Rare plants and animals of the Russian plain. Ecological problems of the Russian Plain. Problems of rational use of resources of the Russian Plain. Flora and fauna of the East European Plain

For centuries, the Russian Plain served as a territory connecting Western and Western trade routes. eastern civilization. Historically, two busy trade arteries ran through these lands. The first is known as the “path from the Varangians to the Greeks.” According to it, as is known from school history, medieval trade in goods of the peoples of the East and Rus' with the states of Western Europe was carried out.

The second is the route along the Volga, which made it possible to transport goods by ship to Southern Europe from China, India and Central Asia and in reverse direction. The first Russian cities were built along trade routes - Kyiv, Smolensk, Rostov. Veliky Novgorod became the northern gateway from the “Varangians”, protecting the security of trade.

Now the Russian Plain is still a territory of strategic importance. The capital of the country is located on its lands and Largest cities. The most important administrative centers for the life of the state are concentrated here.

Geographical position of the plain

The East European Plain, or Russian, occupies territories in eastern Europe. In Russia, these are its extreme western lands. In the northwest and west it is limited by the Scandinavian Mountains, the Barents and White Seas, the Baltic coast and the Vistula River. In the east and southeast it neighbors the Ural Mountains and the Caucasus. In the south, the plain is limited by the shores of the Black, Azov and Caspian seas.

Relief features and landscape

The East European Plain is represented by a gently sloping relief, formed as a result of faults in tectonic rocks. Based on relief features, the massif can be divided into three stripes: central, southern and northern. The center of the plain consists of alternating vast hills and lowlands. The north and south are mostly represented by lowlands with rare low altitudes.

Although the relief is formed in a tectonic manner and minor tremors are possible in the area, there are no noticeable earthquakes here.

Natural areas and regions

(The plain has planes with characteristic smooth drops)

The East European Plain includes all natural zones found in Russia:

• Tundra and forest-tundra are represented by the nature of the north of the Kola Peninsula and occupy a small part territory, slightly expanding to the east. The vegetation of the tundra, namely shrubs, mosses and lichens, is replaced by birch forests of the forest-tundra.
• Taiga, with its pine and spruce forests, occupies the north and center of the plain. On the borders with mixed broad-leaved forests, areas are often swampy. A typical Eastern European landscape - coniferous and mixed forests and swamps give way to small rivers and lakes.
• In the forest-steppe zone you can see alternating hills and lowlands. Oak and ash forests are typical for this zone. You can often find birch and aspen forests.
• The steppe is represented by valleys, where oak forests and groves, forests of alder and elm grow near the river banks, and tulips and sages bloom in the fields.
• On Caspian lowland There are semi-deserts and deserts where the climate is harsh and the soil is saline, but even there you can find vegetation in the form of various varieties of cacti, wormwood and plants that adapt well to sudden changes in daily temperatures.

Rivers and lakes of the plain

(River on a flat area of ​​the Ryazan region)

The rivers of the “Russian Valley” are majestic and slowly flow their waters in one of two directions - north or south, to the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, or to the southern inland seas mainland. Northern rivers flow into the Barents, White or Baltic seas. Rivers south direction- to Chernoe, Azovskoe or Caspian Sea. The largest river in Europe, the Volga, also “flows lazily” through the lands of the East European Plain.

The Russian plain is a kingdom natural water in all its manifestations. A glacier that passed through the plain thousands of years ago formed many lakes on its territory. There are especially many of them in Karelia. The consequences of the presence of the glacier were the emergence in the North-West of such large lakes as Ladoga, Onega, and the Pskov-Peipus reservoir.

Under the thickness of the earth in the localization of the Russian Plain, reserves of artesian water are stored in the amount of three underground basins of huge volumes and many located at shallower depths.

Climate of the East European Plain

(Flat terrain with slight drops near Pskov)

The Atlantic dictates the weather regime on the Russian Plain. Western winds, air masses, moving moisture, make summers on the plain warm and humid, winters cold and windy. During the cold season, winds from the Atlantic bring about ten cyclones, contributing to variable heat and cold. But air masses from the Arctic Ocean also tend to the plain.

