Ecological condition and invasiveness of Fraxinus pennsylvanica in different ecotopes of the arid Caspian region

Abstract

The study investigated ash development in an arid region, focusing on its invasive spread mechanisms at organismic and ecosystem levels under varying moisture conditions. Conducted in the Northern Caspian region’s Volga-Urals interfluve, it examined the effects of arid climate, soil salinity, and limited moisture on plant communities. The features of ash functioning at the organismal and ecosystem levels with permanent and partial deficiency of productive moisture in the soil, as well as with its optimal availability, were investigated. It is shown that on automorphic soil types, ash cultures, subject to appropriate forestry technologies, can exist for many decades even during periodic soil droughts due to premature harmless dumping of leaf mass. In hydromorphic floodplain conditions, ash is not only well preserved in cultures, but also effectively introduced into meadow and forest ecosystems by lowering the relief. Trees in a new place, especially in meadows, begin to bear fruit after 6-10 years and spread the seeds to other territories. Such a nomadic strategy of stepwise dispersed multiple dispersal of ash contributes to the rapid formation of its secondary invasive areas and eliminates the possibility of effective control against it. Therefore, the use of ash in industrial plantings in floodplains is highly inadvisible.