Geobotany at the XIV Delegate Congress of Russian Botanical Society and the conference “Botany in the Modern World” (Makhachkala, June 18–23, 2018)

The XIV Congress of the Russian Botanical Society (RBO) and the conference «Botany in the Modern World» were held at 18–23 of June 2018 in Makhachkala (the Republic of Dagestan) on the bases of Dagestan Research Center of Russian Academy of Sciences and Dagestan State University. Materials of the conference were published in 3 volumes by the beginning of meeting. Geobotanical publications are included in the second volume (Botany in the modern world …, 2018). The analysis of the materials shows that participants are represented 26 cities of Russia, 4 of Belarus and Kazakhstan and 1 of Australia. Research data are collected in 36 regions of Russia, 2 of Kazakhstan, as well as in Belarus, Azerbaijan and Egypt, in addition, 4 generalizing works are performed on large volumes of geobotanical relevés from all over Europe or Russia. The data on forests are analyzed in 18 reports, that ones on meadows formed the basis for 12 presented works, 9 communications are based on data of wetlands, 7 works are devoted to steppe vegetation, 5 — to tundra, 5 — to shrub communities, 4 — to vegetation of saline habitats, 4 — to pioneer plant groupings, 3 — to synanthropic vegetation, 2 communications are based on aquatic vegetation. Data of field experiment, shibliak, xeric open forests, deserts, friganoid and petrophytic vegetation are each the base of single report. The message topics were very diverse. Regional characteristic of various groups of plant communities and/or their classification is reflected in 38 studies; 14 researches are devoted to environment-vegetation or environment-plant interactions; results of 13 reports are based on vegetation mapping or obtained for the purpose of studying the geography of plant communities and geobotanical mapping; 11 communications are devoted to dynamics of vegetation and structure of phytocenoses; the main emphasis of 10 researches is a study of species composition of plant communities; data of 9 works are collected on existing and proposed specially protected natural areas, these studies are related to the nature protection; in 8 reports special attention is paid to the development of geobotanical research methods and phytosociological terminology; in 5 works the structure of populations of plant species is analyzed. The Congress that was held at a good scientific level reflected the current state of geobotanical science in Russia.