Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Leymus Chinensis (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev) in the Western Trans-Baikal Region: Cenosis Structures, Production, and Biochemical Composition in the Current Growth Environment

  • SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF ARID TERRITORIES
  • Published:
Arid Ecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The phytocoenotic characteristics of leymus-chinensis cenoses growing in soils of different types in the meadow–steppe, the floodplain–steppe, and the halophytic grasslands in the western Trans-Baikal region are considered. The botanical composition is found to consist of 28 glicophyte species, 17 halotolerant glicophytes, and 6 halophytes. It is determined that the genus Leymus contains three species: Leymus chinensis, L. buriaticus, and L. littoralis. The botanical composition of leymus stands in the westerm Trans-Baikal region includes 51 species, 20 families, and 40 genera. The species are predominantly assigned to the steppe complex based on different types of xerophytes belonging to the Asian type of distribution. Rhizome species are a major biomorph component; in addition, a significant proportion is composed of species with short life cycles. The variation in similarity between the leymus species compositions is weak to moderate due to the significant involvement of families and genera with low species richness. The primary production of leymus cenoses comprises 1029—2370 g/m2 per year. The aboveground phytomass is almost completely formed by Leymus chinensis. The biochemical composition, feed value, and protein ratio of edificator dry matter are influenced by the environmental opportunities for growth, while they generally correspond to the standard indicators.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The Latin plant names are given according to the identification guides Flora of Siberia (Peshkova et al., 1990) and Guide for Identification of the Plants in Buryatia (Opredelitel’ rastenii..., 2001).

REFERENCES

  1. Ariunbold, E., Dynamics of the plant communities in dry steppes of Central Khalkha: somon Bayan-Undzhul, Mongolia, Extended Abstract of Cand. Sci. (Biol.) Dissertation, St. Petersburg, 2014.

  2. Asay, K.H., Breeding potentials in perennial Triticeae grasses, Hereditas, 1992, vol. 116, no. 1, pp. 167–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Badmaeva, N.K., Yablonskaya, E.S., and Agafonov, A.V., Variability of diagnostic features in Siberian population of complex Leymus ramosus—L. chinensis, Sib. Bot. Vestn., 2006, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 59–63.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Baikov, K.S. and Lipin, A.S., Evolution of morphological features of species of the genus Leymus (Poaceae) in flora of Asian Russia, Vestn. Tomsk. Gos. Univ., 2008, no. 3, pp. 169–172.

  5. Bazilevich, N.I., Biologicheskaya produktivnost’ ekosistem Severnoi Evrazii (Biological Productivity of Ecosystems of Northern Eurasia), Moscow: Nauka, 1993.

  6. Boldanov, T.A. and Mukhin, G.D., Ecological adaptation of agricultural land use under climate change in the Republic of Buryatia, Arid Ecosyst., 2019, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 7–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Erdenezhav, G., Ubugunov, L.L., Ubugunova, V.I., and Kalibernova, N.M., Poimennye luga Severnoi Mongolii (Floodplain Meadows of Northern Mongolia), Moscow: KMK, 2008.

  8. Gaisenok, O.S., Ivel’skaya, V.I., and Novak, L.V., Floristic and geobotanical characteristics of meadow vegetation in the valley of the lower reaches of the Selenga River, in Ekologo-biologicheskaya i khozyaistvennaya kharakteristika stepnykh i lugovykh rastitel’nykh soobshchestv Zabaikal’ya (Ecological-Biological and Economic Characteristics of Steppe and Meadow Plant Communities of Transbaikalia), Ulan-Ude, 1973, pp. 198–206.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gunin, P.D., Bazha, S.N., Danzhalova, E.V., Tserenkhand, G., Drobyshev, Yu.I., and Ariunbold, E., Modern structure and dynamics of plant communities on the southern border of the dry steppes of Central Mongolia, Arid. Ekosist., 2010, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 65–75.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ionycheva, M.P., Zarubin, A.M. and Frolova, M.V., Meadow vegetation of the Uda River basin, in Resursy rastitel’nogo pokrova Zabaikal’ya i ikh ispol’zovanie (Resources of Vegetation Cover of Transbaikalia and their Use), Ulan-Ude: Buryat. Nauchn. Tsentr, Sib. Otd., Ross. Akad. Nauk, 1991, pp. 34–47.

