Some Notes on the Key Botanical Territories of Ustyurt (Uzbekistan) and the Influence of Oil and Gas Industries on Them

Abstract

The paper presents data on the modern state of some important botanical territories of the Ustyurt plateau. Materials on the effect of dust rising from the main highway of the oil and gas sector on the vegetation cover of the adjacent areas studied are considered. The results of the analysis showed that the vitality of dominants and rare species along the road and closer to it is low, the projective coverage does not exceed 8%. Starting from 100 to 200 m, the vitality of the dominants improves. With a distance of 500 m from the roads, the species composition increases, the projective coverage reaches 12%. The evaluation of the vitality of dominant and/or endemic species, the comparison of the projective cover and the species diversity of the pilot site with the control plot, and also the method of weighing the annual shoots of dominant and/or rare species with all vegetative and generative elements in a comparative aspect give reliable results in determining the degree Anthropogenic impact on the vegetation cover of Ustyurt. Inclusion of dominants the restoration of vegetation by phytoremediation of the study area gives promising results.