DIVERSITY OF AQUATIC MACROPHYTES IN THE NENETS AUTONOMOUS OKRUG: INVENTORY AS A BASIS FOR MONITORING

Abstract

Understanding the species composition and distribution of aquatic macrophytes in the Arctic and Subarctic has become increasingly important due to ongoing climatic and anthropogenic changes in the region. Information on the aquatic flora of water bodies in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO), Russian Federation, remains fragmentary, and targeted floristic surveys of water bodies in the region have remained extremely limited to date. Given the rapid dynamics of aquatic ecosystems, establishing a monitoring system is essential. To address this knowledge gap, an inventory of aquatic macrophytes (vascular plants, mosses, and macroalgae) is being carried out in the NAO. Herbarium specimens from 118 water bodies were analyzed, including those collected within the Nenets Nature Reserve; all specimens are deposited in the herbarium of the I.D. Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters. The resulting checklist includes 105 taxa. One species and two hybrids, all new to the region, were recorded. Batrachospermum gelatinosum, a species listed in the Red Data Book of the NAO, was identified. The highest diversity was observed in the vicinity of Naryan-Mar (51 taxa). These data establish a baseline for long-term monitoring of aquatic flora and provide a foundation for the science-based conservation of European Russian Subarctic ecosystems.