The dissertation is devoted to the study of bryoflora and moss vegetation of a number of towns of the Left Bank of Dnieper, the establishment of their specificity and the conduct bryoindication research.
The bryoflora of small towns of the Left Bank Dnieper found to include 108 species and two species of mosses, which belong to two divisions: Marchantiophyta, and Bryophyta, as well as to five classes, 17 orders, 33 families, 55 genera. Of them 50 new species of mosses were found in both Pryluky and Romny towns (in each), 34 and 31 new 24 species were found in Lubny and Myrhorod towns, respectively, and 29 species were for the first time recorded for Poltava town. The predominance of heliosciophytes and heliophytes, xeromeso- and mesophytes, and epigean species is a feature of the ecological structure of the studied urban bryoflora. The predominance of forest species with insignificant participation of steppe ones has been established, which illustrates the zonal features of the studied urban bryoflora and bryoflora of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine as a whole. It was found that the most represented in the bryoflora biomorphs are low turf (loose and dense - 43 species, 39.81%), carpet (thalamic, flat, arachnoids, vertical-branched: 30 species, 27.78%) and low cushions (seven species - 6.48%), which form the basis of bryoflora and which are characterized by squat, low forms of growth (only 80 species, 74.07%). The bryoflora of urban ecosystems has an nemoral-boreal character (nemoral species - 45 (41.67%) and boreal - 34 (31.48%). Arid element is represented by 19 species (17.59%), which are associated in their distribution with arid conditions in urboecosystems and infiltrations into the general vegetation of steppe areas and dry meadows. The species with circumpolar areas are the basis of urbobryoflora.
The moss vegetation of urban ecosystems is represented by epigeic, epiphytic, epilithic and epixile bryogroups. It is represented by 9 classes, 12 orders, 15 unions, 3 sub-unions, 25 associations, 8 sub-associations and 18 rankless groups, their coenotic characteristics are given. Two associations (Bryetum caespiticii - J. Hapon 2017, Tortuletum aestivii - J. Hapon 2017), and two sub-associations: orthotrichetosum speciosi J. Hapon 2020 and amblystegietosum serpentis J. Hapon 2020 were described as new to science. Two associations were discovered for the first time for Ukraine. Urban ecosystems with their diversity of ecotopes for the growth of mosses, contribute to the enrichment of the bryoflora of a particular region, are a place of formation of both typical bryogroups and a place of preservation of rare and endangered species of bryophytes and bryogroups formed by them. It is established that in urban ecosystems the most favorable
It is established that in urban ecosystems the most favorable for the preservation of moss flora and vegetation are Poltava City Park nature reserve (Poltava town), ‘Berezovy Hay’ (Birch Grove) nature reserve (Myrhorod town), ‘Zhovtneva’ and ‘Morozivska dacha’ nature monuments (Lubny town), and ‘Beer Forest’, ‘Ognivshchyna’ tracts (Romny town).
Within bryoindication studies with usage of the index of atmospheric purity (IAP) it is found that isotoxic bryoindication zones of moderately polluted air are predominate and often forming entire areas in the centre / industrial / densely building areas of Poltava, Lubny and Pryluky towns while isotoxic zones with slightly polluted or unpolluted air are predominant or more widely distributed in smaller Romny and Myrhorod towns.
