Findings and expansion of rare adventive species of plants in the Altai Territory

Abstract

This paper contains previously unknown information about the appearance and expansion of a number of adventive species of plants new for the Altai Territory. They were discovered in 2008–2012 during the fieldwork tasks of the herbarium Altai State University, Barnaul. One of the species is invasive (quarantine plant for the Russian Federation) – Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. The range was about 10 ha. One of the species was listed as adventive for the first time – Briza maxima L. The species is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant. New locations were identified for three species previously found only in one area of the Altai Territory: (1) Scleranthus annuus L. – an agrophyte, a weed that spreads with cultivated crops; (2) Onopordon acanthium L. – a species that spreads in flood plains, along the highways, railways and pastures; and (3) Xanthium albinum (Widd.) H. Schulz – a plant, often seen along roadsides, wastelands and sandy riverbanks; only one reliable location within the Altai Territory was known for S. annuus and O. acanthium. Based on the classification of adventive elements of flora, A. repens was specified as agrophyte and xenophyte; B. maxima as horthophyte and ergasiofigophyte; S. annuus as agrophyte and xenophyte; O. acanthium; and X. albinum as dromophyte and acolucophyte.

Full text

Findings and expansion of rare adventive species
of plants in the Altai Territory
MARINA M. SILANTYEVA†*, ANNA JU. GREBENNIKOVA†,
PETR A. KOSACHEV†AND ALEKSANDER A. KUZNETZOV‡
†Biological faculty, Altai State University, Lenina av., 61, Barnaul 656049, Russian Federation;
‡Biological institute, Tomsk State University, Lenina av., 36, Tomsk 634050, Russian Federation
This paper contains previously unknown information about the appearance and expansion of a
number of adventive species of plants new for the Altai Territory. They were discovered in
2008–2012 during the fieldwork tasks of the herbarium Altai State University, Barnaul. One of the
species is invasive (quarantine plant for the Russian Federation) –Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. The
range was about 10 ha. One of the species was listed as adventive for the first time –Briza maxima
L. The species is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant. New locations were identified for
three species previously found only in one area of the Altai Territory: (1) Scleranthus annuus
L. –an agrophyte, a weed that spreads with cultivated crops; (2) Onopordon acanthium L. –a
species that spreads in flood plains, along the highways, railways and pastures; and (3) Xanthium
albinum (Widd.) H. Schulz –a plant, often seen along roadsides, wastelands and sandy riverbanks;
only one reliable location within the Altai Territory was known for S. annuus and O. acanthium.
Based on the classification of adventive elements of flora, A. repens was specified as agrophyte
and xenophyte; B. maxima as horthophyte and ergasiofigophyte; S. annuus as agrophyte and
xenophyte; O. acanthium; and X. albinum as dromophyte and acolucophyte.
Keywords: Altai territory; Adventive species; Quarantine plants
Introduction
The Altai flora includes about 2270 species of vascular plants. Of all the species, 334,
belong to the adventive flora fraction. Adventive species in domestic and Central European
botanical literature are called alien flora objects. They appear in a particular area because
of human activities. There is a well-established classification of adventive species, such as
by the time of appearance in the flora, by the role of man in the process of introduction of
species and by degree of naturalization. ‘Invasive species’is a term used in English envi-
ronmental literature to describe adventive species that cause environmental impacts and
economic damage [1]. ‘Hazard’is a characteristic criterion for species selection. The con-
cept of ‘biological invasions’includes all cases of expansions by organisms, like those
caused by human activities (introduction), and the natural movement of species outside
their normal distribution (natural expansion of the range) [2,3].
Among the invasive species, quarantine plant species formerly received the most attention
as they appeared to be particularly damaging weeds that either did not grow in the given terri-
tory or were stenotopic, but at the same time, they had a greater potential habitat for possible
*Corresponding author. Emails: msilan@mail.ru, ys.tsu@mail.ru
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
International Journal of Environmental Studies, 2014
Vol. 71, No. 5, 667–670, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2014.942540

naturalization. They are often more aggressive in the new territory than in a native one, where
their distribution is limited by diseases, pests and other biological factors. The experts of the
Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision exercise control over the
emergence and elimination of these species in the Russian Federation based on the list of
quarantine objects approved by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation in
2007.
During fieldwork in 2008–2012 across the Altai Territory studies of herbarium
specimens in the collection of the Department of Botany and Herbarium of the South
Siberian Botanical Garden of Altai State University, Barnaul (ALTB), we discovered
adventive plant species, including invasive (quarantine) species.
Invasive (quarantine) species
Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. –Russian centaury. –Altai Territory, Blagoveshchensk district,
5 km to the north of Telmansky village, south-western shore of Kulundinskoe lake.
Deposit. 52°49′N, 79°36′E 16 August 2012. Silantyeva M.M., Elesova N.V., Ovtcharova
N.V., Grebennikova A.Y., Kirina A.O., Zaretsky Y.Y., Gayzullina M.Z.
At the time of the discovery of the quarantine species, the deposit area occupied by it
extended to 10 ha. A special department at the site carried out the mowing of plants.
Acroptylon repens is a perennial, creeping-rooted species that is an agrophyte and xeno-
phyte. Although this species was registered in the Altai Territory in the nineteenth century
by K. Ledebour in the collection of samples collected by A. Bunge near Lokot village [4],
Kamen-na-Obi (town) [5], Rubtsovsk (town) [6] and near Korchino village (Mamontovsky
area) [7], it did not receive much attention.
The primary range of the species covers the east of the Black Sea region, the area of the
Lower Don, Lower Volga, the Crimea, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Asia Minor, Iran and
Mongolia. In the late nineteenth century, Acroptylon repens spread from Central Asia to the
territory of the former USSR with alfalfa seeds. The species reached North America (Canada,
USA), Australia and some European countries (Germany, Poland), which were then part of
the territory of Russia [8].
Flowering and fruiting occurred in July and August. The spread of Acroptylon repens
occurs due to inadequate cleaning of seed grains. Having an exceptional ability to repro-
duce from rootstalks, it quickly extends to large areas [8].
Its roots remain alive during soil drying and high summer temperatures [9]. At the
northern boundary of the range, seed productivity of plants is relatively low, about 170
seed pods per plant; in southern areas, it is 400–600 seedpods. Temperature (20–30 °C),
soil moisture (20–22%) and the depth of the seed occurrence (up to 3 cm in clay soil and
up to 5 cm for sand) are very important for seed germination. The complexity of dealing
with this quarantine weed is associated with its remarkable ecological plasticity. Thus,
when suppressed, this drought-resistant and photophilous plant does not produce seeds. At
the same time, the growth of root systems slows down, but they preserve the deposits of
plastic substances and bulbets, which with increasing illumination even in a few years
(more than 3) form new shoots for the continual spread of this fieldweed [10].
New adventive species for Siberia
Briza maxima L. –Quaking grass. –Altai Territory, Ust-Pristansk district, Korobeinikovo
village, in the yard. 17 July 2007 Kosachev P.A.
668 M.M. Silantyeva et al.

