Abstract
The Transcaucasian Highlands are among the most interesting areas in the World from a botanical point of view. The high diversity in flora and vegetation types has attracted the attention of botanists for more than 200 years. In this chapter we analyze this richness, show the diversity of ecosystems in this region, and the peculiarities of its flora with special attention to endemism in plant genera and species. A short section is devoted to the main threats to plant diversity in this area.
The Transcaucasian Highlands are located on the border of the Euro-Siberian and the Irano-Turanian biogeographical regions and at the junction of the Caucasian and Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspots. More than 4000 vascular plant species occur in the Transcaucasian Highlands of which around 10% are endemic to this region. The lower mountain belt (375–1200 m a.s.l.) is covered by semi-deserts of gypsophilous or halophilous vegetation types. There are salt marsh areas as well as the Transcaucasian sand desert. The middle and upper mountain belts (1200–2200 m a.s.l.) are characterized by various kinds of steppe and forest vegetation, meadow-steppes, shrub steppes and thorn-cushion (tragacanth) vegetation. The altitudinal span of the forest belt varies from 500 to 2000 m a.s.l. depending on the region, and may approach 2400 m a.s.l. when open park-like tree stands are included. The subalpine and alpine belts (2000–4000 m a.s.l.) are covered by tall-grass vegetation, meadows and carpet vegetation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agakhaniants O (1981) Aridnye gory SSSR (arid mountains of the USSR). Moscow
Aleksanyan AS (2011) Systematicheskaja structura flory aridnyh redkolesij Juzhnoy Armenii (systematic structure of the flora of arid open forests of South Armenia). Takhtajania 1:163–168
Aslanyan A (1958) Regionalnaja geologia Armenii (regional geology of Armenia). Haypetrat, Yerevan
Aslanyan A (1985) O vozraste relief Armenii (osnovnye etapoy evolutsii) (on the age of the relief of Armenia) (main points of the evolution). Problems of Holocene geology, Yerevan, pp 14–19
Bagdasaryan A (1958) Climat Armjanskoj SSR (climate of Armenian SSR). Yerevan
Barsegyan A (1990) Vodno-bolotnaja rastitelnosy’ Armjanskoj SSR (Water-marsh vegetation of Armenian SSR). Yerevan
Cherneva O (1974) Kratkij analyz geographicheskogo rasprostranenija vidov roda Cousinia Cass. (Short analysis of geographical distribution of the species of Cousinia Cass. genus). Bot J (Moscow-Leningrad) 59:183–191
Davies CE, Moss D, Hill MO (2004) EUNIS habitat classification revised 2004. European Environment Agency, European Topic Centre on Nature Protection and Biodiversity. 310 p
Davis P (1965–1985) Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, vol 1–9. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh
Davis P (1971) Distribution patterns in Anatolia with particular reference to endemism. In: Davis PH, Harper PC, Hedge IC (eds) Plant Life of South-West Asia. Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, pp 15–27
Davis P (1985) Why is the flora of Turkey interesting and important? Kew Mag 2(4):357–367
Derkur Zh, Sonnenschein L (1990) Tetis – ischeznuvshij okean (Thetis – an extinct ocean). In: Science and humanity, pp 100–116
Ekim T, Guener A (1986) The Anatolian diagonal: fact or fiction? Proc Roy Soc Edinb 89B:69–77
Fayvush G. (2006) Flora diversity of Armenia. Biodiversity of Armenia: from materials of the Third National Report. Yerevan, pp 9–12
Fayvush G (2007) Endemichnye rastenija flory Armenii (endemic plants of the flora of Armenia). Flora Veg Plant Resour Armenia 16:62–68
Fayvush G, Aleksanyan A (2016) Mestoobitanija Armenii (Habitats of Armenia). Institute of Botany NAS RA, Yerevan
Fayvush G, Tamanyan K (2014) Invasivnye I expansivnye rastenija Armenii (invasive and expanding plants of Armenia). Institute of Botany NAS RA, Yerevan
Fayvush G, Tamanyan K, Kalashyan M, Vitek E (2013) “Biodiversity hotspots” in Armenia. Ann Naturhist Mus Wien B115:11–20
Gabrielian GK (ed) (1986) Fizicheskaja geographia Zakavkazja (physical geography of the Transcaucasian). Yerevan State University, Yerevan
Gabrielian E, Fajvush G (1989) Floristic links and endemism in the Armenian Highlands. The Davis and Hedge Festschrift, Edinburgh, pp 191–206
Gabrielian E, Fayvush G (1986) Botaniko-geographicheskij analyz armjanskih vidov roda Scrophularia (Phyto-geographical analysis of the Armenian species of the genus Scrophularia). Biol J Armenia 39(2):170–173
Hedge IC, Wendelbo P (1970) Some remarks on endemism in Afghanistan. Israel J Bot 19:401–417
Hedge IC, Wendelbo P (1978) Patterns of distribution and endemism in Iran. Notes Roy Bot Gard 36:441–464
Huber-Morath A (1972) Die anatolischen Arten der Gattung Cousinia Cass. Ber Schweiz Bot Ges B 82:223–268
Kamelin R (1965) O rodovom endemisme vo flore Srednej Asii (on the generic endemism in the flora of Middle Asia). Bot J (Moscow-Leningrad) 50:1702–1710
Koch K (1850) Karte von dem Kaukasischen Isthmus und von Armenien. Reimer, Berlin
Krishtofovich A (1936) Razvitie botaniko-geographicheskih provoincij Severnogo polusharija s kontsa Melovogo perioda (the development of phyto-geographical provinces of the North hemisphere from the end of Cretaceous period). Soviet Bot 3:9–24
Kusnetsov N (1909) Printsipy delenija Kavkaza na botaniko-geographicheskie provincii (principles for division of the Caucasus on phyto-geographical provinces). S.-Petersburg
Magakyan A (1941) Rastitelnost Armjanskoj SSR (vegetation of Armenian SSR). Moscow-Leningrad
Mittermeier RA, Turner WR, Larsen FW, Brooks TM, Gascon C (2011) Global biodiversity conservation: the critical role of hotspots. In: Zachos FE, Habel JC (eds) Biodiversity hotspots: distribution and protection of conservation priority areas. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 3–22
Rechinger KH (1972) Compositae-Cynareae I: Cousinia. In: Rechinger KH (ed) Flora Iranica Lfg. 90. Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz
Rechinger KH (1986) Cousinia: morphology, taxonomy, distribution and phytogeographical implications. Proc Roy Soc Edinb 89B:45–58
Sagatelian A (1981) Khorologicheskij analyz flory Megrinskogo rajona Armjanskoj SSR (geographical analysis of the flora of Mehri district in Armenian S.S.R.). Bot J (Moscow & Leningrad) 66:650–661
Sinitsyn V(1962) Palaeo-geographia Asii (Palaeo-geography of Asia). Moscow-Leningrad
Takhtadjan A (1941) Botaniko-geographicheskij ocherk Armenii (Phyto-geographical review of Armenia). Proc Inst Bot Armenian Branch USSR Acad Sci 2:3–156
Takhtadjan A (1986) Floristic regions of the world. University of California Press, Berkley
Tamanyan K, Fayvush G (1987) Botaniko-geographicheskij analyz armjanskih vidov roda Cousinia (Asteraceae) (Phyto-geographical analysis of the Armenian species of the genus Cousinia) (Asteraceae). Biol J Armenia 40(6):464–469
The fifth national report to convention on biological diversity (2014) Yerevan
Third national communication on climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (2015) Yerevan
Tumadjanov I (1971) Botaniko-geographicheskie osobennosti Gornogo Dagestana v svjazi c paleo-geographiej v Plejstocene i Holocene (Phyto-geographical peculariaties of mountain Dagestan in connection with palaeo-geography of Pleistocene and Holocene). Bot J (Moscow & Leningrad) 56(9):1239–1251
Wagenitz G (1975) Floristic connections between the Balkan Peninsula and the near East as exemplified by the genus Centaurea. In: Jordanov D et al (eds) Problems of Balkan flora and vegetation. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia
Wagenitz G (1986) Centaurea in south-West Asia: patterns of distribution and diversity. Proc Roy Soc Edinb 89B:11–21
Weberling F (1985) Die Nachfahren der Gondwana-Flora, Abhandlungen der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Klasse, vol 6. Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz, pp 1–39
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fayvush, G.M., Aleksanyan, A.S. (2020). The Transcaucasian Highlands. In: Noroozi, J. (eds) Plant Biogeography and Vegetation of High Mountains of Central and South-West Asia. Plant and Vegetation, vol 17. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45212-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45212-4_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-45211-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-45212-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)