Composition and structure of plant communities in milled peatlands during the post-disturbance successions: a case study from the Rossyanka Carbon Supersite, Kaliningrad, Russia
- DOI
- 10.5922/gikbfu-2023-4-5
- Pages
- 64-80
Abstract
Nine plant community types were identified in the central part of the Vittgirrensky Peatland (designated the Rossyanka Carbon Supersite). All community types represent successional stages of vegetation development on areas transformed by peat milling. Data on the structure and species composition of communities are provided, along with typical phytosociological descriptions for each vegetation variant. Physiognomically, the plant communities on the milled fields consist of low-stature tree stands with varying canopy closure, mainly dominated by Betula pendula, but they exhibit substantial differences in the composition of herb-shrub and moss cover. The described community types are considered as non-hierarchical units in the classification of vegetation cover (at the micro-landscape level). Their identification through electronic and field mapping methods allows for a rapid visualization of the vegetation cover's characteristics on a map and enables its quantitative assessment, which is of practical importance for the purposes of the carbon supersite.