Mountain steppes and xerothermal florocenotypes of the Trans-Asian mountain belt: diversity and phytogeographic peculiarities

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Abstract

Mountain steppes, as well as distinctive xerothermic types of vegetation in the mountains, occupy the most important place in Eurasia. They represent an amazingly diverse and contrast transcontinental orobiome, stretching from the Pamir tragacanth communities in the southwest of the mountain belt to the Chukotka-Anadyr “tundra-steppes” on the outskirts of Northeast Asia, wedged deep into the Subarctic. Many outstanding Soviet and Russian botanists have made a great contribution to the knowledge of many phenomena of the plant world of mountain steppes and xerothermic florocenotypes in this vast territory.

The article provides a brief analysis of typological diversity, an overview and reflections on the xerothermic types of vegetation of the Asian mountain belt on a wide geographical range (37−67° N, 72–163° E), which differ significantly in different climatic sectors.

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About the authors

B.-Ts. B. Namzalov

Banzarov Buryat State University; Buryat Research Institute of Agriculture, Siberian Federal Research Centrе of Agro-Вio Technologies of RAS

Author for correspondence.
Email: namzalov@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Smolin Str., 24a, Ulan-Ude, 670000; Tretyakov Str., 25z, Ulan-Ude, 670045

S. A. Kholboeva

Banzarov Buryat State University

Email: namzalov@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Smolin Str., 24a, Ulan-Ude, 670000

S. V. Zhigzhitzhapova

Banzarov Buryat State University; Baikal Institute of Nature Management, Siberian Branch of RAS

Email: namzalov@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Smolin Str., 24a, Ulan-Ude, 670000; Sakhyanova Str., 6, Ulan-Ude, 670047

A. M. Samdan

Tuva State University

Email: namzalov@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Lenin Str., 36, Kyzyl, 667000

M. B.-Ts. Namzalov

Banzarov Buryat State University

Email: namzalov@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Smolin Str., 24a, Ulan-Ude, 670000

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2. Fig. 1. Features of the distribution of main types of mountain steppes and xerothermal florocenotypes of the Trans-Asian mountain belt: from the Pamirs to the Anadyr Highlands.

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3. Fig. 2. Relict Oxytropis tragacanthoides communities of xerothermic florocenotype in the foothills of Tannu-Ola (Tuva). Photo by B.B. Namzalov.

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4. Fig. 3. Semisavannas of Pamir and Tien Shan with Eremurus stenophyllus. Photo by N.M. Safarov.

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5. Fig. 4. Helictotrichon altaicum steppes with Allium altaicum in the mountain steppe of South Chuysky Ridge (Southeast Altai). Photo by B.B. Namzalov.

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6. Fig. 5. Distribution of forb-turf, cryophytic (1–5) and desert-steppe (6–11) species in the Trans-Asian mountain belt.

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7. Fig. 6. Nanophyton erinaceum desert steppes with Stipa glareosa in the foothills of the Eastern Tannu-Ola Ridge (Tuva). Photo by B.B. Namzalov.

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8. Fig. 7. Scheme of ordination of species of ecological-cenotic elements of flora of various steppe types – from desertified to cryophytic (Korolyuk, Namzalov, 1999).

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9. Fig. 8. Feathergrass (Stipa krylovii) dry steppes of the Selenga middle mountains of Transbaikalia. Photo by B.B. Namzalov.

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10. Fig. 9. Integrated scheme of distribution of steppe types and xerothermal florocenotypes in latitudinal-longitudinal sectors of the Trans-Asian mountain belt.

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