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Zhetysu (Dzungarian) Alatau is a wide mountain range in the southeast of Kazakhstan, between the deserts of Turan in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, and the deserts of Dzungaria in Central Asia. The vegetation and soil cover of this region is heterogeneous due to the diversity of their formation conditions. The main ridge is combined with two parallel macroslopes, the northern and southern, with different structure of altitudinal zonation. Due to the vast amount of factual data required for analysis of the spatial patterns of the soil and vegetation cover on the ridge, and for construction of a wholesome picture of its altitudinal zones, we took a particular interest in the study of the altitudinal differentiation of the northern macroslope. We distinguished the following zones: mountainous nival-rocky with the subbelts of glaciers, rocks and cryopetrophytic groups; mountain meadow and meadow steppe alpine; mountain meadow and meadow steppe subalpine; dark coniferous forests and meadows; small-leaved forests; mountain steppe with the subbelts of meadow, typical and desert steppes; piedmont deserts. We provide the vegetation and soil cover characteristics for each belt. The revealed patterns of the altitudinal distribution of the soil and vegetation cover of the northern macroslope of the Zhetysu Alatau can be used to carry out a fractional botanical and geographical zonation, evaluate the ecosystem diversity and its distribution throughout the altitudes, improve efficiency of the measures for nature protection during the period of climate changes, as well as to assess the threats caused by the anthropogenic and natural impacts. |
