The problem of studying, preserving, and rational use of biodiversity is very relevant in connection with the growing climate change and anthropogenic impact on ecosystems. Kazakhstan’s ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1994 imposes obligations to preserve genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
Research on the current state of the flora of Kazakhstan is carried out only using classical botanical approaches. Modern technologies of genomics, population genetics, DNA barcoding are not widely used in the study of flora biodiversity. A significant part of plant species remains insufficiently studied.
There are many unresolved issues related to the fulfillment of obligations in the implementation of the Convention on Biodiversity. Kazakhstan’s plants are not included in the IUCN endangered species list, the tasks of creating accessible plant databases and their interaction with the Global Biodiversity Information Fund (GBIF) are not being fulfilled. There are no monographs of the regional flora of Kazakhstan, the “Red Book” of Kazakhstan’s flora has not been updated, there is no unified national information database, a digital herbarium of registered taxonomic units has not been developed.
The existing gaps in the implementation of the objectives of the Convention on Biodiversity indicate the need to introduce standardized monitoring of genetic diversity and inventory of the Kazakhstan’s flora using not only methods of modern botany, but also molecular systematics, DNA barcoding and information technologies to fulfill the obligations stipulated by the International Convention on biodiversity.
To study the current state of the species diversity of vascular plants, and a monographic publication of the regional floras of Mangystau, Atyrau, Akmola, Kostanay, Karaganda and East Kazakhstan administrative regions, taking into account the modern botanical nomenclature of plants, electronic maps, databases and illustrations of vascular plants.
– a review of the literature was made showing the distribution in the administrative regions of Kazakhstan (West, Central, North, and East Kazakhstan), and preliminary lists of flowering and higher spore plants, including rare, endemic, alien, weed-ruderal, and alien taxa were created;
– Scientific and methodological approaches to plant nomenclature, classification, and taxonomy were developed using modern floristic, molecular genetics, and bioinformatics research;
– In different seasons of the year, directions for the study of regional flora of Mangistau, Atyrau, Akmola, Kostanay, Karaganda, and East Kazakhstan regions were developed and expedition trips were organized;
– An inventory and verification of the species composition of higher root and spore plants was carried out using modern methods of botany and molecular genetics, and the distribution and population variability of species were determined using molecular genetics methods;
– Digitization of national herbarium funds of higher rhizomatous and spore plants of Kazakhstan were carried out to systematize and improve the efficiency of interaction with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF);
– The software was developed and an electronic database was created based on the results of floristic research and analysis of herbarium stocks using DNA-barcoding and high-throughput sequencing technologies to systematize the flora of the studied regions.
– The floristic composition of higher root and spore plants of the administrative regions of Kazakhstan (Mangistau, Akmola, Atyrau, Kostanay, Karaganda, and East Kazakhstan regions) was analyzed and a synopsis was made by Showing taxonomic, areological, ecological, and population-genetic characteristics, life forms, phytoprotection status, as well as economic and resource value;
– An international scientific-practical conference, seminars, and training were held in order to widely promote modern methods of floristic and molecular-genetic research of biological diversity, sustainable use, and preservation of the flora of Kazakhstan.
– Based on the recommendations of representative organizations, departments of agriculture, ecology, forests, and wildlife protection, etc., recommendations were developed for the creation of new specially protected natural areas (ESPA) for protecting the rare species of plants in the local areas.
– Taxonomic, areological, ecological characteristics of the current regional flora of the administrative regions of Kazakhstan, life forms, phytoprotection status of plants, economic properties, and fully described monographs (in book and electronic format) on the identification of taxa of weed-ruderal and invasive plants have been published;
– A certificate for the object of copyright for electronic versions of the database of regional floral tubular plants of Kazakhstan and other scientific and technical products was received;
– collaboration with leading institutes of the botanical landscape of neighboring countries, and training of qualified personnel was carried out;
– At least 3 (three) articles or reviews have been published in a foreign publication included in the 1 (first), 2 (second) and (or) 3 (third) quartiles in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the scientific direction of the project in the Web of Science database and (or) in the Scopus database with a CiteScore percentile of at least 50 (fifty) or in domestic publication in the recommended by the Committee on Quality Assurance in Education and Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as CQASES ).
