Bryophyte flora of hydrocarbon deposit sites in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO) is a vast territory of more than 750 000 sq km situated in the north of Tyumen region in the tundra, forest tundra and boreal forest subzones. Its territory is interesting for bryoflora research because it is mostly a flat waterlogged plain crossed by numerous rivers including the Ob, the Taz and the Pur which are the major waterways of the region. YNAO is one of the largest natural gas and crude oil deposits in Russia. In this territory, 232 hydrocarbon deposit sites have been discovered and 70 ones are under development nowadays. This paper is the first to present the data on moss species diversity for a number of hydrocarbon deposits which were collected during a ten-year period of engineering and environmental surveying in YNAO. Five years after the last survey, it is possible to publish these data which may be interesting for bryologists and botanists, in general. In 2000-2011, we collected moss samples in (1) the south tundra of the Pestsovoye, Yurkharovskoye, Nakhodkinskoye, Tazovskoye and Yen-Yakhinskoye hydrocarbon deposit sites, (2) the forest tundra of the Urengoiskoye and Yaro-Yakhinsky hydrocarbon deposit sites, and in (3) the north boreal forest of the Gubkinsky, Vyngayakhinskoye and Yety-Purovskoye hydrocarbon deposit sites. The geobotanical characteristics of the disturbed habitats and primary communities were described for the key sites located within 63°46'N-68°04'N, 75°29'E-79°00'E. In the investigated territories of the hydrocarbon deposit sites, we registered 84 moss habitats and formed their aggregated groups: drained and boggy tundra; thin forests; dark coniferous, light coniferous and coniferous-parvifoliate forests; raised, transition and low-land bogs; riverside, water and disturbed habitats (anthropogenic, pyrogenic ones and soil outcropping). Moss species were identified by AP Dyachenko and OG Voronova and brought into conformity with the requirements of the Check-list of Mosses of Eastern Europe and North Asia taking into account later changes in the moss flora of Russia (Moss flora of Russia. Oedipodiales - Grimmiales, 2017). The herbarium is kept in the Institute of Biology, Tyumen State University (Tyumen, Russian Federation), and partly in Ural State Pedagogical University (Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation). According to the previous studies, 298 moss species including 6 variants were distinguished for the plain territory of YNAO, among them, there were 275 species in the south tundra, 95 species in the forest tundra, and 152 species in the north boreal forest. At the hydrocarbon deposit sites under study, 101 species were distinguished including 70 species in the south tundra, 51 species in the forest tundra, and 46 species in the boreal forest. The wide-spread species include Polytrichum commune, P. juniperinum, P. strictum, Ceratodon purpureus, Pohlia nutans, Aulacomnium palustre, Calliergon cordifolium, Warnstorfia exannulata, Pleurozium schreberi, and Sanionia uncinata. Rare occurrence was registered for 34 species. The registered species represent 44 genera, 23 families, and 9 orders. The highest species diversity was distinguished for the families of Sphagnaceae, Polytrichaceae, Dicranaceae, which are 45.7% in the south tundra, 50.9% in the forest tundra, and 43.5% in the boreal forest of the subzone species number. New species were distinguished in each subzone: Ditrichum pusillum in the south tundra; Bryum bimum, B. pseudotriquetrum, Dicranum groenlandicum, Ditrichum pusillum, Drepanocladus aduncus, Funaria hygrometrica, Leptobryum pyriforme, Ochyraea duriuscula, Paludella squarrosa, Pogonatum urnigerum, Psilopilum laevigatum, Racomitrium lanuginosum, and Scorpidium cossonii in the forest tundra; Bryum axel-blytii, Campylidium sommerfeltii, and Sphagnum cuspidatum in the boreal forest. The last two species are newly discovered for the entire YNAO territory. These findings increased the species diversity of mosses to 276 species in the south tundra, to 108 species in the forest tundra, and to 155 species in the boreal forest. The habitats of 8 endangered species rarely occurring in YNAO territory were registered: Dicranum scoparium, Ditrichum pusillum, Fontinalis antipyretica, Ochyraea duriuscula, Bryum elegans, B. axel-blytii, Callicladium haldanianum, and Pseudocalliergon lycopodioides. The analysis of the moss distribution according to habitats demonstrated that the largest number of species (55) grows in riverside communities, where they inhabit various substrates: wind-fallen trees, stubs, willow stocks, pellets, soils, sand, clays, and peats. In bogs, 44 species were registered, including 25 in the raised ones, 32 in the transition ones, and 13 in the low-land ones. 26 species were registered in forests, 10 in thin forests, 12 in drained tundra, 6 in boggy tundra, and 2 in water bodies. Moss species growing in the disturbed habitats are of special interest: Ceratodon purpureus, Pohlia nutans, and Polytrichum juniperinum were ordinally registered, Pogonatum dentatum, Polytrichum strictum, and Leptobryum pyriforme were rather frequently registered. The results obtained can be the basis for a long-term bryoflora monitoring at hydrocarbon deposit sites and can become a component for developing environmental policy.

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