Adyghe Int. Sci. J. Vol. 26, No. 1. Pp. 56–74.
Read article Contents of this issue
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47928/1726-9946-2026-26-1-56-74
EDN: SPKXMT
ECOLOGY
| UDC 581.9: 582.594.2 | Original Article |
Fixing bottlenecks of establishing the threatened status
of plants at the boundary of their range during modern climate change: a case study of Cyperaceae north
of the Arctic Circle
Blinova Ilona Vladimirovna
Doctor of Biological Sciences, the Head of the group of Plant Resources, Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia (Apatity, Russia). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7193-3524, SPIN-код: 6854-3071, ilbli@yahoo.com
Abstract. The risk of extirpation of many plant species which is projected during global climatic changes could be mitigated by actions on their protection. Range populations should be considered first of all. This study is aimed in revision of localities of two species of Cyperaceae (Eriophorum gracile Roth and Carex livida (Wahlenb.) Willd.) in Murmansk Region and preparation of actual maps of their distribution. Altogether 30 subpopulations of E. gracile from 12 gridlines AFE and 45 subpopulations of C. livida from 26 gridlines AFE have been found in Murmansk Region. The testing of species status according to the IUCN criteria has been performed with the help of qualitative characteristics concerning range and population size. It has been evaluated whether the system of Atlas Florae Europaeae (AFE) could be used along with the IUCN-criteria. Additionally, rarity of both Cyperaceae-species has been studied based on limiting factors including climatic. In fen ecosystems their subpopulations are highly fragmented, and regional subpopulations are sporadic. It is proposed changing their categories in the next edition of the Regional Red Data Book. Methodological problems concerning mapping are discussed. At the regional level the AFE-system for area estimation could be used along with the IUCN protocol. The northern border of two rare Cyperaceae species (E. gracile and C. livida) north of the Arctic Circle has been shaping under climatic influence during historic and recent time. Historical shaping of species range under climatic regimes may better understand the actual status of species during climatic changes. Under current climatic changes for both species a risk of extinction is greater at the southern border of their distributions outside Murmansk Region. A multidisciplinary network could be enhancing conservation of threatened species. A broader investment in population and biological studies should be considered by the Russian profile Ministries.
Keywords: Eriophorum gracile Roth, Carex livida (Wahlenb.) Willd., Cyperaceae, rare plant species, Fennoscandia, the northern distributional range, climate, IUCN categories and criteria.
Funding. The work was not carried out within the framework of funds.
Competing interests. There are no conflicts of interest regarding authorship and publication.
Contribution and Responsibility. The author participated in the writing of the article and is fully responsible for submitting the final version of the article to the press.
For citation. Blinova I. V. Fixing bottlenecks of establishing the threatened status of plants at the boundary of their range during modern climate change: a case study of Cyperaceae north of the Arctic Circle. Adyghe Int. Sci. J. 2026. Vol. 26, No. 1. Pp. 56–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47928/1726-9946-2026-26-1-56-74; EDN: SPKXMT
Submitted 17.02.2026; approved after reviewing 27.02.2026; accepted for publication 03.03.2026.
© Blinova I. V., 2026
REFERENCES
1. Holz H., Segar J., Valdez J., Staude I. R. Assessing extinction risk across the geographic ranges of plant species in Europe // Plants, People, Planet. 2022. Vol. 4(3). Pp. 303–311.
2. Humphreys A., Govaerts R., Ficinski S., Nic Lughadha E., Vorontsova M. Global dataset shows geography and life form predict modern plant extinction and rediscovery. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2019. Vol. 3. Pp. 1–5.
3. IUCN. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version 2025-1. 2025. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on 14.02.2026.
4. IUCN. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels, Version 4.0. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 2012.iii + 41pp.
5. Grace M., Ak¸cakaya H. R., Bennett E., Hilton-Taylor C., Long B., Milner-Gulland E., Young R., Hoffmann M. Using historical and palaeoecological data to inform ambitious species recovery targets // Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences. 2019. Vol. 374. Pp. 20190297. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0297
6. Muldashev A. A., Galeeva A. Kh., Maslova N. B., Mirkin B. M. Krasnaya kniga Respubliki Bashkortostan: opyt formirovaniya spiska redkikh vidov rasteniy // The Vestnik Academii Nauk Respubliki Bashkortostan. 2008. Vol. 3. Pp. 5–13. (in Russian)
7. Geltman D. V. Kategorii statusa redkosti v Krasnykh knigakh // Botanicheskiy Zhurnal. 2017. Vol. 102(7). Pp. 875–888. (in Russian).
8. Robbirt K., Roberts D., Hawkins J. Comparing IUCN and Probabilistic Assessments of Threat: Do IUCN Red List Criteria Conflate Rarity and Threat? // Biodiversity and Conservation. 2006. Vol. 15. Pp. 1903–1912.
9. Enquist B. J., Feng X., Boyle B., Maitner B., Newman E. A., J{\e}rgensen P M., Roehrdanz P. R., Thiers B. M., Burger J. R., Corlett R. T., Couvreur T. L. P., Dauby G., Donoghue J. C., Foden W., Lovett J. C., Marquet P.A., Merow C., Midgley G., Morueta-Holme N., Neves D. M., Oliveira-Filho A. T., Kraft N. J.B., Park D. S., Peet R. K., Pillet M., Serra-Diaz J. M., Sandel B., Schildhauer M., Šíımová I., Violle C., Wieringa J. J., Wiser S. K., Hannah L., Svenning J. C., McGill B. J. The commonness of rarity: Global and future distribution of rarity across land plants // Science Advances. 2019. Vol. 5(11). Pp. eaaz0414.
10. Ishmuratova M., Ishbirdin A. Rare and Endangered Plant Species: Population Aspect in Research and Conservation. Adyghe Int. Sci. J. 2024. Vol. 24, No. 2. Pp. 58–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47928/1726-9946-2024-24-2-58-84; EDN: PMBHRB (in Russian)
11. Krasnaya kniga Murmanskoy oblasti. Izdanie 3; ed. by E. A. Borovichev, N. V. Polikarpova, NA. Konstantinova and O. A. Makarova. Moskva: OOO “RPZ Ofort”, 2025. 604 p. (in Russian)
12. Vincent H., Bornand Ch. N., Kempel A., Fischer M. Rare species perform worse than widespread species under changed climate // Biological Conservation. 2020. Vol. 246. Pp. 108586. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108586
13. The 2010 Norwegian Red List for Species / ed. by J. A. K˚al˚as, ˚A. Viken, S. Henriksen, S. Skjelseth. Trondheim, 2010.
14. The 2010 Red List of Finnish Species / ed. by P. Rassi, E. Hyv¨arinen, A. Jusl´en, I. Mannerkoski. Helsinki, 2010.
15. Hulten E., Fries M. Atlas of North European vascular plants: north of the Tropic of Cancer, I-III. K¨onigstein: Koeltz Scientific Books, 1986.
16. Новоселова М. С. Род Пушица (Eriophorum L.) – систематика, география, эволюция: // Автореф. дисс. канд. биол. наук. СПб, 1994.
17. Lansdown R. V. Eriophorum gracile (Europe assessment) // The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011. Pp. e.T175270A7132063. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/175270/7132063. Accessed on 26.05.2023.
18. Егорова Т. В. Осоки (Carex L.) России и сопредельных государств (в пределах бывшего СССР). СПб, 1999. 772 с.
19. Lansdown R. V. Carex livida // The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. Pp. e.T64271818A67728890. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64271818A67728890.en. Accessed on 26.05.2023.
20. Lampinen R., Lahti T. Kasviatlas 2021. Helsinki: Helsingin Yliopisto, Luonnontieteellinen keskusmuseo, 2022. http://kasviatlas.fi
21. Zifrovoy gerbariy Moskovskogo Universiteta: ed. by A.P. Seregin. Moscow: MSU, 2023. https://plant.depo.msu.ru/ (accessed on 22.01.2023) (in Russian)
22. Kozhin M. N., Sennikov A. Vascular Plant Herbarium at the Kandalaksha Strict Nature Reserve (KAND), Russia. Kandalaksha State Nature Reserve. 2020. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/vebcs3 accessed via www.gbif.org on 2023-01-23.
23. CRIS. 2023. URL: http://www.kpabg.ru/cris (дата обращения: 22.01.2023)
24. Home page of Atlas Florae Europaeae (https://tietopankki.luomus.fi/atlas-florae-europaeae/). Accessed on 16.02.2026.
25. Blinova I. The northern range of rare plant species in the NE Fennoscandia between historical and recent climatic changes: the case of Eriophorum gracile (Cyperaceae) // Environmental dynamics and global climate change. 2023. Vol. 14(1). Pp. 38–58.
26. IUCN. Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 15.1. The Standards and Petitions Committee. 2022. https://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf. Accessed on 26.05.2023.
27. Ценопопуляции растений / под ред. Т. И. Серебряковой, Т. Г. Соколовой. М.: Наука, 1988. 184 с.
