Flora
In the Extreme North
the meaning of
lichens and mosses
is not lower, but
often higher than
that of higher
plants. The higher
plants of the Great
Arctic Nature
Reserve, however,
have been much
better studied than
lichens and mosses.
In this respect only
the westernmost
outpost of the
Nature Reserve –
Sibiryakova
Island was “lucky”. The
Arctic Expedition of
the IEEP RAS covered
in its research
there in 1989-1992
mushrooms, lichens,
mosses and higher
plants (Kuvaev and
others, 1994). In
this respect the
Sibiryakova
Island proved to be a
model for the whole
North of Siberia.
Sibiryakova
Island
(former
Kuzkin
Island).
15 species of
mushrooms have been
found on the island.
The majority of them
are lamellar (agaric);
among them – the
rare
Inocube. There
are by far more
lichens here – 70
species. This is the
basis of the winter
nutrition of the
island`s settled
population of wide
reindeer (Cladina
arbuscula and
Cladina rangifirina,
Cetraria
cuculata
and Cetraria
islandsca and
many other). The
valuable find at the
source of the
Lynera-Yakhu (Lagernaya)
river was a basidial
lichen –
Coriscium viride.
Among bryophytes 15
hepaticalic and 74
cormophytic species
were singled out, 89
species in total.
Amblystegite mosses
Musci
amblystegiaceae
are especially
distinguished –
various species of
Drepanocladus spp.,
Calliergon spp.
and their similar –
18 species in total.
The flora of the
higher plants is
especially rich –
162 species,
belonging to 28
families have been
marked out. By the
number of species we
must note
Poaceae (28
species),
Brasicaceae (19
species),
Caryophyllaceae
(16 species),
Saxifragaceae
(15) and
Cyperaceae (13
species). Among
higher plants from
the
Sibiryakova
Island such scientifically
new species as
Carex
pygmacus and
Luzula
tolmachevii have
recently been
described.
Among flowering
plants we can
especially
distinguish
colourful brightly
blooming species:
Papaver
(multi-coloured
forms – from white
and brightly-yellow
to orange-red),
Parrya nudicaulis,
Novosieversia
glacialis, Armeria
maritime and
others (Kuvaev and
others, 1994 and
other).
Meduza
Bay.
It is separated from
the
Sibiryakova
Island
by the
Yenisei
Bay,
which is only
50 km
wide. The protected
territory of the
Meduza Bay`s area is
much smaller than
the island, but its
flora is quite
distinctive. This
becomes clear if we
take the example of
higher plants. There
are 117 species of
them, out of 23
families. The most
important families,
by the number of
species, are the
same, but their
order is different:
Brasicaceae
(17 species),
Poaceae
(15 species),
Caryophyllaceae
and
Saxifragaceae -
12 species each. The
ordinal number of
the
Cyperaceae is
occupied by
Ranunculaceae
and
Asteraceae (Compositae)
– 8 species each.
The absence in the
area of the Meduza
Bay of
Polemonium boreale
and Armeria
maritime, and
other similar
species,
so bright and
mass on the
Sibiryakova
Island, is quite
noticeable. At the
same time a very
valuable medicinal
plant –
Rhodiola rosea –
is quite common at
the
Meduza
Bay
(the orpine family,
to which Rhodiola
belongs, is absent
on the
Sibiryakova
Island).
It is typical of the
Meduza
Bay on the whole to have no species,
which are found on
the
Sibiryakova
Island – there are about
60 of them (Kuvaev,
Vashchenkova, 1994).
The comparison of
the floras is
evident of the fact
that between the
Sibiryakova
Island and the
Meduza
Bay
there is an
important
botanical-geographical
border between the
western and eastern
Siberian floras (Tolmachev,
1928; Kuvaev,
Kozhevnikova, 1998
and other). This is
one of the
manifestations of
the
Yenisei
biogeographical
border – the largest
meridional border,
which has ever
existed in the
Paleoarctic.
Pyasina Estuary.
A rather southern
location, a
comparatively low
oceanicity of the
climate, the variety
of relief and other
natural conditions
favours some
enrichment of flora
here. Nevertheless,
this section is
inferior by the
number of species of
higher plants to the
more southern
located
Sibiryakova
Island: there are 140 of
them here (Kuvaev,
Deryugina, in print)
as opposed to 162 on
the island. The
first five families
by the number of
species:
Poaceae (24
species),
Brasicaceae (20
species),
Saxifragaceae
(17),
Caryophyllaceae
and
Ranunculaeceae
(13 species each);
the systematic
spectre typical of
the
Arctic
is repeated here
too. Quite
noticeable is a
higher number of
Stellaria
spp. (4
species),
Gastrolichnis spp.
