Steppes are the richest communities in species drought-resistant plants– xerophytes. They are common where the climate is warm but there is not enough rainfall for forest to grow. Steppe is “a type of vegetation represented by a community of drought-resistant perennial herbaceous plants dominated by turf grasses, less often sedges and onions.” If you analyze the geographical distribution of steppe landscapes on the globe, you will find -
It is believed that the most typical steppes are formed in the interior regions of the continent. Steppe zones of the temperate zones of the northern and southern hemispheres, characterized by a dry climate, treeless watersheds, and the dominance of herbaceous, predominantly cereal vegetation on chernozem, dark chestnut and chestnut soils.
The area is dominated by steppes, which are modified by pasture digression and represent low-grass pasture communities dominated by fescue and wormwood. The haymaking variants of the steppe have been preserved in small fragments, among which there are the southern, northern and central variants, which represent the transition between the northern and the southern. In the steppes of the central variant, if they are not disturbed by grazing, feather feather grass, Zelesssky feather grass, and narrow-leaved feather grass are common. In addition, there are fescue and forbs are very abundantly represented. The steppe also includes shrubs - caragana, spirea, gorse, and broom.
In addition to the mountain steppes, solonetzic steppes have been preserved in small fragments on the plain, which usually include Lerch's wormwood, Gmelin's kermek, and false wheatgrass. It is typical for the steppe on gravelly soils
participation of species - petrophytes, i.e. stone lovers - protozoan onosma, thyme, mountain grate, Siberian cornflower and others. Such steppes are especially easily destroyed by pasture digression. The productivity of steppe hayfields is up to 4-5 c/ha
Hay, the productivity of steppe pastures as a result of overgrazing is low and amounts to no more than 15-20 c/ha of green mass
for the entire grazing period. According to the classification, according to the research of Professor Mirkin B.M. , all steppes of the Republic of Bashkortostan can be divided into two main types - meadow and typical. Meadows are common in the forest-steppe zone, and in the steppe zone they gravitate towards the slopes of northern exposure.
Typical steppes occupy areas in the steppe zone of the republic.
Ball-headed Echinops
Biennial or perennial herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family. The height of the plant reaches 1.5 m. The stem is single, straight, branched at the top. It is covered with glandular hairs. The leaves are twice pinnately dissected, large, 10 to 25 cm long and 4 to 10 cm wide. Rosette leaves with a petiole, the rest sessile, stem-embracing. They are green above and covered with white felt below, with small spines along the edges. The flowers are collected in spherical inflorescences and are bluish-white in color. The spherical heads have a diameter of 4-5 cm. Seed fruits. It grows in river valleys, among bushes, on the edges of island forests, and in wastelands.
The plant population on the Roman Mountain hill is represented by single plants. Occasionally there are “islands” of 5-10 plants. In general, the plants are in good living condition.
Yarrow
A perennial herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family. A plant with an erect stem. In the conditions of the Republic of Belarus, its height ranges from 48 to 72 cm. Several shoots of stems extend from a thin creeping rhizome. The basal leaves are lanceolate, bipinnately dissected into narrow small lobules. Stem leaves are shorter, pinnately dissected.
Stem leaves are shorter, pinnately dissected, divided into big number lobes The inflorescence is corymbose, consisting of many flower baskets. The flowers are small, white, mauve or reddish. It blooms in June-August for a very long time.
It grows everywhere on the hill, where there are areas of meadow steppe. It is especially common on the southern side of the slope in flat places, where cattle often graze and closer to the Asly-Udryak River.
Asparagus officinalis
A perennial herbaceous plant from the lily family. The stem of asparagus is erect, reaching a height of up to 150 cm, and highly branched. The branches on the stem extend at an acute angle. The leaves are reduced to scales, and modified shoots resembling leaves are formed in the axils of the stem. The underground stem is straight and smooth. It is juicy, etiolated, forming shoots extending from the rhizome. These stems are used as a vegetable plant. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow. Perianth of six petals with 6 stamens. The fruit is a red spherical berry. Blooms in June – July. Asparagus grows in meadows, among thickets of bushes, and is also found in the steppe, on the slopes of mountains.