Therefore, the climate becomes continental only in the interior of the massif, closer to the south and southeast. The East European Plain has two climatic zones- subarctic and temperate, increasing continentality to the east.

Shaded out. In the Pacific part of Russia, the influence of the ocean is felt, which disrupts the patterns of zonal distribution of vegetation cover. The zoning structure is manifested in regional complexes. Each regional complex differs in its set of subzonal vegetation categories. Vegetation categories of the same type in latitudinal position in different sectors have different species composition.

Tundra-type vegetation forms the cover of the Far North of the country, which stretches in a strip along the sea coast and is found on the islands. The main features of the tundra type of vegetation include the absence of a tree layer, the large role of low-growing small-woody plants (from shrubs and dwarf trees to prostrate (creeping) shrubs and dwarf shrubs). Herbaceous perennials are widespread. The importance of mosses and lichens is great. The vegetation cover is characterized by perforation - the presence of spots of bare soil.

There are 5 regional complexes in the tundra. The westernmost, Atlantic, is represented only by southern ones with the participation of Betula nana, Calluna vulgaris, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Carex bigelowii, in which boreal species, such as blueberries, are constantly found. The Eastern European, Western Siberian and Central Siberian sectors have the most complete zonal spectrum from the High Arctic to the southern tundra. High Arctic tundras are found only on some islands in the Arctic Ocean. A significant area of ​​the islands is occupied by glaciers, and the vegetation cover is fragmentary. Grass-lichen-moss spotted tundras dominate. Lichen-moss and moss-lichen communities (with minor participation of flowering ones) are widespread, which are confined to highly gravelly and rocky soils. On the archipelago and Novaya Zemlya (East European–West Siberian sector), Deschampsia alpina, Cerastium arcticum, C. regelii ssp. are found in tundra communities. caespitosum, which are not found in the Central Siberian sector. The presence of Ranunculus sabinii, Cerastium bialynickii, C.regelii s.str., and Deschampsia brevifolia determine the specificity of the High Arctic tundra of the Central Siberian sector. There are no high Arctic tundras in the East Siberian and Chukotka regional complexes.

Arctic tundra found in all except the Atlantic complexes. Prostrate shrubs begin to play a major role in them. For the Eastern European - Western Siberian sector, the background species is Salix nummularia, in the Central Siberian sector the role of Salix polaris, S. reptans increases, and there are 2 types of Dryas vegetation - D. punctata and D. octopetala. In the East Siberian sector, Cassiope tetragona takes first place, while D. octopetala disappears. Arctic tundra communities are characterized by Salix rotundifolia, S. phlebophylla, Dryas integrifolia, and Carex lugens. Arctic tundras to the south are replaced by hypoarctic ones, which are represented by northern shrub-moss and southern shrub-moss-lichen subzonal categories. Their differences are also marked from sector to sector by geographically differentiating species (NN 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15)1.

Boreal (taiga) vegetation is located to the south of the tundra. Taiga occupies a leading position in the north. It stretched from to. Most of the taiga vegetation of Eurasia is concentrated in Russia. Taiga forests are also characteristic of many mountain systems, forming mountain-taiga belts in them.

The boreal vegetation of the plains includes 5 subzonal categories: from pre-tundra open forests to sub-boreal forests. It is characterized by the dominance of dark coniferous, light coniferous, small-leaved and mixed forests. The dominant species of coniferous forest species: Picea abies, P. obovata, Abies sibirica, Larix sibirica, L. gmelinii, L. cajanderi, respectively, replace each other from west to east, forming 7 regional complexes.

The Eastern European sector () has a complete zonal range from birch-spruce woodlands (17) to sub-boreal forest (24, 25). Subzonal categories of vegetation are represented by spruce forests (18, 20, 22, 24) and, replacing them on soils of light mechanical composition, pine forests (19, 21, 23, 25). In subtaiga forests, the composition of the forest stand, which is dominated by spruce or pine, or in the form of undergrowth includes nemoral woody species: oak, linden, maple, hazel. This also includes coniferous-deciduous forests Kaliningrad region, in which Central European species are found - beech and hornbeam.

The forests of the Urals complex have features of the European and Siberian taiga. This regional complex is found on both sides of the Urals. A complete zonal range (26-32) is also expressed here, from spruce and larch-spruce open forests to broad-leaved fir-spruce subtaiga forests.

The Ob-Irtysh sector unites the forests of the largest taiga complex (33-42). The role of swamps in the structure of the vegetation cover of the West Siberian Plain is enormous. In terms of area, swamps here prevail over forests. The vegetation of the vast Ob floodplain plays a great role. (130).

In the north of the Ob-Irtysh region, larch woodlands predominate (33). A large area is occupied by hummocky swamps (124). To the south, the woodlands give way to the north, where larch (36) and larch-pine (35) forests dominate. The watersheds are occupied by hummocky and aapa swamps, huge raised systems with an abundance of lichens and large lakes (126 b). Larch-spruce-cedar forests are also typical (34). The middle taiga is dominated by spruce-cedar forests, sometimes with fir, and larch-pine forests are less common. In the middle taiga, the confinement of forests to river valleys is especially noticeable. There are many raised bogs on the watersheds.

In the southern taiga Western Siberia dark coniferous cedar-spruce-fir forests predominate. The west is dominated by pine forests. The presence of linden is typical in southern taiga forests. Sphagnum raised bogs are common on watersheds, forming systems that include aapa, including the famous Vasyugan bog.

The transition from the southern taiga to the sub-taiga is gradual. From coniferous forests in the subtaiga only pine forests are found on sand (41). Birch and aspen forests dominate (42); they usually grow in small groves (groves), alternating with damp meadows, swamps, and pine forests. Often birch stakes are confined to depressions with pronounced solod soils.

The Central Siberian (43-47) and East Siberian (45-51) sectors have a shortened zonal alignment. In Central Siberia there is no subtaiga; the latitudinal section ends with middle taiga forests. The boreal vegetation of these most continental sectors is formed by light coniferous, predominantly larch forests.

The boreal vegetation contains a peculiar Far Eastern complex. The features of its vegetation cover are associated with the originality of the floristic composition and complex physical and geographical conditions - the influence of the Pacific Ocean and monsoons in the southeast, and the seas of the Arctic Ocean in the north, the continentality of Siberia and Central Asia, the complexity of the terrain and. Northern taiga larch forests(52) are found in small areas along the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk; significant areas are occupied by mid-taiga larch forests and sphagnum stands (53). The southern taiga forests are diverse: spruce-fir (Picea ajanensis, Abies nephrolepis), larch and pine-larch. Betula davurica, B. platyphylla are found sporadically in their forest stand; the undergrowth of Rhododendron dauricum, Duschekia manshurica, Lespedeza bicolor, and Corylus heterophylla is well developed. Particularly distinctive are the subtaiga forests of the Far East, represented by broad-leaved pine and broad-leaved larch with Mongolian oak and Manchurian birch (58,59), birch-pine (60) and spruce-fir-cedar with Pinus koraiensis, Picea ajanensis and Abies nephrolepis (57 ).

Nemoral vegetation is represented by broad-leaved forests, which grow in Russia only in the west (Eastern European regional complex) and in the east (Far Eastern complex). In western Europe, nemoral vegetation occupies almost its entire territory, and in eastern Asia It descends significantly further south than in Europe, which is certainly due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean. In the continental regions of Siberia, broad-leaved forests are absent and are geographically replaced by steppes.

Broad-leaved forests of the Eastern European sector are represented by linden-oak with the participation of ash (61) and linden with oak (63). On light soils they are replaced by pine-broadleaved forests (62) and steppe pine with oak (64).

The increasing continentality of the climate from west to east leads to a gradual reduction in European nemoral vegetation types, of which only half reaches the western slopes of the Urals. The role of South Siberian light-loving and cold-resistant species is becoming noticeable. An important boundary is the Volga, towards which many tree species, such as ash, shrubs and herbaceous species, gradually fall out from the west.

Small groves of oak forests are found quite far to the north in the subzone of the southern taiga (Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov regions), and linden forests (probably derivatives that arose on the site of linden-spruce forests) are found even further north. In the south, broad-leaved forests along ravines and so-called ravine forests penetrate far into the steppe region.

On Far East broad-leaved forests are found in the south. In the southwestern part they are represented by oak (Quercus mongolica) and black-birch-oak. Some western oak forests have cryophilized grass cover. In the eastern part, oak and mixed oak-broad-leaved forests with the participation of a mesophilic group of trees are common: Amur velvet, linden (Tilia amurensis, T. mandshurica, T. taquetii) and lianas (65).

The steppe vegetation of Russia in the form of a strip extends from the western border of the country to the southern Siberian mountains. To the east, the steppes are found in isolated areas, mainly in intermountain basins. IN European Russia this strip is very wide and in the south reaches the Caucasus, and in Asian Russia - to the state border and continues in the countries of Central and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, China).

Steppe vegetation unites communities of xerophilic microthermal turf herbaceous plants. The dominant biomorph in the region is turf grasses from the genera Stipa, Festuca, Agropyron, Koeleria, Poa, Cleistogenes, Helictotrichon, etc. In different environmental conditions communities of turf sedges, onions, forbs, subshrubs and shrubs are formed. Steppe communities are polydominant, their distribution is associated with chestnut.

In the steppe type of vegetation, 4 regional complexes are distinguished: Eastern European, Trans-Volga, Western Siberian and Trans-Baikal. The steppes of the Eastern European and Trans-Volga complexes are most fully represented and have a full zonal spectrum; the West Siberian sector is represented only northern part zonal spectrum, and its southern part is located in . The Transbaikalian complex unites isolated areas of steppes, found in intermountain basins and which are in flora-genetic relationship with the Central Asian (and Chinese) steppes.

There are 4 subzonal latitudinal categories of steppe vegetation: northern, middle and southern. The latitudinal differentiation of steppes from north to south is associated with an increase in the degree of climate aridity, and its regional differentiation is associated with increased continentality.

Meadow steppes are the northernmost type of steppes. They are characterized by the dominance of forb-grass communities with a predominance of mesoxerophilic and xeromesophilic species, mainly loose bush and rhizomatous grasses, rhizomatous sedges and forbs. Meadow steppes are common in the south of the nemoral region in the European part of Russia and the boreal region in Siberia. Together with forests (oak and oak-linden in the west and birch and aspen in Siberia) they form the forest-steppe subzone. Typologically, meadow steppes are considered within the steppe type of vegetation, but from a botanical and geographical point of view they do not belong to the steppe zone, but are closely connected with forests and without anthropogenic intervention (haymaking, grazing), meadow steppes turn into forests.

Northern steppes begin zonal series steppe zone. They are characterized by the dominance of fescue-feather grass steppes, i.e. dominance of turf grasses, with the participation of abundant xeromesophilic and mesoxerophilic forbs.

The middle steppes are also characterized by the dominance of fescue-feather grass steppes, but the herbs in them are much poorer and are represented by much more xerophilous species.

The southern steppes are distinguished by the participation of subshrubs as codominants in fescue-feather grass communities.

Throughout their range, steppe communities, especially within one subzonal category, have a large number common types. The identification of mappable categories of steppes within regional complexes is therefore based on a small number of geographically differentiating species.

The Eastern European regional complex includes rich forb-grass meadow steppes with Bromopsis riparia, Carex humilis, Peucedanum macrophyllum; forb-turfgrass northern steppes with Stipa ucrainica; turfgrass middle steppes with Stipa ucrainica; wormwood-turfgrass southern steppes with Stipa lessingiana, Artemisia taurica, A lercheana.

The Trans-Volga regional complex unites rich forb-grass meadow steppes with Bromopsis riparia, Bromopsis inermis, Carex humilis, C. pediformis, Peucedanum alsaticum; forb-turfgrass northern steppes with Stipa zalesskii, S. korshinskyi; turfgrass middle steppes with Stipa lessingiana; wormwood-turfgrass southern steppes with Stipa sareptana, Artemisia lercheana.

The Western Siberian sector, the western border of which runs along the Ishim River, includes only 2 northern latitudinal categories: rich forb-grass meadow steppes with Bromopsis inermis, Stipa zalesskii, Carex pediformis, C. supina, Peucedanum morisonii and forb-turf-grass northern steppes with Stipa capillata, S zalesskii, Helictotrichon desertorum. The steppe soils of this sector are characterized by salinity.

The Transbaikal regional complex is characterized by great originality species composition steppe communities, since it is florogenetically connected with the Central Asian steppes, and from the European-West Siberian ones, which represent part of the Black Sea-Kazakhstan steppes, it is separated not only botanically and geographically, but also territorially by the South Siberian mountain ranges. It includes 3 latitudinal categories: rich forb-grass meadow steppes with Filifolium sibiricum, Peucedanum baicalense; forb-turfgrass northern steppes with Stipa baicalensis, Leymus chinensis and middle turfgrass steppes with Stipa krylovii.

Steppe communities and their fragments penetrate far to the north of Eastern Siberia, which is associated with the sharp continental climate, but primarily with the historical paleogeographical events that took place in this territory in .

Desert vegetation completes the zonal series of plains vegetation types. The desert type includes communities dominated by xerophilic, hyperxerophilic micro- and mesothermic plants of various life forms, mainly subshrubs, subshrubs and shrubs, and semi-trees. In desert communities, ephemeroids and hemiephemeroids - perennial short-growing plants - are often abundant; annual herbaceous plants of summer-autumn growing season and ephemerals - annual herbaceous plants of spring, autumn-spring or autumn-winter growing season. Russia contains only a small portion of a vast desert region. It is represented by the Caspian sector temperate deserts, which belong to the northern latitudinal category: wormwood (79) and sandy wormwood (80) northern deserts. Their distribution is associated with brown soils. In the Caspian region, soils of light mechanical composition, sandy and sandy loam are widespread, therefore, along with wormwood, the grass Poa bulbosa is often found here.

The East European Plain is second in size only to the Amazon Lowland, located in South America. The second largest plain on our planet is located on the Eurasian continent. Most of it is located in the eastern part of the continent, the smaller part is in the western part. Because geographical position The East European Plain is mainly located in Russia, so it is often called the Russian Plain.

East European Plain: its borders and location

From north to south the plain has a length of more than 2.5 thousand kilometers, and from east to west 1 thousand kilometers. Its flat terrain is explained by its almost complete coincidence with the East European Platform. And that means large natural phenomena it is not threatened, minor earthquakes and flooding are possible. In the north-west the plain ends with the Scandinavian Mountains, in the south-west - the Carpathians, in the south - the Caucasus, in the east - the Mugodjars and the Urals. Its highest part is located in the Khibiny Mountains (1190m), the lowest is located on the Caspian coast (below sea level 28 m). Most of the plain is in the forest zone, the southern and central part- these are forest-steppes and steppes. Far south and East End covered by desert and semi-desert.

East European Plain: its rivers and lakes

Onega, Pechora, Mezen, Northern Dvina are large rivers in the northern part that belong to the Arctic Ocean. The Baltic Sea basin includes such large rivers as Western Dvina, Neman, Vistula. The Dniester, Southern Bug, and Dnieper flow to the Black Sea. The Volga and Ural rivers belong to the Caspian Sea basin. TO Sea of ​​Azov The Don rushes its waters. Besides large rivers, on the Russian Plain there are several large lakes: Ladoga, Beloe, Onega, Ilmen, Chudskoye.

The East European Plain: animal world

Animals of the forest group, arctic and steppe live on the Russian Plain. Forest fauna are more common. These are lemmings, chipmunks, gophers and marmots, antelopes, martens and forest cats, minks, black polecat and wild boar, garden, hazel and forest dormouse and so on. Unfortunately, man has caused significant damage to the fauna of the plain. Even before the 19th century mixed forests Tarpan (wild forest horse) lived. Today in Belovezhskaya Pushcha they are trying to preserve bison. There is the Askania-Nova steppe reserve, where animals from Asia, Africa and Australia live. And the Voronezh Nature Reserve successfully protects beavers. Moose and wild boars, previously completely exterminated, have reappeared in this area.

Minerals of the East European Plain

The Russian Plain contains many mineral resources that are of great importance not only for our country, but also for the rest of the world. First of all, this Pechora basin coal, Kursk deposits of magnetic ore, nepheline and apathetic ores at Kola Peninsula, Volga-Ural and Yaroslavl oil, brown coal in the Moscow region. No less important aluminum ores Tikhvin and brown iron ore of Lipetsk. Limestone, sand, clay and gravel are common throughout almost the entire plain. Table salt is mined in lakes Elton and Baskunchak, and potassium salt is mined in the Kama Cis-Ural region. In addition to all this, gas production is underway (Azov coast region).

In zoogeographical terms, almost the entire Russian Plain belongs to the European-Siberian zoogeographical subregion of the Palearctic region. Only a small southeastern section of it - the semi-desert and desert of the Caspian lowland - belongs to the Central Asian subregion. In accordance with the prevailing landscapes, three main groups of animals are represented on the Russian Plain: arctic (tundra), forest and steppe. The most common forest animals are: individual species they go through floodplain and island forests to Barents Sea in the north and to the Black Sea in the south.

As in the vegetation cover, in the animal world of the Russian Plain there is a mixture of western and eastern species. The western border of the range is on the Russian Plain, for example, such eastern species as lemmings (ungulate and Ob) - representatives of the tundra, weasels and chipmunks - inhabitants of the taiga, the marmot (baibak) and the reddish ground squirrel, inhabiting the open Steppes, the saiga antelope, found in Caspian semi-desert and desert, and many others. Western species gravitate towards mixed and deciduous forests. These will be: pine marten, mink, forest cat, wild boar, garden dormouse, forest dormouse, hazel dormouse, polecat, black polecat.

The fauna of the Russian Plain, more than any other part of the USSR, has been changed by human intervention. The modern ranges of many animals are not determined by natural factors, but by human activity - hunting or changes in the habitat of animals (for example, deforestation).

Hardest hit fur animals and ungulates, the former for their valuable fur, the latter for their meat. River beaver, marten and squirrel were the main items of fur trade and trade among Eastern Slavs VIX- XIIIcenturies Even then, a thousand years ago, the beaver was highly valued, and as a result of unregulated hunting, XXOnly a few individuals of this animal survived for centuries.

Sable in XVIV. was mined in the forests of Belarus and Lithuania. Several centuries ago, a common animal in the island forests of the forest-steppe and steppes was the brown bear.

To end XVIIIV. The wild forest horse, the tarpan, lived in mixed and deciduous forests. Another subspecies of tarpan was found in the steppes; in the 60s XVIIIV. it was described in detail by S. Gmelin.

In the west mixed and deciduous forests met a tour and a bison. Tur - the founder of the gray Ukrainian breed cattle- like the tarpan, it has long been completely exterminated, and bison have survived to this day in very small numbers, are taken under protection and are not found in the wild.

IN XVII- XVIIIcenturies The common animal of the steppes of the Russian Plain was the saiga antelope, which now lives only in semi-deserts and deserts. Caspian lowland. Wild ungulates were characterized by seasonal migrations. Huge herds of saigas at the end of spring, when the sun began to burn out southern steppe, moved north to the forest-steppe rich in grasses, I in the fall, under the influence of cold weather, they returned to the south again. According to P. S. Pallas V In 1768, numerous herds of saigas, under the influence of drought, reached the Samara River in the Volga region and even moved further north. Still in the middle XIXcentury, according to E. A. Eversmann, mass migrations of saigas were observed from the semi-deserts of Kazakhstan to the Ural valley in the north.

Others were seasonal migrations of roe deer in the west of the forest-steppe. In the spring they headed south, from the forests to the steppes, and in the fall they moved back north, into the forests.

As a result of centuries of human economic activity, the fauna of the Russian Plain was greatly depleted. During the Soviet years, a lot of work was done to enrich the animal world: hunting is strictly regulated, reserves for the protection of rare animals were created, and re-acclimatization and acclimatization of valuable species is carried out.