(4 species,
including
Gastrolichnis
tundrorum
described for the
first time),
Ranunculus
spp. (11
species, including
the new sub-species
Ranunculus
taimyrense),
Draba spp.
(12) and
Saxifraga spp.
(15). The diversity
of Draba
spp. on Taimyr
was especially noted
by Yu.P.Kozhevnikov
(1996).
Knipovicha
Bay.
The flora of higher
plants has been
investigated by the
Arctic Expedition of
the IEEP of RAS in
the basin of the
Gusinaya
River. The wealth of the
flora continues to
diminish in the
eastern direction
from the
Sibiryakova
Island.
Here 103 species of
higher plants out of
20 families have
been discovered. The
first four families
by the number of
their species are
the same as in the
area of the
Meduza
Bay:
Poaceae (17
species),
Caryophyllaceae
and
Saxifragaceae
(14 species each)
and
Brassicaceae
(12). The fifth
place is shared by
Cyperaceae
and
Papaveraceae (6
species each). Thus,
the same typical
Arctic flora spectre
is present here.
The continentality
of the climate
increases towards
the east, and the
number of species,
genera and families
of the higher
plants` flora
decreases.
Nizhnyaya Taimyra.
The area of the
Nizhnyaya Taimyra
River`s estuary is
located somewhat to
the east of the
Knipovicha Bay. As
the comparison with
the study of
B.A.Tikhomirov
(1948) shows, these
areas do not differ
much floristically.
Geobotanical
differences are more
significant: for
example: cold
deserts on the top
of the uplands,
which are not noted
at the Nizhnyaya
Taimyra estuary,
have been described
here.
Nordensheld
Archipelago,
Russkiy
Island.
All the
above-mentioned
sections belong to
the
sub-zone
of
High Arctic
tundra. However, the
Russkiy
Island is not only located
much to the north,
but is also an area
of high climate
oceanicity, being an
outpost of polar
deserts, often
lifeless (Kuvaev and
others, 1997). In
some places the moss
Rhacomitrium
nuginosumla,
covering 20 to 30%
of the whole area,
forms rare
parterres. Tunda
vegetation is also
present, on
subhorizontal
surfaces and on more
humid lower
surfaces. Higher
plants are found as
single specimen. We
have discovered 19
species of them,
including 5 species
of Saxifrages. The
above-mentioned
Luzula
tolmachevii,
described by us on
the
Sibiryakova
Island,
was also found here.
24 species of lichen
were found (Tamnolia
vervicularis is
especially abundant;
Dactilina
Spp. and other
high arctic
species). The
bryophytes are the
most numerous. These
are Antelia
juratzcana and
35 species of
cormophytic mosses:
Aulacomnium
turgidum and
others; the complete
absence of sphagnum
mosses is typical.
Chelyuskin
Cape.
The plain arctic
deserts are a usual
landscape of the
Arctic Ocean
islands. The
Chelyuskin
Cape
is almost the only
continental variant
of these islands on
our planet. It is
regretful that only
its small section,
in which the species
of arctic plants are
incompletely
presented, is under
the protection. So,
there are 60 species
of vascular plants
on the
Chelyuskin
Cape
(Alexandrova, 1983);
in 1979
I.M.Sofronova listed
57 species, but
there are naturally
fewer of them in the
protected section.
By the number of
species we can
single out
Poa (5 species),
Draba
(5) and
Saxifraga (10
species). The
bryophytes are
somewhat more
diverse: 23 species
of liverworts and 74
species of
Musci (97
species in total);
by the number of
species the
following genera can
be marked out:
Bryum,
Drepanocladus
and Hypnum,
and by their role in
the vegetative cover
–
Racomitrium spp.,
Ditrichum spp,
to a smaller extent
–
Hylocomium splendens
(blunt-leaved
variety) and
Tomentypnum
falcifolium (Blagodatskykh
and others, 1979).
Lichenophyta on
the
Chelyuskin
Cape are the most
widespread – there
are 125 species. The
most distinguished
families by the
number of species
are:
Lecideaceae (15
species out of
Bacidia
and Lecidea
genera and other),
Parmeliaceae (16
species),
Partusariaceae
(11) (Piyn, 1982).
