Tugay

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Tugai vegetation along the Syr-Darya in Kazakhstan, Central Asia. Tugai.jpg
Tugai vegetation along the Syr-Darya in Kazakhstan, Central Asia.

Tugay [a] [b] is a form of riparian forest or woodland associated with fluvial and floodplain areas in arid climates. These wetlands are subject to periodic inundation, and largely dependent on floods and groundwater rather than directly from rainfall. Tugay habitats occur in semi-arid and desert climates in Central Asia. Because Tugay habitat is usually linear, following the courses of rivers in arid landscapes, Tugay communities often function as wildlife corridors. They have disappeared or become fragmented over much of their former range. [1] [2]

Contents

Euphrates poplar trees and tamarix bushes at the Ekhiin-Gol Oasis in the Gobi Desert. Populus diversifolia, Ekhiin-Gol oazis, Shinejinst sum, Bayankhongor province, Mongolia, Gobi desert 2.JPG
Euphrates poplar trees and tamarix bushes at the Ekhiin-Gol Oasis in the Gobi Desert.

Distribution

The centre of the range of Tugay vegetation is the Tarim Basin in north-western China, where the Tarim Huyanglin nature reserve in the middle reaches of the Tarim River holds the largest areas of intact Tugay forests, with a 1993 estimate of about 61% of the total. The Central Asian countries hold another 31%, with smaller areas remaining in the Middle East and Pakistan. [1] Tugais also occur in the Caucasus. [3]

Eastern imperial eagle nest in a tugai forest in Georgia. Aquila heliaca nest.jpg
Eastern imperial eagle nest in a tugai forest in Georgia.

Vegetation

Close to rivers and where groundwater levels are shallow, the vegetation is usually dominated by poplars (especially Populus euphratica , Populus tremula , Populus nigra and Populus alba ) [3] and willows such as Salix songarica , Salix babylonica , and Salix alba along with Larix gmelinii , Larix sibirica , Larix × czekanowskii , Betula dahurica , Betula pendula , Pinus koraiensis , Pinus sibirica , Pinus sylvestris , Picea obovata , Picea schrenkiana , Abies sibirica , Quercus acutissima , Quercus mongolica , Ginkgo biloba , Prunus serrulata , Prunus padus , Tilia amurensis , Acer palmatum , Ulmus davidiana , Ulmus pumila , Pinus pumila , Haloxylon ammodendron , Elaeagnus angustifolia , Tamarix ramosissima , Prunus sibirica , Juglans regia , Corylus avellana , Pistacia atlantica , Quercus brantii , Quercus robur , Quercus petraea , Picea abies , Abies alba , Alnus glutinosa , Fagus sylvatica , Taxus baccata , Acer pseudoplatanus , Malus sylvestris , Viburnum lantana , Fraxinus excelsior , Tilia cordata , Aesculus hippocastanum , Rhamnus cathartica , Ulmus glabra , Ulmus minor , Juniperus communis , Cathaya argyrophylla , Taiwania cryptomerioides , Cyathea spinulosa , Sassafras tzumu , Davidia involucrata , Metasequoia glyptostroboides , Glyptostrobus pensilis , Castanea mollissima , Quercus myrsinifolia , Quercus acuta , Machilus thunbergii , Tetracentron , Cercidiphyllum japonicum , Emmenopterys henryi , Eucommia ulmoides .

Where the forest has been disturbed, other species such as tamarisk, sea-buckthorn and oleaster will grow. Herbaceous plants include reeds, common spike rush, jointleaf rush, fleabane, cocklebur and thorn apple. Grass tugai vegetation is dominated by Phragmites australis , Calamagrostis and Typha . [2]

Where the groundwater is deeper, oaks and elms will dominate. [4] The principal causes for the loss of tugai vegetation include dam construction, tree cutting, grazing, and agriculture. [2]

Notes

  1. From Bashkir: туғай, romanized: tuğay
  2. Also spelt or romanized as Tugai, Tughay, Tugae, Tougaï, Toogay, etc.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Thevs, Niels (2005). "Tugay vegetation in the middle reaches of the Tarim River – Vegetation types and their ecology". Archiv für Naturschutz und Landschaftsforschung. March 2005: 63–84. Archived from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  2. 1 2 3 Treshkin, S.Y.; Kamalov, S.K.; Bachiev, A.; Mamutov, N.; Gladishev, A.I.; Aimbetov, I. (1998). Present status of the tugai forets in the lower Amu-Dar'ya Basin and problems of their protection and restoration. Pages 43-53 in Ecological Research and Monitoring of the Aral Sea Deltas. A Basis for Restoration. Paris, France: UNESCO.
  3. 1 2 Heptner, V. G.; Sludskij, A. A. (1992) [1972]. Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats)]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 1–732.
  4. British Petroleum. 2002. "Ecological Baseline Report". BTC Pipeline ESIA, Azerbaijan. Retrieved 2013-03-30.