Phytocoenotic Diversity of Grasslands with Borthriochloa Ischaemum (L.) Keng in Eurasia
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Lazu S. et al. PHYTOCOENOTIC DIVERSITY OF GRASSLANDS WITH BORTHRIOCHLOA ISCHAEMUM (L.) KENG IN EURASIA LAZU Ş.*, TITICA Gh.*, TALMACI Ludmila*,** *National Botanical Garden (Institute) “Alexandru Ciubotaru”, MD 2002, Republic of Moldova, Chişinău, 18 Pădurii str. **Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Abstract The phytocoenoses of the grasslands with Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng var. ischaemum are common in the Eurasian territory and form the ass. Bothriochloetum ischaemii Krist 1937 Pop 1977. The analysis of the synthetic lists, presented by many authors, from various biogeographical regions of the Eurasian area, revealed the presence of discrete communities dominated by yellow bluestem, due to the diversified habitat and the floristic composition appropriate to the given locality. Thus, we have found that, in the steppe biogeographical region, at the altitude of 100-350 m, on soil consisting of chernozem and clay, the association Euphorbio (seguieriana) Bothriochloetum ischaemum n.n develops; in the continental one – at the altitude of 100-800 m, on calcareous and gravelly soil, there are phytocoenoses of the association Asperulo (cynanchica) - Bothriochloetum ischaemii n.n; in the Pannonian region – the grasslands of the northern part of the Pannonian Basin, at the altitude of 130 m, on sandy soil, there are phytocoenoses of the ass. Teucrio (botryos) - Bothriochloetum ischaemium n.n.; and in the floodplain of the Danube River, at the altitude of 135 m, on sandy alluvial soil – the ass. Syntrichio(ruralis)-Bothriochloetum ischaemii n. n.; in the alpine region – the mountains of south-eastern Caucasus and Central Asia (Pamir-Alay Mountains), Bothriochloa ischaemum, at high altitudes (1500-2000 m), forms vegetation belts with the stable phytocoenoses of the ass. Glycyrrizo (glabra) - Bothriochloetum ischaemii n. n., on kastanozem soil. All the above-mentioned associations fit into the phytocoentic hierarchy with the range of plant species characteristic of cl. Festuco- Brometea Br.-Bl. et R. Tx. ex Klika et Hadač 1944; ord. Festucetalia Br.-Bl. et R. Tx. ex Br.-Bl. 1949, all. Festucion valesiacae Klika 1930. In the Mediterranean biogeographical region, the plant communities that include yellow bluestem populate various altitudes – from the lowest ones (20-250 m), on the Iberian Peninsula, to the highest ones (610-1050 m), in the Apennine Mountains, that’s why there is a great variety of phytocoenoses: ass. Elymo(hispidus) - Bothriochloetum ischaemii n. n.; Festuco (inops)- Bothriochloetum ischaemii n. n. and Melico (ciliata) - Bothriochloetum ischaemii n. n. The plant communities with Bothriochloa ischaemum found in the Mediterranean biogeographical region are components of the al. Bromion erectus; ord. Brometalia erecti Br.-Bl. 1936; cl. Festuco-Brometea Br.-Bl. et R. Tx. Klika et Hadač 1944. The phytocoenoses with Bothriochloa ischaemum are savannah-like grasslands, which occupy vast areas in the northern hemisphere and make stable, expanding communities supported by the climatic impact of global warming. Romanian Journal of Grassland and Forage Crops (2018)18 15 Lazu S. et al. Keywords: biogeographical region, Eurasian territory, savanoid grassland, boreal grassland, arid grassland. INTRODUCTION Bothriochloa ischaemum calcareous, thermal areas with (L.) Keng. var. ischaemum is a nutrient-poor and alkaline soils. species of savannoid grass, which Within the natural range of yellow originates from subtropical bluestem, there are such varieties mountain areas (Цбелев Н.Н., as Bothriocloa ischaemum var. 1969) and is widespread in areas songarica with a restricted range – with warm climate of the northern southern China, Taiwan and hemisphere. The current northern Myanmar, and phytocoenoses with yellow Bothriocloa ischaemum var. bluestem are found at the ischaemum, which is native to a “interference” of the boreal larger area – from Japan to steppes with the tropical Portugal (Compedium…, 2015). (savannoid) ones, forming diverse The study of natural plant communities in Eurasia, in pastures, including the evaluation numerous biogeographical regions of the specific components (Рубцов Н.И., 1956). appropriate to the pedoclimatic The grasslands with conditions of the habitat, is the Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) primary task in the planning, use Keng. var. ischaemum cover large and sustainable development of areas in Europe and Asia. The grassland ecosystems with the phytocoenoses that contain this purpose of increasing the species and its natural range, in productivity and the quality of latitude, start from the Atlantic forage, but the understanding of Ocean and extend to the Pacific. In the strong connection of the North and South America, dominant species, yellow Australia and New Zealand, it is bluestem, with the faithful species an introduced plant, and in Puerto of the natural habitat of the given Rico – an invasive one. biogeographic region is even more Everywhere, it needs sunny, dry, important. MATERIAL AND METHOD While studying the well as literature data (Săvulescu grasslands with Bothriochloa T., 1927; Гейдеман Т.