Altitudinal differentiation of vegetation on the western macroslope of the Ikatskii Range (Eastern Pribaikalia)

An ecologo-phytocenotic classification of forest types has been worked out for the mountainous areas of the Western Transbaikalia. Using the floristic and ecologo-geographical criteria and the DCA ordination method, we identified seven groups of forest types belonging to two altitudinal-belt complexes. The resulting classification refines the existing understanding of the phytocenotic structure of forest cover under sharply continental climate conditions in the contact zone with island steppes of the Transbaikalia and serves the vegetation cover monitoring and modeling purposes.