Ecological Significance of Life Forms of Plant Species of Floristic Complexes of the Ketpen Range

The article provides an analysis of life forms of 9 floristic complexes of the Ketpen ridge on the basis of many years of research materials, where life forms were studied in each floristic complex according to the systems of K. Raunkiaer and I.G. Serebryakov. An analysis of life forms according to the system of K. Raunkiaer established the dominance of hemicryptophytes in cryophilic-meadow (74.8%), petrophilic (72.5%) and deciduous-forest (80.3%) floristic complexes of the Ketpen ridge, which accounted for the total number of species of complexes. The second large group in terms of the number of species corresponded to cryptophytes, which predominate in the cryophilic-meadow (65.3%) and psammophilic (45.9%) floristic complexes. Distribution of species according to life forms according to I.G. Serebryakov demonstrated a clear predominance of polycarpic in the meadow complex amounting to 82.5%, deciduous-forest – 81.7%, psammophilous – 75.9% and steppe – 79.4% floristic complexes of the total number of species of complexes. An analysis of the meadow floristic complex of the Ketpen ridge according to Serebryakov showed that taproot plants account for 128 species or 20.5%, short-rhizome – 18.4%, long-rhizome – 11.3%, turf-rhizomatous – 4.8%. An analysis of the life forms of the psammophilic floristic complex revealed the prevalence of therophytes (40.7%). It was found that the spectrum of life forms according to Raunkiaer and Serebryakov emphasizes the peculiarities of the floristic complexes of the Ketpen ridge.