UDC 574.9

Leonova N.B., Pereverzeva Ju.A. BOREAL PLANT SPECIES OF THE KAZAKH HUMMOCKS: ECOLOGICAL-COENOTIC CHARACTERISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION FEATURES // Arid Ecosystems. 2024. Vol. 30. № 2 (99). P. 56-66. | PDF

Within the territory of the Kazakh Hummocks, far beyond the typical taiga ecosystems, boreal plants have been preserved since the Pleistocene when coniferous forests were widespread in the territory. These species are an important component of the local phytodiversity, therefore they require a comprehensive study. During our research, based on field observations data and analysis of literary sources, we obtained information on the taxonomic composition of boreal plant species, their coenotic occurrence, as well as ecological and geographical characteristics. We identified 30 species of vascular plants in the composition of the plant communities of the Kazakh Hummocks that belong to the boreal ecological-coenotic group, the ecology and coenotic affiliation of which is different from plants of zonal steppes. In a sharply continental arid climate, the studied boreal species grow in peculiar habitats, such as mountain forest-steppe landscapes and moist habitats along rivers and lake shores. Most of them grow in pine forest outliers on the slopes of rounded hills with granite outcrops. They can be also found in the areas with increased moisture level at the foot of the slopes and in depressions where azonal small-leaved forest communities usually grow. Additionally, they were discovered in intrazonal meadow and swamp coenoses, as well as on rocky slopes. According to the analysis of their distribution across the territory of the Kazakh Hummocks, the maximum diversity of boreal species is found in the Kokchetav and Karkaraly floristic regions with 23 and 29 species respectively. Three boreal species with small and vulnerable populations are listed in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2006). However, as this study has showed, a number of other boreal species requires protection as well. The main threats to the conservation of boreal populations are excessive recreation and wild fires. Thoughtful measures are required to preserve rare and vulnerable plant communities, including plant species growing at the border of their range.

Keywords: rare plant species, range boundaries, ecological and geographical characteristics,
coenotic features, conservation of phytodiversity.

Funding. This work was carried out as part of the research topic No. 121051100137-4 “SpatioTemporal Organization of Ecosystems under Conditions of Environmental Changes” and supported by Moscow University Development Program (#1220).

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2024-2-56-66
EDN: EAPQTZ