Flora and fauna of temperate zones. Topic: Flora and fauna of temperate zones Fauna of temperate forests

Russia is a huge country with a rich fauna, and many representatives of the fauna live or predominate in certain climatic zones.

Our country is the habitat for the bulk of land animals: more than one and a half thousand vertebrates, over 700 species of birds, and about three hundred species of mammals.

Also in Russia there are more than 85 species of reptiles, 350 - freshwater fish, number of species sea ​​fish exceeds one and a half thousand, and amphibians - 350. The presence of animals in a given territory directly depends on the landscape and climatic properties this zone.

Fauna of the Arctic zone

The fauna of this part of Russia is simply unique, despite the generally accepted opinion of this region as a lifeless corner of the Planet, it is inhabited by a huge number of living organisms. But still, the Arctic is characterized by the homogeneity of the animal world throughout its territory and the scarcity of species diversity with the dominance of marine representatives. Perhaps the main animal in the life of the peoples of the North is deer - for the indigenous small population it is meat, milk, skin, and antlers. The largest population of these domesticated northern animals lives in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

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The musk ox, the largest and oldest ungulate in the Arctic, the same age as the mammoth, has taken its place in the Red Book of Russia. This herbivore is unpretentious in food, and its long, warm fur reliably protects it from the wind, so it feels great in the harsh northern conditions.

The Arctic coast is unthinkable without shore birds - kittiwakes, fulmars, cormorants, guillemots, terns and other species. Only short summer 280 species of rare and quite common birds for Russia manage to nest here. Most rare bird Earth - the Siberian Crane, lives in Northern Yakutia and is otherwise called the white crane. Also, this belt is inhabited by eighty percent of all white geese on our Planet.

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The main symbol of the Arctic is polar bear, although the northern coast is inhabited by others marine mammals, For example, sea ​​hare, bearded seals, walruses and seals listed in the Red Book, and whales, beluga, narwhal, cod, herring, salmon and about 430 other species of fish fauna swim in its waters. Also in the Arctic region live foxes, stoats, wolverines, arctic foxes, hares, lemmings, hamsters and other rodents.

Fauna of the subarctic zone

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Animals of the subarctic pole are inhabitants of the tundra and tundra forests, feeling comfortable in long-term conditions. low temperatures and excess humidity. Due to the reduced salinity of the water and its saturation with oxygen, plankton and other diverse marine fauna develop abundantly. The world's largest marine mammals live here - walruses and seals, whales and polar bears.

In the tundra, the species diversity of the animal world is much richer than in the Arctic. A significant part of the animals living here have a light color and thick fur, which allows them to survive in local conditions. Also in summer, reindeer inhabit the pastures in large numbers.

Temperate fauna

The temperate zone occupies the main part of Russia and is characterized by a difficult climate with big amount precipitation and strong gusts of wind, but despite this, the fauna here is extremely rich and diverse. Green forests are home to a large number of different herbivores and birds, with a predominance of granivores and insectivores, and many predators, among which the wolf is especially common.

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The environment appears to be favorable for lynx, hyena, cheetah, tiger, jackal, arachnids and invertebrates. Most often in the forest zone you can find moose, which can easily wander into the residential area. The temperate zone is also inhabited by squirrels, hares, wood grouse, wild boars and roe deer. You can meet a brown bear, mink or pine marten. For rodents such as squirrels, this is simply a paradise, since the forests temperate zone rich in nuts, linden seeds, coniferous trees and maple, acorns, which are also the favorite food of wild boars, bears and other animals and birds.

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The largest share of the bird family in this belt consists of orioles, tits, woodpeckers, cuckoos, thrushes, finches, nightingales, and owls. Until recently, the territory was abundantly inhabited wild bulls- huge bison, but today it is almost impossible to find them here due to extermination by poachers. It will also be great luck today to see river beaver, attracting the hunter with valuable fur. But there are a great many frogs, lizards, vipers, snakes, moles and hedgehogs here due to the large number of insects on which they feed.

Fauna of the subtropical zone

The subtropics provide favorable conditions Black Sea coast for the existence of living organisms, but in general we can say about a mixture of species of the animal world of the tropical and temperate zones. In the mountains Greater Caucasus and on the Black Sea coast the fauna is especially rich and diverse. On Far East Hazel grouse, chipmunks, sable and wolverine, marten and squirrel, and sika deer are widely represented. Legendary local predators around the world are the leopard, Ussurian tiger and a bear.

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The subtropical zone is rich in wild ungulates - wild boars, roe deer, wild deer, saigas and moose. Fur hunters are attracted here by the proliferation of fur-bearing animals - squirrels, minks, muskrats, foxes and arctic foxes. Gray wolves and huge bears are just part of the heritage of the Russian subtropics, which must be preserved for our descendants.

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Today, the animal world of Russia has changed greatly under the influence of humans, and therefore the authorities are taking various protective measures to save it. Some animals have almost completely disappeared, the numbers of some are sharply decreasing, and they are included in the Red Book and are protected by law.

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A large part of Europe lives in a temperate continental climate. Its uniqueness lies in its presence in only one hemisphere - the Northern. What features distinguish the temperate continental? What animals and plants are characteristic of it? It's not difficult to figure this out.

Key Features

Temperate continental climates are found only in the Northern Hemisphere. It is characteristic of both the Cordillera region and Central Europe. The temperate continental climate of Russia is manifested in Yakutia, the Magadan region, Siberia and Transbaikalia. Moving inland, the air loses moisture, making the climate more severe. Therefore, the more distant an area is from the sea or ocean, the more continental the climate will be.