In conclusion to the
floristic
description it
should be noted that
there still a lot of
unknown in the flora
of the Extreme North
of Russia. Suffice
it to mention the
report of
A.I.Tolmachev on the
orchids found in the
Extreme North (Listera
cordata (L.) R.Br.,
Lysiella oligantha (Turcz.)
Nevski
and others (Tolmatschev,
1973). The modern
living example is
also the
above-mentioned
species, new to the
science and
described in the
course of the
preparation of the
Great Arctic Nature
Reserve project. The
discovery of new
taxons, the study of
their areals, of
their biology and
their protection are
some of the most
important directions
of botanical work at
the Great Arctic
Nature Reserve.
Vegetation
Russia
possesses the larger
territories in the
Arctic,
and therefore its
contribution to the
investigation of the
vegetative cover of
the North owing to
the selfless labour
of many generations
of scientists, who
often died here
prematurely, has
always been
especially
substantial.
One of the
difficulties of
classification of
the Arctic
vegetation is the
outward similarity
of many communities.
The main established
division is the
division into tundra
and polar deserts.
According to the
classification
suggested by
Yu.I.Chernov and
N.V.Matveyeva (1979)
the main territory
of the Nature
Reserve belongs to
the arctic tundra
sub-zone, and its
northernmost
sections – to the
polar desert zone.
Arctic tundra.
Describing the two
arctic communities
of the tundra we
should note that:
first of all, they
are clearly divided
by the kind of
habitat into
water-dividing and
coastal-valley;
secondly, apart from
the tundra proper,
meadows, tundra
swamps etc. also
belong here. Tundra
can be clearly
distinguished by
microrelief. It
manifests itself
least of all in dry
sand tundra, which
is so common, e.g.
on the
Sibiryakova
Island
(Kuvaev and others,
1994); on their
levelled surface
higher plants (Novosierersia,
Salix
polaris,
Cassiope tetragona
(R.) D.Don and
other), bryophytes
Musci (Rachomitrium
spp. and various
species of
Polytrichum spp.)
and lichen
Lichenes (Partusaria
spp., Stereocaulon
spp. and others)
participate in the
vegetative cover in
a comparable ratio.
Structured tundra –
hummocky, spotted,
polygonal – develops
on more humid soils
with a heavier
mechanical
composition. The
latter is
depressions in the
form of rather
correctly-shaped
rectangulars, filled
with water and
framed with
barriers. They can
be of such correct
shape that may seem
from the air to be
ruled on paper.
Tundra meadows are
often formed near
firns. Perennial
grasses prevail
here, especially
Poace spp.,
Hedysarum
hedysaroides and
also Salix
nana and others.
There are few
mosses, and out of
the lichen only
Cetraria
delisei is
common here.
A special kind of
meadows is laida
meadows in the
estuary parts of
river valleys, which
are reached by tidal
saline waters,
especially when
surging winds blow.
Their reddish low as
if trimmed herbage
is mostly formed by
Carex spp.
and spreading
meadowgrass
Pussinellia spp.
Tundra swamps
is a consequence of
the swamping of
tundra and the
overgrowing of small
lakes. The swamps
can be both
unstructured and
polygonal. They are
often filled with
water, especially at
the beginning of the
vegetative period.
The soils are gleyey
and swampy. The
vegetation consists
of Dupontia
fisheri, Carex,
Salix polaris,
Sphagnum spp.
and Bryales
spp.
Polar deserts
are found on the
Russkiy
Island
(Kuvaev and others,
1997), on the
Troinoy
Island (Kozhevnikov and
others, 1994) and on
other islands. The
continental arctic
deserts have been
investigated in
detail by
N.V.Matveyeva (1979)
and V.V.Mazing
(1982). There are
still no formed
soils here, but very
crearcut geotectonic
formations on the
rocky ground –
rings, medallions
and polygons – are
developed. Their
occurrence was
caused by freezing
processes, which
also led to the
vertical location of
stone plates, slabs
etc. The total
vegetative cover
amounts here to few
pro cent, sometimes
pro cent fractions.
Only scale lichens
out of the genera:
Rhizocarpon,
Lecidea, Psoroma
hypnorum and
others are
significant.
The tundra
communities are
monotonous and
looking the same,
especially in the
nasty weather. But
on clear days, under
the high light-blue
sky and the pale
polar sun the tundra
transforms beyond
recognition. The
velvety green
herbage, completely
covering hills and
plains, is filled
with warmth, and the
entire northern
landscape opens up
in a vast
spaciousness and
freedom. Such sunny
days are very rare
here, but they leave
an indelible
impression for the
rest of one`s life. |
