Plant Communities of the Artemisietea vulgaris in Spontaneous Terraforming Models of Extraterrestrial Ecosystems

The article is devoted to the study of the prospects for using plant communities of the class for terraforming isolated extraterrestrial ecosystems. The study aims to determine the functional role of Artemisietea vulgaris vegetation within spontaneous terraforming models of extraterrestrial ecosystems. In accordance with the aim, the following tasks were set: to analyze the ecological spectrum of the Artemisietea vulgaris class vegetation; to establish the place of the plant communities of the class in models of vegetation restoration dynamics on substrates lunar regolith simulants. The materials of the study were standard geobotanical descriptions, based on which the classification of plant communities and synphytoindication analysis were carried out. During the study, it was determined that the Artemisietea vulgaris class vegetation in the territory of Ukrainian Polissya belongs to 2 orders, 5 unions, and 20 associations according to the Brown-Blanquet system classification. The limitation of the plant communities of Artemisietea vulgaris to certain types of habitats is noticeable at the level of unions. Plant communities of the Agropyrion repentis union are adapted to distribution on disturbed substrates with a minimum amount of nutrients. Plant communities of the Arction lappae union are more common in places where anthropogenic accumulation of organic and mineral substances occurs in combination with disturbances that suppress natural vegetation. The least humid ecotopes with the highest continentality indicators are occupied by the vegetation of the Dauco-Melilotion and Onopordion acanthii unions. Plant communities of the Rorippo austriacae-Falcarion vulgaris union are ruderal forest edges and ecotonic with groups of nitrophiles of the Galio-Urticetea class. According to the data of the synphytoindication analysis, plant communities of the class are formed under conditions of predominance of anthropogenic dynamics over autogenic. The average indicators of the level of anthropogenic transformation range from 9.39 points (Rorippo austriacae-Falcarion vulgaris union) to 10.30 points (Dauco-Melilotion union), which corresponds to the eugemerob level of anthropotolerance. Modeling by synphytoindication indicators indicates that the vegetation of the Artemisietea vulgaris class can form both on completely disturbed substrates with rock outcrops and on arable land. The next stage of positive autogenic succession will be the stage of shrubs (Rhamno-Prunetea class) or young derived forests (Robinietea class). The course of successions is influenced by edaphic conditions, seed diaspora, and the level of anthropogenic transformation.