Features of biodiversity of the Uchursky landscape nature reserve (Ayano-Maiskoye district of Khabarovsk Territory)

Abstract

It was revealed that the botanical and geographical feature of the vegetation cover of the Uchursky complex nature reserve is its position in the zone of convergence of the continental and monsoon climates, claimed by sharply contrasting phlorogenetic elements of the vegetation cover. The gradient of continentality - oceanicity in the vegetation cover is quite clearly traced between the eastern and western macroslopes of the mountain systems of the Uchur River basin. A complex history of the formation of the territory, the height difference from 1,000 to 2,000 meters, the variety of rocks created the conditions for the existence of floristic complexes of different ecology and origin. In this regard, on the territory of the nature reserve, an overlap of the marginal zones of plants ranges of oceanic and continental origin was found, which defines the richness of the region’s biodiversity, but makes both species and communities unstable. The uniqueness of the flora of the Geran Ridge was revealed, with the main core formed by species of non-Angarid origin, concentrated on the weathering crust of the basic rocks. The participation of alpinogenic, arctic and arctic-alpine species is noted. The pine-larch forests, which are unique in their species composition, are found on the outcrops of carbonate rocks on the right bank of the Uchur River, opposite the mouth of the Lyalmi River and in the Uchur-Ulkan interfluve. In this area, there are 79 species of endemic highland species of North Asia. The Red Book of Khabarovsk Territory includes 37 species of vascular plants, 4 species of lichens and 1 representative of the kingdom of mushrooms.