Mapping the flood-plain vegetation of the Lower Volga River

2000 ◽  
pp. 62-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. M. Novikova ◽  
I. S. Iljina ◽  
I. N. Safronova
Keyword(s):  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Salix Alba ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Lower Volga ◽  
Elytrigia Repens ◽  
Mapping Units

In the paper the legend for 8 vegetation maps of key polygons s. 1 : 200 000, compiled by unified method, is given. The maps characterize the state of vegetation cover in different parts of the Lower Volga River (Volga-Akhtuba flood-plain and delta) in the late 90th. The Volga-Akhtuba flood-plain is well-divided into 2 morphogenetic types: the river-side flood-plain and the inner (central) one. Delta consists of numerous islands separated by channels and is subdivided into 3 parts: upper, middle and lower ones. At the mapping of flood-plain vegetation it is important to reveal the spatial variations in vegetation cover connected with regime of inundation, topography elevation, structure of surface, ground water table. The generalized legend to all maps is constructed according to ecological-dynamic principle reflecting the composition and structure of vegetation cover. Large divisions correspond to differentiation of vegetation at the level of main topographic types of territory: A. Vegetation of flood-plain, Б. Vegetation of delta. The divisions of the next rank are: I. Vegetation of river-side flood-plain and II. Vegetation of the inner flood- plain. Within the delta the following division are distinguished: 1. Forest-shrub- meadow and riparian-aquatic vegetation; 2. Desert vegetation. Mapping units proper (marked by numerical indices) characterize the phytocoenotical and floristic composition of vegetation as well as different patterns of its spatial structure and dynamics among the different elevation levels and forms of relief. Construction of Data Bases (DB) at mapping process has its specific features. Map organizes and differentiates the process of collecting information itself. The main instrument in this process is the map legend and the contents of mapping units. The botanical-cartographical DB suggests storing already synthesized and classified information, presented in form of mapping types of geobotanical polygons along with indices of environmental factors. The flood-plain vegetation of the Lower Volga River is represented by forests, shrub thickets, meadows, and aquatic-riparian Herbaceous communities. The forests are restricted mainly to the inner gentle ridges flood-plain. Oak forests (Quercus robur) are characteristic of only northern part of the Lower Volga River occuring between city of Volgograd and Kapustin Yar settlement. Willow forests (Salix alba) are spread throughout the all Lower Volga River (from Volgograd down to the Caspian Sea). They predominate in delta. In the middle part of delta the groves of Elaeagnus angustifolia appear. The channel-side natural levers of the lower seaward part of delta are occupied by forests of Salix alba. Shrubs thickets are less characteristic of these habitats; Tamarix ramosissima should be mentioned which appears south of 48°N in Volga- Akhtuba flood-plain in the limits of the Northern desert subzone. Forests of Populus nigra are wide-spread in the Volga-Akhtuba flood-plain from city of Volgograd southward up to Selitrennoye village. However they occupy habitats of middle topographical level. The same level in the river-side flood-plain and delta shrub thickets occupy. They are formed mainly by willows — Salix triandra, S. viminalis, S. acutifolia. Meadow vegetation predominate in the Lower Volga valley. Vegetation of high topographic level is formed by meadows of Calamagrostis epigeios, Bromopsis inermis, Elytrigia repens. Meadows of the middle topographic level are represented by grass-sedge communities. Meadows of the low topographic level are formed by communities of Carex acuta, Eleocharis spp., Elytrigia repens, Phragmites australis, Butomus umbellatus. The riparian-aquatic vegetation is formed by the communities of Phragmites australis, Typha spp., Scirpus lacustris, Phalaroiodes arundinacea, Butomus umbellatus, Sagittaria sagittifolia, Sparganium ramosum along the shores of water bodies and on the bottoms of depressions. Communities-indicators of soils with high salt content are characteristic of delta vegetation. On the overmoistened islands, free of water for a short time, with the surface salinification, the communities of Aeluropus spp., Crypsis aculeata, Bolboshoenus maritimus, Suaeda confusa, Salicornia europaea, Cynodon dactylon are spread.

Reed (Phragmites australis agg.) dominated plant communities in the Lower Volga Valley

2015 ◽  
pp. 26-37
Author(s):  
V. B. Golub ◽  
V. V. Bondareva ◽  
A. N. Sorokin ◽  
L. F. Nikolaychuk
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Original Structure ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Lower Volga

