The paper presents description of new syntaxa of pertrophyte associations from West Caucasus lime­stone massifs. The work is based on the author’s long-term observations between years 1998 and 2003, made in the basins of the rivers Belaya, Bolshaja Laba and Malaya Laba within the National Nature Park «Bol­shoi Tkhach» and limestone massifs of Caucasian State Natural Biosphere Reserve. Original geobotanical rele­veйs have been used for the classification. Collec­tion and material processing involved Braun-Blanqet me­thod. The size of sampling plots varied from 4 to 25 m2. The paper is based upon 120 releveés. New syntaxa names have been given in accordance with the Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (Weber et al., 2000). Ass. Veronica minutae—Chaerophylletum humilis Onipchenko 2002 is common for upper alpine belt of the Reserve and distributed over mobile calcareous screes at 2400—2800 m alt. occupying small areas of Oshten, Fisht, Pshekha-Su and Yatygvarta mountains. Ass. Helianthemetum cani ass. nov. includes open chionophobic groupings of alpine belt, developing on windward mountain slopes and crests at 2000—2800 m alt., occurs on rocky outcrops and dry sedentary screes, and covers significant areas of Lagonaki Pla­teau, mountains Bolshoi Tkhach, Yatygvarta and Snegovalka Ridge. These open associations preferen­tially occupy slopes of «warm» (southern, southern-west, southern-east) expositions of different abruptness from almost horizontal up to 70° (in average 25°). Ass. Saxifragetum sibiricae typicum Onipchenko et Lubez­nova 2002 includes chionophytic groupings of seden­tary screes, characterized by significant snow accu­mulation in winter, forms patches of vegetation around snowbeds and glaciers of Lagonaki Plateau in the Reserve, occurs sporadically on the studied territory. Ass. Saxifragetum sibiricae arabidetosum caucasicae subass. nov. combines open communities of alpine belt at unstable damp rocky substrates and predominantly occupies abrupt slopes (20—35°) of northern—nor­thern-east exposition of damp, slightly mobile screes close to glaciers at 2000—2700 м alt. on Lagonaki Plateau in the Reserve. Ass. Saxifrago cartilagineae—Asplenietum rutae-murariae ass. nov. occurs on rocks in subalpine belt predominantly on abrupt slopes (20—90°, average 69°) of different expositions at 1400—1700 m alt. on Lagonaki Plateau in the Reserve. Ass. Valeriana saxicolae—Helianthemetum cani ass. nov. includes plant communities of limestone rocks occupying abrupt slopes (20—70°, in average 53°) of predominantly southern expositions at 2000—2700 m alt. on Lagonaki Plateau, Triu-Yatygvarta massif, mountain Bolshoi Tkhach.

The article is aimed to assess the florocenotic diversity of the specially protected natural territory of the Rostov region ʺRazdorskie sklonyʺ. In the Rostov region there are 84 specially protected natural areas (PA), including the protected landscape ʺRazdorskie sklonyʺ. The PA consists of three cluster sites with a total area of 1117.64 hectares. The ʺRazdorskie sklonyʺ are a picturesque natural-historical landscape, typical for the right-bank slope of the Don valley. It has a long history of cultural development. Here there are feather grass steppes, the southernmost ravine upland forests, outcrops of pontic limestone-shell rocks, sands of the Yanovskaya formation and clay outcrops on the slopes, with a strip of alluvial floodplain. The vegetation of the right bedrock slope of the Don valley is distinguished by great formational variegation and mosaicism, due to the rapid and abrupt change of environmental factors in a rather limited space, which largely determines the richness and originality of its floristic complex. On the territory of the protected landscape, subzonal forb-sod grass, as well as hemipsammophytic (semi-sandy) and petrophytic steppes are present. Woody vegetation is represented by gully, floodplain forests and thickets of bushes. The vegetation cover of the ʺRazdorskie sklonyʺ is distinguished by a low degree of anthropogenic destruction and is quite representative in syntaxonomic and floristic terms. The flora of the protected landscape includes 693 species of higher vascular plants, including 29 taxa from the Red Books of the Rostov Region and the Russian Federation, a total of 183 taxa from the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (93 species) and the European Red List (145 species). Forest vegetation in the gullies of the protected areas is represented by ravine, floodplain forests and thickets of bushes. In the system of zoning of the ravine forests of the Lower Don, the ravine forests of the ʺRazdorskie sklonyʺ belong to one of the most southern regions – the Crimean-Donetsk region. Numerous cenopopulations of for-est ephemeroids form spring synusia in ravine forests and thickets of shrubs, being a temporary ʺcollective dominantʺ.

Micropropagation is an effective way to preserve the gene pool of threatened plants. This study is devoted to the mathematical modeling of nutrient media and the study of the effect of mT (meta-topoline) on the multiplication of shoots of Hedysarum grandiflorum, Hyssopus cretaceus, and Matthiola fragrans in vitro in comparison with benzylaminopurine (BAP) and kinetin (KT). Initiation was performed on an MS medium with 0.5 mg/L BAP. For shoots multiplication, MS, B5, and WPM media were used with the addition of mT, BAP, KT. For H. grandiflorum, the multiplication coefficient of shoots was highest on medium B5 with the addition of mT at a concentration of 1 mg/L—2.90 shoots per plant, for H. cretaceus—B5 + 0.5 mg/L mT, and for M. fragrans—B5 + 1 mg/L KT. A positive effect of mT on H. grandiflorum and M. fragrans in vitro was found. The efficiency of using KT for H. cretaceus shoot multiplication is shown. The effectiveness of the B5 nutrient medium for H. grandiflorum and M. fragrans was determined. The positive effect of WPM for H. cretaceus micropropagation has been demonstrated. It is not recommended to use the MS media for micropropagation of these plant species.

As a result of long-term studies of natural forests in the Rostov region, more than 450 geobotanical descriptions of natural forest vegetation were performed, an inventory of forest flora and an ecological and floral classification of vegetation was carried out. Forest communities are described, represented by 6 classes (Carpino-Fagetea, Quercetea pubescentis, Alno glutinosae-Populetea albae, Alnetea glutinosae, Salicetea purpureae and Crataego-Prunetea), 7 unions (Scillo siberica-Quercion roboris, Aceri tatarici-Quercion, Alnion incanae, Alnion glutinosae, Salicion albae, berberidion vulgaris, Prunion Fruticosae) and 18 associations, 9 subassociations and more than 40 variants, 10 un-ranked communities. Plant species listed in the Red Book of the Rostov region (2014) were noted, including 9 species of Federal protection status, 8 species listed in the IUCN Red List (2014), and 11 species listed in the European Red List (2011). 75 rare species of plants were found in the natural forests of the region. After analyzing the geobotanical descriptions, the rare species were divided into 6 groups, relative to the topographical and historical characteristics of the forest. Key areas in forest areas for monitoring rare plant species are proposed and justified. A list of species recommended for inclusion in the new edition of the Red Book of the Rostov region has been compiled.

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