Trends of changes in the botanical diversity under the influence of desertification in the republic of Kalmykia

摘要

An analysis of desertification in the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation during 19802000 proved a transmission from a strong to a weak stage of desertification. A mechanism of digression and renovation of vegetation under different levels of pasture load was revealed and the trends of their modern development determined in Kalmykia. Research confirms the reversibility of exogenous successions under favorable climate conditions and low anthropogenic pressure. The rise of the Caspian Sea level favors the halophytization of the vegetation.