*Lykholat U.V., **Filimonikhina O.H.

*Dnepropetrovsk national university named after Oles Gonchar,
**
Kirovograd national technical university

 

Possibile ways of using of phytocenosis against underflooding in the towns of Central Ukraine at the example of Kirovohrad

 

         Such scientists as Dudnic S.V., Lykholat U.V., Cabanov A.V., Covalchouc N.P. [2-4,6] and others dealt with the formation of stable phytocenosis of cleansing purpose in the city. Degtyar O.V. [1] have studied ecological restoration of steppe communities in order to suppress water erosion and deflation. Racova’s work [7] is devoted to the fight against deflation by protective forest zones.

         In the centre of Ukraine there are lots of territories that are found in low-laying areas. They are partially built. Buildings border with park areas, wastelands, meadows, afforestations and etc. There is a seasonal raising level of ground waters is observed in such territories and as a result – underflooding of adjoining building and building. For example, total floor area of Kirovograd city is 10332 ha, and area of uderflooding is 414.5 ha according to the earth mechanism. One may ask – is it possible to form firm phytocenosis in order to decline the level of ground waters in these territories.         Creation of phytocenosis in order to reduce the level of ground waters was named as the method of biological drainage and is widely used in the countries of Central Asia [10]. Thanks to the powerful charges of moisture, forest removes the surplus moistening, housing on excessively humidified plains, using them in a productive way [9].

         Literature that is given today shows that it hasn’t been inspected the possibility of forming of phytocenosis against the underflooding processes in the Central part of Ukraine. Besides it hasn’t been defined the role of natural vegetations, that crucially appeared at self-overgrowing, or people planted themselves, in order o reduce the level of ground waters. Researches would give an opportunity to select the arboreal and grassy plants in order to create highly productive phytocenosis, which would affect water favorably, balance of the territory. This paper shows the influence of trees and grass canopy on water balance of underflooding territories and possibility of forming phytocenosis is observed as well that will increase efficiency of phytomelioration.

         Most researches show not so sufficient differences in reducing the moisture among arboreal plants and forests and meadows until the water-supply is not a limiting factor [9]. Despite quantitative indexes of expenditure of water, the arboreal and grassy forms of plants have different mechanism of influence on water balance of the territory. We will observe separately the hydrological role of forests and meadows.

         1. Mechanism of trees influence on water balance, their role in phytocenosis. The mechanism of influence of arboreal plants on water balance consists of the following factors [9,13]:

1)      detention by the coma of trees and evaporation of precipitations;

2)      reduction of superficial runoff and influence on distributing of snow;

3)      influence on ground waters.

         We will consider these factors in detail.

         1. It is known, that addition of ground waters due to precipitations results in wedging of stagnant moisture out [13]. So the less amount of precipitations get in soil, so the better it would be reflected on water balance of underflooding territories. Staying power of coma relies on a kind and breed of trees and orientation of branches as well. So the coniferous detain the greater quantity of precipitations comparing with the leafy planting, for example fir-tree 53,4 %, birch – 24,7 %, aspen –26,6 %. When direction of branches go higher and trunk runoff is expanded, that facilitates penetration of moisture in soil though pineries detain only 17,4 % of precipitations. Leafy forests of beech and linden-tree detain precipitations more than birch and aspen planting.

         It should be taken into consideration that coma of separately planted trees delay moisture from 8–13 % more than in forests [9].

         Thus when selecting trees it should be taken into consideration that ones that have long coma and to pay attention on forested territory in order to plant that trees in definite distance, preventing closing of coma.

         2. Forest circulates 80100 % superficial runoff in internal soil. There are some definite reasons which operate positively on reduction of runoff. Among them the following should be mentioned: snow in a forest melts slowerly, than on the open air; soil has time to thaw until the moment of melting; the forest bedding absorbs in 56 times much water, than its mass; physical properties of forest soils provide penetration capacity of water and it allows to transpire a superficial runoff in internal soils.

