Baisheva E., Gabbasova D., Zhigunova S., Shirokikh P., Martynenko V., Bikbaev I., Tuktamyshev I., Gimazetdinov V., Gulov D., Belan L. Estimation of above-ground phytomass and carbon stocks in meadow steppes of the Bashkir Cis-Urals under various agricultural use regims // Principy èkologii. 2026. № 3. P. 3‒2. DOI: 10.15393/j1.art.2026.17462


Issue № 3

Original research

pdf-version

Estimation of above-ground phytomass and carbon stocks in meadow steppes of the Bashkir Cis-Urals under various agricultural use regims

Baisheva
   Elvira Zakiryanovna
DSc, Ufa Institute of Biology, Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 69, Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, elvbai@mail.ru
Gabbasova
   Dilara Tagirovna
PhD, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1, Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69, Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, dilara.gt@yandex.ru
Zhigunova
   Svetlana Nikolaevna
DSc, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1, Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69, Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, zigusvet@yandex.ru
Shirokikh
   Pavel Sergeevich
DSc, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1, Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69 Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, shirpa@mail.ru
Martynenko
   Vasily Borisovich
DSc, Ufa Institute of Biology, Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 69, Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, vb-mart@mail.ru
Bikbaev
   Ilnur Gatiatovich
PhD, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1, K1, Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69 Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, ilnur.bikbaev.90@mail.ru
Tuktamyshev
   Ilshtat Rinatovich
PhD, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1, Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69 Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, ishatik@yandex.ru
Gimazetdinov
   Vazir Damirovich
Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1, Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69, Oktyabrya Ave., Ufa, 450054, Russia, vazir.gimazetdinov@mail.ru
Gulov
   Davut Meretgeldievich
PhD, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University; Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, 1 Kosmonavtov St., Ufa, 450064, Russia; 69 October av., Ufa, 450054, Russia, davut.gulov.96@mail.ru
Belan
   Larisa Nikolaevna
DSc, Ufa University of Science and Technology, 32, Zaki Validi St., Ufa, 450076, Russia, belan77767@mail.ru.
Keywords:
steppe
grazing pressure
hay harvesting
phytomass
NDVI
carbon stocks
fallow land
vegetation recovery
Bashkir Cis-Urals
Summary: The article presents the results of the study of the inter-annual variability of above-ground phytomass and the carbon reserves contained in it in secondary meadow steppes of the Bashkir Cis-Urals region under various agricultural use regimes (hay harvesting, occasional grazing, a two-year recovery period following the cessation of grazing, and intensive grazing). The studies were conducted in 2023 and 2025, which differed significantly in terms of meteorological conditions during the growing seasons. It was shown that, compared to the dry summer of 2023, the favorable moisture conditions during the spring and early summer of 2025 contributed to an increase in phytomass by 33–35% in areas with haymaking and occasional grazing, and by 153% in a recovering pasture. In the area with intensive grazing, the above ground phytomass remained minimal (56–58 g/m²), and carbon stocks (22.4–24.6 gC/m²) were 2.6–4.6 times lower than in areas with moderate anthropogenic pressure. It was established that haymaking reduced carbon accumulation more significantly than occasional grazing: in both years of observation, the carbon stocks in the above-ground phytomass at the site with occasional grazing (80.5 and 107.8 g C/m²) were 30% higher than at the meadow plot (61.6 and 83.4 g C/m²). The NDVI analysis for 2023 and 2025 confirmed a stable relationship between the state of vegetation and land use regime. In areas with haymaking, occasional grazing, and on recovering pasture, NDVI values ranged from 0.4 to 0.5, whereas under intensive grazing, NDVI remained consistently low (0.3) in both years of observation, reflecting the degradation of the vegetation cover. The results demonstrate a high regenerative potential of steppe ecosystems recovering on fallow lands under moderate anthropogenic pressure and substantiate the need to optimize natural resource management regimes to maintain the carbon-sequestering function of steppe ecosystem.

© Petrozavodsk State University

Received on: 08 June 2026
Published on: 27 September 2026

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