in were calculated so that the first recorded esti- clumps from 2 to 5 perennial ramets. Ramifying mate has the value of 100, which the following of the rhizome is connected with flowering.