The species is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant in Western Europe and
found in many countries as a carried or wildling plant along the roads, in settlements, dry
meadows, etc. The natural habitat is the Mediterranean and Asia Minor [11]. In very rare
cases, it is grown in the Altai region. In the context of our findings in Korobeinikovo
village, it was impossible to define the source territory. The type is horthophite and
ergasiofigophite.
Locations of rare adventive species newly discovered in the Altai Territory
Scleranthus annuus L. –annual Knawel. –Altai Territory, Soviet district, Urozhainoye
village vicinity, south-western and southern shores of Koksha lake, ‘Ozero Svetloye’natu-
ral monument area, field. 52°18′N, 85°43′E 9 August 2008. Kopytina T.M., Chukhina
I.G., Borovikov V.S., Makhalina M.V.
This plant is agrophyte and xenophyte. In the Altai territory, we listed it only for Salair
(Soltonsky district, Neninka village vicinity).
The natural range of the species is most of the territory of Europe, the Mediterranean,
the Caucasus and Asia Minor. The species was carried into the Western and Eastern
Siberia and the Far East.
High seed productivity provided high expansion. The species flowers from April to
autumn; one plant produces up to 2600 seeds. Seeds germinate in spring or autumn, and
have high germination ability. Plant infests all crops, covering the soil surface with contin-
uous cover, as well as staying in deposits.
Onopordon acanthium L. –Cotton thistle. –Altai Territory, Zalesovsky district,
Pesherka village, near the road. 17 July 2008. Silantyeva M.M.
Grows in wasteland, by roadsides, near houses, on the steppe and sandy slopes in
Europe, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia Minor, Iran. Was listed for
Western and Eastern Siberia as a rarely carried plant; and appeared in the region about 10
years ago. Two locations were specified on the Priobskoye plateau (Pospelikhinsky district,
herbarium material) and Prialeyskiy uplands (Tretyakovskiy district –[12]). Was listed for
Salair for the first time. The species is dromophyte and acolucophyte.
Xanthium albinum (Widd.) H. Schulz –Elbe cocklebur. –Altai Territory, Ust-Pristansk
district, south-eastern vicinity of Korobeinikovo village, bottom land of Sukhoi Log river.
52°10′N, 83°43′E. 2 August 2009 Kosachev P.A.
The natural habitat of cocklebur is Central or South America, from where it spreads first
across America, and then the countries of the Old World. The course of dispersal is not
clear. At the end of the nineteenth century, this species of cocklebur was found on ‘the
sandy shores, only in Poland’. Since 1900, it has appeared near Riga. Cocklebur Elbe was
collected in Siberia in 1915 at Tyumen [13].
Cocklebur’s stems are well adapted to a variety of methods of settlement. Apparently,
its invasion into the territory of Russia came from the secondary area of Western or
Central Europe, and then this species settled without direct human interference. Cocklebur
Elbe’s stems, caught on animal fur or human clothing, can be carried over considerable
distances. Dried stems are highly buoyant and can be carried by the river water. As long
as a part of the plant/stems remains dry until summer, it is likely to spread with a spring
tide [14].
Only three locations of the species, distant from each other, were known in the territory
of the region over the long term. The following specimens from the Altai Territory were
Rare adventive species of plants in the Altai Territory 669

found during the processing of herbarium material (ALTB): Pospelihinsky district, 12 let
Oktyabrya village. 21 August 2002. Pivkina I.; Krasnogorsk district, 5 km from Taiga
village, Isha river valley, pebble bed. 24 August 1997 Lushchaev E.; Zmeinogorskiy
district, Baranovka village, near houses. 31 July 1985. Usik N.A.; Topchikhinsky district,
Rodino village vicinity, 07 August 1982. students; Barnaul. 26 June 1980. Sugatova,
Kosarev. Thus, cocklebur Elbe already appears in four of the seven phytogeographical
districts of the region. The species is dromophyte and acolucophyte.
Acknowledgement
The research has been supported by the grant issued in accordance with Resolution of the
Government of the Russian Federation No. 220 dated 9 April 2010, under Agreement No.
14.B25.31.0001 with Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated
24 June 2013 (BIO-GEO-CLIM).
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