Relationship Between Degree of Dominance and Species Richness in Herbaceous Communities with Different Productivity
V. V. AKATOV1, T. V. AKATOVA2, S. G. CHEFRANOV1
1Maikop State Technological University, 385000, Maikop, Pervomaiskaya str. 191
2Caucasus State Biosphere Nature Reserve, 385000, Maikop, Sovetskaya str. 187
Keywords: травяные сообщества, доминирование, видовое богатство, фитомасса, конкуренция, жизненные стратегии, модели организации, herbaceous communities, dominance, species richness, phytomass, competition, life strategies, organizational models
Abstract
The aim of study was to test the assumption that the relationship between degree of dominance and local species richness in herbaceous communities with different productivity may be dissimilar. As objects of the study, we used alpine, subalpine and low-mountain meadows, subalpine mires, alpine communities of the habitats with little snow and those with long-term snow cover, steppe communities, layer of low-mountain forest communities of the Western Caucasus and Ciscaucasia. The analytical material included 419 plots of herbaceous communities of 0.25 m2 in the area with the data on the phytomass of vascular plant species. The results showed that the higher was the average productivity of communities, the closer was the relationship between the degree of dominance and species richness, and the closest one was in meadow communities. Possible causes of such relationships are considered. It is suggested that this may be due to the peculiarities of the organization of plant communities with high and low productivity (high or low intensity of competition).
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