Earth Sciences

| Peer-Reviewed |

Diversity, Ecotopology and Hypsometric Distribution of the Endemic Flora in High- Mountain Phytolandscapes of the Caucasus

Received: 14 June 2017    Accepted: 19 June 2017    Published: 17 July 2017
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

The paper considers diversity, systematic-geographical, ecotopologic (biotopologic) structure and peculiarities of hypsometric distribution of the endemic flora in the high-mountain phytolandscapes in the western (Abkhazia, Samegrelo), central (Svaneti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Shida Kartli, Khevi) and eastern (Khevsureti, Tusheti, Mountainous Kakheti) parts of the Eucaucasus (Caucasus Mountains). Endemic calciphilous flora is especially characteristic of limestone lithological areas, which within the borders of Georgia are met only in Abkhazia, Samegrelo and Racha-Lechkhumi, whereas diversity of endemic flora of argillaceous slate and marly habitats is observed in Tusheti and Pirikita Khevsureti (the gorges of the rivers Pirikita, Gometsari Alazani and Arghuni-Andaki-Asa). These habitats are nowhere else met within the boundaries of Georgia. It should be noted that in the florogenesis of the high mountain endemism a significant role was played by orogenesis processes of the Caucasus, which was caused due to extinction of ancestral species at lower altitudes and resulted in their geographical isolation. This is proved by geographical and hypsometric vicarism of some species of generas Campanula, Cerastium, Silene, Erysimum, Pedicularis, Delphinium, and Jurinea. The western, central and eastern parts of the Caucasus are floristically different not only from each other, but also from neighboring mountain massifs. The above mentioned is conditioned by distinct geographic isolation of the mountain system of the Caucasus, different altitudes, petrology, and glaciogenic relief. Floristically, slate screes and rocky habitats are most diverse. The endemic species are unequally distributed in different mountain systems and phytolandscapes of the Eucaucasus. It again indicates to the significance of the phenomenon of the well expressed geographical isolation of the Caucasus Mountains.

DOI 10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16
Published in Earth Sciences (Volume 6, Issue 5-1, October 2017)

This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenge for Geography: Landscape Dimensions of Sustainable Development

Page(s) 38-48
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Caucasus, Endemism, Geographical Isolation, Hypsometric Distribution, Glaciation

