The impact of climate change on the taxonomic composition of the Zagatala State Nature Reserve

Dendrology Institute of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku, AZ 1044, The Republic of Azerbaijan

^* Corresponding author: aynur.huseynova.1968@mail.ru

Abstract

Zagatala State Nature Reserve is one of the first reserves created in the South Caucasus. The territory of this reserve, organized in 1929, is 47349 ha. The fact that the Zagatala Reserve is bordered by the Lagodekhi Reserve (Georgia) and the Tiyarta Ban (Russia) further increases its natural conservation importance. The main four factors that influence the climate of the reserve are geographical latitude, the protection of the area from the north by mountain ranges, the presence of a strongly fragmented relief and the height amplitude of the area to be high (up to 360-3600 m). Because the soil is rich and the relief is complex, the flora and vegetation are also diverse. Only 1.6% of its area covered by forest is mainly coniferous Pinus hamata (Steven) Sosn., Taxus baccata L., Juniperus oblonga M.B. species. Pinus hamata (Steven) Sosn., which grows naturally only in Balakenchay basin in Azerbaijan it is sparsely distributed in the not very high mountain range up to 1000 m in height between Balakenchay and Filizchay, at an altitude of 1200 m above sea level. In the Zagatala State Nature Reserve, the main composition of the flora is petrophytes, i.e., rock plants consisting of stony soil.