Creeping Environmental Problems in the Pamir Mountains: Landscape Conditions, Climate Change, Wise Use and Threats

Mętrak, Monika; Sulwiński, Marcin; Chachulski, Łukasz; Suska‐Malawska, Małgorzata

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-12859-7_28

Cited by 17 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…According to traditional pasture management practices, these communities are used as winter pastures, hence they are located at relatively low altitudes and are rich in species of meadow herbs. As such, they are less exploited during summer, which allows the occurring species to complete their reproductive cycles, and supports relatively high biodiversity of these ecosystems [ 13 , 81 – 82 ]. However, the current situation in the Pamir Mountains is far from this ideal pattern of seasonal movement of herds between winter and summer pastures (vertical transhumance).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nowadays herders tend to over-utilize near village winter pastures, since traditional agricultural knowledge was partially lost as a result of collectivization during the Soviet times. Moreover, high altitude summer pastures are often poorly accessible due to the condition of roads and bridges [ 13 , 21 , 28 ]. Therefore, all pastures located in the Pamirs’ valleys are already grazed in summer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The altitudes and areas of the lakes are cited from Tajik sources [ 35 – 36 ], whereas the chemical characteristics come from our own research [ 13 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), rounded peaks. This area is characterized by very low precipitation rates (between 50 and 150 mm annually), which combined with high insolation, strong winds, and average monthly air temperatures below zero from October to March, make the Eastern Pamir a cold mountainous desert with aridity index between -45 and -61 [ 6 – 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Local governments and NGOs cooperate to consolidate and optimize management practices at the level of rural municipalities, to remove barriers to the use of summer pastures (mostly improve access routes) and to enhance farmers’ knowledge of grazing methods. Yet all these activities are limited due to institutional and financial issues [ 13 , 18 – 22 ]. Presently, different scientific, governmental and non-governmental bodies in Tajikistan are engaged in the preparation of an inventory of Pamirs’ pastures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nature's patchwork: How water sources and soil salinity determine the distribution and structure of halophytic plant communities in arid environments of the Eastern Pamir

et al. 2017

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The eastern part of the Pamir Mountains, located in Central Asia, is characterized by great climatic continentality and aridity. Wetlands developed in this hostile region are restricted to spring areas, terraces of shallow lakes or floodplains along rivers, and provide diversified ecosystem services e.g. as water reservoirs, refugia for rare species and pastures for domestic cattle. These ecosystems are particularly susceptible to climate changes, that in the Pamir Mountains result in increased temperatures, intense permafrost/glacial melt and alterations of precipitation patterns. Climatic changes affect pasture management in the mountains, causing overutilization of sites located at lower elevations. Thus, both climate and man-induced disturbances may violate the existing ecological equilibrium in high-mountain wetlands of the Eastern Pamir, posing a serious risk to their biodiversity and to food security of the local population. In this context, we sought to assess how environmental drivers (with special focus on soil features and potential water sources) shape the distribution and diversity of halophytic plant communities developed in valleys in the Eastern Pamir. This task was completed by means of a vegetation survey and comprehensive analyses of habitat conditions. The lake terraces and floodplains studied were covered by a repetitive mosaic of plant communities determined by differences in soil moisture and salinity. On lower, wetter sites, this patchwork was formed by Blysmus rufus dominated salt marshes, saline small sedge meadows and saline meadows with Kobresia royleana and Primula pamirica; and on drier, elevated sites, by endemic grasslands with Hordeum brevisubulatum and Puccinellia species and patches of xerohalophytic vegetation. Continuous instability of water sources and summer droughts occurring in the Pamir Mountains may lead to significant structural and functional transformations of described wetland ecosystems. Species more tolerant to decreased soil moisture and/or increased soil salinity will expand, leading to alterations of ecosystem services provided by the Pamirs’ wetlands. The described research will help to assess the current state of the wetlands and to predict directions of their future changes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The altitudes and areas of the lakes are cited from Tajik sources [ 35 – 36 ], whereas the chemical characteristics come from our own research [ 13 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nature's patchwork: How water sources and soil salinity determine the distribution and structure of halophytic plant communities in arid environments of the Eastern Pamir

et al. 2017

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Ecosystem engineers in the extreme: The modest impact of marmots on vegetation cover and plant nitrogen and phosphorus content in a cold, extremely arid mountain environment

Chibowski

Zegarek

Zarzycka

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Burrowing mammals strongly impact plant communities. One of the main effects is accelerating nutrient cycling and thus promoting plant growth. This mechanism is well-studied in grasslands and alpine habitats, but less is known about this phenomenon in arid, cold mountain environments. We studied ecosystem engineering by longtailed marmots (Marmota caudata) by measuring the content of plant nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as nitrogen stable isotopes in plant biomass and marmot feces in a distance gradient up to 20 m from marmot burrows in an extremely arid glacier valley in Eastern Pamir, Tajikistan. We also captured aerial images of the area inhabited by marmots to study the spatial distribution of vegetation. There was a weak relationship between the presence of burrows and vegetation cover on soil not covered by burrow material. Burrow mounds were not colonized by plants, as opposed to other studies, where mounds are often microhabitats that enhance plant diversity. A significant increase in N and P in aboveground green plant biomass in the proximity of burrows was found in one out of six studied plant species. Contrary to our expectations, stable N isotopes did not give further insight into N routing. We assume that plant growth is strongly limited by water availability, which prevents them from utilizing the local increase in nutrients, certainly provided by marmot activity. The results are contrary to numerous studies, which showed that the role of burrowing animals as ecosystem engineers increases with increasing abiotic stress, including aridity. This shows a lack of this type of study at the end of the gradient of abiotic factors.

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Composition of Selected Lipid Fractions in 13 Alpine Cryophytic Plant Species Growing in the Eastern Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

2021

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Creeping Environmental Problems in the Pamir Mountains: Landscape Conditions, Climate Change, Wise Use and Threats

Cited by 17 publications

References 35 publications

Nature's patchwork: How water sources and soil salinity determine the distribution and structure of halophytic plant communities in arid environments of the Eastern Pamir

Nature's patchwork: How water sources and soil salinity determine the distribution and structure of halophytic plant communities in arid environments of the Eastern Pamir

Ecosystem engineers in the extreme: The modest impact of marmots on vegetation cover and plant nitrogen and phosphorus content in a cold, extremely arid mountain environment

Composition of Selected Lipid Fractions in 13 Alpine Cryophytic Plant Species Growing in the Eastern Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan

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