It is quite rare in the study area. Found in areas adjacent to the forest belt and located between rows of trees inside the forest belt. The population is represented by single plants.
Adonis spring
A perennial herbaceous plant from the buttercup family. Adonis has a push-pull development - at the beginning
Is different early flowering, and then the formation of the stem and leaves occurs. Blooms early in spring - from late April to May. A bush with up to 20-30 flowers blooms from 40 to 50 days. The very first flowers, as a rule, are large, but they are pale yellow, golden, apical, solitary, and are abundantly visited by bees. Adonis at the beginning of flowering has a bush height of 10 to 15 cm, and in the fruiting phase it reaches 30-70 cm. Each bush has from 2 to 15 generative and from 4 to 23 vegetative shoots.
Found everywhere in the study area. The population consists of more than 150 plants that are in good vital condition.
Budra ivy-shaped
A perennial herbaceous plant from the Lamiaceae family. Budra has a creeping and branched stem; it takes root, forming new stems. The leaves are petiolate, opposite, crenate-toothed, rounded, kidney-shaped. They are covered with hairs. Flowers 3-4 pcs. located in the axils of the middle stem leaves, they are small, two-lipped, violet-blue or bluish-lilac in color. The pedicels are 4-5 times shorter than the calyx and are equipped with awl-shaped bracts. The calyx is covered with hairs; its teeth are triangular, finely pointed. The height of the rising stems ranges from 10 to 40 cm. It blooms in May-June.
Grows along the ravine and on the southern side of the slope. Large population, studied during the beginning of flowering.
St. John's wort
A perennial herbaceous plant from the St. John's wort family. The stem is straight, 45 to 80 cm high, glabrous, with two edges. The leaves are oblong-ovate, entire, opposite, sessile. Translucent dotted containers that resemble holes are scattered on the leaves - hence the name - perforated.
The flowers are numerous, golden-yellow in color, collected in a wide paniculate, almost corymbose inflorescence. Sepals are sharp with an entire edge. The petals are twice as long as the sepals, blooms in June-July. The fruit is a three-lobed multi-seeded basket, opening with 3 valves. The rhizome is thin, several stems extend from it.
Found only in one place on the eastern flat side of the hill. Represented by 8-15 plants.
Veronica dubravnaya
Perennial herbaceous plant. Preserves green shoots all year round. The leaves are located opposite, in the axils of the racemes of irregular flowers. A flower has 2 stamens and 1 pistil. The fruit of Veronica is a flattened capsule.
Grows in meadow areas of the steppe of the study area. Plants are evenly distributed among other species. Often found on the outskirts of forest belts.
Bonfire without bones
Belongs to the cereal family. It has smooth stems reaching one meter in height. The leaves are flat and wide. The spikelets are collected into an inflorescence - a spreading panicle. The fire is not bad forage grass, blooms from late May to June. Many tall, erect shoots of flower stalks extend from the creeping rhizome.
In plant communities of the hill it is an environment-forming species, because found evenly often almost everywhere.
knotweed
An annual herbaceous plant from the buckwheat family. A small plant with a height of 10 to 40 cm. It has straight, prostrate, branched stems. The leaves are elliptical or lanceolate, small, with a short root. The flowers are located in the axils of the leaves, distributed evenly throughout the plant. The corolla of the flower is pale pink. The fruit is a triangular nut. It blooms from May to October. It grows along roads, in streets, in yards, in pastures. On pastures where there is a heavy load of livestock, all types of plants suffer, leaving only knotweed.
This species is well defined at the foot of the hill from the side of the river and the animal stable. Almost never found in the main system.
Common cress
Herbaceous plant from the cruciferous family. Bright green rosettes of colza made of fancy lyre-shaped ones. pinnately dissected leaves in large quantities visible in fields plowed last fall. Blooms in May-June. With an abundance of sun and moisture from melted snow, the cress quickly develops a flowering shoot with a cluster of yellow flowers. The fruit is multi-seeded, dehiscent by two valves. A good honey plant.
In the vegetation cover of the hill it grows unevenly and occurs in a big way from the side of the field located closer to the eastern slope.
