STUDIES ON CHOROLOGY OF ENDANGERED PLANTS SPECIES FROM THE MIDDLE DNIESTER RIVER BASIN, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

The study included research in natural areas protected by state, the period 2011-2014, in the middle Dniester River basin, located on the border with Ukraine, in order to establish habitats of rare plants species, with national and international protection status, within existing areas across Europe and to identify new habitats (in the study) for the most threatened species of flora in the region. Physical and geographical peculiarities of the investigated region conditioned a unique floristic diversity, given also by chorology of rare species. For example, some endangered plant species included in the Red Book of the Republic of Moldova (2001), with continuous or compact area of distribution were recorded at Northeastern limit (Trifolium pannonicum), at Eastern limit (Cephalanthera damasonium), at Southern limit of species area (Athyrium filix-femina, Hepatica nobilis, Dryopteris carthusiana, Maianthemum bifolium), and those with discontinuous or disjunctive area - at Eastern limit (Doronicum hungaricum), at Northeastern limit (Nectaroscordum bulgaricum, Fritillaria meleagroides, Galanthus nivalis), at Southern limit (Poa versicolor), and at Southeastern limit of species area (Melittis sarmatica) etc. Identified rare species are mentioned in the various Annexes of environmental Conventions (Bern, 1979; Washington, 1973; Annexes IUCN, 2008; Red Book of neighboring countries), therefore requires additional measures of rehabilitation and conservation of habitats. New habitats, for growth and development of rare species in Moldova, have been identified, compared to data subjects in performed studies of country geobotanical districts (Negru, 2002 Gheideman, 1975) or their maps distribution from the Red Book of Republic of Moldova (2001).