References
[1] Gagnidze R., Margalitadze N., Shetekauri Sh., Kikodze D. Borderlines Between Western Asian, Eastern Mediterranean and Euxenian Phytochoria. - Plant Life in South-West and Central Asia, 2. Ege University Press. Izmir, Turkiye. 1996, pp. 673-681.
[2] Nakhutsrishvili G., Gagnidze R. Die Subnivale and Nivale Hoch¬gebirgsvegetation Des Kaukasus. – Phytocoenosis, vol. 11 (N 5) (Ed. J. B. Falinski). Warszawa-Biafowieza. 1999, pp. 173-183.
[3] Gvozdetskii, N. A. Kavkaz: Ocherk Prirody [The Caucasus: a Sketch of Nature.] M. izd. geogr. liter., Moscow, 1963 (in Russian).
[4] Maruashvili L. I., The Greater Caucasus. General charcateristics. Compilation: Geomorphology of Georgia. Tbilisi, Publishing House Metsniereba, 1971. pp. 129-248 (in Russian).
[5] Gobejishvili, R. Late Pleistocene (Wurmian) glaciacion of the Caucasus, In: J. Ehlers and P. L. Gibbard (Eds.), Quaternary Glaciacions-Extent and Chorology, 2004, pp. 129-134.
[6] Ketskhoveli, N., Kharadze, A., Gagnidze R. (Eds.) Flora of Georgia [Saqartvelos flora], Tbilisi, 1971-2011, vol. 1-16. (in Georgian).
[7] Gagnidze R. Vascular Plantsn of Georgia. A nomenclatural Checklist. Tbilisi, 2005.
[8] Czerepanov, S. K. Vascular Plants of Russia and Adjacent States. The Former USSR, Cambridge, 1995, 516 p.
[9] Takhtajan L. (Ed.) Concept of flora of the Caucasus. Sankt-Peterburg, Moskva, 2003-2008, 1-3. (in Russian).
[10] Grossheim A. A., Analysis of the flora of the Caucasus. Baku, 1936. 257 p. (in Russian).
[11] Busch N. A., Brief geograpgical outline of Qeli Highland and Ermani area in North Ossetia. 1939. pp. 153-166 (in Russian).
[12] Tamamschyan S. G., On the systematics of the genus Symphyoloma C. A. Mey. Botanical Journal, 1950. Vol. 35, N 4. pp. 335-342 (in Russian).
[13] Fedorov An. A., The history of the high-mountain flora of the Caucasus in the Quaternary period as a sample of autochthonous development of the Tertiary floristic basis. Material on the Quaternary period. 1952. M. ser. 3. pp. 449-86 (in Russian).
[14] Kharkevich S. S., The role of the the Quaternary epeirogenesis in the formation of the highland flora of the Greater Caucasus. Botanical Journal. 1954. Vol. 39, 4. pp. 498-514 (in Russian).
[15] Mandenova I. P., Materials on taxonomy of Pastinacae K. Pol. emend. Manden. (Umbelliferae – Apboideae). Tbilisi. Institute of Botanics, 1959. Vol 20. pp. 3-57 (in Russian).
[16] Kharadze A. L., On the subnival belt of the Greater Caucasus. Notes on the geographic systematics of plants, Tbilisi, 1969. Ser. 28. pp. 103-114 (in Russian).
[17] Kharadze A. L., About florogenesis of the Caucasian bluebells. Notes on the geographic systematics of plants, Tbilisi, 1970. Ser. 28. pp. 89-102 (in Russian).
[18] Kharadze A. L., About several florocenotic endemic groups of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. Problems of Botanics, 1974. Vol. 12. pp. 70-76 (in Russian).
[19] Galushko A. I., Analysis of the flora in the western part of the Central Caucasus Mountains. Book: The Flora of the North Caucasus and Issues of its History. Stavropol. 1976. p. p. 7-32 (in Russian).
[20] Dolukhanov A. G., The flora and vegetation of the subnival belt in the highland of Greater Liakhvi and Qeli Highland (the Greater Caucassus). Botanocal Journal, 1969. 54, 11. pp. 1662-1674 (in Russian).
[21] Akhundov G. F., The endemic flora in Azerbaijan. Author’s abstract of doctoral dissertation thesis. Baku. 1973. p. 44 (in Russian).
[22] Prima V. N., Some issues on the florogenesis of the upper-alpine flora of the North Caucasus. Book: The Flora of the North Caucasus and Issues of its History. Stavropol. 1976. pp. 113-158 (in Russian).
[23] Zurebiani B. G., Analysis of the endemism of the Mestiachala Gorge. Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the GSSR, Tbilisi, 1978. 91, 1. pp. 55-61(in Russian).
