The article studies the floristic composition, phytocenotic structure and ecological characteristics of the subalpine meadow vegetation of the Lerik and Yardimli regions, located in the high mountainous part of the Talysh mountain system. During the study, geobotanical descriptions were made of the Stipetum-Festucosum formations located at the foot of Mount Komurgoy in Lerik region and the Festuceta-Poaetum-Thymusosum formations distributed in the “Dere kecmez” summer pasture areas of Yardimli region. As a result of the studies, it was determined that xerophyte and mesoxerophyte species predominate in both formations, which is associated with the harsh climatic conditions of the subalpine zone, intense solar radiation and relative humidity deficiency. Representatives of the Poaceae family were dominant in the studied phytocenoses. In particular, Festuca ovina, Stipa transcaucasica, Stipa holocericea, Poa pratensis and Phleum pratense species formed the main structure of the vegetation cover. Among the shrubs and subshrubs, species belonging to the genus Astracantha aurea, Acantholimon hohenackeri, Juniperus pygmaea and Thymus are widespread. Perennial herbs predominated in terms of species diversity, while the presence of some mesophyte species was explained by the diversity of microrelief and soilmoisture conditions. During phenological observations, it was determined that most species were in the flowering phase, while legumes mainly entered the fruiting phase. The total projected cover of the vegetation cover varied between 50–80%, and the stratification was mainly concentrated in the II and III tiers. The average height of the plants was recorded in the interval of 5–90 cm. The research results show that the subalpine meadows of Talysh, in addition to having high floristic richness, play an important ecological role in maintaining the stability of mountain ecosystems, preventing soil erosion and forming summer pasture resources. The obtained materials can be used as a scientific basis for further research on the study of the geobotanical characteristics of the vegetation of the region, monitoring of subalpine grassland ecosystems and biodiversity conservation.
ГУРБАНОВ et al. (Fri,) studied this question.