Plant species composition and diversity on the calcareous soils in around of the limestone quarry in Georgia, Caucasus region

Abstract

Preliminary study carried out in Georgia in the framework of limestone quarries in V. Kavtiskhevi, Municipality of Kaspi, Shida Kartli in coordinates 41°88' N‒44°44' E, elevation 386‒709m. Post‒closed rehabilitation process of the limestone quarry area after finishing the cement production is extremely interesting to use this territory for scientific investigations of industrial impact on nature and the methods of habitat rehabilitation. Plant species composition and diversity was determined for each habitat. Plant species are 114 total numbers in described on the territory (182.98h) of the quarry. The endemics are 10 species: Shrubs (3); herbs (6), geophytes (1). The vegetation cover percentage is much lower in pioneer successions (29.4±14.4) than in oligotrophic grasslands (67.8±16.1). The species richness shows similarly low level at pioneer succession (9.7±1.6) than in oligotrophic grasslands (16.4±3.9). Shannon‒Wiener index is higher in restored grasslands (1.9±0.48) than in pioneer successions (1.6±0.53). DCA show that the pioneer succession is mainly clustered with environmental indicator of low soil depth. The mean soil depth pioneer succession plots is lower (1.7±1.76cm) than in oligotrophic grasslands (2.75±1.13cm). The plant species presented in the second group of the dominant species are demonstrating the higher frequency: Poterium polygamum (70.8%), Poa pratensis and Trisetum rigidum (66.7%), Plantago lanceolata (62.5 %). the first dominant species Dorycnium pentaphyllum sub sp. herbaceum occurs only in 58.3% of the plots. The second dominant species Bothriochloa ischaemum occurs only in 37.5% of the plots. The frequency of other three species of the first dominant group‒ Lotus corniculatus, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Inula aspera equals to 20.8%. Plant species are standard deviation, and minimum and maximum values were calculated for each quantitative data set one‒way ANOVA. The area of Kavtiskhevi is semi‒arid zone and the vegetation is adapted to dry matter of clay soil.