         There are more snow accrues in the open arias than on forested territory. It is explained by the fact that much amount of snow lingered over coma and due to sublimation goes back into the atmosphere. Besides, in a forest the snow is distributed evenly. And in the open arias appear enormous snowdrifts because of the wind, and in other areas– ground is barely covered by snow.

         Due to the facts mentioned above, we can make a conclusion that arboreal vegetation is a natural drainage. Thanks’ to slow thawing of snow vegetation prevents stagnant processes and erosion of soil as well.

         3. The level of ground waters under a forest keeps itself low, than on the neighboring parts of cut-over area. It is explained by the expenditure of moisture by a forest on its transpiration. According to Cramer [11] maximal absorption of water of vegetation takes by 7080 % of coverage. Influence of thinning forest planting can be obviously quite different, but results show that: reductions of vegetation expand the water supply, and renewal of forest was accompanied by his reduction. In the north of the country numerous facts are known how to increase ground waters after destruction arboreal vegetation as a result of deforesting, wildfires and etc.

         The more intensive plant transpires the better its crown detains precipitations, the less supply of moisture remains in soil. Besides there is a connection [10], the more near located soil water to the surface of soil, so the more the plants expend them on own necessities and the more intensive reduce of level of ground waters. So, for example, when ground waters are deposited 1,4–1,7 m in the whortleberry coniferous forest, and in summer reduction of its level reaches 0,4–0,5 m.

         2. Mechanism of grassy vegetation influences of on water balance its role in phytocenosis. If arboreal vegetation facilitates supply of moisture into the atmosphere, so grassy vegetation vice versa – it facilitates the absorption of moisture.          V.V. Dokuchaev offered "… lifting with a help of the level of ground waters; ... transformation of air vaporous moisture in the liquid condition." [13]. Rakov A.Y. [7] proved the possibility of solving this problem. In addition he specified that under mighty herbage there are favourable conditions for the economy (condensations) of steam in soil, where greater part of sun radiation is expended on transpiration, heating of water vapor.

         During thundershowers and after them vegetation serried herbage accumulates favorable conditions in order to moisture conservation:

-               soil is cooled down not only by effective radiation not only, but especially by intensive wind, precipitations, physical evaporation (turbulent exchange);

-               when fallout of precipitation occurs under serried herbage often exceeds their size, soil water rise.

         3. Ecological principles in terms of phytocenosis forming

         Selecting plants some fundamental principles of phytocenosis creation are taken into consideration the following [14]: ecological, phytocenotic; systematic; harmonious principles. Ecological principle is the first by importance, as it determines by the basic criterion of choice and placing of vegetation under condition of their growth. Conditions of growing, is peculiar to different types of habitat, were represented on the functional setting of organs of plants, and finally, and on their external form. Therefore external form or gabitous is result of the long-term adaptation of plants to the definite terms of existence that was formed in the process of history development of the given kind. Thanks to it external forms of definite types of plants so good “driven”in to the definite conditions of growth [14]. As we see, this principle already includes other, as far as plants, that grow in identical conditions, perfectly get along with each other (phytocenotic principle), and the reflection of unity of external forms of plants and conditions of habitat is perceived by us as aesthetically beautiful integrity (harmonious principle).

         Ecological principles for forming of phytocenosis are used more often by scientists, such as Cabanov A.V., Shamsutdinova Z.S., Covalchuk N.P., Cohanom T.P. [3-5, 8] and others. Taking the natural phytocenosis communities as a basis and on the basis of their detailed studies were created artificial ones, but firm and productive phytocenosis.

         The surplus of moisture in soil appears in case of the near standing of ground waters or underflooding of territory, which affects most arboreal breeds harmfully. Only an alder black can withstand excessive moisture of soil, where it grows normally. Along with an alder an ash and such breeds grow undergrowth, and such as a currant is black, a buckthorn is fragile. In moist and rich soil valleys and back-waters are planted pussy-willows, poplars, alders, elms. Thanks to coordination of character of plants with the character of plant environment is well developed and form compositions, that goes with a natural landscape [13,14].

