The genetic structure of 20 populations of Fagus orientalis Lipsky (oriental beech) from the territory of the Crimea and the Caucasus was studied on the basis of microsatellite polymorphism (SSR – simple sequence repeats). The isolation distance test performed in the GenePop program showed a high correlation of genetic differences and the logarithm of geographic distance in geographic coordinates at the 0.91 level. Interpopulation genetic differentiation of Fagus orientalis (Fst) ranged from 0.01 to 0.67. On the basis of the obtained genetic data and analysis of the literature on fossil materials, we present a preliminary reconstruction of the possible pathways for spread and the formation of the modern area of the species in the Crimea and on the Caucasian Isthmus within the Caucasian ecoregion. The earliest separation occurred in the populations of the mountainous Crimea and the Stavropol Upland, which retained the unique features of the genotype of the ancestral form in conditions of island isolation. Apparently, beeches from relict mid-mountain populations in refugia of mesophilic vegetation are close to the ancestral form: Colchis (Avadhara, Abkhazia) in the west and Kakheti (Lagodekhi, Georgia) in the east. The observed similarity at the upper border of the beech belt in different regions of the Caucasian Isthmus indicates a parallelism in the development and formation of high-mountain populations of the species.
Forests dominated by Fagus orientalis Lipsky play the greatest role in maintaining the ecological balance in the Caucasian Isthmus. Beech, having a high edificatory effect, contributes to the formation of a unique composition of the flora. In Dagestan, beech forests are located at the edge of their range in the relatively arid conditions of the Eastern Caucasus. The studied forests are rich in Hyrcanic and Colchian relict and endemic elements. In this regard, it became necessary to identify the most valuable areas of beech forests and take urgent measures to preserve them. The work is devoted to the study of the importance of beech forests in the preservation of 88 species of relict, endemic and protected species of the flora of Dagestan. Based on the data of geobotanical descriptions of 73 test plots, with a total area of 45625 m2, an environmental assessment of the value of phytocenoses is given. In total, 19 associations have been identified in the beech forests of Dagestan. Disjunctive growth of some species was noted in the beech forests of the republic. The most valuable are beech forests growing in the refugia of Low and Foothill Dagestan, where there is a reduction in areas due to negative anthropogenic impact. In high-mountainous beech forests, no reduction in areas is observed, and forest fires, which have been observed more and more often in recent years, remain the main limiting factor. The data on the inclusion of the most valuable areas of beech forests in the protected areas, and for some areas already included in the protected areas, recommendations are given on the introduction of a special regime of use in them.
For the first time for relic phytocenosis with the participation of Arbutus andrachne L. in Abkhazia, data are provided for the geobotanical characteristics of communities, structure, number, assessment of condition and spatial placement, generative sphere of individuals of all known cenopopulations, as well as considered possible pathways of prokhoresis and modem range of species in Abkhazia, assessing its environmental status.
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