AQUATIC AND MARSHY VEGETATION IN THE CENTER OF THE LOWER PLAIN OF SOMES RIVER: GENERAL CHARACTERISATION

Aiming to a larger study of vegetation of the lower Some Plain (Romania), this short paper summarises the outcome of the floristic inventories performed in aquatic and marshy vegetation, which was dominant in the area until about three centuries ago when the extended wetland drainage has started. By using the phytosociological method, 20 plant associations assigned to four vegetation classes were distinguished. Without presenting phytosociological tables at this first stage, the syntaxonomical framework, distribution and species composition of the revealed plant communities are briefly discussed by reference to the process of wetland drying and successional change as well as to newly formed anthropogenic lakes. The conservative value of some plant community types is emphasized by mentioning the presence of several endangered species that are included in the European-level Habitats Directive and various regional or national red lists/books.

The Colonization of a Cold Spring Ecosystem by the Invasive Species Potamopyrgus Antipodarum (Gray, 1843) (Gastropoda: Tateidae) (Southern Poland)

Springs are unique aquatic environments that support specific biota, including endemic species and rare species listed in Red Lists. Due to their usually small size, springs are highly sensitive to disturbance. Many of them are threatened by aquifer depletion, contamination, surface-water diversion, livestock trampling, recreation, and invasive species. The aim of this study was to assess the colonization success of the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in a cold spring ecosystem in southern Poland. In Europe, this species has recently been added to the top “hundred worst” alien species due to its impact on invaded ecosystems. The study was carried out in two areas of the spring ecosystem—in the springhead and the springbrook—over a four-year period. Potamopyrus antipodarum dominated the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in both areas of the spring ecosystem. Nevertheless, its abundance in the springbrook was significantly greater, and increased noticeably during subsequent years compared to that in the springhead. The populations of P. antipodarum were exclusively composed of females. Smaller-sized New Zealand mudsnails were more abundant near the spring’s source than at the second site. The females at the springhead became fecund at sizes as small as 3.7 mm (the number of embryos was between 0 and 37), while at the springbrook, embryos were found in snails as small as 3.4 mm (the number of embryos was between 0 and 42). Our results suggest that the lower water temperature at the springhead may limit the population size of P. antipodarum, thus making its density too low to be able to affect the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates, including the spring snail Bythinella cf. austriaca.

Lichens of swamp complexes of Sakhalin Island (Sakhalin Region, Russian Far East)

This paper presents the results of the study of lichen flora in swamp complexes of Sakhalin Island, obtained during expeditionary research in 2005–2009 and 2014–2020. The revealed species composition of lichens includes 172 species. The 28 of them are new for Sakhalin and 93 are new for the island swamp complexes. Bryocaulon pseudosatoanum is included in the regional and federal Red lists. Lecidea nylanderi is new to the south of the Far East. The information about substrates, habitats and locations is given for all species. The data on the distribution in the south of the Far East and, in some cases for all Far East, are listed for selected species that are new for Sakhalin Island and the south of the Far East. For the first time, a characteristic of the distribution of lichens in oligotrophic, eutrophic and mesotrophic bogs of Sakhalin Island is given.

On the conservation of fungi

The article is devoted to the actual problem of conservation of biological diversity in the modern world. The basic principles and specific approaches to the protection of macromycetes as organisms that are difficult in qualitative and quantitative accounting due to the peculiarities of biology and life cycle have been studied. Domestic and global trends and practices in the field of protecting the species diversity of agaricoid fungi as a component of any ecosystem are discussed. The information on the features of regional fungal diversity detection, rare and threatened species for inclusion into the Red lists of various levels as well as on determining the boundaries of fungal populations, including using barcoding methods is provided. It is noted that for the organization of specially protected natural areas, it is necessary to specify and substantiate the changes in the status of separate species, to identify key areas with specific and typical mycological complexes. The idea that the system of mushroom protection should be integrated into the general system of nature protection is substantiated. Along with the protection of rare and endangered fungi species in their typical habitats (nature reserves, nature parks, wildlife areas, etc.), priority directions for preserving the gene pool of fungi in scientific collections and ex situ banks are described. Live mycelial cultures of fungi can be used for the development of new resistant populations by the reintroduction of rare and endangered species, as well as for the production of fungal metabolites useful for humans. There has been also discussed the problem of improving the effectiveness of protective measures through the digitalization of information systems: free and open access to the data on the endangered fungi species through the development of specialized computer databases, websites and unified information banks.