Kozelets purple
Achenes at the base with a hollow, swollen stalk, 12 mm long, ribbed, light gray. Stems are straight and erect, furrowed, simple and branched. The basal leaves are on long petioles, pinnate and dissected, with narrow linear lateral segments. The baskets are cylindrical, the involucre is weakly arachnoid, then bare, its leaves are lanceolate, sometimes with a horn-like appendage. Flowers yellow, marginal with outside reddish.
It grows on a hill on the lawns between the trees of the forest belt. It occurs moderately often, the population consists of single plants that are located at a relatively short distance from each other - from 40 to 60 cm.
Karagana
Belongs to the legume family. A shrub with gray straight thin branches, with four closely spaced obovate leaves with a wedge-shaped base and thorns at the apex; flowers are golden-yellow with a wide obovate sail, a blunt boat, concentrated 2-3 on single peduncles, which are twice as long as the calyx, beans up to 3 cm long, glabrous, cylindrical, 1-4 seeds.
It grows mainly on the western slope of the mountain, in the ravine and the adjacent ravine on the northern side.
Nonea dark
Belongs to the borage family. The entire plant is covered with protruding stiff hairs and sparse glandular hairs. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, the lower ones are narrowed in the petioles, the rest are sessile, semi-stem-encompassing. The bracts are lanceolate, longer than the flowers, dark red-brown in color. The calyx is bell-shaped, incised to one part. The calyx lobes are lanceolate. The nuts are net-wrinkled.
It grows everywhere on the hill, it was studied and identified at the beginning of flowering.
Bell
Belongs to the bellflower family. The flowers are numerous, in a large branched inflorescence. The corolla is funnel-shaped, bell-shaped, blue or white. Stem with dense foliage. The leaves are large-serrate, glabrous or pubescent.
Grows in communities of studied plants between cereal plants. It is rare; there are only about 30 plants in the population.
Veronica longifolia
Belongs to the Norichnikov family. The leaves are unequally serrated to the very top with finely pointed,
Simple or to the base of the b.ch. double serrated, oblong or linear-lanceolate, sharp at the base, heart-shaped or rounded, often whorled. The inflorescence is a terminal dense raceme, extending up to 25 cm, sometimes with several lateral racemes; flowers on stalks, almost equal to calyxes. Corolla blue about 6 mm. Long, with a hairy tube inside. The entire plant is glabrous or with short grayish pubescence.
The distribution of this plant in the studied ecosystem is moderately rare. Grows as individual plants or 2-3 individuals.
Violet is amazing
Belongs to the violet family. Stem up to 30 cm tall. The petioles of large broad-heart-shaped stem leaves are grooved, pubescent only on the convex, downward-facing hairs. The stipules of the stem leaves are large, entire, the stipules are large, rusty-red.
On a hill it grows in places with low grasses or among low grass cover, loves rocky surface areas.
Forest anemone
Ranunculaceae family. Perennial. Stem leaves are not fused, similar to basal leaves, short-haired. The flowers are yellow-white.
It grows in small “families” between pine rows of trees and separately on open slopes on the eastern and northern sides of the Roman Mountain hill.
Field bindweed
Belongs to the bindweed family. A bare or scatteredly drooping plant with recumbent, creeping or climbing shoots. Flowers are up to 3.5 cm in diameter, usually collected in groups of 2-3 or single. Bracts in the form of a pair of small linear leaves are located oppositely in the middle of the peduncle and do not reach the calyx. The corolla is pink, rarely white.
Grows in areas with other meadow plants on the side of the ravine and river.
Onosma Preuralskaya
Belongs to the borage family. The pedicels are very short, much shorter than the bracts. The whole plant is hard and rough. The stem is straight, simple, less often branched, covered with hard, spaced bristles and thick down. The basal leaves are numerous, petiolate, linear, the stem leaves are sessile, linear-lanceolate.
Likes open sunny places with rocky soil. Grows in crowded bushes. Very interesting during the flowering period. On the Roman Mountain hill there are not many plants on the top on the south side. Numerical counting showed about 20 plants.
Lowland wormwood
Belongs to the Asteraceae family. The root is vertical, woody, developing branched flowering shoots and straight ribbed reddening branched flowering stems. The leaves of sterile shoots and the lower stem leaves are double-, thrice-pinnately dissected, their lobules are narrow-linear 3-10 mm long, barely pointed, the middle and upper stem leaves are sessile, the bracts are short, narrow-linear. The outer leaves of the involucre are oval, almost round, convex, green along the back, the inner leaves are broadly membranous along the edge.
