Nature Conservation Research: Заповедная наука (Apr 2021)
Liсhens of the National Park «Vodlozersky», Russia
Abstract
Based on long-term (> 25 years) data analysis, the species diversity of lichens of the largest (4683 km2) Protected Area in Northwest Russia, the National Park «Vodlozersky», is presented for the first time. The National Park «Vodlozersky» was established in 1991 to preserve unique natural communities in the basin of Lake Vodlozero and the River Ileksa. The territory of the Protected Area is located along the eastern borders of the Fennoscandian Shield in two administrative regions: the Republic of Karelia and the Arkhangelsk region. This study is the first attempt to generalise all available data on the lichen flora of NP «Vodlozersky». The paper summarises the information from literature and the authors' data on lichen species diversity obtained in 19 expeditions to different parts of the National Park «Vodlozersky» over a 30-year period of study. Field material was collected by combination of floristic (route methods) and geobotanical studies – by the methods of establishing and description of sample plots ranging in size from 400 to 10 000 m2. For a detailed study of the species composition of lichens in the sample plots, all types of substrates were examined: the trunks and branch surface of different tree species under various conditions (living, falling, dead wood), as well as rotting wood, soil and stones. The collection of lichens (565 herbarium specimens) from the National Park «Vodlozersky» deposited in the herbarium of the Helsinki University (H) (H) were revised. A brief history of the lichen study in the Protected Area was described and the dynamics of the accumulation of information on the species diversity of lichens and allied fungi was revealed by years, from 170 species in 1991 to 469 species and 4 subspecies in 2020. The recent studies resulted in a list of 30 new findings, including 13 species for the Karelian part, and 17 for the whole area of the National Park «Vodlozersky». A total of 473 taxa are reported for the National Park «Vodlozersky», including 445 species and 4 subspecies of lichens, 11 species of non-lichenised fungi and 13 species of lichenicolous fungi. The distribution of lichen species number between the two parts of the Protected Area belonging to different regions of the Russian Federation is as follows: 327 are registered on the Karelian territory of the National Park «Vodlozersky», 402 species on the Arkhangelsk part; the number of common species is 259. Among the recorded lichens in the National Park «Vodlozersky» 18 species are listed in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Karelia and 16 species are in the Red Data Book of the Arkhangelsk Region. The obtained data indicate the high potential of the Protected Area in preserving and maintaining the general diversity of lichen species. The number of species found in the Arkhangelsk part of the National Park «Vodlozersky» is 64% of the currently known lichen diversity for the mainland of the Arkhangelsk region. In the Karelian part there are 25% species of lichens known for the Republic of Karelia. The authors emphasise the publication scarcity of accumulated material on the lichen flora of National Park «Vodlozersky», which makes the study relevant.
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