INDICATORS OF PASTURE DEGRADATION OF TERSK-KUMA LOWLAND

Abstract

The regularity of demonstration of the types of vegetation cover indicators of the Kochubei Biosphere Station, the characteristics of the development of indicator communities, and pasture digression processes in connection with unregulated cattle grazing have been studied. Changes in pasture communities are noted with varying degrees of loss of their floristic and phytocenotic potential and changes in the phytocenoses of digressive pastures. Under the conditions of external influence and as they increase, the ordinary components of the community are transformed into its dominant, that is, indicators. Identified plants - indicators, as well as communities - indicators, indicators of changes in the plant species composition of communities in the course of pasture digression. The presence of indicator species in communities is an important indicator for identifying the level of pasture load on vegetation and the most informative parameter for geobotanical monitoring of pasture vegetation. The geobotanical study showed the heterogeneity of pasture vegetation on the phytocenotic composition, which are in a state of severe disruption. The monitoring studies of pastures of the Kochubei Biosphere Station were conducted, where a complex of environmental factors has a significant impact on the change in the species composition and structure of pastures under various loads. The peculiarities of the development of pasture digression on the light chestnut soils of the study area are traced. Changes occurring in the vegetation cover of pastures under the influence of weak grazing are the disappearance of the large-grain cereals of the Stipa series with the predominance of fine-grained cereals like Festuca sulcáta. With intensive grazing with the disappearance of Festuca sulcáta and the emergence of shrubs Artemisia and others, more competitive species appear, this causes a change of plant communities. On the basis of floristic and cenotic analysis, it can be concluded that the types of indicators reducing their abundance under the influence of grazing are Stipa lessingiana, increasing their abundance under the influence of grazing are Artemisia, Ceratocarpus arenarius and other weeds.