Well expressed as a cover plant on the southern slope of the Roman Mountain hill. Plants below regular size, which indicates oppression by pasture load.
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Plants and animals of the steppe Presentation made by Brusentseva S.G., teacher primary classes MBOU Lyceum No. 6 of Essentuki
In Russian history, the steppe is understood not only as a type of natural zone, but also as a habitat for nomads of various origins - “steppe dwellers”, united by the word “Steppe”. In the territory southern Russia From this time, a small number of stone idols remained - “women”, most likely having the meaning of religious symbols or monuments installed at the graves of prominent members of the society of that time.
He walks across the steppes, is filled with the aroma, and stirs the oceans of feather grass like a master.
Characteristic steppes - treeless vast plains covered with rich grassy vegetation.
Types of steppes: 1. Mixed grass steppe. Forms in conditions of good moisture. It is distinguished by great species diversity: cereals are represented by broad-leaved species, and the forbs include many plants characteristic of meadows and forest clearings. The height of the vegetation cover can reach more than 1 m.
2. Typical steppe. There are a lot of herbs here, but their life activity ends at the end of June. The vegetation cover is no more than 0.5 m high.
3. Dry steppe. An even drier version of the steppe. The vegetation is represented by small turf grasses; Among the herbs, plants with rosette shoots, heavily pubescent or with a waxy coating on the leaves predominate. Plant height is 10-20cm.
4. Desert steppe. The driest variant of the steppe. The vegetation is low-growing (5-8 cm). Large cereals or shrubs have a large root system that goes several meters deep.
Plants of the steppes. Plant communities are represented by perennial herbaceous plants with a powerful root system, their above-ground organs are adapted to reduce water evaporation. Several groups of plants can be distinguished: turf grasses; forbs; perennials. Shrubs are also common in the steppe.
When the feather grass is in bloom, the steppe looks like a sea with waves rolling through it.
Comb wheatgrass Hair grass or sandy grass fescue Fescue or Welsh fescue Many steppe grasses are capable of forming a powerful turf that is larger in volume aboveground parts plants. The bluish color of many plants is due to the presence of a multi-layered cuticle and a waxy coating, which help reduce the evaporation of moisture through the leaves.
Forbs are represented by the following plants: Bluebells Gentian Larkspur wedge-shaped
In the steppes, with a decrease in precipitation, in rocky and saline areas, the proportion of narrow-leaved grasses and wormwood increases, and succulent plants appear - Crassulaceae, vinaceae. Young Goniolimon Tatarian Sedum
Ephedra is a low-growing branched shrub with jointed twig-like branches. The leaves are reduced to scales, the seeds are covered with a juicy orange-red cover. Sandy immortelle
Perennials - plants that bloom in early spring. In summer, the above-ground parts die off, leaving only underground storage organs with buds - bulbs, tubers, rhizomes. Tulips Iris Onion Sleep-grass or open lumbago
Spring steppe - tulips
Shrubs. A characteristic feature of steppe landscapes is the development of bushes. The absence of ungulates promotes the growth of caragana (acacia), spirea, thorns and other shrubs. Thickets of caragana (acacia) bush
Golden currant Steppe cherry
Russian broom Rosehip Aronia cotoneaster
The main part of steppe animals: a) ungulates; b) rodents and lagomorphs; c) birds; d) insects. Animals of the steppes. A large group of steppe species consists of predators.
I live in the great steppe. It's relaxed here, pee-pee-pee! And my friend the hamster lay down on the grass, like in a hammock.
We graze, we walk in a chain, we make friends with the Australian steppe. We are curly, be-be-be, take our wool for yourself. Sheep, rams
The animal stands in a column on the steppe path. He knows all the blades of grass inside and out.