Plant communities with reed domination (Phragmites australis agg.) occupy the large areas in the Lower Volga Valley and especially in the river delta. We have set the task to reveal the diversity of these communities in the Lower Volga Valley. For this purpose, we applied the database that is registered in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD) under the EU-RU–002 index (http://www.givd.info/) and includes 14871 relevés made during the period from 1924 to 2013. Communities with the dominance of reed were defined as such, if the coverage of this plant was more than 50 %. We have found 375 such relevés in the database. At first, one basal community, 3 associations and 3 subassociations with domination of Phragmites australis agg. were distinguished in the Lower Volga Valley. All processing and analysis of relevés were performed using the software package JUICE 7.0. (Tichý, 2002). The «Cocktail» method was applied to establish the sociological groups that indicate environmental conditions (Bruelheide, 2000). The expert system for selection from the database of relevés by means of these groups was created. It is allowed us to ascribe relevés to earlier distinguished associations, subassociations and basal community. 171 relevés have been identified by the expert system and they were assigned to association, subassociation or the basal community. 204 relevés were not referred to any association, subassociation or the basal community. We wanted to answer the question: are there among these 204 relevés, which could be interpreted as the new syntaxa, giving them the proper ecological characteristics? For this purpose, the cluster analysis of 204 relevés has been carried out. The optimal level of clustering was determined by calculating the index of “crispness of classification” (Botta-Dukát et al., 2005). The greatest “crispness of classification” was reached at allocation of 13 clusters. Consideration of the floristic composition of allocated groups had shown that 11 of them were the transitional plant communities among the earlier established syntaxa. Only two clusters were differed in rather original structure that we could explain by the influence of environment factors. We have identified them as new associations Rubio tataricae-Phragmitetum australis and Cynancho acuti-Phragmitetum australis. All associations with the dominance of Phragmites australis agg. distinguished in the Lower Volga Valley were included in the alliance Phragmition communis Koch 1926, order Phragmitetalia communis Koch 1926. In literary sources from the ecological point of view these syntaxa are defined as the wetland communities, which are closely linked to water bodies (Šumberová et al., 2011; Ermakov, 2012). However, in many cases this definition does not correspond to the ecology of plant communities with the dominance of reed in the lower reaches of the Volga River. Ecotops of these communities are flooded for up to 2–3 months in a year and then they dry out. In the autumn, the ground water level can drop to a depth of one meter (Golub et al., 2011). The plant satellites of the reed here are often mesophytic plants such as Rubus caesius, Calamagrostis epigeios, Phalaris arundinacea, Rubia tatarica, Althaea officinalis, and Rumex stenophyllus. Therefore, the inclusion of phytocoenosises with domination of the reed in the lower reaches of the Volga River in the alliance Phragmition communis is rather relative. A correct placement of these plant communities in the system of vegetation syntaxa of the arid areas can be made only if it is based on original data obtained from much bigger territory than the Lower Volga Valley. In future geobotanical studies, it is desirable to divide the aggregation of Phragmites australis agg. into smaller species taxa.

Showing the vegetation cover of flood-plains and river valleys on the Vegetation Map of Kazakhstan and middle Asia

1995 ◽  
pp. 58-66
Author(s):  
N. M. Kalibernova
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Vegetation Map ◽  
Flood Plains ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Ground Waters ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
River Valleys ◽  
Former Ussr

The fragment of the legend of the map concerning the vegetation of flood- plains and river-valleys in the subzones of northern and southern deserts is presented in the article. The map is compiled in Department of Vegetspon Geography and Cartography of Komarov Botanical Institute by a large team of botanists-geographers of the former USSR. The nature environments determining the development of vegetation of river-valleys in arid climate are conditioned by the intrazonal factors (alluvial and flood processes) at the background of natural zonal factors. Contrasts of environments and corresponding plant communities manifest themselves first of all. Mineralization of ground waters, salinity of soils, including the alluvial ones, are of essential importance. The practice of vegetation mapping of unstable habitats, to which floodplain landscapes belong, has shown that units of phytocoenological classification is of little use for this purpose. The heterogeneity of vegetation, consisting of short-term unstable serial communities generates a need for typification of space combinations of such phytocoenoses. For this purpose it is convenient to use generalized ecological-dinamic series, including plant communities of all levels within the limits of definite segment of valley. These series are the mapping units on the map. The vegetation of the first terrace is also nessecary to include in a single series with flood-plain vegetation because it has supplementary influence of ground waters. The higher divisions of the legend are based on zonal characters: vegetation of valleys in northern, middle and southern deserts. 13 numbers are used to show the vegetation cover of flood-plains and valleys. Additional 7 numbers are used for the out-of-valley meadow vegetation. The content is enriched by using of the letters by the numbers showing the geographic variants of series and ciphers for combination of series and out-of-series communities. The text legend is supplemented by the matrix (table), showing the subordination of subtitles, zonal position and geographic distribution of divisions. The types of series in the matrix are listed with indication of the main dominant species that gives the additional information on the legend divisions. The author's conclusion is that valley vegetation reveals clearly the zonal features, correlating with zonal (desert) vegetation.

Hydrological Regime of the Lower Volga River under Modern Conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 646-654
Author(s):  
O. V. Gorelits ◽  
G. S. Ermakova ◽  
P. N. Terskii
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Lower Volga

Quantification of Historical Changes of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Cover in Two Bays of Lake Ontario with Three Complementary Methods

2007 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Zhu ◽  
Dean G. Fitzgerald ◽  
Susan B. Hoskins ◽  
Lars G. Rudstam ◽  
Christine M. Mayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Historical Changes ◽  
Complementary Methods

scholarly journals Initial stages of two Neolithisation models in the Lower Volga basin

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 161-166
Author(s):  
Alexander Vybornov
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Volga Basin ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Production Economy ◽  
Volga River Basin ◽  
Lower Volga

