Bioecological Characteristics of the Flora of the Territories Adjacent to the Springs of Western Kazakhstan

The data of floristic studies of 40 spring tracts of the Mangistau, Aktobe, Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions of the Western Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan are presented. We have found that the studied flora is represented by 252 species, 167 genera and 55 families belonging to Equisetophyta, Pinophyta, and Magnoliophyta divisions. Taxonomic characterization of the flora showing the predominance of the Asteraceae and Poaceae families is provided. The predominance of perennial herbaceous plants in the flora of spring tracts was identified by the system of I. G. Serebryakov’s life forms. The predominance of steppe plants and weeds was revealed. Horological analysis showed the leading set of species with the Eurasian range type. Ecological characteristics highlighted the predominance of xerophytes and mesotrophic plants. 20 protected plant species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and the Red Data Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan were identified. Analysis of the distribution of plants in the areas adjacent to the springs identified four grades of occurrence, namely: common species – 7; uncommon species – 17; rare species – 100; and very rare species – 128. The most common species found within the spring tract territories are related to weeds, such as Tripleurospermum perforatum (Merat) M. Lainz, Polygonum aviculare L., Taraxacum officinale Wigg., Lappula squarrosa (Retz.) Dumort., Plantago major L., Arctium lappa L., Xanthium strumarium L., Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik., Chenopodium album L., Convulvus arvensis L., Poa annua L., Bromus squarrosus L., Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski. The Jaccard index (Kj) for the analyzed floras in pairwise comparison varies from 0.02 to 0.5, which shows the extreme heterogeneity of the specific composition.