Title
West and central Pontic herb-rich grass steppes (Stipa tirsa, Stipa lessingiana, Bromus riparius) with Stipa ucrainica, Paeonia tenuifolia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Republic of Moldavia, Ukraine; from the Dnjestr as far as to the middle course of the Severskij Donec; Russia: Don estuary, northern part of the Kuban lowland, Stavropol’ hilly country
area frequency
14 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Stipeta tirsae pluriherbosa; Stipeta lessingianae pluriherbosa Lavrenko 1940.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Xerophytic and mesoxerophytic, dense grasses forming tussocks (Stipa tirsa, Stipa lessingiana, Stipa capillata, Festuca valesiaca, and rarely Stipa pulcherrima and Stipa ucrainica) are the most important components of this mapping unit. Further tussock and rhizome grasses (Bromus riparius, Bromus inermis, Poa angustifolia, Elymus repens etc.) are quite frequent. Amongst the herbs, mesophilous meadow steppe species together with typical steppe xerophytes are the most important components. Admixtures of hemiephemeroids are characteristic. Ephemerals and ephemeroids are species-rich, but not frequent. Dwarf semishrubs play an important role in disrupted coenoses (Artemisia austriaca) and on salty soils (Kochia prostrata). Steppe shrubs grow on stony sites.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
Chamaecytisus austriacus, Caragana frutex, Spiraea crenata, Prunus spinosa, Prunus tenella, Rhamnus cathartica
Herb layer
Stipa tirsa, Stipa lessingiana, Stipa capillata, Stipa pulcherrima, Stipa majalis, Stipa graniteicola, Festuca valesiaca, Bromus riparius, Bromus inermis, Poa angustifolia, Elymus hispidus subsp. barbulatus, Elymus repens, Trifolium montanum, Echium russicum, Paeonia tenuifolia, Limonium platyphyllum, Adonis wolgensis, Tulipa schrenkii, Tulipa sylvestris subsp. australis, Ornithogalum gussonii, Crambe tatarica, Salvia nutans, Euphorbia nicaeensis subsp. stepposa; meadow steppe species: Filipendula vulgaris, Trifolium montanum, Echium maculatum, Myosotis popovii
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Stipa tirsa, Stipa lessingiana, Stipa ucrainica, Bromus riparius, Paeonia tenuifolia
Ecological variants
no details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Stipa pennata is distributed near to the northern boundary and in trans-Dnjestr, while in the extreme west there is Stipa majalis and Stipa setulosissima, and Stipa graniticola on rocks. The east Pontic-Kazakh species Stipa zalesskii sets the tone in the Don basin.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Small-area incidences of East European open pedunculate oak forests (Quercus robur) with steppe species (Caragana frutex, Prunus tenella, Brachypodium pinnatum) at valley slopes; tomillares and tomillares steppes (Koeleria talievii, Stipa cretacea, Erysimum cretaceum, Daphne sophia, Thymus calcareus, Hyssopus cretaceus, Artemisia hololeuca) on chalk and marlstone in the area of the Donets and Don rivers; typical and steppe like meadows, solonchak vegetation, rock communities.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (D57), oak-hornbeam forests (F44), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F71), forest steppes (L2, L3, L7, L8, L13), steppes (M2, M5, M6, M8), desert steppes (M16), dune vegetation (P15), salt vegetation (P34), feshwater and brackish water reed vegetation (R1, R3), alluvial forests (U14, U21).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
---
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
No details
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
fields.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
plateaux with a complex network of valley cuttings and ravines (particularly in the Dnjepr plateau)
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline (submontane); 0‑200m, maximal altitude on the Donets plate 367 m, in the Stavropol' hilly country 827 m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian (bluff formation, sand) and fluviatile sediments (Pleistocene, Pleistocene above Tertiary), crystal rocks, limestone, sandstone, slate or Cretaceous sediments in the basement
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
moderately deep typical to weakly humic black earth, locally solonchak- and solonetz-soils on river terraces; (haplic, luvic and sodic chernozems; haplic kastanozems)
soil texture
loamy, (sandy-) loamy, locally loamy-sandy, partly stone-rich to rocky
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VII1a
average annual temperature
7-9 °C
average annual precipitation
350-500 mm (decrease from the west to the east), on higher altitudes: Donets plate 540 mm, Stavropol’ hilly country as much as 800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-23 °C (absolute maximum 40 °C)
average temperature of the coldest month
-5 to -4 °C (absolute minimum -38 °C)
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
The climate is moderately continental, adequately dry, with increase of continentality to the east and to the south. Frequent droughts eastern of the Dnjepr, dry winds and dust storms.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
The steppes on plateaux have been transformed almost completely into arable land. At slopes they have also often been influenced by grazing; more or less degraded steppe fragments.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Occurrence of eastern outposts of Cotinus coggygria.
causes of endangerment
Arable farming, grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
no details.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Ukraine: reserve "Melovaja flora" (Cretaceous-flora) along the bank of the Severskij Donec, Proval'skaja steppe on the main water shed of the Donets plate in the Lugansk-region.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Balaš 1961a; Balaš 1961b; Bilyk 1973b; Bilyk & Tkačenko 1971; Lavrenko 1930; Lavrenko 1940; Lavrenko 1980; Lavrenko & Dochman 1933; Osyčnjuk & Istomina 1970; Sokolova 1930; Tkačenko 1990a; Tkačenko, Genov & Movčan 1987; Zalesskij 1918a; Zalesskij 1918b
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by Z.V. Karamyševa, revised by U.Bohn
