Description
This dataset contains occurrence records of vascular plants collected during geobotanical surveys conducted in August 2024 on Khortytsia Island and adjacent territories (Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southern Ukraine). The surveys were carried out in the aftermath of the destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir in June 2023, which drastically transformed the regional hydrological regime and ecological conditions. Field observations were conducted within a regular sampling grid using standard Braun-Blanquet phytosociological methods. The data include species identity, abundance, and precise geographic coordinates. The dataset aims to support biodiversity monitoring, post-disaster assessment, and ecological restoration efforts in the lower Dnipro region.
Data Records
The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 1,629 records.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Tutova, H., Lisovets, O., Kunakh, O., & Zhukov, O. (2024). Plant community structure on Khortytsia Island and adjacent areas after the Kakhovka Reservoir disaster (2024). Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University. Occurrence dataset. https://doi.org/10.15468/xxxxx
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University. To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 63c98e2f-a3bc-40fd-b7e4-c68c157cdf93. Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Participant Node Managers Committee.
Keywords
Occurrence; vascular plants; Khortytsia Island; Kakhovka Reservoir; Dnipro River; post-disaster monitoring; biodiversity; Ukraine; August 2024; riparian vegetation; succession
Contacts
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact ●
- Principal Investigator
https://orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3661-3012
- Metadata Provider
- Content Provider
- Content Provider
- Metadata Provider
- Content Provider
- Metadata Provider
- Content Provider
- Content Provider
Geographic Coverage
The dataset covers Khortytsia Island and adjacent floodplain areas along the Dnipro River within the city of Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine. This region represents a unique steppe and riparian ecosystem located in the lower Dnipro basin, which was severely affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023. The study area includes riverbanks, former reservoir terraces, and newly exposed habitats formed after the reservoir's drainage.
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [47.77, 35.11], North East [47.8, 35.16] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
Field sampling was conducted in August 2024 as part of a post-disaster ecological survey on Khortytsia Island and surrounding areas affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka Reservoir. Vegetation data were collected using a regular grid-based design with 10×10 m plots. Within each plot, all vascular plant species were recorded, and their abundance was estimated using the Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale. The sampling aimed to capture the structural and functional composition of plant communities in newly formed and transformed habitats, including exposed sediments, secondary meadows, and degraded riverbanks. Geographic coordinates were recorded with handheld GPS devices and later corrected using satellite imagery.
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
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| Class | Magnoliopsida, Liliopsida |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date / End Date | 2024-08-01 / 2024-08-31 |
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Project Data
The project focuses on post-disaster monitoring of plant communities in the Dnipro River region affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka Reservoir in June 2023. Field surveys were initiated on Khortytsia Island (Zaporizhzhia) and adjacent floodplain habitats to assess vegetation response to abrupt hydrological and ecological changes. The aim is to document species composition, functional traits, and hemeroby indicators over a multi-year period (2024–2026), and to inform ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation strategies in the lower Dnipro basin.
| Title | Post-disaster vegetation monitoring on Khortytsia Island and adjacent floodplains (2024–2026) |
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| Identifier | Khortytsia-Resilience-Project-2024 |
Sampling Methods
A regular sampling grid was applied across the study area using 4×4 m vegetation plots. Within each plot, all vascular plant species were identified and their abundance recorded as individual counts. The plots were placed across a variety of habitats including floodplain meadows, ruderal zones, and newly exposed riverbank areas formed after the drainage of the Kakhovka Reservoir. All sampling locations were georeferenced using handheld GPS units and later validated with high-resolution satellite imagery. Fieldwork was conducted over several consecutive days in August 2024 to capture peak vegetation development and species richness across the affected landscape.
| Study Extent | The study was conducted on Khortytsia Island and adjacent floodplain territories in Zaporizhzhia, southeastern Ukraine. The surveyed area spans approximately 12 square kilometers within the lower Dnipro River basin. Sampling plots were distributed across various habitat types, including alluvial meadows, exposed reservoir terraces, floodplain forests, and ruderal sites newly formed or transformed after the collapse of the Kakhovka Reservoir in June 2023. The 2024 field campaign focused on establishing a baseline for long-term monitoring of vegetation dynamics under conditions of post-disaster ecological succession and altered hydrology. |
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Method step description:
- A systematic sampling grid was established over the study area on Khortytsia Island and nearby floodplains. In August 2024, field teams recorded all vascular plant species within 4×4 m plots, noting individual counts for each taxon. Each observation was georeferenced using handheld GPS devices. Field data were digitized and cleaned in spreadsheet format. Scientific names were verified and standardized according to the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. The dataset was structured using the Darwin Core standard and prepared for publication via the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT).
Additional Metadata
| Alternative Identifiers | https://ukraine.ipt.gbif.no/resource?r=plants_khortytsia_2024 |
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