Ecological niches of Poaceae species invasive in the Russian Far East

Vitaly SELEDETS1 & Nina PROBATOVA2
1 Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia
2 Institute of Biology and Soil Sciences FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia

The Russian Far East (RFE) is the area of intensive penetration of invasive plant species into natural vegetation. In the RFE 472 species from 91 genera of Poaceae are known, of which 92 are invasive. The aim of the study was to reveal the pattern of transformation of ecological niches of some invasive Poaceae species in the RFE. The study is based on the individualistic ecological concept of Ramensky, and was conducted at three levels. One-dimensional level: the evaluation of habitats by means of ecological scales. Two-dimensional level: the elaboration of ecological ranges of the species. Multi-dimensional level: two-dimensional level was expanded to ecological niches by adding more ecological axes (up to 8). The ecological niches of invasive Poaceae species in the RFE were elaborated and examined. Multi-dimensional analysis was used to reveal parameters of ecological niches, which permit the species to be more or less invasively active in the monsoon zone of the RFE. The evaluation of species habitats in East Europe and East Asia was made in degrees of ecological scales and further transformed into percentages. This permitted calculation of the ecological reserve of each invasive species in the RFE and to rank the species according to their degree of invasive activity. The low degree of invasive activity indicates the island type of invasion (restricted) in the RFE: Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, the continental type of invasion (large degree): Alopecurus arundinaceus, A. pratensis, Calamagrostis epigeios, Leymus chinensis, and the high degree of invasive activity - regional type of invasion (the largest): Agrostis gigantea, Bromopsis inermis, Dactylis glomerata, Phleum pratense, Poa annua, Schedonorus pratensis.



© 2012 Organizing Committee