Title
Caspian psammophytic wormwood desert series on fixed sand with Artemisia lerchiana-communities with different admixture of psammophytic herbs, grasses and shrubs (Syrenia siliculosa, Helichrysum arenarium, Agropyron fragile, Calligonum aphyllum etc.)a = alternating with O1; b = alternating with O4; c = alternating with O6
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia and Kazakhstan: Caspian lowland – interfluvial region Volga-Ural, also west of the Volga (towards the south as far as to the Kuma)
area frequency
6 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Artemisia lerchiana communities, Ephedra distachya-Artemisia lerchiana community (Levina 1964), Agropyron fragile-Artemisia lerchiana community (Levina 1964), Calligonum aphyllum-Artemisia lerchiana community, Krascheninnikovia ceratoides-Artemisia lerchiana community.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
The uniformity of the vegetation cover is typical here (total coverage 30-40 %, in some cases 50 %). A species deficient community (10-30 species), but more colourful than the hemipsammophytic type of the Artemisia lerchiana desert. Psammophytic herbs (Syrenia siliculosa, Helichrysum arenarium etc.), grasses (Agropyron fragile) and shrubs (Calligonum aphyllum, Krascheninnikovia ceratoides) occur together with Artemisia lerchiana synusia. Ephedra distachya is often mixed amongst the dwarf shrubs. Often there are usually only few ephemerals and annuals. Psammophytic Artemisia lerchiana deserts alternate occasionally with pelitophytic and hemipsammophytic Artemisia lerchiana deserts.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
partly Calligonum aphyllum, Krascheninnikovia ceratoides
Herb layer
Artemisia lerchiana, Agropyron fragile, Ephedra distachya, Bromus tectorum, Androsace maxima, Helichrysum arenarium, Syrenia siliculosa, Achillea micrantha, Iris tenuifolia, Euphorbia seguieriana
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Artemisia lerchiana, Agropyron fragile, Ephedra distachya, partly Calligonum aphyllum, Krascheninnikovia ceratoides
Ecological variants
---
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
---
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Small area occurrences of Artemisia taurica stands in Artemisia-deserts on salty soils of the kalmuk steppes, of north-Turanian halophytic dwarf semishrub vegetation (Halocnemum strobilaceum, Kalidium foliatum, Atriplex cana, Artemisia santonicum) on solonetz soils, and vegetation-free salt pans.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
desert steppes (M18a, M19, M21), salt vegetation (P35), northern dwarf semishrub deserts (O1, O4, O6), alluvial forests and scrubs (U42).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
---
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
---
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
sandy plains, sandy hills
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland; absolute altitudes between ‑10 to +5 m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian and marine sediments (Holocene, Pleistocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
brown desert soils; (haplic and luvic sodic xerosols)
soil moisture, water balance
very dry
soil fertility
oligotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VII3
average annual temperature
7-8 °C
average annual precipitation
200-250 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 24-26 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January -12 to -10 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
distinctively continental, arid.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Near-natural psammophytic Artemisia lerchiana deserts are distributed in the intrafluvial region of the Volga-Ural.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
all communities.
causes of endangerment
Intensive grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Controlled grazing.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia and Kazakhstan: Interfluvial region Volga-Ural, in the west of the Caspian Sea from Kuma in the south as far as to the Astrachan.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Kunaev (Red.) 1982; Levina 1964; Safronova 1975; Sangadziev et al. 1974
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by I. Safronova
