INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE STATE OF INULA BRITANNICA L. CENOPOPULATIONS
Due to increasing anthropogenic stress the distribution range of I. britannica L. narrows or becomes focal, therefore to develop measures for the species protection and restoration it is necessary to identify the type of eco-coenotic strategies and the nature of the response to negative environmental factors. To this end, the authors investigated 23 I. britannica L. cenopopulations in the steppe, foothill and mountain-steppe zones of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic. The main factors affecting the viability of cenopopulations are moistening and pasture digression. By features of the ratio of total and coherent variability four indicator groups were identified in I. britannica L.: eco-biological (number of leaves and ray flowers in the anthodium), biological (shoot height and anthodia diameter), genetic (leaf length and width) and environmental (number of anthodia). The number of leaves, anthodia and ray flowers in the anthodium are characterized by high variability but the shoot height, anthodium diameter, leaves length and width - by average variability. I. britannica L. is characterized by protective and stress ontogenetic strategy. Under stress conditions (drought, excessive grazing, high substrate toxicity) the species shows the S-strategy for the patient (reduction of dimensional plant parameters). Under favorable conditions (optimal moistening, lack of competition and pasture digression) the R-strategy increases (parameters of vegetative and reproductive organs increase, seeds multiplication intensifies). The largest share of individuals from upper and intermediate size classes was observed in cenopopulations with an index of vitality 1.09-1.31 that grow in the moist-meadow and boggy moistening, lack of pasture digression on rich enough, slightly alkaline soils. The prevalence of depressive cenopopulations shows the necessity to classify I. britannica L. as the category of endangered species in the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria. To protect I. britannica L. populations it is required regular monitoring of the existing populations and creating conditions for their recovery by restricting grazing and creating a seed bank for reseeding into disturbed plant communities.