UDC 574.42; 574.9

Volkov I.V., Volkova I.I. IS THERE UPLAND XEROPHITES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH SIBERIA? // Arid Ecosystems. 2023. Vol. 29. № 4 (97). P. 30-37. | PDF

In the most arid sector of the Altai Mountains (Russia), the Southeastern Altai, the pattern of biomorphological, ecological and species differentiation of phytocoenoses makes it possible to observe a tendency towards the local formation of a type of arid zonality сlass, characteristic of the arid mountains of Middle Asia, and includes following belts (bottom to top): 1) shrub deserts; 2) communities of thorny cushion plants; 3) alpine steppes; 4) communities of cryophyte cushion plants. Relatively wide distribution (where there is enough mountain height) of this «full-term» type zonality, including belts of thorny cushion plant communities and cryophyte cushion plant communities, makes it necessary to revise the traditional botanical-geographical concepts towards a greater diversity of higher syntaxa of vegetation and orobiomes both in the territory of the Southeastern Altai and in the mountains of the Southern Siberia as a whole.

Keywords: deserts, upland xerophytes, communities of Oxytropis tragacanthoides, communities of cryophyte cushion plants, altitudinal zonation, Southeast Altai.

Funding. The research was carried out on the equipment of a Unique scientific device «System of experimental bases located along the latitudinal gradient» of TSU with the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia (RF-2296.61321X0043, 13.UNU.21.0005, Contract No. 075-15-2021-672) and with the support of the Tomsk State University Development Program («Priority-2030»), project No. 2.2.2.22 ONG.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2023-4-30-37

EDN: EVEVTY