Vegetation cover of the Kulaly Islands in the Kazakhstan region of the Caspian Sea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31489/2025feb4/76-91Keywords:
Kulaly Island, Caspian Sea, vascular plants, biodiversity, halophytes, psammophytes, Shannon index, Jacquard index, arid ecosystems, gene pool conservationAbstract
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the floristic and ecological diversity of vascular plants on Kulaly Island, located in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea. Field surveys documented 149 species, predominantly annual therophytes (47.0%) and perennial xerophytes, reflecting adaptations to arid climates, high soil salinity, and unstable substrates. Most taxa are associated with sandy and solonchak habitats, while wetland and aquatic ecosystems support comparatively fewer species. A quantitative assessment of alpha diversity using the Shannon (H′ = 1.55), Simpson (D = 0.71), and Pielou (J = 0.79) indices revealed a relatively high level of structural heterogeneity, with a balanced distribution of ecological groups. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) identified salinity, moisture, and substrate mobility as the primary environmental gradients structuring vegetation, with clear separation of halophytic, psammophytic, and hydrophilic communities. These findings demonstrate both the ecological plasticity of the flora and the vulnerability of rare and localised taxa to hydrological fluctuations of the Caspian Sea and anthropogenic pressures. The results provide a crucial scientific foundation for biodiversity monitoring, the conservation of genetic resources, and the sustainable management of fragile arid ecosystems in western Kazakhstan.
References
1 Abdurakhmanov, G.M., Teymurov, A.A., Soltanmuradova, Z.I., Abdurakhmanov, A.G., Gadzhiev, A.A., Magomedova, M.Z., & Shakhbanova, N.G. (2017). Analogue landscapes and comparative analysis of vegetation of coastal and island ecosystems of the middle and northern Caspian sea. Proceedings of the XIX International Scientific Conference with Elements of the h Y g “ g D h h R ” 1, 99‒125. Makhachkala.
2 Yanina, T. A. (2013). Evolution of the Ponto-Caspian environment under conditions of global climate change in the Late Pleistocene. Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 5. Geography, 1, 3‒16.
3 Abdurakhmanov, G.M., & Teymurov, А.А. (2014). Remarkable features of biological diversity of coastal, marine, and island ecosystems of the Caspian Sea: A new view on the age of islands and the level regime. South of Russia: Ecology and Development, 3, 7–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18470/1992-1098-2014-3-7-24
4 Imanbaeva, A.A., Duysenova, N.I., Belozerova, I.F., Musaeva, Zh.K., Gasanova, G.G., Lyukmanov, A.B., Bekbosyn, G.T., Dosshina, G.Zh., Bastave, V.V., Bekesov, K.S., Manabaeva, Sh.A., Kakimzhanova, A.A., & Khapilina, O.N. (2024). Sosudistye rasteniia Atyrauskoi oblasti (konspect, analyz i DNK-barkodirovanie): monografiia [Vascular plants of the Atyrau region (synopsis, analysis and DNA barcoding of flora)]. Astana: Elite Centre [in Russian].
5 Safronova, I.N. (1996). Pustyni Mangyshlaka (ocherk rastitelnosti) [The Deserts of Mangyshlak (An Essay on Vegetation)]. Saint-Petersburg: Nauka.
6 Aralbai, N.K., Kudabaeva, G.M., & Imanbaeva, A.A. et al. (2006). Gosudarstvennyi kadastr rastenii Mangistauskoi oblasti. Orpedelitel vysshikh sosudistykh rastenii [State Plant Cadastre of Mangistau Region. Guide to Higher Vascular Plants]. Aktau: Klassika [in Russian].
7 Imanbaeva, A.A., Duysenova, N.I., Manabaeva, Sh.A., Kakimzhanova, A.A., Belozerova, I.F., Musaeva, Zh.K., Gasanova, G.G., Lyukmanov, A.B., Bekbosyn, G.T., Dosshina, G.Zh., Bastave, V.V., Bekesov, K.S., & Shevzov, A.B. (2024). Sosudistye rasteniia Atyrauskoi oblasti (konspect, analyz i DNK-barkodirovanie) [Vascular plants of the Mangystau region (synop sis, analysis and DNA barcoding of flora)]. Astana: Elite Centre [in Russian].
8 Hammer, Ø., Harper, D.A.T., & Ryan, P.D. (2001). PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1), 9.
9 Oksanen, J., Blanchet, F.G., Friendly, M., Kindt, R., Legendre, P., McGlinn, D., Minchin, P.R., O'Hara, R.B., Simpson, G.I., Solymos, P., Stevens, M.H.H., Szoecs, E., & Wagner, H. (2020). Vegan: Community Ecology Package (R package version 2.6-4). Retrieved from https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan
