A phytoindicational assessment of the vegetation of afforestation belts in the Middle Dnipro Region, Ukraine

Abstract

We performed a study of the vegetation of afforestation belts in the Middle Dnipro Region of Ukraine. These were planted to protect agricultural land from adverse climatic conditions. The syntaxonomy of these afforestation belts is, so far, embedded in the synanthropic class of Robinietea tree plantations, but over time, these may need another syntaxonomic solution. Based on the data, a phytoindicational assessment of these communities was performed. The ecological features of the vegetation of afforestation belts have been determined by the mutual influence of ecological factors of different origin, and the extent of these impacts. In particular, the climatic conditions and edaphic factors and also the peculiarities of the environment-forming influence of different dominant tree species in the main layers and the age of these plantations, which determines at different stages of sylvestral succession processes. According to our phytoindicational assessment, use of cluster analysis of these biotopes of afforestation belts, proved their considerable similarity taking into account all ecological factors, and the distribution is mainly due to the predominant tree species. As a result of ordination analysis, it was found that the factors that most correlate with the ordinal axes are light regime, soil nitrogen and humidity. Phytocoenoses of afforestation belts are a very specific component of the forest biome in this region, because they have been artificially created.