Title
West Pontic grass steppes (Stipa ucrainica, Stipa lessingiana) with Allium guttatuma = in combination with vegetation on solonetz-soils (Festuca valesiaca, Kochia prostata, Artemisia santonicum)
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Ukraine; Russia: strip from the Danube lower course as far as to the lower course of the Berda at the Sea of Azov; on plain sites on the Crimean peninsula
area frequency
15 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Stipeta ucrainicae pauciherbosa; Stipeta lessingianae pauciherbosa; Festuceta vallesiacae pauciherbosa (Lavrenko 1940).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
In the grass steppes, xerophilic tussock grasses prevail (Stipa ucrainica, Stipa lessingiana, Stipa capillata, Stipa brauneri; on the Crimean peninsula: Festuca valesiaca, Festuca rupicola). The coenotic role of the herbs is very weak, and typically xerophilic steppe species dominate. The dwarf semi-shrub layer is rather species-deficient, but it often plays a major coenotic role. In addition to hemiephemeroids, ephemeroids and ephemerals, mosses and lichens also occur numerously and frequently.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Herb layer
Stipa ucrainica, Stipa lessingiana, Festuca valesiaca, Koeleria macrantha, Dianthus guttatus, Salvia tesquicola, Armeria elongata, Limonium bungei, Tanacetum millefolium, Falcaria vulgaris, Ferula caspica, Tulipa schrenkii, Tulipa sylvestris subsp. australis, Gagea bulbifera, Holosteum umbellatum, Cerastium ucrainicum, Erophila verna
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Cladonia rangiformis, Cladonia foliacea, Cladonia cornuta, Cladonia furcata, Cornicularia steppae, Parmelia ryssolea
Diagnostically important species
Stipa ucrainica, Stipa lessingiana, Allium guttatum, Allium carinatum subsp. pulchellum, Allium sphaerocephalon, Dianthus guttatus, Dianthus lanceolatus, Astragalus henningii; on solonetz: Artemisia santonicum, Kochia prostrata
Ecological variants
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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)
Small-area incidences of tomillares and tomillares steppes (Thymus calcareus, Achillea glaberrima, Centaurea pseudoleucolepis, Stipa anomala, Festuca valesiaca) on silicate rocks (granite, gneiss); north-Turanian halophytic dwarf semi-shrub vegetation (Halocnemum strobilaceum, Kalidium foliatum, Atriplex cana, Artemisia santonicum) on solonetz soils; vegetation-free salt pans; Festuca valesiaca steppes in complex with halophytic dwarf semi-shrubs; shrub stands (Prunus stepposa, Caragana frutex, Crataegus-, Rosa and Spiraea species) in hollows; meadow and meadow bog vegetation in flat pan-formed depression (Pody) with Alopecurus pratensis, Bromus inermis, Carex melanostachya, Beckmannia eruciformis, Eleocharis palustris, Eleocharis uniglumis, Butomus umbellatus.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
steppes (M5, M7, M16), dune vegetation (P14, P15), salt vegetation (P29, P30), freshwater-tall reed banks (R1), alluvial forests (U20).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
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grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Fields (Wheat).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
plains with a weakly structured relief, with flat pan-formed depressions ("pody", 2-10 km wide, 2-8 m deep)
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; 20-150 m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian (sand, bluff formation) sediments (Pleistocene, Pleistocene above Tertiary)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
partly still salificeous dark chestnut soils; in depressions black earth-, solod-like meadow soils, gley-solod- and solod soils; (haplic sodic kastanozems; haplic chernozems)
soil moisture, water balance
dry
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VII1b
average annual temperature
9-11 °C
average annual precipitation
350-450 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 23-24 °C, (absolute maximum 40 °C)
average temperature of the coldest month
January -4 to -1 °C, (absolute minimum -34 °C)
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
The climate is moderately continental. The winter is short, with few snow and frequent thaw.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
The whole area has been transformed into arable land. Only steppe land fragments greatly modified by severe grazing remain in which Festuca valesiaca predominates.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Many endemic species are characteristic for the flora of depressions (Pody) (Gagea novoascanica, Tulipa sylvestris subsp. australis, Allium scythicum, Polygonum scythicum, Phlomis tuberosa among others). Worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Intense grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Ukraine: biosphere reserve Askanija Nova; the petrophytic steppes of the peninsulas Tarchankutskij and Kerčenskij of the Crimean are proposed to be protected.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bilyk 1953; Bilyk 1956; Bilyk & Tkačenko 1970a; Janata 1913; Korotkova 1957; Lavrenko 1940; Lavrenko 1980; Pačoskij 1923a; Pačoskij 1926; Poplavskaja 1924; Šalyt 1930; Šalyt 1948; Tkačenko 1973; Tkačenko 1990b
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by Z.V. Karamyševa
