Ecological features of formation of landfill vegetation in Lviv Region (Ukraine)

Abstract

Purpose. Determination of the ecological features of the process of formation of vegetation cover on landfills in Lviv region by analysing the floristic composition of ecotopes of different stages of restoration succession. Methodology. Phytoindication of ecological parameters based on ecological data of landfill vegetation; Data Mining methods; multidimensional coordination of plants based on Principle Component Analysis; statistical processing of ecotope data. Findings. The phytoindicative assessment of habitat conditions of 5 ecological and coenotic groups and 16 subgroups of plant species from different ecotopes of landfills in Lviv region was carried out by six parameters: L – illumination, T – thermal regime, K – continentality, F – moisture regime, R – acidity, N – nitrogen content, points. The main regularity of ecotope formation at landfills in Lviv Region is the following structure of relationships between environmental parameters: with an increase in soil humidity, nitrogen content and soil pH, the indicators of illumination, temperature and continental climate decrease. The ecological equivalent of the increase in anthropogenic load in the conditions of landfill ecotopes is the increase in illumination, thermal regime, climate continentality, and nitrogen content. The ecological and coenotic space of the vegetation cover of landfills in Lviv region can be represented as a quadrangle, in the centre of which there are ruderal communities of the Chenopodietea class, communities of nitrified meadows on the banks of water bodies of the Agrostietea stoloniferae class and meadow communities of the Molinio-Arrhenatheretea class, and in the corners 1) communities of aquatic class Lemnetea, marsh class Phragmitetea and ruderal vegetation on waterlogged substrates of class Bidentetea; 2) communities of non-moral forest vegetation of class QuereoFagetea; 3) steppe communities of class Festuco-Brometea; 4) ruderal vegetation of class Artemisietea. Originality. The ecological and coenotic space of landfills in Lviv region was assessed on the basis of the arrangement of vascular plants along the axes of complex ecological gradients. The results show that ruderal and meadow species occupying the central part of the territory are the most resistant to landfill conditions. The most vulnerable are steppe and hydrophilic vegetation located on the periphery of the general vegetation space of the landfill. Practical value. Knowing the ecological parameters of flora species, it is possible to determine their position in the ecological and coenotic space of the landfill vegetation cover and predict their stability and dynamics