Analysis of the coenoflora of birch trees found in the Teberdinsky state natural biosphere reserve

Abstract

The article presents the results of studying the coenoflora of the mountain birch forests found in the Teberdinsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve (Karachay-Cherkessia). The work shows the current state and composition of the cenoses dominated by Betula litwinowii Doluch on the Reserve. The material to analyse the coenoflora was based on 45 standard geobotanical descriptions of 2 types of birch forests: the birch crooked forests in the upper part of the subalpine belt and the secondary birch forests on the places of disturbed indigenous cenoses in the forest belt. The range of heights of distribution of the studied cenoses above the sea level is 1,660 m – 2,260 m. The main types of flora analysis were performed: the general characteristics of the flora, the geographical analysis, the study of the biomorphological, phytocenotic and ecological spectra. The coenoflora of the studied birch trees consists of 326 species that belong to 176 genera, 66 families and 6 classes, which is 14.5% of the flora of Karachay-Cherkessia. According to the main biomorphological features, the ecological characteristics, and the predominant geographical elements, the coenoflora of birch forests of the TSNBR is similar to the regional flora. The leading role of the Fabaceae family, combined with its high content of the Ancient Mediterranean elements in the coenoflora of the Reserve’s birch trees, can be explained as the nature of the flora of the whole region and the increased influence of the TSNBR Mediterranean floras on the birch coenoflora formation. The significant role of species of the meadow ecological and phytocenotic group is explained by the predominance of thinned subalpine birch forests in the TSNBR.