bibliography:

Merzlikin, I., O. Savitsky. 2021. The water caltrop (Trapa natans L.) in Ukraine: new areas of expansion in the north of the country and contradictions in concepts of its protection and population management. GEO&BIO, 21: 211-219. [In English, with Ukrainian summary]

title:

The water caltrop (Trapa natans L.) in Ukraine: new areas of expansion in the north of the country and contradictions in concepts of its protection and population management

doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/gb2116

author(s) (with orcid and affiliation):

I. Merzlikin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8209-9144

Sumy State Pedagogical University (Sumy, Ukraine)

Mikhailivska Tsilyna Natural Reserve (Sumy, Ukraine)

O. Savitsky

Institute of Hydrobiology NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine)

pdf: pdf

Abstract

This paper reviews data on the distribution of the water caltrop Trapa natans L. in Ukraine. This relict species (listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine) had strongly declined in the early 1979s, but has now locally recovered and even excessively spread in the upper reaches of the Kaniv and Kyiv reservoirs on the Dnipro River. Therefore, both protection and regulation of its local abundance are on the agenda today in the country. Work is currently underway to monitor the population of the species and search for new habitats. Previously the presence of the water caltrop in Sumy Oblast has been documented only in floodplain waterbodies of the Desna River. On 18 June 2017, we found four new record localities of Trapa natans in the Psel River within the city boundaries of Sumy (north-eastern Ukraine). All of them were located along the right bank of the river. The four groups of plants were comprised of 8, 70, 2, and 100 individual plants, respectively, growing at a depth of 0.5–3.2 m and about 5–15 m far from the riverbank. A second visit to the location on 15 August 2017 revealed a total of 591 rosettes. Three years later (visited on 28 August 2021), the number of individual caltrop plants in this location increased as many as eight times (total of 4766). The plant spread 3 km further downstream and its mats (variable in size) could be found at both banks of the river. The transformation of the Psel River from one of the fastest tributaries of the Dnipro into a cascade of numerous channel reservoirs led to a slowdown in water flow and the continuous siltation of the bottom created favourable conditions for the water caltrop. Most likely, seeds of this plant were artificially introduced into the river (possibly by aquaculture enthusiasts) a few years prior to the first finding and the plant spread downstream. This was facilitated by the spring flood, which carried the fruit down the river. In summer, the current carries plants that were uprooted by vacationers. Leaves of the water caltrop were seen consumed by the mallard Anas platyrhynchos L., whereas seeds of the plant were eaten by the European water vole Arvicola amphibius. The newly discovered occurrence spot of the water caltrop is currently the only one on the Psel River and it complements the information on the current distribution of this rare plant species. It is located about 145 km south-east from the closest population on the Desna River, which described the presence of this species in Sumy Oblast.

Key words: monitoring, environmental management, Aquatic vascular plants, Red Data Book of Ukraine, conservation, expansion.

Correspondence to

Igor Merzlikin; Sumy State Pedagogical University; 87 Romenskaya Street, Sumy, 40000 Ukraine; Email: mirdaodzi@gmail.com

References

Afanasyev, S. A., A. L. Savitsky. 2016. Finding the Water lettuce Pistia stratioides in the Kaniv reservoir and assessing the risk of its naturalization. Hydrobiological journal, 52 (4): 55–63. [In Russian] https://doi.org/10.1615/HydrobJ.v52.i6.60

Demchenko, D. A. 1947. Rivers and lakes. Geological outline of the Sumy region. Bilshovitska zbroya, Sumy, 45–74. [In Russian]

Didukh, A. Ya. 2011. Features of onto-morphogenesis of Trapa natans L. (Trapaceae). Ukrainian Botanical Journal, 68 (4): 540–551. [In Ukrainian]

Dobrochaeva, D. N., M. I. Kotov, Yu. N. Prokudin, et al. 1987. Determinant of higher plants of Ukraine. Naukova Dumka, Kyiv, 1–548. [In Russian]

Dubyna, D. V. 1982. Distribution, ecology and cenology of Trapa natans (Trapacea) in Ukraine. Botanical Journal, 62 (5): 659–667. [In Ukrainian]

Dubyna, D. V., G. A. Chorna. 2009. Water caltrop. In: Red Book of Ukraine. Flora. Globalconsulting, Kyiv, 612. [In Ukrainian]

Dubyna, D. V., K. A. Semenikhina. 1978. Trapa natans L. on the Desna. Ukrainian Botanical Journal, 35 (4): 371–374. [In Ukrainian]

EEA Agency of European Union https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/species/184689

Egereva, I. V. 1958. Feeding of juvenile fish in the first year of the existence of the Kuibyshev reservoir. Proceedings of the Tatar Department of VNIORKh, 8: 18–43. [In Russian]

Gaevskaya, N. S. 1966. The role of higher aquatic plants in the nutrition of animals with fresh water. Academy of Sciences of the USSR. All-Union Hydrobiological Society. Science, Moscow, 1–323. [In Russian]

Havryliuk, O., V. Hovorukha, O. Savitsky, et al. 2021. Anaerobic degradation of environmentally hazardous aquatic plant Pistia stratiotes and soluble Cu (II) detoxification by methanogenic granular microbial preparation. Energies, 14 (13): 38–49. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14133849