Conservation Status of Milkcaps (Basidiomycota, Russulales, Russulaceae), with Notes on Poorly Known Species

Mycological conservation has finally come of age. The increasingly recognized crucial role played by fungi in ecosystem functioning has spurred a wave of attention toward the status of fungal populations across the world. Milkcaps (Lactarius and Lactifluus) are a large and widespread group of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes; besides their ecological relevance, many species of milkcaps are of socio-economic significance because of their edibility. We analysed the presence of milkcaps in fungal Red Lists worldwide, ending up with an impressive list of 265 species assessed in various threat categories. Lactarius species are disproportionally red-listed with respect to Lactifluus (241 versus 24 species). Two species of Lactarius (L. maruiaensis and L. ogasawarashimensis) are currently considered extinct, and four more are regionally extinct; furthermore, 37 species are critically endangered at least in part of their distribution range. Several problems with the red-listing of milkcaps have been identified in this study, which overall originate from a poor understanding of the assessed species. Wrong or outdated nomenclature has been applied in many instances, and European names have been largely used to indicate taxa occurring in North America and Asia, sometimes without any supporting evidence. Moreover, several rarely recorded and poorly known species, for which virtually no data exist, have been included in Red Lists in some instances. We stress the importance of a detailed study of the species of milkcaps earmarked for insertion in Red Lists, either at national or international level, in order to avoid diminishing the value of this important conservation tool.

Effective reassessments of freshwater fish species: a case study in a Mediterranean peninsula

IUCN Red List assessments for fish species can quickly become out of date. In recent years molecular techniques have added new ways of obtaining information about species distribution or populations. In this work, we propose the Iberian Peninsula as an example of reassessment needs in its endangered freshwater fish fauna. We compiled the list of freshwater fish species occurring in continental Spain and Portugal and examined their conservation status in global and national Red Lists. We retrieved records for these species in the Iberian Peninsula and calculated several biological indexes (richness and vulnerability indexes). Our results showed a patchy data coverage of fish records in the Iberian Peninsula. Threat levels reported within national Red Lists are higher than their global counterparts, reinforcing the necessity of improving and maintaining up to date national Red Lists. Iberian watersheds have moderate levels of threat and high levels of out of date assessments. The nearly fully completed genetic databases for Iberian fish species, along with the limited distribution of many endangered species and the necessity of update their assessments constitute an excellent opportunity to use data obtained from eDNA to improve species monitoring practices and their conservation status.

The speckled ground squirrel (Spermophilus suslicus) in Belarus: new localities, old threats, and prospects of conservation

The study was carried out as part of the project "Superrodent" and is devoted to the description of new record localities of the spotted ground squirrel (Spermophilus suslicus s. l.) discovered by the authors during 2019–2020. It is one of the rarest species of rodents and mammals in the fauna of Belarus in general. This species suffers from anthropogenic changes in the environment and its agricultural development and to ensure its protection it is listed in a number of ‘red lists’, including the IUCN Red List and the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus (since 2015). The search for ground squirrel habitats was carried out in two stages. The first included the analysis of the literature on already known localities and biotope preferences, including cartographic data to identify promising areas to search for. The second stage provides a direct survey of prospective sites, their photo documentation and a detailed description. In total, nine new habitats of the species were identified within four administrative districts of Minsk Oblast of Belarus: Nesvizh Raion (4), Stowbtsy Raion (1), Baranivka Raion (1) and Kapyl Raion (2). In addition, an inspection of the sites previously identified by the authors revealed that some of them have already disappeared or are in critical state, the reason for which is primarily the land ploughing. In fact, today there are only six viable suslik settlements in Belarus. All of them are confined to elevated areas of the Kopyl ridge, which is located in the northern part of the Continental biogeographic region. Most of the surviving colonies are not large and consist of a few dozen to 150 living burrows. The number of the only large colony (Yushevichi) is estimated at 10 to 11 thousand individuals. All other inhabited colonies are located at a distance as far as 6 km from the Yushevichi colony. In other regions of Belarus, despite searches, ground squirrels are currently not found. The key threats to the species' existence are the ploughing of colonies and the overgrowth of tall grasses and trees and shrubs. In our opinion, for the long-term preservation of the species in the country, it is necessary to establish an appropriate protection regime (management), as well as the implementation of comprehensive monitoring: monitoring of threats, successions of plant communities, and the state of ground squirrel populations. Suggestions for protection and further monitoring of locations are given. Among other initiatives, the authors sent proposals to local authorities on granting protection status to areas with settlements of ground squirrels.