BIDENS FRONDOSA (ASTERACEAE), A NEW ALIEN INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES IN THE KURGAN REGION (RUSSIA)

The annual weed Bidens frondosa L. (Asteraceae) has been registered for the first time in the Kurgan Region in 2020 during research on the riverine vegetation of the southwestern part of Western Siberia. This invasive species was found in ten locations along the Iset River banks in the Kurgan Region. We have postulated that the Sverdlovsk Region serves as a source for the B. frondosa invasion into the Kurgan Region along the River Iset. Despite a single short-term field survey, B. frondosa was found in several sites. In the Kurgan Region, this invasive species is characterized by low population density in all plots. Since B. frondosa populations are characterized by much higher density in other regions of European Russia, an increase in the number of locations and density of populations is expected in the Kurgan Region in the future.