Kuznetsova O. Phytocoenotic Features of Lawns and Lawn-Type Herbage of Urban Ecosystems (Based on the Example of the City of Dnipropetrovsk).

The object is the lawns and lawn-type grass stands of the urbanized ecosystems in the city of Dnipropetrovsk. The objective is to determine phytocoenotic features of the lawns and lawn-type grass stands of the urbanized ecosystems by the example of the city of Dnipropetrovsk based on ecologic & phytocoenotic and environmental & morphological investigations in order to develop the ecological basis for creation of persistent cenoses in the urban agglomerations of the steppe zone and to deal with the issue of the optimization of environment. The reserch is performed with the use of field method, ecological & analytical method, paper method, laboratory method, as well as correlation analysis and regression analysis. The research suggests that the lawns and lawn-type grass stands in the city of Dnipropetrovsk have high richness in species. Plant groups of investigated sample areas are amphicenoses created by meadow steppe and steppe cenotic elements. The main body of the grass stand is composed of xeromesophytes and mesoxerophytes; in relation to the diversity of soil it is composed of mesotrophs. Investigated groups are the center where the species with high coefficient of phytocoenotic activity quickly occupy free ecological niches and adjust to the actualities of the place of growth, which not always comply with ecological and cenotic requirements of the specie in the natural environment. Dynamic processes of the lawn phytocoenoses belong to anthropic and ecotopic fluctuations. The lawn-type grass stand with a dominating Poa angustifolia L. in the setting of the steppe has the best indicators from the viewpoint of persistence and sod-forming properties, and serves as a relevant model for creation of artificial grass groups in urbanized territories of the steppe zone. Sphere of application is the creation of grass surfaces, process of education.