  11. Korolyuk, A.Yu., Ecological ordination of the steppe communities in Transbaikalia, Uch. Zap. Zabaikal. Gos. Univ., Ser.: Estestv. Nauki, 2013, no. 1 (48), pp. 26–30.

  12. Larina, N.P., Ecological and biological characteristics of xerophytic grasses (Bromopsis inermis, Stipa capillata, Leymus chinensis) in the Eastern Transbaikalia, Cand. Sci. (Biol.) Dissertation, Irkutsk, 2004.

  13. Lavrentieva, I.N., Merkusheva, M.G., and Ubugunov, L.L., Evaluation of organic carbon stocks and CO2 fluxes in grasslands of Western Transbaikalia, Eurasian Soil Sci., 2017, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 396–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lipin, A.S., Genus Leymus (Poaceae) in Asian Russia: systematics, chorology, and phylogeny, Extended Abstract of Cand. Sci. (Biol.) Dissertation, Novosibirsk, 2018.

  15. Merkusheva, M.G., Baldanova, A.L., Boloneva, L.N., and Lavrent’eva, I.N., Phytocenotic characteristic of the Achnatherum splendens (trin.) Nevski communities of western Transbaikalia, Arid Ecosyst., 2017, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 31–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Merkusheva, M.G., Ubugunov, L.L., Ubugunova, V.I., Boloneva, L.N., Badmaev, A.B., Lavrentieva, I.N., Erdenezhav, G., Krivobokov, L.V., and Doroshke-vich, S.G., Produktsionnye protsessy v poimennykh fitotsenozakh basseina r. Selengi (Production Processes in Floodplain Phytocenosises of the Selenga River Basin), Ulan-Ude: Buryat. Nauchn. Tsentr, Sib. Otd., Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2009.

  17. Liu, G.S., Qi, D.M., and Shu, Q.Y., Seed germination characteristics in the perennial grass species Leymus chinensis, Seed Sci. Technol., 2004, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 717–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Metodicheskie ukazaniya po otsenke kachestva i pitatel’nykh kormov (Methodological Guide for Assessment of Quality and Nutritive Value of Fodders), Moscow: Tsentr. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Agrokhim. Obsluzh. Sel’sk. Khoz., 2002.

  19. Mirkin, B.M., Rozenberg, G.S., and Naumova, L.G., Slovar’ ponyatii i terminov sovremennoi fitotsenologii (Dictionary of Terms and Definitions of Modern Phytocenology), Moscow: Nauka, 1989.

  20. Ogureeva, G.N., Zhargalsaikhan, L., Karimova, T.Yu., and Miklyaeva, I.M., Variations in the botanical diversity of forbs-bunchgrass steppes of Eastern Mongolia over an 11-year period (2008–2018). 2019, Arid Ecosyst., 2019, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 257–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Opredelitel’ rastenii Buryatii (Guide for Identification of the Plants in Buryatia), Anenkhonova, O.A., Ed., Ulan- Ude: Respo-Tipogr., 2001.

  22. Peshkova, G.A., Nikiforova, O.D., Lomonosova, M.N., et al., Flora Sibiri. Tom 2. Poaceae (Gramineae) (Flora of Siberia, Vol. 2: Poaceae (Gramineae)), Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1990.

  23. Petrov, K.M. and Terekhina, N.V., Steppes of Transbaikalia province, in Rastitel’nost’ Rossii i sopredel’nykh stran (Vegetation of Russia and Adjacent Countries), St. Petersburg: Khimizdat, 2013, pp. 211–214.

  24. Praktikum po agrokhimii (Practical Manual on Agricultural Chemistry), Yagodin, B.A., Ed., Moscow: Agropromizdat, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Pykhalova, T.D., Anenkhonov, O.A., Badmaeva, N.K., and Naidanov, B.B., The list of flora of saline areas of Western Transbaikalia, Izv. Irkutsk. Gos. Univ., 2013, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 86–101.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Renzhong, W. and Qiong, G., Climate-driven changes in shoot density and shoot biomass in Leymus chinensis (Poaceae) on the North-East China transect (NECT), J. Biogeogr., 2003, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 249–259.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Serebryakov, I.G., Ekologicheskaya morfologiya rastenii i ikh izuchenie (Ecological Morphology of the Plants and Their Analysis), Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola, 1962.

