Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2022 number 1

The aim of this study is to identify ecological and phytocenotic features and factors of differentiation of plant communities with Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. in the Kursk region. This region is located on the southern border of the secondary area of this species in the European part of Russia. Plant communi-ties with Heracleum sosnowskyi in the study area are represented by 4 syntaxons. To identify of ecological patterns of their organization, we used the analysis of the composition of differential species and species with the greatest activity, the identification of differences in the ecological regimes of their habitats, and the ordination analysis of relevйs. Each syntaxon differs from the others in a number of environmental factors and is characterized by a group of species with similar environmental requirements. Рredominance of ruderal and eurytopic species in communities and increase of similarity of their floristic composition are manifestations of the negative impact of the distribution of Heracleum sosnowskyi on the vegetation cover. The greatest similarity of coenofloras is found between the derivative communities Heracleum sosnowskyi [Agropyretalia intermedio – repentis] and the association Urtico dioicae – Heracleetum sosnowskyi. Their phytocoenoses represent successive stages of vegetation cover change under the influence of the invader. As a result of the spread of hogweed, the strongest changes occurred in the aboriginal communities, in place of which the phytocenoses of these syntaxons were formed. In communities where Heracleum sosnowskyi forms variants of associations Rudbeckio laciniatae – Solidaginetum canadensis and Chelidonio – Aceretum negundi, the floristic composition and ecological conditions changed slightly compared to typical communities of these syntaxons due to the presence of other invasive species.