A poorly known species and new records of Plecoptera from the Eastern Tien Shan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China

Nemoura lepnevae Zhiltzova, 1971, Amphinemura mirabilis turkestanica Zhiltzova, 1978, Capnia s.l. longicauda Zhiltzova, 1969 and Mesoperlina pecirkai Klapálek, 1921 are reported for the stonefly fauna of China for the first time. The species were collected in the Bogdo-Ula and Karlyktag Ranges of the Eastern Tian Shan Mountains, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In addition, a detailed redescription of Filchneria wusuensis Chen, 2019 including new illustrations is provided.

Uplift of the Pamir and Tian Shan set hydroclimate patterns in central Asia since the late Oligocene

<p>The Cenozoic Asian aridification has been related to the retreat of the Paratethys, the uplift of the Tibet, and/or global cooling. However, the details of the mechanisms responsible for this paleoclimate shift remain poorly constrained. Modern observations indicate that interactions between mid-latitude westerlies and the Pamir-Tian Shan Mountains significantly impact hydroclimate patterns in central Asia today, and may have played an important role in driving Asian aridification during the Cenozoic. However, the timing when this topographic-atmospheric framework was established remains poorly constrained.</p><p>Here, we present magnetostratigraphy, U-Pb geochronology, thermochronology, paleoclimatology, stable carbon and oxygen isotope geochemistry, and climate modelling techniques to the Cenozoic sedimentary sequences in the Tajik Basin. Our results show that: 1) the penultimate and ultimate retreat of the Paratethys from central Asia occurred at ~41 and ~37.4 Ma, respectively; 2) the Pamirs have experienced active deformation and accelerated exhumation during the late Oligocene to early Miocene; 3) the windward (western) side of the Pamir and Tian Shan has been characterized by a wetter climate changes, whereas, the leeward (eastern) side of the orogen has been characterized by more arid conditions since the Late Oligocene; 4)  This distinct east-west hydroclimate differences, when integrated with climate modeling results, suggests that at least part of the Pamir-Tian Shan mountains had reached elevations ≥ 3 km and acted as a moisture barrier for the westerlies since ~25 Ma. We suggest that the interactions between the westerlies and the Pamir-Tian Shan orogen played an important role in driving Asian aridification since the Late Oligocene.</p>

Investigation of the population area of snow leopard in the Central Tian-Shan Mountains

The spatial analysis of population areal of snow leopards in the Central Tian Shan Mountains and monitoring of their population dynamics and reproduction is needed by nature conservation activities. The study area is located in the unique and remote transboundary region between the Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Kazakhstan and People’s Republic of China. The population areas, feeding base and movement of snow leopards within the Khan Tengri State Nature Park were realized by using camera traps and Geoinformation Systems (GIS). Camera traps have been used for recording the existence and activity of snow leopards in the high mountainous and uninhabited area. 14 adult and 5 snow leopard cubs are detected and recorded within the survey period in 2018-2019 with various individual characteristics of animals. The spatial distribution of snow leopard’s population was mapped and analyzed by applying open source GIS software (Quantum GIS) and satellite positioning.

Classification of tall-forb vegetation in the Pamir-Alai and western Tian Shan Mountains (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Middle Asia)

Aims: To complete the syntaxonomic scheme for tall-forb vegetation of the montane and alpine belts in the Pamir-Alai and western Tian Shan Mountains in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with some remarks on its environmental predictors. Study area: Middle Asia: Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Methods: A total of 244 relevés were sampled in 2013–2019 using the seven-degree cover-abundance scale of the Braun-Blanquet approach. These were classified with a modified TWINSPAN algorithm with pseudospecies cut-levels 0%, 5% and 25%, and total inertia as a measure of cluster heterogeneity. Diagnostic species were identified using the phi coefficient as a fidelity measure. NMDS was used to explore the relationships between the distinguished groups. Results: Our classification revealed 19 clusters of tall-forb vegetation in Middle Asia. Among others we found forb communities typical for Tian Shan, western Pamir-Alai, forb-scree vegetation of Pamir-Alai, dry tall-forbs and typical forbs of the alpine belt. A total of eight new tall-forb associations and five communities were distinguished. The forb vegetation of Middle Asia has been assigned to the class Prangetea ulopterae Klein. The main factors differentiating the species composition of the researched vegetation are elevation, mean annual temperature, sum of annual precipitation and inclination of the slope. Conclusions: The paper presents the first insight into the comprehensive classification of the alpine forb vegetation in Middle Asia and fosters progress in explaining the relationship of boreo-temperate and Mediterranean-like (Irano-Turanian) vegetation in western Asian and central Asian subregions of the Irano-Turanian phytogeographical region. Taxonomic references: The nomenclature of the vascular plants follows generally Cherepanov (1995) and for Bromus spp. The Plant List (2020) Version 1.1. http://www.theplantlist.org/. Syntaxonomic references: The names of syntaxa are used in accordance with Ermakov (2012), Gadghiev et al. (2002) and Nowak et al. (2018). Abbreviation: NMDS = Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling.

An Annotated Checklist of Endemic Vascular Plants of the Tian-Shan Mountains in Central Asian Countries

A check-list of endemic vascular plants of the Tian-Shan Mountains, including plant distribution along mountain ranges and in Central Asian countries, has been compiled for the first time in this study. The list of Tian-Shan flora consists of 871 endemic species and subspecies. One subspecies belongs to Pinaceae (Pinopsida) and 870 taxa belong to Magnoliidae (dicots, 732 taxa, and monocots, 138 taxa). The endemic flora belongs to 39 families and 187 genera. The largest number of endemics is concentrated in the mountain ranges of Kyrgyzstan (225 national endemics, 507 taxa in total) and Kazakhstan (205 national endemics, 485 taxa in total). Uzbekistan occupies the third position (69 national endemics, 320 taxa in total). Tajikistan has fewer endemics: 82 taxa, of which only 16 taxa are national endemics. The most represented families and genera are: Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, and Amaryllidaceae; and Astragalus, Allium, Cousinia, Oxytropis, and Gagea, respectively.

The role of the westerlies and orography in Asian hydroclimate since the late Oligocene

Interactions between midlatitude westerlies and the Pamir–Tian Shan mountains significantly impact hydroclimate patterns in Central Asia today, and they played an important role in driving Asian aridification during the Cenozoic. We show that distinct west-east hydroclimate differences were established over Central Asia during the late Oligocene (ca. 25 Ma), as recorded by stable oxygen isotopic values of soil carbonates. Our climate simulations show that these differences are present when relief of the Pamir–Tian Shan is higher than 75% of modern elevation (∼3000 m). Integrated with geological evidence, we suggest that a significant portion of the Pamir–Tian Shan orogen had reached elevations of ∼3 km and acted as a moisture barrier for the westerlies since ca. 25 Ma.