FINAL REPORT

Vegetation
The areas with desert steppe light brown soils are mostly inhabited by Stipa, Cleistogenes
Keng, Artemisia and the dry desert areas by Anabasis L. In the areas with pebble bearing light
brown sandy soils grow by bushes and shrubs with Caragana pygmaea, Caragana
Korshinskii, Eurotia Adans, and Oxytropis lanata. The dominant vegetation are Stipa gobica
desert plant communities, but central parts of depression areas particularly nearby lakes are
dominanted by Salsola passerina and Salsola - Anabasis L desert plant communities. At outer
edges of depression areas and steppe-like valleys between mountains desert and desert steppe
communities Stipa gobica –Artemisia, Stipa gobica - Salsola, Stipa gobica - Allium
mongolicum. Rgl, and Stipa gobica –Caragana aredistributed.
Rocky mountains with light clayish and sandy brown soils are inhabited by Stipa gobica -
Caragana, Stipa gobica - Cleistogenes Keng pastureland plant species. On mountain slopes
and their lowes parts Stipa-Caragana, forbs-Festuca, Festuca-forbs grass communities can be
found.
Impacts of Fauna and Biotic Organisms
Compositions, distributions and locations of fauna species in the vicinity of Buyant River are
contingent to the specific conditions of geographical location, depressions, and alpine zone.
Most part of terrestrial vertebrate species in vicinities of Lake Khar Us and Buyant River
include abundant species in the semi-desert region. There are 51 species of mammals of 37
genera, 23 families and 6 orders recorded in the vicinities.
Desert steppe hilly areas and dry steppe bio-top are abundant with some species of reptiles i.e.
Toad-headed agama, Multi-cellated racerunner, Gobi racerunner, and Pallas’ coluber. From
rodents there are Maximovich’s vole, Mongolian gerbil, Siberian jerboa, Northern mole-vole,
and marmot abundantly recorded. Shores and islands in Lake Khar Us are inhabited by Reed
boar and Steppe weasel, Muskrat, and Central Asian beaver in Khovd gol among the
mammals. There are over 210 species of birds recorded in the region, but most of them are
water fowls.
No detailed studies on invertebrate species (mezo-fauna) have been specifically conducted
throughout the Buyant Sum territory. However, some researches show very specific and
attention grabbing results on invertebrate species in the region. Only in Khar Us Nuur region
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