Valuable botanical objects of the Kurgalsky Nature Reserve (Leningrad region). 1. Rare and protected species

Abstract

The protected area Kurgalsky is situated on the south-western coast of the Gulf of Finland near the Estonian border and has the status of a regional nature reserve ("zakaznik"). It comprises a marine area with a number of small islets. The Kurgalsky Nature Reserve is included in the network of Helcom Baltic Sea Marine Protected Areas and Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites). This area is a refuge for a great number of rare and threatened species and plant communities of high conservation value. Based on the research carried out by the authors in the 2000s in the Kurgalsky Reserve and analysis of all previously published information on vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens, as well as vegetation of the area, the most valuable botanical objects were identified. New data on the locations of many rare and protected species were obtained. Six species of mosses (Atrichum flavisetum, Aulacomnium androgynum, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Sphagnum aongstroemii, S. palustre, Ulota intermedia) and 9 lichen species (Alectoria sarmentosa subsp. sarmentosa, Evernia divaricata, Menegazzia ter-ebrata, Nephroma bellum, Parmeliella triptophylla, Ramalina baltica, Scytinium subtile, Xanthoparmelia loxodes, X. pulla) listed in the Red Data Book of the Leningrad Region were found in the Reserve in the 2000s for the first time, including the nationally red-listed Aulacomnium androgynum and Menegazzia terebrata. Moreover, new locations of 17 protected species of vascular plants, 3 liverwort species and 2 lichen species were discovered. An annotated list with new locations of rare and protected species is represented. The total number of red-listed species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in the Kurgalsky Reserve is 78 (50 vascular plant species, 11 bryophytes and 11 lichen species), including 11 vascular plant species, 1 moss species and 2 lichen species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. Besides, 2 vascular plant species, 5 bryophytes and 19 lichen species are proposed to be included in the Red Data Book of the Leningrad Region. Maps of the distribution of protected species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens known from the Reserve are published for the first time. The spatial distribution of red-listed species was analyzed. Despite the fact that each of the considered groups (vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens) has its own biological and ecological features that determine their distribution within the area, it is possible to distinguish some general patterns in the spatial distribution of the species. Thus, the largest number of rare and threatened species, habitat specialists and indicator species of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens are clearly associated with rare or unique landscapes in the Kurgalsky Reserve. An important feature of the distribution of bryo-phytes and lichens is their specific relationship with the long-term characteristics of substrates and microclimatic features of habitats. The Kurgalsky Nature Reserve is definitely one of the most valuable, biologically diverse and rich protected areas of the Leningrad Region, and it is extremely important to safeguard this unique area.

Keywords

• vascular plants
• bryophytes
• lichens
• red-listed species
• species distribution maps
• nature protection