28. WFO. 2026. https://www.worldfloraonline.org/ Accessed on: 16 Febr 2026.
29. Blinova I. Population demography of rare sedges (Eriophorum gracile and Carex livida) north of the Arctic Circle in Murmansk Region and climate change impacts. Environmental dynamics and global climate change. 2022. Vol. 13(4). Pp. 202–214.
30. Blinova I., Uotila P. Chamorchis alpina and Epipactis helleborine in Murmansk Region, Russia, and assessments of the orchids in the region using the IUCN Red List Categories // Memoranda Soc. Fauna Flora Fennica. 2011. Vol. 87. Pp. 21–28.
31. Seregin A. Prostranstvennaya structura flory Vladimirskoy oblasti: Diss. . . . doct. biol. nauk. Moscow, 2014. (in Russian)
32. Redkie biotopy Belorussii; ed. by A. V. Pugachevskiy. Minsk, 2013. 300 p. (in Russian)
33. Wotejko L., Pawlaczyk P., Sta´nko R. (eds). Alkaline fens in Poland – diversity, resources, conservation. ´Swiebodzin, 2019.
34. Rydin H., Sjörs H., Löfroth M. 7. Mires //Acta Phytogeographica Suecica. 1999.Vol. 84. Pp. 91–112.
35. Tande G. F., Lipkin R. Wetland Sedges of Alaska. Anchorage: Natural Heritage Program, Environment and Natural Resources Institute, University of Alaska, 2003.
36. Johnson J. B., Steingraeber D. A. The vegetation and ecological gradients of calcareous mires in the South Park valley, Colorado // Canadian Journal of Botany, 2003. Vol. 81. Pp. 201–219.
37. Gage E., Cooper D. J. Carex livida (Wahlenberg) Willdenow (livid sedge): a technical conservation assessment. Colorado: USDA Forest Service. 2006. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5206978.pdf
38. Arzamastsev A., Yakovenchuk V., Ivanyuk G. The Khibina and Lovozero alkaline massifs: Geology and unique mineralization, 2008.
39. Käsermann C., Moser D. M. Merkblätter Artenschutz – Bl¨utenpflanzen und Farne. Stand, 1999.
40. Peterka T., Hájek M., Jiroušek M., Jiménez-Alfaro B., Aunina L., Bergamini A. et al. Formalized classification of European fen vegetation at the alliance level // Applied Vegetation Science. 2017. Vol. 20. Pp. 124–142.
41. Smagin V. A. Rastitel’nost’ topei i mochazhin verkhovykh, perekhodnykh i aapa-bolot bolot evropeiskoy Rossii i ee mesto v sintaksonomii floristicheskoy shkoly // Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo Tsentra Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk. 2012. Vol. 14(1–4). Pp. 1125–1129. (in Russian)
42. Waterway M., Martins K., Dabros A., Prado A., Lechowicz M. Ecological and Evolutionary Diversification within the Genus Carex (Cyperaceae): Consequences for Community Assembly in Subarctic Fens // Systematic Botany. 2016. Vol. 41. Pp. 558–579.
43. Metsävainio K. Untersuchungen über das Wurzelsystem der Moorpflanzen // Annales Botanici Societatis Zoologicæ-Botanicæ Fennicæ Vanamo. 1931. Vol. 1. Pp. 1–422.
44. Lemly J., Cooper D. Multiscale factors control community and species distribution in mountain peatlands // Botany. 2011. Vol. 89. Pp. 689–713.
45. Lumiala O. V. Über die Beziehung einiger Moorpflanzen zu der Grundwasserhöhe // Bull. Comm. G´eol. Finlande. 1944. Vol. 132. Pp. 147–164.
46. Kiryukhin I. V. Ekologya i biologiya redkikh vidov rasteniy Respubliki Mordoviya // Avtoref. diss. . . . kand. biol. nauk. Saransk, 2004. 22 p. (in Russian)
47. Gafurova M. M. O transformatsii rastitel’nogo pokrova dvukh sphagnovykh bolot severnoy chasti Chuvashii za poslednie 90 let // In: Ekologicheskii sbornik. Trudy Vserossiiskoi nauchnoi konferentsii. Tolyatti, 2021. Pp. 53–58. (in Russian)
48. Doronina A.Yu. O novykh mestonakhozhdeniyakh Carex livida (Wahlenb.) Willd. i Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. v Leningradskoy oblasti // Bull. Moskovskogo Obscestva ispytetelei prirody. Otdel biologicheskii. 2014. Vol. 119(6). 62 p. (in Russian)
49. Bochkov D. A., Seregin A. P. Local floras of Russia: records from literature. Version 1.71. Lomonosov Moscow State University. 2022. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/rxtjt2 accessed via www.gbif.org on 2023-07-16.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.