Volgograd, Volgograd, Russian Federation
Volgograd, Volgograd, Russian Federation
Volgograd, Russian Federation
VAK Russia 4.1.1
VAK Russia 4.1.2
VAK Russia 4.1.3
VAK Russia 4.1.4
VAK Russia 4.1.5
VAK Russia 4.2.1
VAK Russia 4.2.2
VAK Russia 4.2.3
VAK Russia 4.2.4
VAK Russia 4.2.5
VAK Russia 4.3.3
VAK Russia 4.3.5
UDC 631.963.2
The objective of the study is to assess the species diversity, productivity, and spatial distribution pat-terns of plant communities on sandy soils in the Don Basin. The subjects of the study were pasture eco-systems of the Don-Ilovlinsky Massif along the Ozerki-Viltov-Zheltukhin route. Vegetation cover was as-sessed by cutting vegetation in 1 × 1 m plots (10 meters at each of the 6 locations during each field trip) and determining species diversity, projective cover, yield, height, and structure of the grass stand. Species constancy classes encountered along the route were assessed using the 5-point constancy scale of J. Braun-Blanquet. Cluster analysis was performed at all locations using the "nearest neighbor" principle and averaged data on yield (g/m2) and projective cover (%). All plants in the communities are capable of producing well and withstanding dry periods. The spectrum of plant life cycles, expressed by the ratio (%) perennials : biennials + annuals in the third ten-day period of April is 79:21, in the first ten-day period of June – 87 : 13, in the first ten-day period of July – 78 : 22, in the third ten-day period of August – 80 : 20. The composition of the cenoflora of the monitoring sites includes 66 species. The dominant ones are Stipa lessingiana Trin. & Rupr., Stipa pennata L., Artemisia arenaria DC., Helichrysum arenarium (L.) DC., Euphorbia virgata Waldst. & Kit., Jurinea cyanoides DC. Dianthus campestris M. Bieb. is found in all loca-tions from June. Depending on the season, the grass fraction in the phytomass ranges from 43 to 62 %, while forbs account for 32 to 53 %. The proportion of legumes in the total phytomass is insignificant, not exceeding 8.2 %. In spring, the herbage is dominated by mesophytic vegetation (248 plants/100 m2), while the rest of the year, it is xerophytic (220–337 plants/100 m2). The maximum number of transitional xero-mesophytic (20 plants/100 m2) and mesoxerophytic (60 plants/100 m2) plants is observed in August. By July, plants in all study sites reach their highest phytomass levels – 251.2–346.5 g/m2.
crop yield, species diversity, dominants, plant communities, Braun-Blanquet constancy scale, cluster analysis
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