Relationship between Species Richness, Biomass and Structure of Vegetation and Mycobiota along an Altitudinal Transect in the Polar Urals

Aboveground species richness patterns of vascular plants, aphyllophoroid macrofungi, bryophytes and lichens were compared along an altitudinal gradient (80–310 m a.s.l.) on the Slantsevaya mountain at the eastern macroslope of the Polar Urals (Russia). Five altitudinal levels were included in the study: (1) Northern boreal forest with larch-spruce in the Sob’ river valley habitats; (2–3) two levels of closed, northern boreal, larch-dominated forests on the slopes; (4) crook-stemmed forest; (5) tundra habitats above the timberline. Vascular plant or bryophyte species richness was not affected by altitudinal levels, but lichen species richness significantly increased from the river valley to the tundra. For aphyllophoroid macrofungi, species richness was highest at intermediate and low altitudes, and poorest in the tundra. These results indicate a positive ecotone effect on aphyllophoroid fungal species richness. The species richness of aphyllophoroid fungi as a whole was neither correlated to mortmass stocks, nor to species richness of vascular plants, but individual ecological or morphological groups depended on these parameters. Poroid fungal species richness was positively correlated to tree age, wood biomass and crown density, and therefore peaked in the middle of the slope and at the foot of the mountain. In contrast, clavarioid fungal species richness was negatively related to woody bio- and mortmass, and therefore peaked in the tundra. This altitudinal level was characterized by high biomass proportions of lichens and mosses, and by high litter mortmass. The proportion of corticoid fungi increased with altitude, reaching its maximum at the timberline. Results from the different methods used in this work were concordant, and showed significant patterns. Tundra communities differ significantly from the forest communities, as is also confirmed by nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analyses based on the spectrum of morphological and ecological groups of aphyllophoroid fungi.

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Two new Elachista species (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) from the Polar Urals region, Russia

Entomologica Fennica ◽

10.33338/ef.83948 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 219-223

Author(s):

Lauri Kaila

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

River Valley ◽

Ob River ◽

Polar Urals ◽

Diagnostic Characteristics ◽

Two New Species ◽

The Polar Urals

Two new species of Ehchista (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae) are described on the basis of material collected from the Sob River valley in the Polar Urals, and in the vicinity of Labytnangi on the shores of the Ob River: Elachista jaskai sp. n., which is assigned to fhe Elachista bifasciella group, and Elachista ripula sp. n., related to Elachista triatomea in the Elachista argentella group. E. ripula sp.n.is also reported from northern Finland. Diagnostic characteristics for the new species are given. Photographs of the habitus and genitalia are provided for the new species.

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VARIABILITY OF THE COMPOSITION AND RATIO OF VASCULAR PLANT LIFE FORMS IN ECOTONE COMMUNITIES OF THE UPPER BORDER OF WOODY VEGETATION IN THE POLAR URALS

Bulletin of Udmurt University. Series Biology. Earth Sciences ◽

10.35634/2412-9518-2020-30-1-5-17 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 5-17

Author(s):

N.I. Andreyashkina

Keyword(s):

Vascular Plants ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Floristic Composition ◽

Life Forms ◽

Polar Urals ◽

Plant Life Forms ◽

Plant Life ◽

Different Types ◽

Species Similarity ◽

The Polar Urals

For phytoindication of ecotopic conditions according to the degree of moisture and heat supply, full floristic composition was used in a number of communities and ecotopes within them. Different hydrothermal regimes of ecotopes underlie the distribution of life forms of vascular plants. The spatial heterogeneity of floristic diversity is largely due to a set of species of grassy life forms. Woody life forms are not numerous, but play a significant role in the structure of the vegetation cover. The species richness of communities naturally decreases during the transition from larch forests and woodlands to mountain tundras with single trees. At the same time, communities are largely similar in species composition, and the set of life forms is preserved, but the composition and ratio of different types of life forms change. The transition from smooth variability in the composition and ratio of life forms to markedly increased variability as a result of natural environmental factors is clearly visible, which is correspondingly reflected in a decrease in indicators of species similarity of communities.

