Regional features of desertification processes of ecosystems on the border of the Baikal basin and Central Asian internal drainage basin

The article describes the regional features of ecosystem desertification in the southern periphery of the Baikal basin that are located in the zone of cross-border interaction between the southern Siberian and the Central Asian internal drainage basin landscapes. The nature of such interactions is identified as invasive, which is associated with the penetration of desert-steppe plant species: Caragana bungei are found in larch forests, and Allium polyrrhizum are found in dry steppes. A high degree of species adaptation to the modern arid climate is defined by ecological and physiological analysis of these species characteristics. The significant predominance of Caragana bungei and Allium polyrrhizum in the current structure of plant communities makes it possible to identify a long-term and widespread invasive succession and to characterize this process as a specific desertification form.