The saiga is the only surviving species of wild ungulates in the Caspian and Kazakhstan steppes. The animal is perfectly adapted to life in open spaces. The compact, dense body and slender limbs allow it to reach speeds of up to 60-80 km/h. These nomads spend most of their time in constant movement. The specific shape of the nasal cavities, forming a soft, movable proboscis, allows you to effectively filter dust, warm or cool the inhaled air. Because of this “nose,” even saigas a few days old have a thick bass voice. The ten-thousand herds of saigas have become history. To protect rare animals that migrate hundreds of kilometers annually and do not respect borders, several interstate environmental agreements have been signed.
Rodents – small sizes make these animals vulnerable and dependent on climatic conditions. 80% mammals steppe zone lives in burrows. To survive the harsh winter, these sedentary animals eat in the summer, accumulating thick layers of fat, and storing food in burrows. Common marmot
Lesser gopher Steppe ferret
Steppe filly
Dung beetle Ladybug Darkling beetle Gloomy moth
The bustard is a large bird (up to 16 kg) with a typical protective coloration. The bustard is similar in lifestyle to the bustard, but smaller in size. Birds in the steppe can have a very diverse menu - they feed on plant seeds, insects, reptiles, and small rodents. These are, for example, rare and protected birds (Red Book of Kazakhstan) - bustard, little bustard, demoiselle crane. Demoiselle Crane
Among the grass and bushes you can find many small birds, filling the steppe with polyphony in the spring. Adults feed mainly on seeds; the chicks are fed insects. Shrike Gray partridge Hoopoe
Predatory animals make up special group in the steppe. They may belong to different size classes. Large ones - wolf, fox, corsac dog. Small ones - praying mantises, spiders. Medium - steppe polecat, badger, hedgehog, steppe viper, sand viper and green lizards.
Steppe Eagle Kestrel
The term "steppe" has a very broad meaning. From the point of view of geobotany, the steppe is a collective concept that unites the herbaceous vegetation of watershed spaces of a more or less dry-loving nature.
Steppes can cover flat watersheds (here they are almost completely destroyed), slopes, and hills. There are flat, hilly and mountain steppes. But the most typical for each region are flat steppes, occupying relatively flat watershed spaces. Usually the main characteristics of the vegetation of the zone are given specifically for such steppes.
When moving from north to south, the appearance of the steppes in flatland conditions reveals regular changes, the analysis of which allows us to identify several subzones of steppe vegetation.
Within the forest-steppe zone on treeless watersheds in the past, forb-meadow Steppes were ubiquitous. We can now judge their composition from small islands of protected steppes in the Central Black Earth Region. Humus-rich soils and sufficient moisture contributed to the development of a high and dense grass cover here, creating continuous retention. The grass cover of these steppes is especially rich in meadow-steppe forbs; in spring and early summer it forms a bright, colorful carpet, constantly changing its color.
Among the grasses of this subzone, loose-bush and rhizomatous plants with relatively wide leaf blades predominate: bromegrass, meadow bluegrass, ground reed grass, and steppe timothy. Of the feather grasses, only the most moisture-loving ones are found here, most often John’s feather grass and angustifolia.
The forbs are dominated by meadow sage, tuber grass, meadowsweet, mountain clover, sandy sainfoin, wood anemone, mountain grass, sleep grass, etc.
E.M. Lavrenko (1940) distinguished two variants of mixed-grass meadow steppes - northern and southern. A remarkable monument of the southern version of these steppes is the Streletskaya steppe under
Kursk, where V.V. Alekhin (1925) in flat conditions encountered up to 120 species on an area of 100 m2, and 77 on 1 m2. Distinctive feature forb-meadow steppes - their extraordinary colorfulness, multiple changes in color in spring and early summer, caused by alternating mass flowering various types of forbs.
To the south of the forb-meadow steppes there is a subzone of typical (or true) steppes. The overwhelming majority of their herbage consists of narrow-leaved turf grasses, mainly feather grass and fescue, which is why these steppes received the name grasses, or feather grasses. Among the feather grasses, Lessing's feather grass and feather grass are predominant. In the south of Ukraine, in addition, Ukrainian feather grass is common, and in Northern Kazakhstan and Western Siberia- reddish feather grass.
Forbs in typical steppes play a subordinate role, as a result of which they are less bright and not as colorful as those more northern.