Manabayeva Shuga. H-index 5. ResearcherID Web of Science: A-2529-2015; https://publons.com/researcher/2449535/shuga-a-manabayeva/ ;
Kakimzhanova Almagul Apsalamovna
Hapilina Oksana Nikolaevna
Shevtsov Alexander Borisovich
Shevtsov Vladislav Alexandrovich
Ishmuratova Margarita Yulaevna
Tleukenova Saltanat Ushkempirovna
Imanbaeva Akzhunis Altaevna
Belozerov Ivan Filaretovich
Sumbembaev Aidar Aitkazyevich
Danilova Alevtina Nikolaevna
Koblanova Saule Abdullovna
Results achieved
2023
A literary review of the results of floristic research in Western, Central, Northern and Eastern Kazakhstan was carried out. Preliminary lists of flowering and higher spore plants have been compiled. Preliminary lists of flora species of Atyrau region (592 species), Mangistau region (618 species), Kostanay region (1002 species), Akmola region (1116 species) and Karaganda region (1279 species) have been compiled. The East Kazakhstan region has the greatest diversity of plant species, the flora of which is represented by 2255 species. The largest families characteristic of the flora of the studied regions have been identified: Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Apiaceae, Ranunculaceae, Lamiaceae. Leading genera are presented; Carex, Artemisia, Astragalus, Ranunculus, Allium. Scientific and methodological approaches to nomenclature, classification and taxonomy of plants have been developed using modern floristic and molecular genetic research in accordance with Plants of the World Online (www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/). To systematize the flora of the studied regions, DNA barcoding protocols and high-throughput NGS sequencing were developed on the Miseq platform (Illumina). Routes were developed taking into account the maximum coverage of the study areas and expedition trips were conducted to study the species diversity of regional floras and collect samples in different seasons of the growing season. As a result of the inventory of international and domestic herbarium funds, more than 9,400 herbarium and 60,216 digital sheets were analyzed, of which 28,836 are georeferenced to Kazakhstan. As a result of this analysis, 2489 species were verified.
To verify herbarium specimens, a DNA collection of 1000 plant species was formed using various DNA extraction methods. To identify the species of higher vascular and spore plants using DNA barcoding, the generally accepted regions of the matK, rbcL, rpoB, rpoC1 genes and spacers atpF–atpH, psbK–psbI, trnH–psbA, ITS (ycf1 gene) were used as markers. As a result, the nucleotide sequences of 635 species were sequenced and deposited in NCBI 1558 sequences for three or more markers.
Whole-genome sequencing of the chloroplast genomes of the following plant species was carried out: Leuzea carthamoides (Chl2); Convallaria majalis L. (Chl 3); Rhodíola semenovii (Chl161); Malus niedzwetzkyana (Chl162); Artemisia glauca (Chl159); Juniperus pseudosabina (Chl1); Vítis vinifera (Chl172); Juniperus seravschanica (Chl160); Cousinia alata (Chl163) and deposited in the NCBI.
As a result of studying population variability using iPBS-, SSR-markers and universal barcoding markers, a deficiency of unique alleles at retrotransposon loci and intrapopulation variability of the studied species were revealed, various SNP categories were identified and an analysis of phylogenetic relationships was carried out.
In order to digitalize herbarium collections, registration was carried out on the international platform GBIF of the National Center of Biotechnology, Karaganda Buketov University, Mangyshlak experimental and Altai botanical gardens. Regional lists of the flora of vascular plants, individual families and economically valuable groups of plants have been published in Data Set format on the GBIF portal.
A comprehensive setup of the server infrastructure was completed for the digitalization of domestic herbarium collections. A web resource is being developed using the C# programming language, the GraphQL query language and the PostgreSQL database management system. To design the external shell of the web application, the Vue js v.3 framework (library) was used. The database consists of more than 15 tables and is available on a local server.
1 Imanbayeva A.A., Gasanova G.G., Tlepiyeva G.SH. Population of a rare and endangered species Srataegus ambigua in the Mangistau desert // Botanical Journal of Kazakhstan. – 2023. – N (4). – P.48 -56. (In Russian)
2 Danilova A. N., Kotukhov YU. A. On the biology of Allium altaisum (Amaryllidaceae) in the nature of the Kazakhstan Altai and in its introduction // Botanical Journal of Kazakhstan. – 2023. – N2(3). – P. 7-16 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JMjFBIHsfaimtLJXyf3fQ-24JC8XI9hy/view (In Russian)
3 Danilova A.N., Isakova Ye.A. Kazakhstan Altai as a region is a donor of introduced plants // Materials from international scientific-practice. conf. « Current state and prospects for the development of botanical gardens and arboretums in Kazakhstan», dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the Astana Botanical Garden. Astana, 2023. – P.32-35. ISBN 978-601-7511-63-0 (conference) (In Russian)
4 Danilova A.N., Sumbembayev A.A., Kotukhov YU.A., Anufriyeva O.A., Toktar B. On the biology of Oxysoccus microcarpus (Ericaceae Juss.) – a rare species of flora of the East Kazakhstan region // Materials from international scientific-practice. conf. « Problems of desertification of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan and issues of their solution ». Almaty, 2023. – P.232-234. ISBN (conference) (In Russian)