Productivity dynamics of steppe landscapes of piedmont Dagestan

Abstract

Modern low-mountain-foothill landscapes, as a result of human economic activity, have undergone significant changes in spatial differentiation under the influence of the anthropogenic factor, which is expressed in the depletion of biological resources and the decrease in biodiversity. An analysis of the monitoring of the state of the vegetation cover of the natural environment of landscapes in the foothills of Dagestan was carried out. An up-to-date description of the selected plant communities is given, the main types of vegetation are characterized. The features of the distribution of these communities in the natural and climatic zones of the foothills of Dagestan are described, where the northern region is cooler and more humid, and the southern region is warmer and less humid. The areas of various plant groups have been established. The purpose of the study was to determine the current state of foothill Dagestan, the productivity of steppe landscapes. The predominance of desert vegetation with a certain proportion of meadow vegetation is shown in the lowland part. It is noted that desert, forest and steppe vegetation is developed in the foothills. The dynamics of the productivity of the steppe communities of the foothill zone of Dagestan during the growing season has been determined. The study of the dynamics of productivity was carried out on 5 model plots, which differed in the type of vegetation and in the degree of influence of the anthropogenic factor (grazing). The studied sites were located in Buynaksky, Magaramkentsky (Gaptsakh village), Tabasaransky district (Kar-Kar) and Kumtorkalinsky districts. The studied phytocenoses of the steppe landscapes are formed mainly by dry-steppe grass species with the participation of feather grass, forbs and ephemera, as well as by a semi-desert semi-shrub - Tauride wormwood. Thus, it was noted that wormwood-cereal and wormwood-feather grass communities in Tabasaransky (village Maraga) and Buynaksky (village Gelli) give the highest productivity. The lowest productivity was noted in the valley of the region (Kar-Kar) on meadow solonchak soil covered with wormwood-saltwort vegetation.