Pertti Uotila & Ulla Heikkilä (eds.) 1999: Threatened plants and lichens on the northwest shore of Lake Lagoda, Republic of Karelia, Russia. Norrlinia 7: 1-111 p. ISSN 0780-3214. ISBN 951-45-8881-9

Uotila, P. & Heikkilä, U.: Biodiversity of the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 3–10.

A presentation is given of the project to collect from the literature, archives and museum specimens old information on threatened plants, lichens and some insects from the large Ladozhskie Skerries National Park, planned on the northwest shore (including the off-shore islands) of Lake Ladoga, Republic of Karelia, Russia. A short description is given of the joint Finnish-Russian botanical and zoological excursion to the area from 23 June to 2 July 1997.

Heikkilä, U., Huttunen, S., Kravchenko, A. V., Oksanen, I., Uotila, P. & Vitikainen, O.: Botanical hotspots on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 11–40.

A total of 37 localities with exceptionally high conservational value because of their rich flora of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens are described from the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, mainly from the area of the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park (Republic of Karelia, Russia). Several localities are large complexes of various habitats. Especially rich is the Kirjavalahti area close to the town of Sortavala. The habitats in the localities can be divided into four loose groups. (1) Eroded rock precipices (riuttavuori hills), mainly facing south and southeast, often with some calcareous strips, with characteristic rare species like Camptothecium lutescens, Rhytidium rugosum, Porella platyphylla, Allium lineare, Cotoneaster antoninae, Dianthus arenarius, Saxifraga adscendens and S. nivalis. (2) Rich groves with Aconitum lycoctonum, Botrychium virginianum, Campanula latifolia, Cypripedium calceolus and Neottia nidus-avis. (3) Various grasslands and meadows and other habitats of traditional agriculture, possibly much decreased. Species like Agrimonia pilosa, Carlina biebersteinii, Gentianella amarella and Polygala vulgaris belong to here. (4) Outer harsh islands of Lake Ladoga with, e.g., Grimmia elatior and several northern lichens (e.g., Bryoria nitidula, Flavocetraria cucullata and F. nivalis) and vascular plants (e.g., Cerastium alpinum and Poa glauca).

Heikkilä, U., Uotila, P. & Kravchenko, A. V.: Threatened vascular plants on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 41–68.

A brief history is given concerning research into and the collection of vascular plants in Karelia ladogensis (Russia, the Republic of Karelia) since the mid-1800s. Sortavala district is one of the best researched areas in Karelia. It was frequently visited by Finnish botanists until the Second World War. More than 1 500 specimens have been collected from the province to Finnish herbaria and ca. 70 floristic publications have been made for plant taxa at present considered threatened in the Republic of Karelia. Finds of 116 vascular plant taxa considered threatened in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, have been listed in detail from the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park and neighbouring areas.

Huttunen, S. & Wahlberg, H.: Threatened bryophytes on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 69–76.

A brief history is given concerning research into and the collection of bryophytes on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga since the mid-1800s. Finds of 46 rare and threatened bryophytes (33 mosses and 13 hepatics) have been listed from the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park on the northwest shore and archipelago of Lake Ladoga, on the basis of herbarium specimens in the Finnish herbaria and a field excursion in 1997. Camptothecium lutescens (Hedw.) Schimp. in B.S.G. is reported as new for the Republic of Karelia, and Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans (Brid.) Iwats., Porella platyphylla (L.) Pfeiff. and Riccia bifurca Hoffm. as new for the area.

Oksanen, I. & Vitikainen, O.: Threatened lichens on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 77–92.

A brief history is given concerning research into and the collection of lichens on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga. About 1 000 specimens of threatened lichens have been collected in Karelia ladogensis, and 650 locality reports were found in publications since 1852. Records of threatened lichen taxa in the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park and neighbouring areas in the districts of Lahdenpohja, Sortavala and Pitkäranta are given here. The present observations are from an excursion to the area in 1997. More than a dozen threatened lichen species were refound but most of the records of the threatened lichens are from new localities. Candelariella superdistans (Nyl.) Malme and Miriquidica ventosa (Vain.) Timdal are new reports for the Republic of Karelia. Several changes are proposed to the list of threatened lichens in the Republic of Karelia. Some questionable taxa are discussed. One species (Ramalina sinensis Jatta) is suggested to be added to the list of threatened lichens.

Alanko, P.: Microfungi collected on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 93–98.

60 species of parasitic microfungi on 73 hosts were collected from the Province of Karelia ladogensis (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during an excursion in 1997, mainly from the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park on the N shore of Lake Ladoga. The species include Exobasidium ledi and Ramularia crassiuscula, probably new for Russia, and 13 finds new for the province of Karelia ladogensis and 15 finds from a new host in the province.

Terhivuo, J.: Amphibians and reptiles on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 99–100

This report concerns observations made of Bufo bufo, Rana temporaria, Lacerta vivipara, Natrix natrix and Vipera berus from the Province of Karelia ladogensis (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during an excursion on 23 June – 2 July 1997, mainly from the north part of the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga.

Terhivuo, J.: Earthworms (Lumbricidae) on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 101–102

This report concerns observations made of Aporrectodea caliginosa, A. rosea, Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus, Eiseniella tetraedra, Lumbricus rubellus, L. terrestris and Octolasion tyrtaeum from the Province of Karelia ladogensis (the Republic of Karelia, Russia) during an excursion on 23 June – 2 July 1997, mainly from the planned Ladozhskie Skerries National Park on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga.

Heikkilä, U.: Index of place names of the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, p. 103–111

More than 400 place names from the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga, commonly used on herbarium labels and in the botanical literature, are listed with ortographic variants, Russian equivalents and Military Grid Reference System co-ordinates (10 × 10 km).