Can vegetation provide indications of ancient lake shorelines after more than one hundred years? A case study of Iskander-kul Lake, Tajikistan. (October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nowak, Arkadiusz; Yazykova, Elena; Nobis, Marcin; Nikonov, Andrei A.
• Is Part Of: Ecological indicators. Volume 81(2017)
• Page Start: 373
• Page End: 382
• Publication Date: 2017-10
• Subjects: Aca_tat Acantholimon tataricum -- Are_ser Arenaria serpyllifolia -- Art_per Artemisia persica -- Art_por Artemisia porrecta -- Ast_kab Astragalus kabadianus -- Atrpy_b Atraphaxis pyrifolia b -- Berin_b Berberis intermedia b -- Che_ter Chesneya ternata -- Cerve_b Cerastium verrucosum b -- Cotnu_b Cotoneaster nummulariioides b -- Cotso_b Cotoneaster songoricum b -- Cotve_b Cotoneaster verrucosa b -- Ephin_b Ephedra intermedia b -- Fer_kuh Ferula kuhistanica -- Fer_foe Ferula foetidissima -- Fes_val Festuca valesiaca -- Gal_tur Galium turkestanicum -- Hap_acu Haplophyllum acutifolium -- Hyp_sca Hypericum scabrum -- Hys_zer Hyssopus seravschanicus -- Junze_a Juniperus seravschanica a -- Junze_b Juniperus seravschanica b -- Lonnu_b Lonicera nummularioides b -- Lonze_b Lonicera seravschanica b -- Pip_pur Piptatherum purpurascens -- Rosec_b Rosa ecae b -- Rosov_b Rosa ovczinnikovii b -- Rospo_b Rosa popovii b -- Sch_mae Schtschurowskia meifolia -- Sen_sub Senecio subdentatus -- Ses_leh Seseli lehmanniana -- Ser_sog Serratula sogdiana -- Sis_bra Sisimbrium brassiciformae -- Sti_dro Stipa drobovii -- Ver_int Veronica intercedens -- Ziz_int Ziziphora interrupta -- Ziz_ten Ziziphora tenuior; Phytoindication -- Plant communities -- Palaeoshoreline -- Hydrological changes -- Environmental change; Environmental monitoring -- Periodicals; Environmental management -- Periodicals; Environmental impact analysis -- Periodicals; Environmental risk assessment -- Periodicals; Sustainable development -- Periodicals; 333.71405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.06.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1470-160X

Abstract

Abstract: Bioindication is a common approach to assess and evaluate environmental changes over both short or long periods of time. Here we attempt to highlight that vegetation can provide indications of the palaeoshoreline of Lake Iskander-kul, even after at least 150 years. It is an example of a dammed lake that was created by a huge mass rockfall as a result of a strong earthquake during the late Pleistocene. Applying the two way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) we found that the shrubby vegetation is the particular one that can still effectively thrive along the palaeoshoreline despite the lake downlift. Using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure for certain vegetation type, we found, that Juniperus seravschanica, Lonicera seravschanica, Berberis integerrima, Seseli lehmannianum, Astragalus kabadianus and Ephedra intermedia have the highest indicator value for palaeoshoreline. Apart from the ancient palaeoshoreline, on the screes and slopes surrounding the lake, significantly different vegetation types developed on the screes and slopes dominated by steppe ( Hyssopus servaschanica, Galium turkestanicum, Festuca valesiaca ) and scree ( Ferula foetidissima, Stipa drobovii or Ferula kuhistanica ) vegetation types. Using the multivariate analysis (CCA) we show that the slope inclination and distance from the palaeoshorelines has considerable influence on species composition within the study plots.