Plants and lichens from the Kiy Island in the Herbarium of the Ukrainian National Forestry University (LWFU)

• Main Author: Tetyana Prykladivska
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ukrainian National Forestry University 2020-06-01
• Series: Наукові праці Лісівничої академії наук України
• Subjects: kiy archipelago; white sea; scotch pine rocks forest; boreal and hypoarctic flora; herbarium samples

Kiy Island is an island at the Onega Bay of the White Sea, 8 km off shore, 15 km off the town Onega. Coordinates: 64°00′N; 37°52′E. The island is the massive of the granite rocks. Geomorphology and climate of island, especially proximity to Arctic Circle caused the peculiarity of its nature complexes. The greater part of the island territory is covered by Scotch pine forest. The author visited the Kiy Island in July 1984 with aim to describe the forest biocenoses. As a result the composition of forest lichens, mosses, herbage and shrub age were described. Some forest associations were defined and predominance species were collected. The most wide-spread forest associations of Kiy Island are: Pinetum cladinosum petraeum, Myrtillus-Calluna-Cladina-Typ, Pinetum empetrosum petraeum, Cladino-Pinetum subass. polytrichetosum communis, Empetro-Cladino-Pinetum. They include the specific complex of species with wide ecological amplitude. Among them are the lichens of the dry location (Cladonia sp., Cetraria sp.) and the plants of swampy soil (Empetrum nigrum L., Ledum palustre L., Vaccinium uliginosum L., Andromeda polifolia L.). The more rare associations are: Pinetum uliginosi-vaccinioso-ledosum and Pinetum sphagnoso-ledosum. Their stands characterized by the lowest quality class, low density of canopy and high density of sward with such dominant plants as Ledum palustre, Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium oxycoccos L., Eriophorum sp., Cornus suecica L., Rubus chamaemorus L., Polytrichum commune Hedw., Comarum palustre L. The biggest part of all species is represented by the group of boreal plants: Andromeda polifolia, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng., Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench, Galium boreale L., Ledum palustre, Linnaea borealis L., Nardus stricta L. and others. The hypoarctic (arctic-boreal) plants such as Betula nana L., Rubus arcticus L., Rubus chamaemorus, Cornus suecica take the second place. The large group of collected species is represented by lichens: Cetraria islandica (L.) Ach., Cladonia stellaris (Opiz) Pouzar & Vězda), Cladonia rangiferina (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg., Cladonia sylvatica (L.) Hoffm., Peltigera aphthosa (L.) Willd. The analyses of species ranges distribution show the predominance t of wide-ranges plants. First of all this is a group with the circumpolar ranges – Andromeda polifolia, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Calluna vulgaris L., Chamaedaphne calyculata, Ledum palustre, Linnea borealis, Vaccinium oxycoccos, Vaccinium myrtillus L., Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. and others. Also there are plants with amphiatlantic ranges (Betula nana, Rubus arcticus і Cornus suecica) and the Siberian elements of flora (Juniperus communis var. saxatilis Pall. and hybrid forms of Picea obovata Ledeb.). One of species is a rare plant: Cornus suecica includes in “Red Data Book of East Fennoscandia” (Status: 3 – Rare). The collected herbarium was granted by the author to the UNFU in 2018. It includes 45 samples of 16 species lichens and plants. All of them are typical species from the north taiga and tundra zones. This northern herbal is one and only in the Herbarium of the Ukrainian National Forestry University (UNFU).