Phytosociological study on steppe vegetation in the vicinity of Kharkiv, Ukraine

Abstract To classify the steppe vegetation of the natural grasslands in the Ukraine from a viewpoint of phytosociology, vegetation investigation was carried out in three relatively homogeneous sites in Kharkiv Province. Plant communities were classified by their characteristic species and differential species on the basis of the floristic composition into two communities, Stipa capillata–Festuca sulcata community and Poa angustifolia–F. sulcata community, and below four lower units. Using the data of three phases of soil in each of the three sites and the detrended correspondence analysis ordination technique, the score of axis 1 correlated most closely with geographical gradient which reflected the soil water condition. This result shows that the S. capillata–F. sulcata community is more tolerant to a dry habitat of the steppe vegetation of the Ukraine.