BIOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DENDROFLORA OF NNP «NYZHNIODNIPROVSKYI»

Abstract

In order to preserve, reproduce and effectively use the natural complexes and objects of the Dnipro Delta as one of the most valuable natural floodplain-littoral complexes in Europe, which have special environmental, recreational, historical and cultural, scientific, educational and aesthetic value, and ensure the conservation of «Dnipro Delta» wetland of the international importance, the National Natural Park «Lower Dnipro» was created (Decree of the President of Ukraine of November 24, 2015 № 657/2015).

 The flora of the higher vascular plants of the Park contains 820 species, 40 species of which (4.9% of the total number) are woody plants. Rosaceae Juss. (14 species), Salicaceae Mirb. (7 species), Aceraceae Juss. (3 types) are leading families of the dendroflora of the Park.

Biomorphological characteristics of tree plant species in the flora of the Lower Dnipro National Nature Park were carried out according to the following classifications: 1) K. Raunkier system of plant life forms; 2) ecological and morphological classification of life forms of I. G. Serebryakov; 3) architectural models of F. Alle, R. Oldeman and P. Tomlinson; 4) classification of the life forms of plants of the temperate zone, which takes into account the vegetative propagation by O. V. Smirnova, L. B. Zaugolnova.

Analysis of types of biomorphs according to the classification of K. Raunkier showed that the vast majority of dendroflora species belong to phanerophytes, among them, depending on the height of the plant, there are different groups - megaphanerophytes (e.g., Populus tremula), mesophanerophytes (Salix alba), microphaneorphytes, nanophanerophytes (Amygdalus nana) and hamephytes (Ephedra distachia).

According to the ecological and morphological classification of I. G. Serebryakov life forms, the flora of the Park is dominated by forest-steppe trees and forest-type trees.

The trees which belong to one life form often differ in the principles of growth and formation of the crown, branching, and general habitus, which is generally considered as an architectural model of a particular species. According to the classification of architectural models by F. Alle, R. Oldeman and P. Tomlinson, in the flora of the Park, there are five models among which the species formed by the model of Tomlinson have a significant representation, and the species formed by the models of Manzheno and Champagne have a smaller representation.