Dependence of Phytomass of Herbaceous Cenoses on Weather Factors in Anthropogenically Impacted Areas

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the phytomass of herbaceous phytocenoses growing in anthropogenically impacted areas in the Middle Urals at different stages of succession along the heavy-metal pollution gradient. Cenoses of young soils of dumps have less resistance and higher sensitivity to changes in weather factors, in contrast to the phytocenoses of the deposits. It is shown by general regression models that the epiterranean and subterranean biomass of cenoses on technozems depends on Selyaninov’s hydrothermic coefficient for September and the amount of precipitation in October–November of the previous year and in January–May of the current year. The degree of this dependence for cenoses under research is determined by edaphic conditions that affect the species diversity and dominance structure.