Relation between the size of the above-ground and the underground phytomass of plant communities in the region of Gurwan-Turuu in Central Mongolia

Abstract

Results are presented of measurement of the above-ground and underground phytomass in six different plant communities on the area of the dry steppes of Central Mongolia. The relation was calculated between the above-ground and underground phytomass. This relation was found to be mostly constant under the local conditions (1 :34). This allows to adopt the "top/roots ratio" as a synthetic index of the vegetation structure in the aspect of zonal differentiation.