Analysis of flora to the railway areas of Adjara, native and foreign origin plants

Abstract

At the end of the 19th century, Batumi was connected to the Tbilisi-Poti central line by railway. The construction of the railway passed through settlements and uninhabited impenetrable forested areas, swamps, wetlands, and coastal sand dunes. The construction of roads was accompanied by the clearing of territories, clearcutting, and the transportation of various construction materials. This contributed to the destruction of biotopes and the establishment of peculiar cenotic connections of local and foreign species in the area.
From 2015-2022, as a result of the floristic studies carried out on the 35-km section of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara of the Georgian Railway, a total of 217 species of plants were fixed, which represents 11 percent of the floristic region of Adjara. 62 of them are local and 155 are alien. The described species are united in 52 families and 148 genera. Flowering plants make up 98.6% of the described species and spore plants make up 1.4%.
Many of the alien species are adapted to local soil and climatic conditions, are characterized by highly competitive ability, propagated and spread in secondary cenoses and agrocenoses, and cause various problems.
The present study is the first attempt to carry out specific floristic studies on railways. In the next stage, the identification of species related to the railway as a center of distribution and the separation of invasive species will be carried out.