Classification of steppe vegetation in the eastern Pamir Alai and southwestern Tian-Shan Mountains (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan)

Researchers have identified and classified 11 distinct steppe communities in the eastern Pamir Alai and southwestern Tian-Shan Mountains, with seven of these representing new associations. These communities are grouped into five alliances and three orders, contributing significantly to the syntaxonomical scheme for this region. The study used a combination of sampling techniques, including relevés and statistical analyses like TWINSPAN, DCA, and CCA, to explore environmental predictors such as altitude, organic topsoil content, and longitudinal position. This work advances the understanding of the geographic transition between western Asiatic and central Asiatic subregions, highlighting the borderland between the classes Astragalo microcephali-Brometea tomentelli and Cleistogenetea squarrosae.

Nowak, A., Nobis, A., Nowak, S., & Nobis, M. (2018). Classification of steppe vegetation in the eastern Pamir Alai and southwestern Tian-Shan Mountains (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan). Phytocoenologia, 48(4), 369–391. https://doi.org/10.1127/phyto/2018/0237