Botanica Pacifica. A journal of plant science and conservation. 2017. 6(1): 3–12 DOI: 10.17581/bp.2017.06101 Invasive species in Kamchatka: distribution and communities Larisa M. Abramova 1, Olga A. Chernyagina 2, Elizaveta A. Devyatova 3* Larisa M. Abramova 1 ABSTRACT e­mail: [email protected] This paper presents information about the distribution of invasive plant species Olga A. Chernyagina 2 in the Kamchatka Peninsula and the communities formed by these species in e­mail: [email protected] the urban areas. Some of these species are from the "black list" of invasive Elizaveta A. Devyatova 3* plants of Russia and some plants are usual for central Russia. These species were e­mail: [email protected] introduced to the Kamchatka Peninsula and actively spread over the urban area in recent years. We assign communities with the dominance of the species under study to 2 classes of vegetation: Galio-Urticetea and Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. The 1 Botanical Garden­Institute of the paper presents the prodromus of vegetation communities with the dominance of Ufa Scientific Centre of the Russian Aca­ the invasive species and a brief description of the syntaxa. The invasive species demy of Sciences, Ufa, 450080, Russia successfully invade synanthropic habitats, including the natural communities. It is 2 Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Institute necessary to observe their ecological status and find ways to prevent their further of Geography FEB RAS, Petropavlovsk­ spread in the Kamchatskii Krai. Kamchatskii, 683000, Russia Keywords: Kamchatka, synanthropic vegetation, alien plants, invasive species, invasion focal points 3 Vitus Bering Kamchatka State University, Petropavlovsk­ Kamchatskii, 683032, РЕЗЮМЕ Russia Абрамова Л.М., Чернягина О.А., Девятова Е.А. Инвазионные виды Кам чатки: распространение и сообщества. В статье представлены све­ * corresponding author дения о распространении инвазионных видов растений на полуострове Кам чатка и их сообществах, формирующихся в населенных пунктах. Среди них есть как виды из «черного списка» инвазионных растений России, так и обыч ные для средней полосы России растения, являющиеся заносными на Кам чатке и активно заселяющие городскую территорию в последние годы. Manuscript received: 25.09.2016 Опи санные сообщества с доминированием данных видов охарактеризованы Review completed: 17.04.2017 как дериватные и отнесены к 2 классам растительности: Galio-Urticetea и Mo li- Accepted for publication: 05.05.2017 nio-Arrhenatheretea. Представлен продромус растительных сообществ с до ми­ Published online: 07.06.2017 нированием изучаемых видов и дана краткая характеристика выделенных син таксонов. Инвазионные виды не только успешно распространяются по синантропным местообитаниям, но и имеют тенденцию к внедрению в ес­ тественные сообщества, поэтому в дальнейшем необходим мониторинг их со стояния, а также поиск путей сдерживания их дальнейшего распространения по Камчатскому краю. Ключевые слова: Камчатка, синантропная растительность, заносные виды, инвазионные виды, очаги инвазии The previous examination of synanthropic flora of the Arctium tomentosum Mill. They include both species of Rus­ Kamchatka was only fragmentary and now requires an ove­ sia’s invasive plants “Black List” (Vinogradova et al. 2015) rall inventory. Some alien species actively spread due to the and the plants of the temperate zone of Russia. development of housing construction, road networks and transport systems (Devyatova et al. 2015). Among them MATERIAL AND METHODS there are problematic invasive species. These species pro­ The Kamchatskii Krai is a federal entity of the Russian duce numerous progenies, spread over the region and often Federation. It occupies the territory of the Kamchatka Pe­ in vade into natural habitats. We started the examination of nin sula with the continental adjacent part of the mainland, the urban areas of Petropavlovsk­Kamchatskiy and other Ka raginsky island and Commander Islands. The admin­ settlements in 2012. This paper presents data concerning istrative center is the city of Petropavlovsk­Kamchatskiy; the communities formed by some alien species: Heracleum with a po pulation of about 180 000 people. sosnowskyi Manden., Impatiens glandulifera Royle, Symphytum Petropavlovsk­Kamchatskiy stretches along 25 km of cau casicum Bieb., Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., Reynoutria sachali- the eastern coast of Avacha Bay which is a part of the nen sis (Fr. Schmidt) Nakai, Tussilago farfara L., Vicia cracca L., Pacific Ocean (53°01′ N 158°39′ E). The city has a strong ©Botanical Garden-Institute FEB RAS. 2017 3 Abramova et al. mountai nous relief ranging from 0 to 380 m a.s.l. The ter­ We pre sent the prodromus of vegetation communities with ritory of Petropavlovsk ­Kamchatskiy covers the eastern the dominance of the invasive species and short description coastal sub­region and has a maritime climate with excess of the revealed syntaxa below. humidity. In tensive cyclonic activity is the basic climate­ Class GALIO–URTICETEA Passarge ex Kopecký 1969 forming process especially during autumn and winter (Kon­ Derivative communities: dratyuk 1983). The average annual temperature is +2.1°C. – Heracleum sosnowskyi [Galio­Urticetea] The average daily tempe rature in January is ­8.7°C, in Au­ – Reynoutria sachalinensis [Galio­Urticetea] gust – +14°C. The active growth period of vegetation lasts – Symphytum caucasicum [Galio­Urticetea] from the 22nd of May to the 14th of October. The average – Tussilago farfara [Galio­Urticetea/Polygono are­ annual precipitation is 1300 mm with 56% during winter. nast ri­Poёtea annuae] The number of days with snow cover is 177 with an aver­ – Arctium tomentosum [Galio­Urticetea] age maximum height of snow cover of 136 cm. – Impatiens glandulifera [Galio­Urticetea] Since 2012, we observed the territories of Petropavlovsk­ Kam chat skiy, Yelizovo, Vilyuchinsk and 9 villages: Para­ Class MOLINIO-ARRHENATHERETEA R.Tx 1937 tunka, Apa cha, Sosnovka, Esso, Anavgay, Klyuchi, Ivashka, Order Arrhenatreretalia R.Tx 1937 Palana and Ossora. Alliance Cynosurion R.Tx 1947 For the investigation of Petropavlovsk­Kamchatskiy Derivative communities: ter ri tory, we made geobotanical survey of synanthropic – Lupinus polyphyllus [Molinio­Arrhenatheretea] com mu nities formed by alien species and obtained 66 rele­ – Vicia cracca [Molinio­Arrhenatheretea] vés. We estimated the abundance of species according to the Braun­Blanquet scale as follows: r – the occurrences Derivate community Heracleum sosnowskyi [Galio-Urticetea] (Table 1, cluster 1) of species are single, the cover­abundance rating is insig­ Sosnovsky hogweed is one of the most aggressive inva­ nificant; + – the species occurs rarely, the cover­abundance sive species of the European part of Russia (Vinogradova rating is low; 1 – the number of the species is high but the et al. 2010, 2015). It is one of priority targets for research cover­abundance rating is low, up to 5 %; 2 – the cover is and control (Dgebuadze 2014), because it is a serious threat 5–25 %; 3 – the cover is 25–50 %; 4 – the cover is 50–75 %; to ecosystems. 5 – the cover is more than 75 %. The constancy of species Initially, Sosnowsky hogweed was introduced into Kam­ in the communities was estimated according to five­grade chat ka as a silage crop. In 1985 thickets of H. sosnowskyi scale: I – 1–20 %; II – 21–40 %; III – 41–60 %; IV – 61– appeared on the experimental plots of Kamchatka Agricul­ 80 %; V – 81–100 %. tural Research Station in Sosnovka. Moreover, H. sosnowskyi For plant identification we used “A field guide to vas­ nowa days covers extensive areas of lawns and grows on cular plants of Kamchatka region” (1981), “Vascular plants heated soils near the thermal pools, wells and pipelines of the Soviet Far East” (Kharkevich 1985­1996). The taxo­ of the Paratunka resort area in Yelizovsky district. We re­ nomic names follow Cherepanov (1995). corded the focal point of invasion of Sosnovsky hogweed We preceded the relevés in accordance with the prin­ in Petropavlovsk­Kamchatskiy in 2010 near the pipeline in ciples of ecological­floristic classification (Braun­Blanquet “Seroglazka” district (Chernyagina & Strecker 2012). The 1964) with the application of the deductive method of plants reach a height of 3.5–4.0 m, have good vitality and Kopečky­Hejny (Kopečky 1974). This allowed us to classi­ abundant fruiting. Nowadays we note an active expansion fy depau pe rate, seral and derivative (replacement) commu­ of Sosnovsky hogweed about the territory of the city. The nities with the participation of alien species. This method species forms monodominant thickets of 2–3 m height in has been often used in Russia in recent years for the clas­ the district of “Seroglazka”, “The 6th kilometer”, “The 4th sification of va rious communities with invasive plant spe­ kilometer”, “Horizon” spreading across wastelands and cies (Bulokhov et al. 2008, 2011, Abramova 2011a, 2015, along road­sides (Abramova et al. 2014). Native species He- Golovanov & Abramova 2012, Abramova et al. 2013, Pan­ racleum lanatum Michx. do not achieve such a height and bio­ asenko et al. 2013, Arepjeva 2015). mass in similar habitats. It is possible that in the urban area We included relevés into the database of TURBOVEG H. sosnowskyi could eventually displace the native H. lanatum. (Hen nekens 1995) and processed with an aid of the Juice Composition. H. sosnowskyi dominates in the commu­ program (Tichy 2002). nity and forms practically monodominant thickets. Species of the class Galio-Urticetea mainly occur in the community.