Title
Southeast European xerophytic herb-and grass-rich pine and oak-pine forests (Pinus sylvestris, Quercus robur) with Prunus fruticosa, Genista tinctoria, Filipendula vulgaris, on shallow carbonate soils with steppe plants (Stipa pennata, Festuca valesiaca)
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Ukraine: eastern catchment area of the Dnjepr, Donez basin; Russia: between Don and Volga
area frequency
106 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Pineta composita (Sukačev 1931); Pinetum quercetosum cytisoso-herbosum (Povarnicyn 1959, Rysin 1975).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Multi-layered open pine forests: the uppermost tree layer consists of Pinus sylvestris, and the lower tree layer of Quercus robur and Tilia cordata; the shrub layer is very scattered; the herb layer is species-rich but quite interspersed. Here, forest steppe species (mesoxerophytes) dominate; the moss layer is lacking or only fragmentarily developed.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus sylvestris, scattered in the underwood Quercus robur, Tilia cordata
Shrub layer
Chamaecytisus ruthenicus, Prunus fruticosa, locally Cotinus coggygria
Herb layer
Genista tinctoria, Koeleria glauca, Koeleria macrantha, Festuca valesiaca, Pulsatilla patens, Hieracium pilosella, Viola rupestris, Veronica spicata, Filipendula vulgaris, Carex supina
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum polysetum (very rarely)
Diagnostically important species
Pinus sylvestris, Quercus robur, Tilia cordata; Prunus fruticosa, Chamaecytisus ruthenicus; Pulsatilla patens, Hieracium pilosella, Festuca valesiaca, Koeleria glauca, locally Stipa pennata, Helictotrichon pubescens
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
small area incidences of lichen-pine forests, south-east Sarmatian small-leaved lime-pedunculate oak forests, alder carrs, East European raised bog complexes and tree-deficient transitional mires.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (D55), acidic-soil oak forests (F12, F13), oak-hornbeam forests (F41, F44, F57), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F70, F71, F72), forest steppes (L3, L4, L5, L6), steppes (M1, M2, M3, M6, M7, M8), salt vegetation (P34), tall sedge mires (S25), alluvial and moist forests (U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U24).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
birch and aspen pioneer forests.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadow steppes.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereals.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hills of limestone-rich rocks, alluvial plains, inland dunes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; to 370 m
Geology (bedrock)
old alluvial plains with sand dunes and residual mountains of dolomite-, lime-, chalky clay rocks (Tertiary, Cretaceous)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
shallow humus carbonate soils; (rendzic leptosols)
soil moisture, water balance
dry
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VIII)1
average annual temperature
4-6 °C
average annual precipitation
300-400 (to 600) mm
average temperature of the warmest month
24-28 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-12 to -5 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Distinct dryness in summer.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Isolated semi-natural preserved forest remnants.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, fires.
required measures for protection and restitution
Fire protection, long-term forestry management, protection of semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
No details
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Gribova & Isačenko 1979; Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980; Povarnicyn 1971; Rysin 1975; Sukačev 1931
Compiled by
T.K. Jurkovskaja, N.M. Kalibernova
