Palaeoclimate has a major effect on the diversity of endemic species in the hotspot of mountain biodiversity in Tajikistan.
AbstractIn a period of ongoing climate changes, identifying drivers of overall and endemic species diversity is a key element in constructing new ecological patterns and determining the main goals of conservation. Such studies are especially crucial if they concern biodiversity hotspot areas. In this study, we explore patterns and drivers of plant endemism (the proportion of endemic plant species to overall plant species richness; PE) in Tajikistan. We used three groups of climatic measures featuring the contemporary and glacial climates as well as climatic changes since the Last Glacial Maximum in the Pleistocene (LGM). To explore relationships between PE and climatic groups, and the most …
Distribution of graminoids in open habitats in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
Aims: Landscapes of Middle Asia are exposed to human influence due to long-lasting pastoral tradition, and now are largely dominated by non-forest vegetation. Graminoids perform key ecosystem functions, and constitute an important feed source for livestock. We studied the distribution patterns of graminoids cover under climatic and grazing pressure gradients in different open vegetation types. Study area: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Methods: 1,525 vegetation plots representing five open vegetation types (mires, salt marshes, tall-forb communities, pseudosteppes and steppes) were extracted from the Vegetation of Middle Asia Database. We assessed the relative cover of graminoid species in each ve…