Vegetation dynamics of Kulikovo Field agrosteppes: the contribution of environmental factors

Abstract

On the territory of the Kulikovo Field Museum-Reserve (Tula region) the restoration of meadow-steppe communities is carried out by different methods: the sowing grass mixtures, seed material and using a combined approach. The aim of the work is to assess of structure phytodiversity of plant communities on the gradient of reconstruction succession. The using DCA-ordination analysis of geobotanical descriptions is allowed us to select 4 groups of communities that differ by age of sowing. In phytosociological spectrum of youngest communities the activity of species of the classes of natural and synanthropic vegetation is approximately the same. With an increase in the age of experiments the activity of apophyte species from natural vegetation classes increases and the activity of synanthropic species decreases. The revealed trend is confirmed by the analysis of the activity of species of different life forms: with an increase in the age of communities, there is a decrease in the activity of monocarpic one- and two-year-old weed species, which have high activity at the initial stages of succession. In the middle stages of succession, dense-sod species are more active in communities, and in the latter stages, the activity of loose-sode and rod-root species increases. During the succession of agrosteps, there is an increase in the activity of meadow-steppe and steppe species from the classes Festuco-Brometea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Trifolio-Geranietea and a decrease in the activity of synanthropic vegetation species (Papaveretea rhoeadis, Sisymbrietea, Artemisietea, Epilobietea angustifolii). The results obtained indicate a succession in the direction of formation of steppe meadows.