  28. Sistema zemledeliya Respubliki Buryatiya: nauchno-prakticheskie rekomendatsii (The Land Agriculture System of the Republic of Buryatia: Scientific-Practical Guide), Batudaeva, A.P., Ed., Ulan-Ude: Buryat. Gos. S-kh. Akad. im. V.R. Filippova, 2018, 2nd ed.

  29. Volkova, A.I. and Lyakhova, I.G., Floodplain meadows of the lower reaches of the Dzhida River, in Kormovye ugod’ya i lesa Srednei Sibiri i Zabaikal’ya (Fodder Resources and Forests of Central Siberia and Transbaikalia), Irkutsk, 1979, pp. 79–84.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Wang, G., Wang, P., Wang, T.-Y., Zhang, Y.-C., Yu, J.-J., Ma, N., Frolova, N.L., and Liu, C.-M., Contrasting changes in vegetation growth due to different climate forcing over the last three decades in the Selenga-Baikal basin, Remote Sens., 2019, vol. 11, no. 426, pp. 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Wang, R.R.-C., von Bothmer, R., Dvorak, J., Fedak, G., Linde-Laursen, I., and Muramatsu, M., Genome symbols in the Triticeae (Poaceae), Proc. 2nd Int. Triticeae Symp., Logan, Utah, Logan, UT: Utah State Univ., 1994, pp. 29–34.

  32. Wang, Y. and Zhou, G., Modeling responses of the meadow steppe dominated by Leymus chinensis to climate change, Clim. Change, 2007, vol. 82, nos. 3–4, pp. 437–452.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Whittaker, R.H., Communities and Ecosystems, New York: Macmillan, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Xu, Z.Z. and Zhou, G.S., Effects of water stress on photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism in vegetative and reproductive shoots of Leymus chinensis, Photosynthetica, 2005, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 29–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Yuan, F., Wu, J.-G., Han, X.-G., and Ge, J.-P., Net primary productivity of Leymus chinensis steppe in Xilin River basin of Inner Mongolia and its responses to global climate change, Chin. J. Appl. Ecol., 2008, vol. 19, no. 10, pp. 2168–2176.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Zarubin, A.M. and Frolova, M.V., Biological productivity of the aboveground part of natural fodder lands in the southern part of Buryatia, in Ekologo-biologicheskaya i khozyaistvennaya kharakteristika stepnykh i lugovykh rastitel’nykh soobshchestv Zabaikal’ya (Ecological-Biological and Economic Characteristics of Steppe and Meadow Plant Communities of Transbaikalia), Ulan-Ude, 1973, pp. 115–122.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Zhang, B., Chen, H.-J., Hou, X.-Y., Ma, H.-L., Fang, Q.-E., Hua, L.-M., Jiang, J., Shi, S.-L., Zhang, D.-G., Zhao, G.-Q., Han, W.-J., Vishnyakova, O., and Ubugunov, L., Latitudinal variation in reproductive performance of Leymus chinensis: implications for its response to future climate warming, Plant Ecol. Diversity, 2018, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 363–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The study was carried out within the Research Work subject area (State Assignment no. 121030100228-4 “Evolutionary-genetic, biogeochemical and production functions of soils in the Baikal Region as a component of the biosphere, assessment of their resource potential and development of technologies for rational use and protection;” no. 121030900138-8 “Biota of terrestrial ecosystems of the Baikal Region: composition, structure, ecological and geographical features”), as well as Russian Foundation for Basic Research—Buryatiya project no. 18-416-030028 “Search for promising populations of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel to introduce into culture based on molecular genetic studies, parameters of bioproductivity and nutritional value.”

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 670047, Ulan-Ude, Russia

    M. G. Merkusheva, N. K. Badmaeva, L. N. Boloneva & I. N. Lavrentieva

Authors
  1. M. G. Merkusheva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. K. Badmaeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. L. N. Boloneva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. I. N. Lavrentieva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. G. Merkusheva.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interests. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Statement on the welfare of humans or animals. This article does not contain any studies involving animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Translated by O. Zhiryakova

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Merkusheva, M.G., Badmaeva, N.K., Boloneva, L.N. et al. Leymus Chinensis (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev) in the Western Trans-Baikal Region: Cenosis Structures, Production, and Biochemical Composition in the Current Growth Environment. Arid Ecosyst 11, 73–82 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096121010108

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096121010108

Keywords:

Search

Navigation