Winter months

The temperate continental climate is distinctly pronounced seasonality. The main seasons of the year - summer and winter - are worth considering separately. During the cold season earth's surface and the atmosphere cools, leading to the emergence of the Asian Anticyclone. It spreads to Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and sometimes reaches the south- of Eastern Europe. The result is a harsh winter with strong air fluctuations within just a few days, when the thaw suddenly turns into frost down to minus thirty. the form of snow, which persists in areas east of Warsaw. The maximum height of the cover can reach ninety centimeters - such snowdrifts occur in Western Siberia. A large number of snow protects the soil from freezing and provides it with moisture when spring comes.

Summer months

The temperate continental climate of Russia and Eastern Europe is characterized by a fairly rapid onset of summer. Increasing number solar heat warms those entering the mainland from the ocean. Average monthly temperatures in July are just under twenty degrees. The annual amount of precipitation, most of which occurs in the summer, ranges from three hundred to eight hundred millimeters in these regions. The amount varies only on the slopes of the Alps. There can be more than two thousand millimeters of precipitation there. It is worth noting a decrease in their number in the direction from west to east. IN North America the situation is inversely proportional. In Asian areas, evaporation exceeds natural precipitation and droughts may occur.

Features of vegetation

The temperate continental climate is characterized by deciduous forests. They consist of two tiers - trees and shrubs. The herbaceous cover has a greater number of species than other flora options. In addition, it is also divided into several tiers. The forests are characterized by branching with a dense crown. The seasons are not conducive to year-round vegetation. they shed leaves - simple, jagged or lobed, thin and unable to tolerate either drought or frost. The moderate continental climate of the temperate zone can be distinguished by both broad-leaved and small-leaved species. The first include ash trees, maples, oaks, lindens, and elms. The second ones are aspen, alder and birch.

In addition, the forest can be divided into types such as monodominant and polydominant. The first are characteristic of Europe - a specific species predominates there. The latter are found in Asia, North America and Chile: the forest consists of many different breeds. In warm areas among deciduous trees There are evergreen species, as well as vines - grape, legume, honeysuckle or euonymus. Despite the annual fall of leaves, the forests of these zones are characterized by poorly developed litter: the temperate continental climate contributes to its rapid decomposition. This creates excellent conditions for bacteria and earthworms. At the same time, the layer of foliage becomes an obstacle to moss, which grows in such a forest only at the roots of trees and in places protruding from the soil. The soil in this climate is podzolic, brown, carbonate or gley.

Characteristic animals

Fauna continental climate It is located very uniformly in forests. This is a combination of arboreal, terrestrial, herbivorous, and predatory animals. In zones deciduous forests There are a lot of amphibians and reptiles - there are twice as many of them here as in the tundra. The abundance of light, dense undergrowth, and lush grass provide excellent conditions for various animals. Here you can find animals that feed on seeds and nuts - rodents, squirrels, and numerous birds, such as blackbirds, western nightingales, little robins, great tits, and blue tits. In almost every forest you can find chaffinches and greenfinches, orioles, and in remote corners - wood pigeons. Larger animals are represented by stoats, badgers, wolves, foxes, lynxes and bears. They live throughout Europe and large territory Asia. In deserted corners they meet unique species - wild cats, pine martens, ferrets. The presence of herbivores is high - wapiti, bison and chamois are also found.

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Steppes

plain covered with grassy vegetation in temperate and subtropical zones Northern and Southern hemispheres. Characteristic feature steppes is the almost complete absence of trees (not counting artificial plantings and forest belts along water bodies)

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Steppes are common on all continents except Antarctica. In Eurasia, the largest areas of steppes are located in the territory Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Mongolia. Average temperatures winter months from 0ºС to −20ºС, and in summer from +20ºС to +28ºС.

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A characteristic feature of the steppe is a treeless space covered with grassy vegetation. Grasses that form a closed or almost closed carpet: feather grass, fescue, tonkonogo, bluegrass, sheep grass, etc. Plants adapt to unfavorable conditions. Many of them are drought-resistant or active in the spring, when there is still moisture left after winter.

The steppes are rich in bulbous plants (tulip).

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Animals are active mainly at night in summer. Of the ungulates, typical species differ sharp vision and the ability to run quickly and for a long time, for example, antelope; among rodents - gophers, marmots, mole rats and jumping species that build complex burrows: jerboas, kangaroo rats. Most of birds fly away for the winter. Common: steppe eagle, bustard, steppe harrier, steppe kestrel, larks. Reptiles and insects are numerous.

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steppe eagle

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Lark

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Deciduous forests

forest consisting of deciduous trees and shrubs. Also called deciduous or summer green for the characteristic annual shedding of leaves before the onset of cold weather.

The share of deciduous forests in Europe is 24%.

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Forests of this type are high, 25-40 m, and are represented mainly by two tiers of trees, a layer of shrubs and herbaceous cover, in which two to three tiers of grass height can also be distinguished. Characteristic feature deciduous forest is the predominance of the species diversity of grasses over the diversity of trees.

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Deciduous forests are divided into

broad-leaved, in which the trees of the upper tier have large and medium-sized leaves, they are characterized by high shade tolerance and demanding soil requirements, light-loving, these include oak, maple, linden, ash, elm. Broad-leaved forests grow in relatively mild climates;

small-leaved forests, in which the predominant tree species have small leaf blades, are birch, aspen and alder forests. Small-leaved forests are more light-loving and less demanding on soil fertility; they are also more frost-resistant.

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Aspen and elm