Landscape conditions of stable phytoproduction in the Aituar steppe (the Southern Urals)
Abstract
The relationships between the stability of landscape functioning and its spatial pattern are in the focus of contemporary studies of landscape space-time. Spatial pattern may be regarded as a relevant indicator for variable functioning of landscape components as well as a condition for the processes controlling their dynamics. The paper deals with determining spatial conditions for emerging classes of stability for phytocoenoses functioning on the example of green phytomass characterized by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The study was performed in both strictly protected and grazed sections of the low-mountainous steppe landscape in the Southern Urals. Field measurements of herbal aboveground phytomass confirmed significant positive correlation with NDVI. To analyze temporal variability of NDVI we developed a procedure that neutralizes the dependence of green phytomass on weather conditions of a certain year but considers the degree of concordance of a facies with the background landscape-scale dynamics. The deviations from the background dynamics are considered to indicate the dominant influence of local conditions. The stability of phytomass dynamics was evaluated using the Shannon index for the combination of frequencies of five gradations of NDVI increments between two dates within the vegetation period. We interpreted 13 pairs of Landsat-8 images. It was found that locations with the highest deviations from zonal water supply, both towards dryness and humidity, are very instable in types of phytomass dynamics. This proves that the contributions of local-scale and landscape-scale processes to the phytomass development vary in time. Instability of green phytomass dynamics increases if the soil profile is stony and poorly developed. Active lateral interactions of plateaus and crests within strongly dissected terrains favor the stabilization of phytomass dynamics while within the central parts of large plateaus it is less stable. High species richness and increased share of mesoxerophytes in phytocoenoses also contribute to the stabilization of the phytomass dynamics.
Supporting agencies: The research was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 20-05-00464). The contribution of D.E. Sharova, I.V. Volovinsky and O.M. Podgorny to field research and initial data processing is greatly acknowledged.
About the Author
A. V. Khoroshev
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Faculty of Geography, Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Science, Professor, D.Sc. in Geography
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Review
For citations:
Khoroshev A.V. Landscape conditions of stable phytoproduction in the Aituar steppe (the Southern Urals). Lomonosov Geography Journal. 2021;(2):82-91. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/911.2(470.56)
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