Primary Vegetation Successions at a Foreland of the South Chuya Glacation Center (Altai Mountains)

In the cryoaridic conditions of the South Chuya glaciation center (Altai Mountains) on the foreland of the Sophiysky glacier (2410–2500 m above sea level), primary vegetation successions have been studied from the settlement of the first vascular plants, leafy mosses, and ground lichens and the formation of simple groupings to primary plant communities in a deglaciated area between the modern glacier tongue to the terminal moraine rim of the mid-19th century. Three stages of primary vegetation succession are identified; the species composition of vascular plants, leafy mosses and ground lichens, the primary participants in succession, and dominant species are determined; and the features of primary vegetation are characterized. Conclusions about the course of primary succession in cryoaridic conditions occurring in the upper part of the mountain–steppe belt of the South Chuya Range are made. It has been revealed that, over 150 years, a complex of phytocoenoses similar to high-mountain tundras was formed in these cold and dry conditions. A total of 126 species of vascular plants, 22 species of leafy mosses, and 6 species of ground lichens participate in the primary succession on the foreland of the Sophiysky glacier.