| Brief description of vegetation (% of total area.): |
Vegetation cover the area represented by a combination of birch and aspen-birch groves with lots of grass-forb meadow and true steppes and steppe meadows, as well as waterfowl and marsh vegetation. In the northern part of lake depressions with complexes of coastal, marsh and halophytic vegetation, forest steppe and treeless islands occupy a space similar in size of territory to the south area of the first two types of vegetation rapidly shrinking. Wooded area is very low (generally less than the area of 10-15%, and in the October district of only 3-6%) and decreased significantly over the past few decades (apparently, at least 2-3 times 20-mi years of XX century.). The most characteristic mark the relief depressions (depressions and shallow basins), waterlogged depressions splitting of Betula pubescens with a dense undergrowth of willow and are very sparse ground cover, consisting of species, which provide significant shading (Filipendula ulmaria, Rubus saxatilis, Calamagrostis epigeios, Poa pratensis, etc. ..) Much less common are dry park splitting of Betula pendula on the flat areas of watersheds, in the grass cover which combines the mesophytic opushechno-forest and meadow-steppe kseromezofitnye species. Development of forests on watersheds, not only prevents the lack of moisturizing and widespread soil salinization. On sandy soils in the northern part of the area from time to time there are areas of pine forest in the nature of the forest-steppe island hog (Etkulsky, Nazarov and Kopytovsky), which are associated with locating a number of boreal forest species (Diphasiastrum complanatum, Chimaphila umbellata, Moneses uniflora, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Maianthemum bifolium, Neottianthe cucullata, Corallorrhiza trifida, Cypripedium guttatum, etc.). Among the steppe communities in the area doagrikulturny period was dominated by these feather-fescue steppes dominated by sod grasses - Stipa pennata, S. tirsa, S. capillata, Festuca valesiaca s. l., Koeleria cristata and mixed about a poor composition of steppe grasses, to one degree or another salty. In the most southern region in their composition begins dating Stipa zalesskii. Meadow steppe feather grass-forb, devoid of signs of salinity and halophyte impurity forms are much less common, are usually depleted composition and confined (as well as birch forests), primarily to the relief depressions, more often they occur in the northern region. Now most of the steppe and steppe meadow area under cultivation, and the remaining small fragments of steppe vegetation are heavily exposed grazing, resulting in the pasture digression. Large areas of coastal and takes marsh vegetation. On the shores of lakes are widespread coastal reed - zaymischa, the distance from the pond fringed sedge kochkarnikov band (also common in moist bottoms of drainage basins), willow thickets, marshes and saline grasslands. Marsh sites with a predominance of reed marshes and krupnoosokovyh raised on the spot overgrown lakes, sometimes occupy large areas (for example, Tracts Dunguzly and Bol. Sarykul). In many drainage basins and along lake shores are common halophytic vegetation complexes, which represent a complex mosaic of wet saline sites, saline solonetzes and meadows, above the embossed profile by gradually turning into salty steppe. As part of halophytic communities Area has a number of species at the northern limit of distribution and more characteristic of the steppe zone - Limonium caspium, Frankenia hirsuta, Halimione verrucifera, Seseli strictum, Saussurea salsa, Scorzonera cana, Stemmacantha serratuloides, Asparagus pallasii. In addition to eutrophic sedge and reed swamps, occasionally found in the watersheds oligotrophic sphagnum bogs, forested bog dwarf form of the pine - ryamy. Their grass-shrub cover presents a number of very rare for the area of boreal bog species (Oxycoccus palustris, Eriophorum vaginatum, Drosera rotundifolia, Carex limosa), although lacking many species typical for this type of community in the forest zone (Ledum palustre, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Andromeda polifolia, Vaccinium uliginosum, etc.). Furthermore, oligotrophic sphagnum bogs of this type are found in pine forests of the region (Etkulskom, Nazarovo and Kopytovsky). Aquatic vegetation in the lakes region are not very diverse, but it includes are not found in other parts of halophilic species of Ruppia maritima and Zannichellia pedunculata. |