Title
Daghestanian downy oak forests (Quercus pubescens) with Pyrus salicifolia, Rhamnus pallasii, Dictamnus caucasicus
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia: small-scaled in Daghestan
area frequency
6 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
No details
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Low-growing (to 15 m), open, two- to three-layered shrub forests with east-Mediterranean and Near Eastern species. Isolated eastern outposts of Quercus pubescens forests.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pubescens, admixed Quercus petraea, Ulmus minor, Fraxinus excelsior, Acer campestre, Carpinus betulus, Pyrus caucasica
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus pentagyna, Pyrus salicifolia, Celtis caucasica, Celtis glabrata, Juniperus polycarpos, Mespilus germanica, Prunus divaricata, Cornus mas, Euonymus verrucosa, Ligustrum vulgare; on dry slopes: Lonicera iberica, Prunus incana, Jasminum fruticans, Rhamnus pallasii, Rhamnus spathulifolia, Cotoneaster multiflorus, Paliurus spina-christi, Berberis vulgaris
Lianas
Lonicera caprifolium
Herb layer
Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum, Anthemis fruticulosa, Matthiola daghestanica, Dictamnus caucasicus, Gypsophila capitata, Teucrium canum, Ziziphora serpyllacea, Astragalus denudatus, Astragalus haesitabandus, Astragalus alexandri, Jurinea arachnoidea, Poa nemoralis, Melica picta, Carex sylvatica, Vicia truncatula, Corydalis cava subsp. marschalliana, Dactylorhiza flavescens
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus pubescens, Pyrus caucasica, Pyrus salicifolia, Rhamnus pallasii; Anthemis fruticulosa, Matthiola daghestanica, Gypsophila capitata, Teucrium canum, Ziziphora serpyllacea, Astragalus denudatus, Astragalus haesitabandus, Astragalus alexandri, Linum alekseenkoanum
Ecological variants
Types of very dry and not so dry slopes (see ‘shrub layer’).
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
No details
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
mixed hornbeam-oak forests (F167, F170), steppes (M11), desert steppes (M18a).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Small sized and strongly degraded low forest, Pinus forestry, Paliurus spina-christi scrub.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Dry grassland.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country (heavily reliefed by erosion and denudation processes)
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline-submontane; 50-500 m
Geology (bedrock)
volcanic ashes, tuffs, basalt, andesite; chalky clay, limestone, sandstone (Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
(leptosols; chromic cambisols)
soil texture
sandy-loamy, stone-rich
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic, neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VII2b
average annual temperature
12 °C
average annual precipitation
280-400 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 24-25 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January -1,5 to +1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Dry, continental climate, due to the proximity to the Caspian Sea.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Natural forests annihilated to a large extent, and only small, extensively cleared, degraded forest stands remain that have all arisen as a result of stump sprouting. Often replaced by Paliurus spina-christi scrub.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All better preserved stands are worthy of protection (isolated eastern outposts of the Quercus pubescens-forests!).
causes of endangerment
Clearing, low forest management, grazing, fire.
required measures for protection and restitution
Ecological restitution, cessation of forest grazing and low forest management, protection from fire.
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)
Lvov 1964
Compiled by
N. Doniţă based on documents by A.G. Doluchanov and J.R. Šeljag-Sosonko