         4. Foundation possibilities of the use of vegetation in the conditions of Kirovograd. Analysing above-mentioned descriptions of influencing of vegetation on water balance, it is possible to do supposition, that along with the drainage systems that are used in a town there is possibility of the use of phytocenosis for the improvement of the water mode of territories. Of course, in built-up part of the city by taking of surplus moisture engineering measures will be taken, while on unbuilt-up territories (regions Lelekivka, Kushchiva, Ozerna Balka) there is possibility of creation of phytocenosis, basic tasks of which is to drainage of locality, decline of level of ground waters, prevention of silting of river Ingul.

         When selecting vegetation it’ll be better to follow ecological principles of creation of communities and to pay attention to the climate, relief, soil. In conditions of steppe area there are characteristic vibrations of temperatures, unevenness of precipitations on seasons – a drought changes by thundershowers, considerable fluctuations of level of ground waters. Therefore it is better to pick up optimum correlation of arboreal and grassy forms of plants which would get along between itself, forming firm phytocenosis. The arboreal plants will reduce the level of ground waters due to transpiration, during the season of rains a superficial runoff will transpire in internal, the amountof precipitations, that get on soil will diminish, detaining them by coma and others like that. It will prevent silting of river Ingoul that in the turn will lead one of reasons of underflooding to the removal. The grassy plants will affect of overhead layers of soil during a drought, and also support of trees, giving them demandable moisture.

         Attention should be paid to the selection of trees breeds and to staying power of coma, as such underflooding districts, as Kovalivka, Cushivka are located in a low-laying area lower than level of river Ingul. Such topographical terms of locality facilitate in stagnation of waters that appears when rapid melting of snow or thundershowers. If snow will stay too long on coma, as a result of sublimation the more than half of it will be transferred in atmosphere, and not in soil.

         Using the formulas of water balance of territory, it is possible to produce recommendations from the rise of meliorative properties of phytocenosis, in particular predict quantitative data of influencing of vegetation on water balance. The formulas of water balance of territory were offered by G.M.Visotskiy, Baumgartner And., M.S.Nesterov [13] and other scientists. Here is the detailed one, offered by professor. M.S.Nesterov, it has the following formula:

О = В + В'+С + С' + Г+ Р + Г' + Ю,

         where: O – precipitations, and also absorption of aquatic steam of soil;

         В – evaporation of precipitations which are detained by coma;

         В' –evaporation of water from the surface of soil;

         С – runoff of water from the surface of soil;

         С' – blowing of snow on neighbouring areas;

         Г – soil moisture (within bounds of complete satiation);

         Р moisture, that is expended on growth of transpiration plants;

         Г' soil moisture which fills up soil water;

         Ю juvenile water which got to the deep layers of earthly surface.

         The analysis of formula shows that with the use of trees it is possible to reduce the underflooding processes through the direct increase of indexes В, Р, and reduction Г'.

         Results help (in p.1) data to conclude that a most effect will be provided by arboreal vegetation, in condition of forested of territory 7080% – for maximal consumption of soil moisture by transpiration, but that the coma of trees remained unserried – for the most effective detention of precipitations.

         The most important that should be noted is that selecting breeds of trees advantage should be given to those that correspond to zonal phytocenosis.

         Conclusion. Research helps to make the following conclusions according to the tasks of forming of firm phytocenosis in the areas of underflooding in the town of Central part of Ukraine (on the example of Kirovograd).

         1. Phytocenosis, that are formed, must include both trees and grass cover. Basic setting of trees is the drainage of soil, intensive expense of moisture by transpiration, detention by the coma of precipitations. Basic setting of herbages is to provide trees by moisture during a drought.

         2. Ecological principles answer the purpose in order to form firm phytocenosis, that is taken into consideration the environmental conditions of its growth at selection of vegetation.

         3. To estimate the role of natural vegetation relevantly, that elementally appeared at self-overgrowing, it is planted by people, to reduce the level of ground waters, and to produce practical recommendations in relation to forming of firm phytocenosis with the promoted transpiration power.

 

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