CHARACTERISTICS OF VEGETATIVE COVER OF KARASHAGANAK OIL AND GAS FIELD TERRITORY
Characteristics of vegetation cover of Karachaganak oil and gas field, and its adjacent territory is presented in this paper. Anthropogenic transformation of the studied vegetation was assessed. Biological-morphologic, ecological-phytocoenotic and geographical analysis of the KOGCF flora have been done. Anthropogenic flora of KOGCF includes 178 species of higher vascular plants and consists of two floro-genetic elements. The first element includes species that are located on the disturbed areas (from native aboriginal environment) - apophytes. The second floro-genetic element consists of adventive plants - anthropophytes. Four species categories of the anthropogenic flora of KOGCF based on scales of activity have been distinguished: highly-active - 11 species, middle-active - 39 species, low-active - 12 species, inactive - 8 species. In general, the quantitative composition of adventive plants of KOGCF is a reflection of current anthropogenic processes. Significant part of the KOGCF territory is represented by deposits of different ages, and only a small part is used for crops planting. Approximately 5% of the industrial area of KOGCF are occupied by pipelines network, industrial structures and roads. Basins, plowed sites, pipelines network are located on the undulating plain, crossed by arroyos, with a number ofdrainage divides. We distinguished five transects with different anthropogenic load: background zonal, weak, medium, strong, and very strong transect with the disturbed vegetation cover. Thus, in the root communities (represented by feather grass, fescue coenoses) there are 67 species, in areas with a strong technogenic pressure (Artemísia absínthium association) - only 14 species. Anthropogenic flora of the KOGCF can be described as not rich, in species composition, structure formed by apofitous non-anthropogenic species, manyofwhich are the dominantsand edificators ofplant communities.