Turf perennial grasses, which form the basis of the grass stand of typical steppes, never create a continuous sod of the soil. Between the tufts of cereals there are always areas of bare soil, the area of which increases to the south. The reason for the increasing thinning of grass grass to the south is the lack of moisture in the soils of the steppe zone. Herself root system turf grasses have a branched network of very thin roots near the surface, capable of trapping moisture from even the slightest summer precipitation.
The proportion of grasses in the grass stand of typical steppes is very large. According to B.A. Keller (1938), in the feather grass steppes of the Central Black Earth Region, cereals provide more than 90% of the total mass of hay. In the fescue-feather grass association of the Askania-Nova Nature Reserve they specific gravity ranges from 79 to. 98% of the total plant mass. Numerous ephemerals and ephemeroids find shelter between the tufts of cereals. These include common stonefly, various types of chives, brightly blooming Schrenck and Bieberstein tulips.
In the life of typical steppes great importance has the underground, root part of plants. In the upper soil horizons there are complexly branched underground parts of the plant community. At the same time, the plant mass of the underground part is much higher than that of the aboveground part. Thus, in the cereal steppes of Askania-Nova, 1 g of living above-ground parts accounts for from 8 to 30 g of root mass. According to the research of M. S. Shalyt (1950), from 37 to 70% of the total root mass is concentrated here at a depth of 0 to 12 cm. However, the depth of root penetration is not limited by the humus horizon. The roots of taproot perennials in the Askania-Nova steppes (for example, such as pyrethrum millifolia, some sedges) penetrate to a depth of 1.5-2.5 m.
Typical steppes, in turn, are divided into two main options. In the northern part of the subzone, on ordinary and southern chernozems, forb-fescue-feather grass steppes (“colorful feather grass”) are common. In these steppes, gradually decreasing northern forbs (meadowsweet, sleep grass, mountain clover) are mixed with drought-resistant forbs (steppe and drooping sage, angustifolia peony, crescent alfalfa, prickly sage, many-flowered capstia, real and Russian bedstraw, noble yarrow). There are still relatively few ephemeroids here.
The reference areas of forb-fescue-feather grass steppes are considered to be the Starobelskaya steppe in the Seversky Donets basin, studied back in 1894 by G.I. Tanfilyev.
Fescue-feather grass steppes (“colorless feather grass”) are developed on dark chestnut soils and partly on southern chernozems. On the Russian Plain they do not have a continuous distribution and consist of several massifs. But east of the Volga, and especially beyond the Urals, they stretch in a wide strip. Fescue and southern feather grass species dominate in these steppes. The forbs here are poor and very drought-resistant: hairy beetroot, Caspian ferula, thin-leaved yarrow, pyrethrum species. in spring important role ephemeroids play - tulips and goose bows. In the strip of fescue-feather grass steppes there are quite a lot of solonetzes and solonetzic soils with fescue-wormwood and wormwood groups. The standard of fescue-feather grass steppes of the Russian Plain is Askania-Nova. In other places west of the Volga they practically did not survive anywhere. They are best preserved in the Volga region, the Southern Urals and Kazakhstan.
To the east of the Volga, especially in Western Kazakhstan and the Trans-Urals, fescue (dry) steppes developed. V.V. Ivanov (1958) considered them an analogue of real tussock-grass low-forb steppes.
Characteristic features of fescue steppes that make it easy to identify them are:
- the undivided dominance of fescue, which is joined by the feather grass of Tyrsa, Lessing, Sarepta, occupying a clearly subordinate position;
- a sharp reduction in the role of forbs;
- the disappearance of common steppe shrubs of bean, spirea and chiliga from the grass stand of the flat steppe and their isolation in depressions;
- the appearance of xerophytic subshrubs (white wormwood, prostrate grass, millennial pyrethrum);
- weak solonetsity of soils or even its complete absence (Ivanov, 1958, p. 29).
Fescue, like other more northern types of steppes, are now almost completely plowed. We can say that their typical lowland variants have now completely disappeared. Their structure can now be judged either from geobotanical descriptions of old authors, or from the pitiful patches of these steppes preserved near the slopes.
