Vegetation mapping of the Dzharylhach Island (Ukraine)

Dzharylhach Island is the largest one in the Black Sea. It is the part of the “Dzharylhatskyi” National Nature Park, which located in the Southern Ukraine. A 1 : 10000 scale vegetation map of Dzharylhach Island has been developed. The main unit for mapping is a complex of associations. In total 28 of such complexes were identified. The map shows the territorial differentiation of vegetation. It has also been used to reconstruct the island vegetation changes over the past 90 and 20 years. A comparison of cartographic materials revealed that the predominant processes in vegetation cover are halophytization and xerophytization of communities. The most distributed types of communities on the island are aquatic – Zosteretea, halophytic – Festuco-Puccinellietea and psammophytic – Festucetea vaginatae. Due to specific hydrological and soil conditions, the northern spit and shores of the island represent natural vegetation types only.