An ignored habitat in Türkiye: Sandy steppes

Abstract

The steppes habitat in Türkiye took bedrock formed of soil as the basis, and was classified by separating into groups, such as calcareous, with gypsum, volcanic, and serpentine. However, a classification was not made that took the soil texture as the basis. In this study, the stable sand dunes’ soil texture observed in Karapınar, Konya, Turkiye erosion region, was evaluated for flora and syntaxonomy. Within the scope of the study, observations were conducted in the sandy habitats found to the south-southwest of the Karapınar county center, the plant species that preferred the habitat were determined, and the data obtained was compared with the steppes’ habitat in the close environs and with the studies made previously. Furthermore, it emphasized the necessity of analyzing syntaxonomically the sandy steppes in Türkiye, which are evaluated within the “E1.A5 - Irano-Anatolian inland dunes” habitat type according to the European Nature Information System (EUNIS).