To the south of the steppe zone (practically already in a semi-desert on chestnut, less often on dark chestnut soils) a subzone of desert wormwood-fescue-feather grass steppes is distinguished. In the herbage of the subzone, in addition to narrow-leaved turf grasses (fescue, wheatgrass, feather grass), there are many drought-resistant subshrubs: wormwood, saltwort, and twig grass. The grass stand here is usually open. The vegetation cover is characterized by complexity and patchiness.
While studying these steppes, back in 1907 N.A. Dimo and B.A. Keller (1907) introduced the concept of “semi-desert” into the literature. Clarifying it, Academician B.A. Keller (1923) wrote that semi-deserts should include “associations in which, due to sparseness, low stature, and the like, along with grasses of a steppe nature - fescue, feather grass, thin-legged grass - such dry-loving plants play a large role subshrubs, like sea wormwood and kochia” (p. 147).
There was great debate on the issue of identifying a subzone of desert steppes or “steppe deserts”. We mention them here only because the transition from steppes to deserts does not occur immediately, but gradually and sometimes, surrounded by real desert landscapes, you can find islands of steppes.
In general, when moving from north to south, the following regular changes in vegetation are observed, noted by V.V. Alekhine (1934) and his followers.
- The grass stand is becoming thinner and thinner.
- The beauty of the steppes is greatly reduced as the number of dicotyledonous plants decreases.
- In the north, perennials reign supreme; to the south, the role of annuals increases.
- The number of broad-leaved grasses is decreasing and they are being replaced by narrow-leaved grasses.
- There is a change in the types of feather grasses - from large-turf to small-turf.
- Species richness decreases from 80 species per 1 m2 in meadow steppes to 3-5 in desert steppes.
- The seasonal dynamics of the steppe vegetation cover is becoming more and more arrhythmic. To the south, the spring burst of flowering is shortened.
- Relative mass underground parts plants increases in comparison with aboveground ones to the south.
It remains to add that the appearance of the steppes changes not only from north to south, but also to no less extent from west to east. The reason for this is the already mentioned increase in continentality towards the center of Eurasia. Suffice it to say that in different sectors of the steppe belt they grow different types feather grass (Ukrainian in the Black Sea region, red in Kazakhstan, Krylova in Khakassia, etc.).
Toward the center of the continent, the species abundance of the steppes sharply decreases. Thus, in the meadow steppes of the Russian Plain there are more than 200 species of grasses, in Western Siberia - 55-80, Khakassia - 40-50. The vegetation of the dry steppes of Askania-Nova in the Black Sea region is formed by 150 representatives of the grass cover, and in Khakassia - only 30-35 species.
However, based on these comparisons, the inland steppes should not be considered impoverished. It would be more correct to say that the European steppes are enriched with meadow herbs. We must judge the authenticity of the steppe by the participation of true steppe plants - xerophytes - in the grass cover. Their share in meadow steppes Southern Urals about 60%, and near Kursk - only 5-12%.
The greater typicality, and therefore increased stability, of steppe ecosystems inside the continent compared to the outskirts can be judged by the degree of development of root phytomass, one of the main indicators of vegetation adaptability to steppe conditions. The root reserves of steppe plants to the east are steadily increasing. According to Siberian ecologists and landscape scientists, in relation to the local steppes, the notorious question does not arise: “...is the forest encroaching on the steppe, or vice versa” (Titlyanova et al., 1983). The positions of steppe vegetation, represented to the east of the Urals by typical xerophytes with thick turfs, exclude the encroachment of forests on the steppes. The steppes of the Russian Plain with moisture-loving European herbs are not so resistant to forests.
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“Steppe, and steppe all around”, “Oh, wide steppe”, “Dust, roads, steppe and fog”…. The words from these songs are the first thing that comes to mind when we try to imagine this endless plain. So what is the steppe, and why is it so dear to the Russian heart that so many folk songs have been written about it? Where are the steppes located, and how do European steppes differ from North American ones? What dangers can await us in the steppe and who lives there? You will learn about all this from the material below.
The steppe is a grassy plain in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Eurasian steppe is located in the temperate zone. Trees here are found only in river valleys, where there is enough moisture. Look at the photo of the steppe: this is a real kingdom of grasses, feather grass, bluegrass, fescue and other plants that form a continuous or almost continuous carpet. Nowadays huge spaces The steppes were plowed into fields through which roads were built, and now large cities have grown on them.
