The Polistovo-Lovatskaya system is one of the largest and best preserved in Europe systems of raised bogs. Its area is about 250 thousand ha, and about half of the territory is protected. The Polistovo-Lovatskaya system is like a watershed slope bog referring to the system of oligotrophic bogs. The raised bog area has a lot of peaks as it was formed by the merge of several independent marshes. And first of all, the Polistovo-Lovatskaya system is of interest as an object of study for telmathologists. Besides the fact that it is the largest and most well-preserved raised bog system in Europe, what in and of itself may be of interest, this bog system has many features that may be subject to research and study. In particular, for hydrologists it may be of interest to study topographic features. A characteristic feature of the Polistovo-Lovatsky raised bog system is the abundance of medium-sized rivers, streams and lakes. Channels of most rivers are complex (open, under-moss type, flowing under the moss, buried - flowing inside peat deposits). It also may be a subject to study.
In the territory if the Reserve there are also large lakes interesting for hydrologists, hydrobiologists, algologists, ichthyologists. Large lakes on the massif are located mainly in groups. Within the Reserve, there is a northern group consisting of three lakes - Russkoye (area 390 hectares), Mezhnitskoye (90 hectares) and Kokarevskoye (33 hectares), which used to form a coherent whole. Lakes of the Polistovo-Lovatskaya raised bog system, just like lake of raised bogs, are characterized by poor water calcium, high in humic substances, poor of phytoplankton and rich in zooplankton (from Cladocera and Copepoda).
A very substantial part of the raised bog landscape is plenty of lakes scattered among the moss cover and forming ridge-lakelet or ridge-hollow-lakelet complexes. One can find a rare form of Willkommii pine; its height is usually less than 1 m, and Pumila forms, wide curtains of which rise over the moss on 20-40 cm; their presence does not violate the general impression of treelessness. In addition to them, there are more isolated thin birches (Betula pendula) up to 2,5 m high. In hollows the predominant flora comprises the vegetative association Scheuchzer swamp - mud sedge - Sphagnum cuspidatum, where one can often see hollows with the cover of liverworts, windows of denuded peat. A ridge-hollow complex, dedicated to the slopes, occupies the largest area among all complexes of the Polistovo-Lovatsky massif. Besides, one of the most common wetland complexes are swamps of marginal areas formed under conditions of very poor drainage and heavy influx of water from the elevated parts of the bog or from a mineral shore. The most characteristic features of marginal wetlands are constant high water content, a very smooth surface, and the almost complete treelessness. In places where the mineral bottom is close to the surface of a peat massif, fairly large reeds can grow. Often one can observe washout with bare peat.
In this connection, the Polistovo-Lovatskaya raised bog system may be of a great interest also for geobotanists, bryologists and lichenologists, telmathologists (study of peat).
Among the raised bog massif one can observe mineral islands of two types: high (up to 9 meters above bogs), small in size and relatively low, with gentle slopes, but often occupying a large area. Researches of inner bog islands are of interest for ornithologists and geobotanists.
In addition, one can also find interesting climatological and meteorological researches because such a large area of raised bogs certainly has a significant climate-making effect. In general, the climate of the Polistovo-Lovatskaya bog system is moderately continental.
The territory of the Polistovsky Reserve may be of interest to entomologists, arachnologists, mammalogists and certainly for environmentalists, as well as scientists in many other specialties.
Today, the own staff and specialists of the Reserve and other organizations conduct studies on the following directions.
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Paleobotany Since 2012, studies of the pollen spectra have been carried out in Polistovsky Reserve under the RFBR project “Modern Pollen Spectra of the European Part of Russia as the Basis for Interpreting Fossil Data”. The results of radiocarbon and palynological analyzes of fossil samples reveal vegetation changes during the Subboreal, Subatlantic and Atlantic Holocene periods on the territory of the Priilmensky lowland and determine the beginning and power of anthropogenic impact on the Polistovo-Lovatsky bog massif. Reports on paleobotanical research (pollen studies) (in Russian). |
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Geochemistry and geophysics Reports on geophysical and geochemical research (in Russian). |
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Botany and geobotany. The main objectives of this trend are identification of floristic diversity of the Polistovsky Reserve and the accurate description of distribution of each species on the territory, description of plant communities of individual well-delineated areas of the Reserve, as well as successions of bog vegetation. Reports on botanical and geobotanical research (in Russian). |
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Lichens. |
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Algae. The species composition of algae of the Polistovo-Lovatskaya bog system was studied by specialists of IBIW of the Russian Academy of Sciences; the majority of samples was collected in the State Naturе Reserve 'Rdeysky'. There was identified the composition of centric diatoms. Based on these results, there was produced a nomenclatural combination and found two species, which were new to science. Their description is being prepared for publication. Most of identified species are rare for the flora of Russia, neighboring countries and Europe; the systematic list contains the data about exact findings from other habitats, indicating that the flora of the studied massif is unique. (Kulikovsky, Report 2005). Scientists have studied the species composition and abundance of phytoplankton of Lake Polisto adjacent to the Reserve. There were revealed certain regularities in the distribution of algae in the waters of the reservoir. The water quality was assessed by the saprobity index. The index values were calculated using the species composition and abundance of indicator species of algae (Sudnitsina D.N., Report, 2000). |
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Mosses. In 2007 there was an inventory of sphagnum moss in the territory of the Polistovsky Reserve. There was determined the species composition of Sphagnum moss and types of plant communities formed by species of this genus in the Polistovsky Reserve. For the first time for the Reserve, an annotated list of species of sphagnum moss was compiled. A demonstration herbarium was made up for the most common species. It was suggested to find a few more rare species and their expected habitats (Kovalevich, Report, 2007). Other groups of mosses are much rarer, usually they can be found in the forest part of the Reserve. Their inventory has not been yet undertaken. |
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Mushrooms |
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Land plants |
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Phenology. This line of research involves keeping a calendar of nature, registration of seasonal processes and phenomena on the territory of the Reserve. This calendar is maintained is under the program 'Nature Chronicles' adopted in the State Nature Reserve. The staff of the Polistovsky Reserve makes observations of seasonal phenomena of inanimate nature as well as seasonal changes in the life of plants and animals. Phenological observations in the Reserve are made by researchers and inspectors of protection; the latter regularly visit the Reserve and may timely note changes in the nature. |
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Hydrobiology. |
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Entomology An inventory of selected species of arthropods in the Reserve was carried out in 2009-2010. According to the results of the research quantitative reports on the entomofauna were prepared. Among them are: an inventory of water beetles (55 species), an inventory of Tabanidae (14 species), an inventory of Eriophyoidea (13 species), and an inventory of mosquitoes (11 species). |
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Ornithology. |
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Theriology. |