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Mikroskopijne grzyby pasożytnicze w zbiorowiskach roślinnych Wyżyny Częstochowskiej [Phytoparasitic micromycetes in plant communities of the Wyżyna Częstochowska Upland]

Monographiae Botanicae ◽

10.5586/mb.2006.001 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 96 ◽

pp. 1-144

Author(s):

Małgorzata Ruszkiewicz-Michalska

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Species Composition ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Vascular Plants ◽

Host Plants ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Anamorphic Fungi ◽

Permanent Plots ◽

Biotic Factors ◽

Beech Forests

Mycosociological studies on microfungi parasitising vascular plants were carried out on 21 permanent observation plots in 5 phytocoenoses representing beech forests (Luzulo pilosae-Fagetum, Melico-Fagetum, Dentario enneaphyllidis-Fagetum, Carici-Fagetum) and xerothermic grassland (Origano-Brachypodietum pinnati) as well as using route method in other plant communities. The frequency of host plants and fungi occurring on permanent plots was estimated using 5-degree scale. The observations yielded in 478 fungal species belonging to Peronosporales (Oomycota), Dothideales, Erysiphales, Helotiales, Hypocreales, Mycosphaerellales, Phyllachorales, Pleosporales, Xylariales (Ascomycota), Uredinales, Microbotryales, Urocystales (Basidiomycota) and Hyphomycetes and Coelomycetes (anamorphic fungi), which were hosted by 301 species of vascular plants as well as by 19 taxa of Erysiphales and Uredinales. The predominanting group was anamorphic fungi (65% of species), especially members of Sphaeropsidales (39%). This group was however less dispersed on the study area than Uredinales and Erysiphales, which were represented by relatively small number of species. The results provided data on diversi- fied occurrence of fungi depending on abiotic (humidity, temperature, insolation) and biotic factors (e.g. density of host plant population) provided by plant communities. The differences concern species composition and richness of fungi, their distribution as well as frequency of hosts and parasites. In the case of members of Erysiphales, Moniliales and Peronosporales differences in phenology were also noted. The greatest species richness and distribution of the micromycetes was observed in Origano-Brachypodietum and the poorest were plots of Luzulo pilosae-Fagetum. Most frequently the parasites infected small percentage of the individuals in the population of the hosts (about 1%), which occurred with the lowest coverage (below 10%). This type of relationship between frequency of fungi and density of plants dominated in all of the studied phytocenoses. Sixty two species of fungi observed on Wyżyna Częstochowska Upland are new for Polish biota. They belong to anamorphic fungi, mainly to Phyllosticta (32 species) and Ascochyta (15).

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Potential forage plants for snow sheep (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz) in the Polar Urals within the Yamal‑Nenets Autonomous District (Russia)

VAVILOVIA ◽

10.30901/2658-3860-2020-3-10-36 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 10-36

Author(s):

E. G. Nikolin ◽

D. G. Medvedev ◽

I. M. Okhlopkov ◽

D. O. Zamyatin

Keyword(s):

Vascular Plants ◽

Distribution Area ◽

Main Role ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Food Ration ◽

Polar Urals ◽

Forage Plants ◽

Autonomous District ◽

Nenets Autonomous ◽

The Polar Urals

An examination of potential forage resources for snow sheep, or Siberian bighorn sheep (Ovis nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829) in the Polar Urals, where the introduction of these animals from their natural habitats in Northeastern Yakutia is planned, was carried out at the initiative of the Governor of the Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous District (Russian Federation). The mountain ranges of the Polar Urals have a high degree of similarity with the natural conditions prevailing within the area of the snow sheep, but in the historical past these ungulates were not recorded in the Polar Urals. Therefore, this experiment aimed at expanding the distribution area of snow sheep will involve some risks. In addition to other aspects of introduction, one of the most important is the sufficiency and compliance of the forage base in the new natural area to the snow sheep requirements. This issue is discussed in this publication. According to our observations and literature data, the diet of snow sheep in natural habitats includes 290 species of vascular plants, 21 species of mosses, 20 species of lichens, representatives of 6 genera of cap mushrooms. However, vascular plants, bushy lichens, and seasonal fungi, play the main role in the diet of snow sheep. Forage species of vascular plants belong to almost all of the Boreal region’s families that dominate in terms of diversity, i.e., Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Salicaceae, Betulaceae, Polygonaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae, Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Ericaceae, and Asteraceae. In fact, the snow sheep consume almost the entire range of plants growing within its habitat to one degree or another. This makes it possible to assume that in the Polar Urals, snow sheep will widely use the substituting species which are closely related to the known forage plants. The known food ration of snow sheep in the Polar Urals includes 157 species of vascular plants, 13 species and representatives of 5 genera of leaf‑stem mosses, more than 20 species of ground lichens, representatives of 3 genera (11 species in total) of epiphytic lichens and 6 genera of fungi. In addition, it is predicted that among the replacement plant species distributed in the Polar Urals, the potential forage resources for these animals will include 166 species of vascular plants, a significant part (up to 99 species) of the 358 known species leaf‑stem mosses, and more than 40 species of lichens. The frequency of occurrence and diversity of cap mushrooms in the Polar Urals is high, and can have a positive effect on the feeding of animals in summer and autumn.

