Overview
- Totally unknown area in English speaking/reading world
- Ecology of areas with extreme climatic conditions
- Ecology of areas on huge depth of permafrost
- Ecology of a huge area that largely is still very natural
- Ecology of little-known land use practices (e.g. reindeer herding, 'alas' hay cutting)
Part of the book series: Plant and Vegetation (PAVE, volume 3)
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
Outside Russia very little is known about the terrestrial ecology, vegetation, biogeographical patterns, and biodiversity of the enormously extensive ecosystems of Yakutia, Siberia. These systems are very special in that they function on top of huge layers of permafrost and are exposed to very severe and extreme weather conditions, the range between winter and summer temperatures being more than 100 degrees C. The soils are generally poor, and human use of the vegetation is usually extensive. Main vegetation zones are taiga and tundra, but Yakutia also supports a special land and vegetation form, caused by permafrost, the alas: more or less extensive grasslands around roundish lakes in taiga. All these vegetation types will be described and their ecology and ecophysiological characteristics will be dealt with. Because of the size of Yakutia, covering several climatic zones, and its extreme position on ecological gradients, Yakutia contains very interesting biogeographical patterns, which also will be described. Our analyses are drawn from many years of research in Yakutia and from a vast body of ecological and other literature in Russian publications and in unpublished local reports. The anthropogenic influence on the ecosystems will be dealt with. This includes the main activities of human interference with nature: forestry, extensive reindeer herding, cattle and horse grazing, etc. Also fire and other prominent ecological factors are dealt with. A very important point is also the very high degree of naturalness that is still extant in Yakutia’s main vegetation zones.
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Far North:
Book Subtitle: Plant Biodiversity and Ecology of Yakutia
Editors: Elena I. Troeva, A. P. Isaev, M.M. Cherosov, N. S. Karpov
Series Title: Plant and Vegetation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3774-9
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-481-3773-2Published: 08 April 2010
Softcover ISBN: 978-94-007-3193-6Published: 28 May 2012
eBook ISBN: 978-90-481-3774-9Published: 28 January 2010
Series ISSN: 1875-1318
Series E-ISSN: 1875-1326
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 385
Topics: Plant Ecology, Biodiversity, Forestry, Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography, Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts