Characteristics of coenopopulations of European feather grass Stipa pennata L. in the South Ural State Nature Reserve

Abstract

The population characteristic of the steppe species Stipa pennata, rare for the South Ural State Nature Reserve, is given. Two coenopopulations (CP) of European feather grass have been analyzed in the western part of the reserve. The ecotope conditions affected the linear parameters of plants significantly. The weather conditions of the year predetermined the height of the generative shoot with a panicle and the leaf length. The maximum linear parameters have been noted for the plants of CP2, located in a relatively shaded area with a higher projective cover of the herbaceous and shrub layers. High values of quantitative parameters have been noted in CP-1, which occupied more arid area. The influence of weather conditions on the phenological rhythms of plants are obvious: the acceleration of growth and development in dry years and the slowdown of these processes in the rainy period. The ontogenetic structure of coenopopulations and their demographic indicators are analyzed and presented. Age structure of coenopopulations of S. pennata has a right-shifted unimodal spectrum with a predominance of middle-aged plants. The total population density varies from 4.1 to 6.4 ind./m2. The age and effectiveness of both populations testify they are young.

Keywords

• mountainous urals
• european feather grass
• steppe communities
• long-term dynamics
• demographic structure
• population density