The current state of plant communities of landscape-ecological profile Chu-Ili Mountains - Taukum sand desert

main reason for the decrease in the productivity of pastures, which provide about half of pasture forages, is their irrational use and overgrazing. The composition and structure of plant communities of different habitats differ markedly, which determines their response to anthropogenic impact and various consequences of pasture load. The purpose of the study is to assess the current state of vegetation and identify trends in land degradation for further development of the basis for sustainable management of pasture resources. The article deals with the main patterns of vegetation distribution on the landscape-ecological profile, which covers the eastern spurs of the Chu-Ili Mountains, the sand desert Taukum and the Bozoi plateau located between them. The territory has not been covered by geobotanical studies for a long time and there is no up-to-date data on the state of vegetation. According to the results of our study, the consequences of anthropogenic influence on the composition and structure of plant communities associated with landscape formations of various genesis are described. The series of digression of zonal plant communities under the influence of grazing have been revealed, which differ in different segments of the profile depending on soil conditions. The final stages of digression are completed by the catacenosis of the annual saltwort Ceratocarpus arenarius and sparse communities of perennial herb Peganum harmala in the low-mountain and foothill sections of the profile; in the Taukum desert - by communities of wormwood (Artemisia scoparia).