Ecological and Biological Features of the Distribution of the Siberian Apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) in the Southern Part of the Selenga River Basin

Altitude‐dependent variation in leaf structure and pigment content provides the performance of a relict shrub in mountains of Mongolia

“…Moreover, elevation did not affect the plant growth traits, such as shrub height and above‐ground biomass. Variation in whole‐plant variables among studied populations are likely related to local microclimatic conditions or the age structure of populations (Bazha et al, 2020). The stability of A max along the entire gradient led to the conclusion that it is a modification in pigment content which allows this species to maintain required carbon balance within these ranges of altitude (Table 2).…”

“…Temperature and precipitation data for the period 1970-2010 were taken from climate dataset (Fick & Hijmans, 2017). Study sites represent the natural lowland-foothill forest-steppe vegetation comprised of different plant communities: steppe herb-rich-grass communities with shrubs or thickets of Prunus sibirica in sparse pine woodlands on the southern mountain slopes, native pine forests or secondary birch and aspen forests on slopes of the northern exposition (Bazha et al, 2020). Plant functional traits were measured at 10 localities between altitudes of 670 and 880 m above sea level in July 2017 (Table 1).…”

“…Mongolia is a mountainous country with an average altitude of 1580 m and a minimum altitude of 560 m. In the low‐mountainous systems of northern and north‐eastern Mongolia, a relict shrub Prunus sibirica L. inhabits at the boundary of steppe and forest. This species is the northernmost and most enduring species of the genus Prunus of the small section Armeniaca originating from China and Central Asia (Bazha et al, 2020). We have shown previously that Prunus sibirica L. is the least resistant species to arid stress among shrubs in the forest‐steppe zone of Mongolia because it has the largest leaves with a low transpiration rate.…”

“…Their maximum rate of gas exchange is in the morning, when the humidity of the air is maximal and the temperature is minimal (Ivanova et al, 2012). However, this species grows in different ecotopes at the altitude ranges of 600–900 m above sea level in Transbaikalia, 660–1415 m in Mongolia, and 400–2500 m in China (Bazha et al, 2020; Kamelin, 1994). Detailed studies of the populations of Prunus sibirica L. in northern Mongolia indicated that in the Khentei Mountains with a maximum height of 1100 m, the altitudinal limit of apricot distribution does not exceed 900 m (Bazha et al, 2020).…”

Selection of a core collection of Prunus sibirica L. germplasm by a stepwise clustering method using simple sequence repeat markers

“…P. sibirica is widely distributed across a wide range of geographical areas in the northern regions of China and Russia [1]. Duo to its strong ecological adaptability, P. sibirica can be used as a pioneer tree species for improving the environment in semi-arid and arid areas [2]. Its kernels are of great economic value and have become an important industry for the people in the producing areas to get rid of poverty and become rich [3].…”