С., 1959; ischaemum in the Republic of Постолаке Г.Г.and Истратий Moldova, we used relevés (26), А.И., 1991, 1992, Рущук А.Д., which fixed the years 1989-2002, 2008; Шабанова Г.А., 2012, in the Bugeac and Bălţi Plains, as 2014; Lazu Şt., 2014-2016 and Romanian Journal of Grassland and Forage Crops (2018)18 16 Lazu S. et al. synthetic lists of grasslands ischaemum, according to the dominated by Bothriochloa phytosociological classification ischaemum from Romania (Braun-Blanquet J., 1964), are part (Puşcaru-Soroceanu Evd. et al., of the ass. Bothiochloetum 1963; Dihoru Gh. and Doniţă N., ischaemi (Kristiansen 1937) I. Pop 1970; Cristea V.and Csuros Şt., 1977, al. Festucion valesiacae 1979; Ivan D. and Doniţă N. et al., Klika 1931; ord. Festucetalia 1963; Chifu T., 2014; Oroianu S. valesiacae Br.-Bl. et. R.Tx. 1943 et al., 2007); Bulgaria (Apostolova and cl. Festuco-Brometea Br.-Bl. I. and Meshinev T., 2006; et. R. Tx. 1943, and the faithful Sopotleva D. and Apostolova I., and characteristic species are 2014); Ukraine (Solomakha V.A., represented by the title species of 1996; Коротченко И.А. et al., the plant association. 2009); Georgia (Nackhutsrishvili In the alpine area (the I., 2013); Tajikistan (Сафаров Pamir-Alay Mountains and the Н.М., 2015); Spain (Miquel de south-east Caucasus), the Caceres Ainsa, 1991-2001); Italy vegetation of the grasslands with (Florineth Florin, 1974; Taffetani Bothriochloa ischaemum is F.et al., 2004; Faggi B. et al., presented by authors according to 2014); Slovakia (Dubravkova D. et the concept of the ecological- al., 2010); Serbia (Mirjana phytocoenological school, which Kristivojevic Cuk et al., 2015). consists in describing the Thus, there are phytocenoses with associations based on the Bothriochloa ischaemum in five dominant species. Thus in the biogeographical regions: Pamir-Alay Mountains, at the Mediterranean, alpine, Pannonian, altitude of 1500-2000 m, the continental and steppe (figure 1 grasslands with yellow bluestem and 2, table 1). are mentioned as Bothriochloa The phytocenotic ischaemum formations, which evaluation of grasslands with comprise two groups of Bothriochloa ischaemum in associations – Bothriochloa Eurasia is not homogeneous. In the ischaemum with Glycyrrhiza European area, the phytocenotic glabra and Bothriochloa classification is carried out ischaemum dominated by according to the principles of the ephemeral species (Inula Braun-Blanquet J. floristic school, macrophylla, Poa bulbosa, 1933, 1964, i.e. the concept of Eremurus olgae, Carex constancy or fidelity of the species pachystylis, Ferula gigantea and is used for defining in the Glycyrrhiza glabra with lower phytocoenotic nomenclature. abundance). Each group includes Currently, the plant numerous associations dominated communities with Bothriochloa by one of them. Romanian Journal of Grassland and Forage Crops (2018)18 17 Lazu S. et al. According to the same in the natural range revealed a principle, the evaluation of the great diversity of phytocoenoses vegetation with yellow bluestem with Bothriochloa ischaemum as was carried out in the southeastern dominant species, but the constant Caucasus, at the altitude of 500- species, which are the exponents 600 m, where the formation of the conditions of the area, Bothriochloa ischaemum with which in the given article are to be Glycyrrihiza glabra was found. identified and laid at the base the The analysis of the relevés made phytocoenostic diversity. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The phytocoenoses of "Iagorlâc"). The grasslands with xerophytic grasses including yellow bluestem from Bălţi Plain yellow bluestem (Bothriochloa (at the north) differ from those ischaemum) are very common in found in the Bugeac Plain (the the Republic of Moldova. On south of Moldova), according to T. 65,000 ha of land (Teleuţă, 2000) Săvulescu [10], in the floristic with steppe vegetation, plant composition and in their communities with yellow bluestem quantitative ratio. The author occur almost everywhere. identified, in the Northern Plain of Depending on the abundance, it Bălţi, meadow steppes with grows in the communities of Bothriochloa ischaemum, and in Agropyron repens, Stipa pennata, the Bugeac Plain – xerophytic Poa pratensis and Chrysopogon steppes with Euphorbia gryllus as a co-occurring species. seguieriana (figure 2). In this article, we will treat it as Гейдеман Т. С. (1959) dominant species that forms stable studying the yellow bluestem associations