Vegetation of Udyl Federal Nature Reserve (Lower Priamurie)

Abstract

Purpose: Inventory of the vegetation and creation of the map-scheme of the vegetation of Udyl nature sanctuary. Materials and methods: The title has been written on basis of 2014-2019 field work research data, remotely-sensed data and digital terrain model. During field work researching the methods of the estimation by indicator plots and line description of vegetation were used. Results and discussions: The map-scheme of vegetation was presented in this article for Udyl federal nature sanctuary compiled for this territory for the first time. Scale 1:500 000. The map shows general types of vegetation distribution in the sanctuary. Nature sanctuary vegetation includes East-Siberian, Okhotsk-Kamchatka and Manchurian floral forms. On basis of the map we found out that forest vegetation of the sanctuary occupies 25 % of its area and grows in the low-mountain part of the sanctuary and along rivers. Forest fire during last years in a row caused great damage to the sanctuary’s territory. That’s why radical and derivative hemlock forests (11 % of the sanctuary’s area) and second-growth birch and aspen forests (10 %) predominate here. Hemlock forests include 3 forest types – grassy, mountain-shrubby, and swamp ledum ones. Second-growth small-leaved forest includes 2 forest types – small reed and sedge ones. Mountain-shrubby hemlock forests include rare vascular plant species for the sanctuary. Zonal fir forests grow in small groups (1,5 %) and form green moss, grass green moss, and green moss ferny forest types. Intrazonal valley osier-beds (2 %), mixed coniferous-broad-leafed forests, and poplar forests (2 %) occupy small area. The mixed coniferous-broad-leafed and poplar forests have large floristic diversity. They consist trees with good bonitet – Populus maximowiczii. Sagebrush-reedgrass and sedge oakeries grow rarely in the sanctuary. They occupy top sites of steep adret slopes and steep rocky slopes facing the lake Udyl’. Meadow boggy vegetation grows throughout the territory (49 %) and covers its low-land part. It consists of vegetation of high moor heath dwarf shrub bogs (36 %) and reedgrass, sedge-reedgrass, and sedge meadows which often go into grassy bogs (13 %). High moor bog’s vegetation covers terraces above flood-plain with argillaceous deposits. Grass meadow’s and bog’s vegetation covers floodplain of rivers which disgorge their waters into Udyl’ lake. Less than 1 % of the sanctuary’s area is shrub, rock, aquatic, and temporary sand bar’s vegetation. Conclusion: The vegetation of Udyl sanctuary is characterised by poor floristic composition and plant aggregation. The vegetation of Udyl sanctuary is typical for Lower Priamurie.