Baikalsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve and its buffer zone: floristic data

Baikalsky State Nature Biosphere Reserve is situated in the central part of the Khamar-Daban Range (Southern Baikal, Siberia), in three administrative districts of Republic of Buryatia (i.e. Kabansky District, Dzhidinsky District and Selenginsky District), Russia. In general, this territory has been relatively well studied by botanists, but until now there was no detailed information about the flora of the Reserve with precise geographic localities. Moreover, some records in the Baikalsky Reserve's flora were published without references to documenting herbarium specimens. The dataset contains 39,238 unique occurrences of 875 taxa (854 species, 14 subspecies, five varieties and two species aggregates) from the Baikalsky Reserve and its buffer zone. All the data were acquired during the field studies by the author in 2009–2021, when 152 taxa (17.3% of all the taxa included into the dataset) were first recorded by the author from the study area. Herbarium vouchers are preserved in the Moscow University Herbarium (MW). This dataset is the first attempt at creating a database of vascular plants of the Baikalsky Reserve and its buffer zone, based on modern research. These data will provide the background for the updated check-list of the Baikalsky Reserve's flora.

A record of Botrychium lanceolatum (S. G. Gmel.) Ångstr., a new species for the flora of the middle zone of European Russia from Kostroma Region

The article reports on a find of a new plant native to the flora of central European Russia – Botrychium lanceolatum (S. G. Gmel.) Ångstr., which was discovered during a survey of a 60-year-old clearcut in the course of floristic work on the territory of M. G. Sinitsyn “Kologrivskiy Les” State Nature Reserve (the Kostroma Region). Collection and determination were carried out by the author of the article I. G. Krinitsyn. For the Kostroma Region, the species was not indicated in any floristic checklist. Herbarium specimens of the aboveground part of the sporophyte are kept in the Herbarium of the Kostroma State University and the “Kologrivskiy Les” State Nature Reserve Herbarium, as well as transferred to the Herbarium of the Altai State University (ALTB). B. lanceolatum is a relict species of the forest zone of the Holarctic with a fragmented range mainly in the subarctic, northern temperate zone and in the mountains of the warm temperate zone of Eurasia and North America. In Russia, it is sporadically found in the forest zone from the Murmansk and Leningrad Regions to Kamchatka and Sakhalin, inclusively; it enters the Arctic on the Chukchi Peninsula. The species is rare throughout its range; the populations are represented by single individuals. It is included in many regional Red Data Books of the Russian Federation. B. lanceolatum became the fifth species of the Botrychiaceae Nakai family in the pteridoflora of the Kostroma Region (and the middle zone of European Russia as a whole). In the Kostroma Region, the species is located on the extreme southern border of the range in the middle zone of the European part of Russia. The population of B. lanceolatum at the time of the discovery was represented by 4 individuals in different ontogenetic states. The data on the new location and phytocenotic conditions of growth of the species are given; a brief morphological description and information on the dynamics of the population are presented.

Vascular plant occurrences in grasslands of Central Forest Nature Reserve (Russia): a dataset

Here we present the sampling event dataset that contributes to studying the flora of grasslands in Central Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve (part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves), Tver Oblast, Russia. The Reserve is located in the SW part of the Valdai Upland within the main Caspian-Baltic watershed of the Russian plain (Latitude: 56° 26' – 56° 39' N, Longitude: 32° 29' – 33° 01' E). The territory of Central Forest Reserve belongs to the subzone of subtaiga. The dataset includes the occurrences of vascular plant species in four types of grasslands from 209 vegetation plots (8,506 associated occurrences), collected in 2013-2014. The dataset described in this paper has never been published before. As the grasslands in Central Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve are relatively unstudied, we are providing a new comprehensive dataset on the vascular plant species occurrences in the grasslands of the Reserve. The dataset contains representative information on floristic composition of plant communities in localities with assigned GPS coordinates. As the vegetation of the Reserve is typical of the subtaiga subzone, the results of analysing this dataset can be useful for grassland management in the whole subtaiga subzone. During this study, we found one vascular plant species included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, three species from the Red Data Book of Tver Oblast, as well as 10 alien vascular plant species for the Reserve. These data, especially, the occurrences of protected and alien species, contribute to our knowledge of species composition of the grasslands of the Reserve.

