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Background Based on world experience, first, a modern assessment of the flora is needed to develop strategies for the conservation of ecosystems of rare and endangered plant species. A regional and global biodiversity strategy should focus on assessing the current state of bioresources. To preserve the biodiversity of the species and its habitat, we evaluated botanical features, ontogenetic phases, the ecological and phytocenotic structure of the rare and endangered of Rhodiola rosea L. (golden rose root) populations from the highlands of Eastern Kazakhstan. Results R. rosea in the study region lives on damp mossy rocks, rocky slopes, overgrown moraines and along the banks of mountain rivers in the upper limit of cedar-larch forests, subalpine and alpine belts, in the altitude limit of 1700–2400 m. In the studied region, R. rosea begins to vegetate in May–June, blooms in June–July, the fruits ripen in August. The species is encountered in the high mountain ranges of the Kazakh Altai and Saur-Tarabagatai. Unfavorable habitat conditions for the species are overgrown by sedge-grass and birch-moss communities. The most common species at sites with R. rosea are: Schulzia crinita, Achillea ledebourii, Doronicum altaicum, Macropodium nivale, Hylotelephium telephium, Rhodiola algida, Carex capillaris, C. aterrima. Ontogenetic study revealed that all age-related phases were present, with the exception of the senile states. Individual life expectancy shown to be 50–55 years. The analysis of the species composition in the communities with R. rosea showed that the leading families in terms of the number of accompanying species are Poaceae, Ranunculaceae, Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Caryophyllaceae, Apiaceae, Fabaceae; while the most dominant genera are: Carex, Aconitum, Dracocephalum, Festuca, Pedicularis, Poa, Salix; the ecological groups are dominated by psychrophytes, mesophytes mesopsychrophytes; the Asian, Eurasian, and Holarctic groups are the most represented groups. Dominant life forms according to Serebyakov were rod-rooted, brush-rooted, short-rooted and long-rooted grasses, while based on Raunkiaer’s groups the overwhelming majority consisted of Hemincryptophytes (74%). Conclusions The R. rosea populations of Kazakhstan represent an important gene stock of the species. Our study provides new insights into the species’ biology thus contributes to the conservation of biodiversity on a wide spatial scale.

The article provides data on two orchid species, new in the flora of Kazakhstan. These are Neottia cordata from Markakol State Nature Reserve (East Kazakhstan) and Hammarbya paludosa from Mugodzhary Mts. (West Kazakhstan). The nearest previously known locations of Hammarbya paludosa are more than 500 km northwards from the reported location. The nearest previously known location of Neottia cordata is ca. 300 km north-east of the reported location. The new sites of these species are based on historical herbarium specimens collected in 1908 and 1934 and stored in the herbaria of LE, NS, and MW.

Representatives of the Crassulaceae family’s genus Rhodiola are succulents, making them distinctive in a changing environment. One of the most significant tools for analyzing plant resources, including numerous genetic processes in wild populations, is the analysis of molecular genetic polymorphism. This work aimed to look at the polymorphisms of allelic variations of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and auxin response factor (ARF) gene families, as well as the genetic diversity of five Rhodiola species, using the retrotransposons-based fingerprinting approach. The multi-locus exon-primed intron-crossing (EPIC-PCR) profiling approach was used to examine allelic variations in the SOD and ARF gene families. We implemented the inter-primer binding site (iPBS) PCR amplification technique for genome profiling, which demonstrated a significant level of polymorphism in the Rhodiola samples studied. Natural populations of Rhodiola species have a great capacity for adaptation to unfavorable environmental influences. The genetic variety of wild populations of Rhodiola species leads to their improved tolerance of opposing environmental circumstances and species evolutionary divergence based on the diversity of reproductive systems.

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