ONTOGENY OF PEDUNCULATE OAK IN FLOOD MEADOWS OF THE BRYANSK POLESIE

Abstract

The paper describes the individual development (ontogeny) of the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) in the floodplain meadows under the conditions of free growth. The authors use the concept of the biological age of plants, developed by Russian scientists. Eleven ontogenetic states are distinguished in the development of the oak: seeds, seedlings, juvenile individuals, immature individuals (2 subgroups), virginile individuals (2 subgroups), young generative, mature generative, old generative trees, as well as senile individuals. A detailed description of these stages is given. The ontogenetic stages are allocated on the basis of a set of qualitative and quantitative traits of plants. The paper shows that the main coenotic role of the seed stage is dispersing the population; seedling stage – growing in a community; juvenile – adapting to growth in the ground layer; immature – adapting to the undergrowth layer; virginile – adapting to the second layer of the tree stand; generative trees – creating a coenotic environment and seed production; and senile trees – gradually releasing additional resources (light, space, etc.) for the coming generation of trees. The ontogenetic stages of the oak identified in the paper can be used to analyze the demographic structure and to predict the development of its populations in plant communities.

Keywords

• quercus robur
• biological age of plants
• ontogenetic stages of plants
• tree aging