Features of Grindelia squarrosa distribution in various degree of invasive capacity steppe ecosystems of the Volgograd region territory

One of the nowaday acute environmental and fundamental ecological problems is the spread of invasive species, that averaging, “cosmopolitanizing” ecosystems of different ranks, which leads to a loss of originality and stability of the biosphere. A significant driving factor in this process became a human actively moving many species from continent to continent, intentionally or accidentally introducing them into various indigenous biomes. One of the brightest representatives of the American origin adventitious flora is Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal, actively capturing anthropogenically disturbed territories. The article presents the results of long-term studies of peridromic plant communities exposed to the negative effects of various anthropogenic factors. The analysis of the influence of grindelia on the species diversity of communities and the vital indicators of neighboring plants indicates the high invasiveness of the studied species and its detrimental effect on the phytocenoses of anthropogenically altered dry-steppe landscapes of the Volgograd region. The article suggests the use of the term “peridromic” - geographicallyand functionallyconnected with the road. The article outlines the directions of further scientific research concerning the causes of the speed and heterogeneity of the spread of grindelia thickets.