Title
Pre-Ural lime forests (Tilia cordata) with Quercus robur, Ulmus glabra, with Cacalia hastata, Pleurospermum uralense
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia: southwestern Ural foreland
area frequency
19 polygons .
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Tilieta sensu Gor…akovskij 1972; Querceto-Tilietum.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
The tree layer, 16-25 m tall, is dominated by Tilia cordata; Ulmus glabra is added quite often (up to 30 % of the biomass), while Quercus robur and Acer platanoides are rarer. The degree of coverage of the tree layer is 60-90 %. The shrub layer is developed weakly (10-15 %), and the herb layer is relatively species deficient.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Tilia cordata, with admixture of Ulmus glabra, Ulmus laevis, more rarely by Quercus robur, Acer platanoides; pioneer tree species: Betula pendula, Populus tremula, Salix caprea
Shrub layer
Sorbus aucuparia, Prunus padus, Rosa majalis, Euonymus verrucosa, Viburnum opulus, Rubus idaeus, Lonicera tatarica, Lonicera xylosteum, Crataegus sanguinea, Cornus alba, Corylus avellana
Herb layer
in hollows and at fresh feet of slopes: Aegopodium podagraria, Cacalia hastata, Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. lycoctonum, Crepis sibirica, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sibiricum; Stellaria holostea, Asarum europaeum, Pulmonaria obscura, Galium odoratum, Millium effusum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dryopteris filix-mas; at southern slopes: Cicerbita uralensis, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Lathyrus vernus, Tanacetum corymbosum, Solidago virgaurea, Phlomis tuberosa, Pleurospermum uralense
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Tilia cordata, Ulmus glabra, Quercus robur; Aegopodium podagraria, Cacalia hastata, Crepis sibirica, Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. lycoctonum, Pleurospermum uralense, Cicerbita uralensis
Ecological variants
On moist sites with Stachys sylvatica, Cacalia hastata (see also 'Dominant and most frequent species').
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
On drier slopes meadow steppe with Poa angustifolia, Festuca rubra, Agrostis vinealis, Salvia pratensis, Filipendula vulgaris and shrubs (Prunus fruticosa, Prunus tenella, Spiraea crenata, Rhamnus cathartica, Chamaecytisus ruthenicus).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D21, D25), pine forests (D58, D59, D60), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F72, F74), forest steppes (L6), steppes (M3), alluvial forests (U12).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Plantations of Pinus sylvestris, Quercus robur, lime coppice.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows and meadow steppes.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly landscape and mountainous areas with primarily gently inclined slopes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane (to montane); 200-650 (1040) m
Geology (bedrock)
slate, limestone (Permian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
grey to dark grey forest soils, degraded black earths, parabrown soils; (orthic and lithic greyzems; luvic chernozems; orthic luvisols; leptosols)
soil texture
loam, sandy loam
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic, locally eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VIII1, VIII(VI)4
average annual temperature
1-1,5 EC
average annual precipitation
500-650(-800) mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 18-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -16 to -15 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Semi-natural lime forests are very resistant to anthropogenic influences. Rapid regeneration of the lime as a result of stump sprouting.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Worthy of protection are nearly-natural forests as well as Cicerbita uralensis, Cypripedium calceolus, Cypripedium guttatum, Gymnadenia conopsea, Dactylorhiza fuchsii.
causes of endangerment
Timber harvesting.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia: Zapovednik: Šul’gan-Taš.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Gorčakovskij 1968; Gorčakovskij 1972; Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980; Kurnaev 1980; Sočava & Semenova-Tjan-Šanskaja 1956
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by P.L. Gor…akovskij, completed by G.N. Ogureeva
