UDC 581.524.31; 581.55; 502.2.05; 504.052

Volkova E.M., Polyancheva S.A.,  Rozova I.V. THE DIVERSITY AND DYNAMICS OF AGROSTEPS VEGETATION IN THE EUROPEAN PART OF RUSSIA (ON THE EXAMPLE OF KULIKOV FIELD, TULA REGION) // Arid Ecosystems. 2023. Vol. 29. № 4 (97). P. 38-47. | PDF

The restoration of disturbed ecosystems is an urgent scientific problem, the solution of which will preserve the biological diversity of Russian regions. For the restoration of steppe ecosystems on the territory of Kulikovo Field, various methods and approaches have been used over the past 20 years. It allowed to form the agrosteps of different ages. However, the diversity of their vegetation has not been assessed. The purpose of this work is to identify the cenotic diversity of agrostep vegetation based on the ecological–phytocenotic approaches, to assess the directions of successional development. The authors conducted 96 geobotanical descriptions of the vegetation of agrosteps with indication of total projective coverage for the herb layer and the projective coverage (%) for each species. The ordination of descriptions was carried out on the basis of DCA-analysis with using the PC-ORD program. To compare the selected associations, an indicator of species activity was determined. According to the results of the work, 5 associations of vegetation of agrosteps were identified. In the early stages of the agrosteps development, communities of the Matricaria inodora+Artemisia absinthium association are formed, which are characterized by the dominance of rod-root species. In the communities of the Stipa spp.+Festuca valesiaca association the dense-sod species are actively growing. However, the low competitiveness of dense-sod plants in the climatic conditions of the northern forest-steppe is contributes to the loss of Festuca valesiaca and its replacement by Poa angustifolia, which leads to the formation of the Stipa spp.+Poa angustifolia association. In the agrosteps communities the Calamagrostis epigejos is actively introduced and increases its activity, which leads to the emergence of the Calamagrostis epigejos association.

During the succession of agrostep vegetation, there is a decrease in the activity of anthropogenic and some sown steppe species, but an increase in the activity of meadow herbs in the selected associations was noted. The conducted analysis indicates a low degree of preservation of «feather grass» associations and the formation of communities of stepped meadows.

Keywords: ecosystem restoration, agrosteps, vegetation classification, Kulikovo field.

Funding. The work was supported by the RFBR grant 19-44-710001 («Vegetation cover of Kulikov field and its dynamics under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors as a basis for the development of approaches for the conservation and restoration of landscape and biological diversity of forest-steppe regions of European Russia»), the agreement with the government of the Tula region DS/305 and the grant of the rector of TulSU for students in Master’s degree programs, No. 8945 GRR_M («Agrosteps of Kulikovo field and their role in carbon deposition as a basis for the creation of a carbon landfill in the Tula region»).

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2023-4-38-47

EDN: PQMMJV