COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE TERRESTRIAL FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE TETHYS DESERT-STEPPE REGION OF PALEARARTICS, BIOGEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THE CAUCASUS. MESSAGE 3. MAIN POINTS OF FORMATION OF THE BIOTA OF THE CAUCASUS

Abstract

Aim. The aim is to analyze the main points of the formation of the biota of the Caucasus.Results. Discussed points: the boundaries of the Tethys desert-steppe belt of the Palaearctic and the place of the Caucasus in it, as well as the role of marine littoral complexes and the islands of the Tethys ocean, orogenetic ascent of the mountain biota in the process of formation. To cover the wide range of environmental parameters and at the same time, major taxonomic groups, in the research were used the materials on the biological diversity of families of Carabidae (328 genera, 7213 species), Tenebrionidae (378 genera, 4914 species), Scarabacidae (263 genera, 2227 species), Elateridae (112 genera, 1451 species); land snails (429 genera, 2614 species), soil mites (381 genera, 1506 species); 17487 species of 1242 plant genera were also examined.Conclusion. All the summarized, comparative materials and outgoing conclusions are original and unique. The biogeographical analysis of this vast material with completely different phylogenetics, bionomy, ecology, carried out according to monotypic method, shows that in the Tethys desert-steppe belt of the Palaearctic, the distribution of all studied model groups of animals and plants has a similar character subject to general patterns.

Keywords

• palaearctic
• tethys desert-steppe region
• caucasus
• biogeographic boundaries
• fauna
• flora
• biota of the caucasus