IUCN... 2021. IUCN Red List status of threatened species. https://bit.ly/3BeYYaA

Ivanova, I. Yu., G. V. Kharchenko, P. D. Klochenko. 2007. Higher aquatic vegetation of reservoirs in Kiev. Hydrobiological Journal, 43 (1): 38–58. [In Russian] https://doi.org/10.1615/HydrobJ.v43.i3.30

Karpenko, K. K., V. A. Kovtun. 1996. Vegetation of Sumy region, its current state and problems of protection. The state of the natural environment and problems of its protection in Sumy region. Book 1. Sumy, 33–60. [In Ukrainian]

Karpenko, K. K., O. S. Rodinka, A. P. Vakal. 2001. Plants listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, found in the Sumy region. The state of the natural environment and the problems of its protection in the Sumy region: plants, animals and fungi of the Sumy region, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Book 5. Sumy, 7–43. [In Ukrainian]

Karpenko, K. K., O. S. Rodinka, A. P. Vakal et al. 2002. Distribution, conservation status and recommendations for the protection of rare and endangered plant species in the basin of the Psel River in the Sumy and Krasnopillya districts of the Sumy region. Ecological research of river basins of the left bank of Ukraine. Collection of scientific works. Sumy, 144–149. [In Ukrainian]

Katanskaya, V. M. 1981. Higher aquatic vegetation of the continental reservoirs of the USSR. Science, Leningrad, 1–187. [In Russian]

Katanskaya, V. M. 1956. Methods for the study of higher aquatic vegetation. Fresh water life. Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow-Leningrad, 4 (1): 160–182. [In Russian]

Key Handbook of plants of the USSR. 1950. Ed. M. V. Klokov. State Publishing House of Agricultural Literature, Kyiv, Kharkiv, 1–254. [In Ukrainian]

Key Handbook Vascular plants of Ukraine Checklist. 1987. Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. Institute of Botany named after N. P. Kholodny; ed. Yu. N. Prokudin et al. Naukova Dumka, Kyiv, 1–548.

Kovtun, V. A. 1990. Rare and endangered plants in the vicinity of Sumy. Problems of the study of the rational use of natural resources of Sumy region and their study at school». Part 1. Materials Sumy region scientific-practical conferences. Sumy, 37–41. [In Russian]

Ladur, E. D., A. P. Vakal. 2017. Coastal-water and aquatic vegetation of water objects of Sumy. Current issues of environmental research. Collection of scientific works. Sumy, 40–45. [In Ukrainian]

Marion, L., J. M. Paillisson. 2003. A mass balance assessment of the contribution of floating-leaved macrophytes in nutrient stocks in an eutrophic macrophytes-dominated lake. Aquatic Botany, 75: 249–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3770(02)00177-8

Mosyakin, S. L., V. V. Fedoronchuk. 1999. Vascular plants of Ukraine. A nomenclatural checklist. Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. N. P. Kholodny Institute of Botany. Kyiv, 1–345.

Merzlikin, I. R., V. M. Savostyan. 2020. Meetings of Grifola frondosa Gray and some rare species of plants in the forest-steppe zone of northeastern Ukraine (Sumy region). Finds of protected species of plants, animals and fungi in Ukraine. TVORI, Vinnytsia, 321–324. (Series: «Conservation Biology in Ukraine»; Is. 19). [In Ukrainian]

Panchenko, S. M. 2005. Flora of the National Natural Park «Desnyansko-Starogutsky» and problems of phytodiversity protection of Novgorod-Siversky Polissya. VTD «University Book», Sumy, 1–170. [In Ukrainian]

Romanenko, V. D., O. M. Arsan, O. A. Davydov et al. 2006. Methods of hydroecological research of surface waters. Logos, Kyiv, 1–408. [In Ukrainian]

Savitsky, A. L., S. A. Afanasyev, E. E. Zorina-Sakharov. 2005. Distribution of water caltrop Trapa natans L. s. l. in Ukraine and some approaches to its protection and limitation of numbers. Scientific notes Ternopil National Pedagogical University. Biology series, 3 (26): 388–390. [In Ukrainian]

Savitsky, O. L. 2007. Water caltrop (Trapa rossica v. Vasil.) in the urban landscapes of Kyiv and the necessary measures for its protection. Proceedings of the National Museum of Natural History, 4–5: 293–298. [In Ukrainian]

Semenikhina, K. A. 1982. Aquatic vegetation of the Desna River and reservoirs of its floodplain within the USSR. Ukrainian Botanical Journal, 39 (2): 57–62. [In Ukrainian]

Semenikhina, K. A. 1979. New locations of rare species in floodplains of the Desna River. Ukrainian Botanical Journal, 36 (3): 214–218. [In Ukrainian]

Shilova, A. I. 1976. Chironomids of the Rybinsk Reservoir. Nauka, Leningrad, 1–254. [In Russian]

Sklyar, Yu. L. 1998. Rare and protected aquatic plants of the Desna floodplain. Actual problems of creation of Desnyansko-Starogutsky national park and prospects of their decision. Kyiv, 77–79. [In Russian]

Sklyar, Yu. L. 2015. Vitality structure of cenopopulations of Trapa natans L. S. L. in the Desnyansko-Starogutsky National Nature Park. Bulletin of Cherkasy University, 2 (335): 96–102. [In Ukrainian]

Smirnov, N. N. 1959. The role of higher plants in the nutrition of the animal population of swamps. Proceedings of Mosrybvtuz, 1: 15–36. [In Russian]