Plants and animals in the steppe
Steppe plants are well adapted to heat and drought; they are distinguished by a grayish or gray-green color. Their leaves are usually thick, covered with a film called cuticle, sometimes rolled up in dry weather to reduce evaporation. The roots of steppe vegetation are tenacious and long. In spring, when there is the most moisture, beautiful flowers bloom in the steppe.
Steppe plants belong to various types. These include legumes, cereals, and other plants that are usually combined under the concept of “forbs.” Some herbs serve good food for animals, while others are inedible. But numerous inhabitants of the steppes find food there.
Typical plants of the steppes are feather grass. They belong to the cereals, of which there are about 300 species. The feather grass inflorescence is a dense panicle, and its seeds-caryopsis are equipped with long feathery awns. Thanks to this, they are easily transported by the wind, fall among other herbs and then burrow into the ground. The sharp tip of the grain, which is simply screwed into the soil, helps them in this. This is how feather grass spreads across the steppe.
Animals of the steppes include not only horses, which have long been domesticated, but also wild ungulate saigas. Hares live in the steppes, partridges nest, various rodents dig holes and store food.
Cause of fires in the steppes
Although steppe fires spread very quickly, they are easier to extinguish than forest fires. The fact is that a ground forest fire can turn into a terrible crown fire, but in the steppe this is simply impossible, since there are no trees there. main reason fires in the steppes are caused by human activity, and much less often by lightning. Not all animals and birds manage to escape, and spring fires still destroy their nests, their young and completely burn out the grass. Subsequently, the seeds are again carried by the winds into the soil, and life returns. But if fire comes too often, the steppe can turn into a semi-desert.
North American steppe - prairie
Steppes and prairies are essentially the same thing, they are just located on different continents. The prairie is the North American steppe, it is quite arid because it is located in the interior of the continent, and rocky mountains obscure it from precipitation to the west. Once upon a time, herds of bison grazed on these grassy expanses. Today they remain only in nature reserves and national parks, and the prairies have mostly turned into fields where corn, wheat and other crops are grown.
The cowboys, about whom so many adventure films have been made and books written, were ordinary shepherds. Among them were many African Americans and Mexican Indians.
Prairie animals and plants
Often in the prairies you can see a group of mounds with a diameter of 120 cm and a height of 60 cm, around which there is no grass. These are settlements of prairie animals - prairie dogs, their voice really sounds like a bark, but in fact they are rodents, related to squirrels. Dogs eat grass not only to get enough food, but also to better see their surroundings. 32 prairie dogs eat the same amount per day as one sheep, and 256 prairie dogs eat the daily ration of a cow.
The prairie plant buffalo grass is a common grass in these latitudes. It tolerates drought well, grows after the first rains and serves as food for bison.
Yucca - evergreen from the subfamily Agovaceae. It grows well in prairies, semi-deserts and deserts, withstanding both heat and winter cold. Fibers from one of its species, yucca filamentosa, are added to cotton to produce jeans. Thanks to this, the fabric becomes more durable.
The Mexican hat, or ratibida columnar, grows in prairies, wastelands and near roads from Canada to Mexico. This is a very hardy plant that likes limestone-rich soils but can grow on clayey areas and even slightly saline lands. And it got its name because of the shape of the flower with petals pointing down.
In past centuries, millions of bison, the closest relatives of bison, grazed on the expanses of the American prairies. But the prairies gradually turned into wheat and corn fields and pastures for cows, and bison were constantly hunted. And by the beginning of the 20th century. There were only 500 bison left. Only then did people come to their senses and begin to restore the number of these animals. Today there are tens of thousands of bison.
In the 19th century The pastures in the West did not have fences, and therefore herds from different ranches mixed with each other. The cows had to be separated and dispersed into pens all the time. This activity required considerable skill, and later a competition appeared on its basis - rodeo. Cowboys, mounted on horses, also drove cattle across the prairie to the nearest railroad stations. Sometimes this path was long and dangerous. The heyday of the cowboy era was 1865-1885. After railways covered the entire country, and long cattle drives became a thing of the past. However, cowboys still work on ranches and organize rodeos.