Rare component as an indicator of human flora transformation

This paper discusses the use of the rare flora component of Melekessky-Stavropol landscaped area as an indicator of anthropogenic transformation. The paper contains an ecological-floristic zoning of Melekessky-Stavropol landscaped area (lowland Trans-Volga) and the value of anthropogenic stress factors for each elementary floristic subarea and for the landscape area as a whole. The factors value due to non-equivalent sub-areas and lack of research is formalized and pointed. Relative factors values are compared to the total factor value for the landscape area. Rare flora component was studied and rarity species saturation was calculated, i.e. their number per unit area for each of the elementary floristic sub-areas. The authors revealed the dependence of rarity species saturation on the level of anthropogenic load in elementary subareas – the higher the rarity species saturation, the less anthropogenically transformed flora. A corresponding graph is presented and described in detail that makes it possible to estimate the anthropogenic transformation of flora, not only its active, dynamic components – alien flora, but also the degree of preservation of rare species.