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Uphill Shifts of Fungal Fruiting Due to Climate Change at the Polar Urals

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9091892 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1892

Author(s):

Anton G. Shiryaev

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Animal Species ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Fungal Species ◽

The Arctic ◽

Polar Urals ◽

Upward Displacement ◽

Fungal Nutrition ◽

Permafrost Thawing ◽

The Polar Urals

Due to the ongoing climatic changes in the Arctic, the ranges of many plants and animal species are rising higher into the mountains, into the treeline; however, such studies are rare for fungi. The 60-year fruiting dynamics of 66 species of Agaricomycetous macrofungi has been studied along the altitudinal transect located on the slope of Slantsevaya Mountain (Polar Urals, Russia). It has been found that the three basic trophic groups (mycorrhizal, saprobes on litter and soil, and saprobes on wood) fruit higher in the mountains. Additionally, for most of the studied species, a tendency towards upward displacement of fruiting was revealed. The rise in fruiting for saprobes on litter and soil was the most obvious. Mycorrhizal fungi associated with woody plants showed the least uplifting effect. Fungal species that were characterized by fruiting higher up the mountainside half a century ago show stronger upward shifts compared to species previously bearing fruit only at the mountain foot. Probably, such a reaction of the aboveground mycobiota is similar to the processes occurring in the soil, which are associated with an active increase in the decomposition rate of the litter, an increase in the depth of permafrost thawing, and a significant redistribution of the soil water balance. On the other hand, the rise of fungi is associated with an increase of plant biomass in the middle and upper parts, which are the most important sources of fungal nutrition.

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Using Vascular Plants as a Surrogate Taxon to Maximize Fungal Species Richness in Reserve Design

Conservation Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00202.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 1644-1652 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

ALESSANDRO CHIARUCCI ◽

FRANCESCA D'AURIA ◽

VINCENZO DE DOMINICIS ◽

ANGELA LAGANA ◽

CLAUDIA PERINI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Vascular Plants ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Reserve Design

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Aphyllophoroid fungi (Basidiomycota) in forests of the middle part of Luga River valley, Leningrad Oblast, Russia

Karstenia ◽

10.29203/ka.2017.482 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 57 (1-2) ◽

pp. 37-47

Author(s):

Sergey Volobuev ◽

Alexandra Arzhenenko

Keyword(s):

Middle Part ◽

River Valley ◽

Leningrad Oblast ◽

Aphyllophoroid Fungi

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New records of two species in the genus Pseudobaeospora (Basidiomycota, Agaricales) from Russia

Novosti sistematiki nizshikh rastenii ◽

10.31111/nsnr/2013.47.127 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 127-134

Author(s):

O. V. Morozova ◽

E. S. Popov

Keyword(s):

Type Species ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

New Records ◽

Line Drawings ◽

Polar Urals ◽

State Nature Reserve ◽

State Nature ◽

The Polar Urals

The paper describes two records of species of the genus Pseudobaeospora Singer emend. Bas. P. pillodii (Quel.) Wasser, collected in 2009 in the Teberda State Nature Reserve, was found before in Altai [reported as P. oligophylla (Singer) Singer, the type species of the genus], as well as in the Polar Urals. P. pyrifera is new to Russia. The descriptions are illustrated by line drawings and colour photographs.

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