PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL PECULIA RITIES OF SOUTH SIBERIAN FOREST MEADOWS

Abstract

The problem of classification and ordination of forest meadows in Southern Siberia are discussed on the basis of geographically wide ranging set of data. The classification of the meadows has been carried out using Braun-Blanquet approach. DCA ordination using DECORANA was carried out for elucidation of various macro-ecological and phytosociological regularities of the meadows. Siberian forest meadows were included in the order Carici macrourae-Crepidetalia sibiricae prov. of the class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. They are both a stage of the natural succession and the first stage of the anthropogenic replacement of zonal hemiboreal forests caused by clearing of later stages as well as subsequent moderate grazing and mowing. The strong disturbance of the forest meadows over a long period results in their replacement by widespread anthropogenic types of the Arrhenatheretalia meadows.