Species and Structural Diversity of Vegetation and Earthworms Complexes in Broadleaf Forests of the Urup River Valley in the North-Eastern Caucasus

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Abstract

Broadleaf forests of the Urup river valley and its tributaries occupy more than 10% of the forested area of the Northwest Caucasus and represent one of the largest broadleaf forest areas in the region. The objective of this work is to assess the species and structural diversity of vegetation, as well as complexes of saprophagous invertebrates, namely earthworms, in the broadleaf forests of the Urup river valley and its tributaries. Field studies were conducted from June to August in 2017–2018. To assess the species and structural diversity of vegetation, 74 geobotanical descriptions were made taking into account the forest layer structure, and an analysis of the ecosystemic structure of the flora was carried out. In all forest types, quantitative assessment of earthworms was carried out by manual excavation of soil samples and deadwood dismantling. Based on the results of the study, 8 forest types were identified and described: nemoral-grass oak forests, nemoral-grass aspen forests, large-fern black alder forests, nemoral-grass hornbeam forests, nemoral-grass hornbeam-beech forests, mountain fescue beech forests, large-fern beech forests and blackberry beech forests. The flora of the Urup river forests includes 198 species, including 156 vascular plant species and 42 moss species. The floristic diversity of the broadleaf forests of the Urup River and its tributaries depends on soil moisture, slope exposure and crown density of the tree stand layer. The ecosystemic structure of the Urup river valley flora depends on its position relative to the river bed and the proportion of Fagus orientalis in the stand. The proportion of nitrophilous and near-water species is higher in the riverbed areas of the valley compared to the forest types located higher up the slope. With the increase in the share of Fagus orientalis , the share of boreal species increases and rupicolous species make their appearance, while the share of meadow species decreases. In the selected forest types, 8 species of earthworms of the family Lumbricidae were identified, belonging to four morpho-ecological and three chorological groups. Endogeic earthworms are found everywhere, which make up at least 50% of the total biomass of Lumbricidae. The greatest contribution to the biomass is made by the Crimean-Caucasian sub-endemic D. schmidti. The diversity of earthworms in broad-leaved forests is maintained by the high quality of easily decomposable litter (both due to the composition of the stand and the undergrowth, as well as the ground cover) together with the presence of fallen deciduous trees. The latter’s’ presence partially compensates for the conditions of dry habitats, for example, in nemoral-grass oak groves and beech mountain fescue forests. The presence of deadwood primarily contributes to the preservation of epigeic species of Lumbricidae.

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About the authors

N. E. Shevchenko

Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: angersgma@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Bldg. 14, 84/32, Profsoyuznaya St., Moscow, 117997

A. P. Geraskina

Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: angersgma@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Bldg. 14, 84/32, Profsoyuznaya St., Moscow, 117997

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Cartogram of geobotanical and soil-zoological surveys in broad-leaved forests of the Urup River.

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3. Fig. 2. Species richness of vegetation of broad-leaved forests of the Urup River.

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4. Fig. 3. Species saturation of vegetation of broad-leaved forests of the Urup River.

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5. Fig. 4. Ecological and cenotic structure of broad-leaved forests of the Urup River.

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6. Fig. 5. DCA coordination of broad-leaved forests of the Urup River according to similarity of floristic composition and E. Landolt ecological scales.

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