Biodiversity of a boreal mire, including its hydrographic network (Shichengskoe mire, north-western Russia)

The paper is based on the dataset whose purpose was to deliver, in the form of GBIF-mediated data, diverse materials on the biodiversity of a large mire, Shichengskoe mire (Vologda Region, north-western Russia), including its various mire sites and intra-mire water bodies. The dataset was based on our materials collected for two decades (from 2000 to 2021) in different parts and biotopes of the Shichengskoe mire and complemented by scarce data obtained previously by other researchers. The data contain materials on the diversity of Animalia (2886 occurrences), Bacteria (22), Chromista (256), Fungi (111), Plantae (2463) and Protozoa (131). Within the study period, the most detailed and long-term biodiversity studies were carried out for higher plants and invertebrates. On the other hand, the data on the composition of lichens, protozoa, algae, basidiomycetes, some groups of invertebrates and, to a lesser extent, lichens and vertebrates are far less comprehensive and require further substantial research efforts. The list includes occurrences from both the peatland (mire sites and mire margins different in typology) and the objects of the mire hydrographic network. In a standardised form, this article summarises both already published (mainly in Russian) and unpublished materials. The paper summarises the results of long-term research on the biodiversity of a boreal mire, including its hydrographic network. A total of 5869 occurrences were included in the dataset published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, gbif.org) for the first time. According to the GBIF taxonomic backbone, the dataset covers 1358 taxa, including 1250 lower-rank taxa (species, subspecies, varieties, forms) and 108 taxa identified to the genus level. Several species found in the Shichengskoe mire, mainly belonging to Bacteria, Chromista and Protozoa, have never been listed in GBIF for the territory of Russia before. The overwhelming majority of occurrences and identified species came from the territory of Shichengskiy Landscape Reserve. Due to our work, this Reserve is now the most studied regional reserve in the Vologda Region with respect to biodiversity. By the number of revealed species, it is close to two federal protected areas: Darwinskiy State Nature Biospheric Reserve and National Park "Russkiy Sever".

ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF THE REPUBLIC OF MORDOVIA, RUSSIA

The biodiversity conservation is based on our knowledge of the complete composition of plants and animals within a certain area. In this paper, we present data of biodiversity research in the Republic of Mordovia (European Russia). The obtained results are reflected in six vascular plant found for the first time in the studied region. Of them, four alien taxa (Philadelphus coronarius, Rosa x majorugosa, Spiraea japonica, Syringa josikaea) are known only in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve now. This underlines the need paying our attention to alien plants that escape into the wild (naturalize) in the least disturbed ecosystems of this Protected Area. The Urtica galeopsiifolia distribution needs to be clarified in more details because of its similarity to the widely known Urtica dioica. Thus, a majority of the species under discussion are alien plants considered as cultivated plants escaping in the wild. Taking into account the newly revealed species, the vascular plant flora of the Republic of Mordovia currently includes 1,472 species. In this study, we propose the continuing the study of man-made habitats in terms of accidentally or intentionally introduced alien species, as well as the searching of hidden taxa, such as Urtica galeopsiifolia found in this study.

First data on plasmodial slime moulds (Myxomycetes = Myxogastrea) of Rdeysky Nature Reserve (Novgorod Region, Russia)

The results of the first study of the species diversity of myxomycetes of the Rdeysky State Nature Reserve are presented. The 201 field specimens of sporophores belonging to 56 morphospecies from 27 genera, ten families, and six orders were collected from September 30 to October 5, 2020. Fifty-two species of these were new for the Novgorod Region. The most common species at the reserve were Arcyria affinis, Hemitrichia calyculata, Lycogala epidendrum, Metatrichia vesparia, Physarum album, Trichia decipiens, and T. varia. Additionally, detailed morphological descriptions of two rare species Amaurochaete trechispora and Trichia crateriformis are given.

THE STATE OF THE ICHTHYOFAUNA AND FACTORS AFFECTING FISH POPULATIONS OF THE LAKES OF THE KORGALZHYN STATE NATURE RESERVE

The results of the cadastral survey of 4 reservoirs located on the territory of the Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve are presented. The assessment of the main biological characteristics of living fish is given: size, weight composition, linear and weight growth rate. In total, 15 species of fish from 5 families were found in the surveyed reservoirs in 2016-2020. The carp family is most widely represented in the reservoirs of the national park, 9 species are noted, the loach, pike and stickleback families are represented by 1 species, perch — 3 species. According to the results of research fishing, it was found that in the lakes of the Korgalzhynsky SNR, the organization of reclamation fishing in the form of total trapping and research fishing is necessary in 2021.

Species composition of mosses of wetland ecosystems of the Bolonsky Reserve

This paper presents the data on the moss species diversity in wetlands of the Bolonsky State Nature Reserve. The spectrum includes 45 species from 18 genera, 15 families and 5 orders belonging to Polytrichopsida, Bryopsida and Sphagnopsida classes. The Polytrichopsida class includes 3 species, Bryopsida - 19 species and Sphagnopsida - 23 species. The most numerous in species composition was the Sphagnaceae family.