Of the nature reserves located on the Russian Plain, the most interesting are: Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Voronezh, Askania-Nova, Astrakhan. In the dense mixed forests of Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Western Belarus), bison are protected. In the Voronezh Nature Reserve, beavers were successfully bred in captivity for the first time in world practice. From here, from the Voronezh Nature Reserve, beavers are exported for reacclimatization to various regions of the USSR. The Askania-Nova steppe reserve (southern Ukrainian SSR) is known for its work on the acclimatization and hybridization of a wide variety of animals from Asia, Africa and even Australia. The reserve is under the jurisdiction of the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Animal Acclimatization and Hybridization named after. M.F. Ivanov, whose employees bred valuable breeds of domestic sheep and pigs. The Astrakhan Nature Reserve was created in the Volga delta to protect waterfowl and fish spawning grounds.

The experience of acclimatization on the Russian Plain of such valuable fur-bearing animals of North America as muskrat and mink, South American nutria, Ussuri raccoon and Far Eastern sika deer was successful.

Thanks to conservation, the moose population has increased dramatically. In recent years, elk, marten and some other forest animals have been vigorously moving south, which is obviously facilitated by forest plantings carried out here over large areas. Elk appeared, for example, in the Stalingrad and Voronezh regions. In many forests, previously killed wild boar is also being restored (Voronezh, Lipetsk, Belgorod and other regions).

Despite severe human disturbance, the wild fauna of the Russian Plain retains its great economic importance. Many animals are hunted (squirrel, fox, marten, ermine, mole, white hare and hare, birds - wood grouse, hazel grouse and many others).

- Source-

Milkov, F.N. Physiography USSR/F.N. Milkov [and others]. – M.: State Publishing House of Geographical Literature, 1958.- 351 p.

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The Russian Plain is one of the largest plains on the planet. It is located in the eastern part of Europe, which is why its second name is the East European Plain. Since her most of located on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is also called the Russian Plain. Its length from north to south is more than 2.5 thousand kilometers.

Relief of the Russian Plain

This plain is dominated by gently sloping terrain. There is a lot here natural resources Russia. Hilly areas on the Russian Plain arose as a result of faults. The height of some hills reaches 1000 meters.

The height of the Russian Plain is approximately 170 meters above sea level, but there are some areas that are 30 meters below sea level. As a result of the passage of the glacier, many lakes and valleys arose in this area, and some tectonic depressions expanded.

Rivers

The rivers flowing along the East European Plain belong to the basins of two oceans: the Arctic and the Atlantic, while others flow into the Caspian Sea and are not connected with the world ocean. The most long river- The Volga flows through this plain.

Natural areas

On the Russian Plain there are all types natural areas, as on the territory of Russia. There are no earthquakes or volcanic eruptions in this area. Tremors are quite possible, but they do not cause harm.

The most dangerous natural phenomena on the East European Plain are tornadoes and floods. The main environmental problem is soil and air pollution industrial waste because There are many industrial enterprises in this area.

Flora and fauna of the Russian Plain

On the Russian Plain there are three main groups of animals: arctic, forest and steppe. Forest animals are more common. Eastern species- lemmings (tundra); chipmunk (taiga); marmots and gophers (steppes); saiga antelope (Caspian deserts and semi-deserts). Western species - pine marten, mink, forest cat, wild boar, garden dormouse, forest dormouse, hazel dormouse, black polecat (mixed and broad-leaved forests).

The fauna of the East European Plain is greater than that of any other part of Russia. Due to hunting and changes in the habitat of animals, many fur-bearing animals suffered for their valuable fur, and ungulates for their meat. River beaver and squirrel were trade items among the Eastern Slavs.

Almost until the 19th century, the wild forest horse, the tarpan, lived in mixed and deciduous forests. Bison are protected in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve. Beavers have begun to be successfully bred in the Voronezh Nature Reserve. The Askania-Nova steppe reserve is home to a variety of animals from Africa, Asia and Australia.

In the Voronezh regions, an elk appeared and the previously exterminated wild boar was restored. The Astrakhan Nature Reserve was created in the Volga delta to protect waterfowl. Despite the negative influence of humans, the fauna of the Russian Plain is still great.