Scientific publications

Changes in the composition of epigeic lichens and their abundance in areas of disturbed oligotrophic bogs located within the boundaries of oil fields depend on the type and degree of the impact. According to the degree of preservation, rate and characteristics of regeneration of the lichen cover, disturbed bog areas can be divided into two groups. The first one includes landscapes in which manifestations of negative processes (hydromorphization, severe soil salinization, badlandization) have led to a sharp decrease in the presence of lichens or their complete destruction. The regeneration of epigeic lichens is not happening in such areas or it is in an initial stage. At the same time, the consequences of drainage related to the redistribution of runoff, eutrophication of oligotrophic peat soils, as well as the creation of new drained habitats from peat and peat-mineral mixture (embankments) generate the conditions for a greater presence of lichens. In areas disturbed by technogenic impact, only species of genus Cladonia persist and are the first to recover. Species of genus Cetraria, which together with species of genus Cladonia are found in native oligotrophic bogs, are almost absent in industrially transformed bogs, which is explained by their sensitivity to pollution.