Long-term monitoring of the transformation of the alpine community Juncetum festucosum airoidi in the Chornohora (Ukrainian Carpathians)

An analysis of the structural and dynamic transformations in the alpine grass community Juncetum festucosum airoid in the town of Pozhizhevska in the Chornohir massif of the Ukrainian Carpathians, which have occurred during the last 40 years under the influence of climatogenic and demutational changes, was carried out. The main factors and consequences of its transformation at the level of the group structure, as well as the age composition, density and projected coverage of the coenopopulations of grass, hemishrub and shrub species have been established. A significant redistribution of coenosis-forming positions of species was noted. During this time, the phytocoenosis was transformed into Juncetum myrtilloso-rhodococcosum. Already in the medium term. in the future, it is possible to predict drastic changes in the experimental community due to the expansion of its area, as well as in other alpine communities at their lower limit, subalpine shrub groups Juniperus communis subsp. alpina. The modern anthropogenic threat of digression of the investigated phytocoenosis, like many other groups of the alpine zone of the Ukrainian Carpathians, is the uncontrolled harvesting of Cetraria islandica, which continues intensively even in protected areas.