In this paper, two groups of ancient sites located in the Lower Volga River basin are analysed. The first group is linked to the emergence of the oldest pottery in this region, which is one of the most ancient in Europe. The presence of this feature of the ‘Neolithic package’ can be dated to the middle of the 7th millenium BC. A production economy is a particular feature of the second group of sites, which can be dated to the end of the 6th millenium BC. This is one of the earliest pieces of evidence of the existence of domesticated species in Eastern Europe. These two groups of sites show the initial stages of two Neolithisation models in the Lower Volga basin.

scholarly journals Record of environmental and climatic changes in middle Pleistocene sediments from Łuków (eastern Poland) on the basis of plant macroremains analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Stachowicz-Rybka
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Mineral Matter ◽  
Cenococcum Geophilum ◽  
Trophic Conditions ◽  
Plant Macroremains ◽  
Betula Nana

Abstract Lacustrine sediments at the Łuków site bear a record of the Ferdynandovian interglacial, correlated with Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13-15, including two warm periods of interglacial rank (climatostratigraphic units Ferdynandovian 1 and 2) separated by cooling/glaciation (Ferdynandovian 1/2). On the basis of plant macroremains analysis, the type of local vegetation in the lake and its surroundings as well as changes in climate, trophic conditions and water level were reconstructed in detail. Ferdynandovian 1 was a time of development of tall sedge swamps. The presence of Najas marina and N. minor also suggests high levels of eutrophication, particularly in the younger part of the climatic optimum. The occurrence of Zannichellia palustris indicates habitats of variable water level and high salt content. In the terminocratic phase of Ferdynandovian 1, the communities showed the reoccurrence of Betula nana, B. humilis and Larix sp., the disappearance of thermophilous trees, and the intensification of succession processes linked to climate cooling. In the cool Ferdynandovian 1/2, Betula nana and Cenococcum geophilum increased their frequencies, most likely due to enhanced supply of mineral matter to the basin. During Ferdynandovian 2, the next climate warming of interglacial rank, communities of aquatic vegetation with the highest share of thermophilous taxa included the extinct Aldrowanda borysthenica, Brasenia borysthenica, and Scirpus atroviroides, as well as Cyperus glomeratus, a species not presently found in the flora of Poland. Another cooling in the Sanian 2 (Elsterian 2) glaciation is indicated by the development of peat communities, with numerous Carex sp., Menyanthes trifoliata, Eriophorum vaginatum, and Andromeda polifolia, accompanied by the extinct Carex paucifloroides, Caulinia macrosperma, and Potamogeton praemaackianus. The provided description of the Ferdynandovian succession includes taxa which are extinct, not found in the Polish flora nowadays, or characteristic of a climatic context. The identified species included Brasenia borysthenica, Aldrovanda borysthenica, Caulinia macrosperma, Potamogeton praemaackianus, Scirpus atroviroides, Cyperus glomeratus, Eleocharis praemaximoviczii, Nymphaea cinerea, and Ranunculus gailensis. It has not yet been resolved whether the flora of Łuków includes Euryale sp., a particularly important taxon.

scholarly journals Interactions between aquatic vegetation, hydraulics and fine sediment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish Biggs ◽  
Arman Haddadchi ◽  
Murray Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Hydraulic Resistance ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Fine Sediment ◽  
Suspended Sediment Transport ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Lowland Streams ◽  
Mechanical Removal

Aquatic vegetation, hydraulics and sediment transport have complex interactions that are not yet well understood. These interactions are important for sediment conveyance, sediment sequestration, phasing of sediment delivery from runoff events, and management of ecosystem health in lowland streams. To address this knowledge gap detailed field measurements of sediment transport through natural flexible aquatic vegetation are required to supplement and validate laboratory results. This paper contributes a field study of suspended sediment transport through aquatic vegetation and includes mechanical removal of aquatic vegetation with a weed cutting boat. It also provides methods to quantify vegetation cover through remote sensing with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and estimate biomass from ground truth sampling. Suspended sediment concentrations were highly dependent on aquatic vegetation abundance, and the distance upstream that had been cleared of aquatic vegetation. When the study reach was fully vegetated (i.e. cover >80%), the maximum recorded SSC was 14.6 g/m (during a fresh with discharge of 2.47 m/s), during weed cutting operations SSC was 76.8 g/m at 0.84 m/s (weedcutting boat 0.5-1 km upstream from study reach), however following weed cutting operations (4.6 km cleared upstream), SSC was 139.0 g/m at a discharge of 1.52 m/s. The data indicates that fine sediment was being sequestered by aquatic vegetation and likely remobilised after vegetation removal. Investigation of suspended sediment spatial dynamics illustrated changes in particle size distribution due to preferential settling of coarse particles within aquatic vegetation. Hydraulic resistance in the study reach (parameterized by Manning’s n) dropped by over 70% following vegetation cutting. Prior to cutting hydraulic resistance was discharge dependent, while post cutting hydraulic resistance was approximately invariant of discharge. Aerial surveying captured interesting changes in aquatic vegetation cover, where some very dense regions of aquatic vegetation were naturally removed leaving behind unvegetated riverbed and fine sediment.

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