[24] Gagnidze R., Botanical-geographical analysis of the florocenotic complex of the subalpine tall herbaceus of the Caucasus. Tbilisi, Publishing House Metsniereba, 1974. p. 225 (in Russian).
[25] Gagnidze R. Shetekauri Sh., Analysis of the high mountain scree and detritus florocenotic complexes in the southern slopes of the Central Caucasus Mountains. Book: The Vegetation of the High Mountain Ecosystems of the USSR. Vladisvostok. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1988. pp. 202-206 (in Russian).
[26] Gagnidze R., Gviniashvili Ts., Shetekauri Sh., Margalitadze N. – Endemic genera of the Caucasian flora. Feddes Repertorium, 2002, 113, 7-8, p. 616-630.
[27] Аdzinba Z. I., The endemic flora in Abkhazia. Publishing House Metsniereba. 1987. p. 119 (in Russian).
[28] Seredin R. M., Analysis of the flora of the North Caucasus. Regional floristic studies. 1987. pp. 5-20 (in Russian).
[29] Kolakovskii A. A., The analysis of the endemism of the flora in the Caucasus. Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the GSSR, 1989. 135, 3. pp. 621-624 (in Russian).
[30] Khintibidze L., The subnival belt of the South Georgian Highland. Notes on the geographic systematics of plants, Tbilisi, 1973. Ser. 30. pp. 74-77 (in Russian).
[31] Shetekauri Sh., The analysis of the high mountain glacial gorges in Tusheti (northern part of the Greater Caucasus Mountains). Bulletin of Georgian Academy of Sciences, Biology. 1994. Ser. 1, 6. 20. pp. 117-123. (in Georgian).
[32] Shetekauri Sh. Biotopes of Petrophytic Flora of the High Mountains Caucasus. Bull. of Georgian Academy of Sciences. 1998, 159, N 3.
[33] Shetekauri Sh. Special distribution characteristic of glacial relief flora of the high mountains of the Caucasus. Feddes repertorium. 1999, 109. 5. 465-472.
[34] Shetekauri Sh., Gagnidze R. Diversity of high-mountain Endemic flora of the Greater Caucasus. Biolog. and Landscape Diversity of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2000, 151-158.
[35] Shetekauri Sh, Tsiskarauli L, Zangurashvili T. High mountain flora of Pirikiti Khevsureti and Tusheti(north-eastern part of the Caucasus). Flora Mediterranea, 2006, vol. 16. p. 355-378.
[36] Shetekauri, Sh. 2012a: Vegetation of Georgia. In: R. Gobejishvili (ed). Geographycal Atlas of Georgia, Tbilisi, 164p.
[37] Shetekauri Sh, Chelidze D. 2012b: Florocoenotic complexes of Caucasian Rhododendron (Rhododendron caucasicum Pall.) in high-mountain ecosystems on the Greater Caucasus and its botanic-geographycal diversity. Annals of Agrarian Sciences, vol. 10, n. 4. p. 29-37.
[38] Shetekauri S, Chelidze D, Barnaveli N. 2012c: Diversity and Florogenesis of Subnival Flora of the Caucasus. Jurnal of Life Siences, 6 (2012) 917-931
[39] Shetekauri Sh, Chelidze D. 2016a: High Mountain Flora of Meskheti and Javakheti (Lesser Caucasus), “Saari” Press, 512 p.
[40] Shetekauri Sh. Flora of Tusheti, Pshavi and Khevsureti (The East Greater Caucasus), Tbilisi, “Universali” Press, 2017, 600 p.
[41] Shetekauri Sh. High mountain flora of Greater Caucasus, Tbilisi, “Universali” Press, 2018 (in press).
[42] Zazanashvili N., Gagnidze R., Nakhutsrishvili G. High mo¬un¬tain vegetation on the new vegetation map of Georgia. – Journ. of Vegetation science, 1995, 6. 157-158.
[43] Ozenda P. Die vegetation der Alpen. Gustav Fischer verlag, Stuttgart, New-York. 1988, 353 p.
[44] Micevski K., Matevsski V. Teritorijalna podela endemita u SR Make-doniji i problem njihove ugrezonosti. Poseb. izd. Akad. Nauka i umjetn. Bih Od. prir. i mat. nauka, 1987, 83, N 14. 199-207.
[45] Lowrich A. Coastal endemizm in Mediterranean and lacustrine vegetation of Balkans and SW Asia. Poseb. izd. Akad. Nauka i umjetn. Bih Od. prir. i mat. nauka, 1987, 83, N 14. 125-146.
Author Information
  • Department of Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Ivane Javakishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia

  • Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Department of Geography, Ivane Javakishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Shamil Shetekauri, Lali Kutateladze. (2017). Diversity, Ecotopology and Hypsometric Distribution of the Endemic Flora in High- Mountain Phytolandscapes of the Caucasus. Earth Sciences, 6(5-1), 38-48. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Shamil Shetekauri; Lali Kutateladze. Diversity, Ecotopology and Hypsometric Distribution of the Endemic Flora in High- Mountain Phytolandscapes of the Caucasus. Earth Sci. 2017, 6(5-1), 38-48. doi: 10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Shamil Shetekauri, Lali Kutateladze. Diversity, Ecotopology and Hypsometric Distribution of the Endemic Flora in High- Mountain Phytolandscapes of the Caucasus. Earth Sci. 2017;6(5-1):38-48. doi: 10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16,
      author = {Shamil Shetekauri and Lali Kutateladze},
      title = {Diversity, Ecotopology and Hypsometric Distribution of the Endemic Flora in High- Mountain Phytolandscapes of the Caucasus},
      journal = {Earth Sciences},
      volume = {6},
      number = {5-1},
      pages = {38-48},
      doi = {10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.earth.s.2017060501.16},
      abstract = {The paper considers diversity, systematic-geographical, ecotopologic (biotopologic) structure and peculiarities of hypsometric distribution of the endemic flora in the high-mountain phytolandscapes in the western (Abkhazia, Samegrelo), central (Svaneti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Shida Kartli, Khevi) and eastern (Khevsureti, Tusheti, Mountainous Kakheti) parts of the Eucaucasus (Caucasus Mountains). Endemic calciphilous flora is especially characteristic of limestone lithological areas, which within the borders of Georgia are met only in Abkhazia, Samegrelo and Racha-Lechkhumi, whereas diversity of endemic flora of argillaceous slate and marly habitats is observed in Tusheti and Pirikita Khevsureti (the gorges of the rivers Pirikita, Gometsari Alazani and Arghuni-Andaki-Asa). These habitats are nowhere else met within the boundaries of Georgia. It should be noted that in the florogenesis of the high mountain endemism a significant role was played by orogenesis processes of the Caucasus, which was caused due to extinction of ancestral species at lower altitudes and resulted in their geographical isolation. This is proved by geographical and hypsometric vicarism of some species of generas Campanula, Cerastium, Silene, Erysimum, Pedicularis, Delphinium, and Jurinea. The western, central and eastern parts of the Caucasus are floristically different not only from each other, but also from neighboring mountain massifs. The above mentioned is conditioned by distinct geographic isolation of the mountain system of the Caucasus, different altitudes, petrology, and glaciogenic relief. Floristically, slate screes and rocky habitats are most diverse. The endemic species are unequally distributed in different mountain systems and phytolandscapes of the Eucaucasus. It again indicates to the significance of the phenomenon of the well expressed geographical isolation of the Caucasus Mountains.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Diversity, Ecotopology and Hypsometric Distribution of the Endemic Flora in High- Mountain Phytolandscapes of the Caucasus
    AU  - Shamil Shetekauri
    AU  - Lali Kutateladze
    Y1  - 2017/07/17
    PY  - 2017
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16
    DO  - 10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16
    T2  - Earth Sciences
    JF  - Earth Sciences
    JO  - Earth Sciences
    SP  - 38
    EP  - 48
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5982
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.s.2017060501.16
    AB  - The paper considers diversity, systematic-geographical, ecotopologic (biotopologic) structure and peculiarities of hypsometric distribution of the endemic flora in the high-mountain phytolandscapes in the western (Abkhazia, Samegrelo), central (Svaneti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Shida Kartli, Khevi) and eastern (Khevsureti, Tusheti, Mountainous Kakheti) parts of the Eucaucasus (Caucasus Mountains). Endemic calciphilous flora is especially characteristic of limestone lithological areas, which within the borders of Georgia are met only in Abkhazia, Samegrelo and Racha-Lechkhumi, whereas diversity of endemic flora of argillaceous slate and marly habitats is observed in Tusheti and Pirikita Khevsureti (the gorges of the rivers Pirikita, Gometsari Alazani and Arghuni-Andaki-Asa). These habitats are nowhere else met within the boundaries of Georgia. It should be noted that in the florogenesis of the high mountain endemism a significant role was played by orogenesis processes of the Caucasus, which was caused due to extinction of ancestral species at lower altitudes and resulted in their geographical isolation. This is proved by geographical and hypsometric vicarism of some species of generas Campanula, Cerastium, Silene, Erysimum, Pedicularis, Delphinium, and Jurinea. The western, central and eastern parts of the Caucasus are floristically different not only from each other, but also from neighboring mountain massifs. The above mentioned is conditioned by distinct geographic isolation of the mountain system of the Caucasus, different altitudes, petrology, and glaciogenic relief. Floristically, slate screes and rocky habitats are most diverse. The endemic species are unequally distributed in different mountain systems and phytolandscapes of the Eucaucasus. It again indicates to the significance of the phenomenon of the well expressed geographical isolation of the Caucasus Mountains.
    VL  - 6
    IS  - 5-1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections