Scandinavian and Russian taiga

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Scandinavian and Russian taiga
Forest at Leivonmaki NP.JPG
Forest of Pinus sylvestris with an understory of Calluna vulgaris in Leivonmäki National Park, Finland
Ecoregion PA0608.svg
Map of ecoregion in northeastern Europe
Ecology
Realm Palearctic
Biome Taiga
Borders
List
Geography
Area2,150,900 km2 (830,500 sq mi)

The Scandinavian and Russian taiga is an ecoregion within the taiga and boreal forests biome as defined by the WWF classification (ecoregion PA0608). [1] It is situated in Northern Europe between tundra in the north, temperate mixed forests in the south and the Urals montane tundra and taiga in the east. It occupies about 2,156,900 km2 (832,800 sq mi) in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the northern part of European Russia, being the largest ecoregion in Europe. In Sweden the taiga is primarily associated with the Norrland terrain. [2] The European Natura 2000 directive defines "Scandinavian and Russian taiga" as a broader area than the WWF, including parts of the temperate mixed forests in the region. [3]

Contents

Description

Geobotanically, the Scandinavian and Russian taiga belongs to the Northeastern European floristic province of the Circumboreal Region of the Holarctic Kingdom.[ citation needed ]

The ecoregion consists mainly of coniferous forests dominated by pine and spruce, [4] with a mixture of siberian spruce and siberian larch in the eastern parts of the ecoregion. [5] [6] One characteristic ecosystem is the fire-tolerant pine forest. [7] Fire-intolerant spruce dominate in very wet habitats. However, on acid peatlands in areas with low nutrition, pine thrive over spruce. [8] [9] [4] Birch, European aspen, gray alder, and goat willow are notable deciduous trees in the ecoregion, especially in riparian zones. [10] [11] [12] [13] The understory normally consists of tree saplings of different species. [4] Common juniper is a typical shrub species in drier habitats. [14] Peatlands are common in the ecoregion and some can cover vast areas. [15] [16]

Growing season in taiga areas is generally considered to be measured as the number of days for which average daily temperature exceeds 5 °C (41 °F). The longest growing season for the Scandinavian and Russian taiga occurs in the locales with marine influence from the North Sea and Baltic Sea: in coastal areas of Norway, Sweden and Finland the growing season of the closed boreal forest can reach as high as 145 to 180 days per annum. The shortest growing season of the ecoregion is found in continental Russia and at the far northern part of the ecoregion at the ecotone with tundra. [17]

Soil nutrient levels are generally poor, but diversity of soil organisms can attain high levels, particularly in the southern reaches of the ecoregion. In these southern elements of the ecoregion, closed canopy boreal forest with some temperate deciduous tree species interspersed among the dominant conifers, including maple, elm and oak. In some areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland and western Russia, this zone is exploited for agriculture.

The ecoregion is rich in lakes and wetlands, as exemplified by the Femundsmarka National Park in Norway, which is replete with marshes and lakes. [17] [18] Many wetland areas, such as the Pinega Nature Reserve in Russia, are important breeding grounds for birds [19]

Biodiversity

Taiga forest near Arkhangelsk Archangelsk taiga.JPG
Taiga forest near Arkhangelsk

Much of the ecoregion has been repeatedly been affected by glaciation, with the last glaciation covering a large fraction of the area. [20] [21] The widespread glaciation eliminated pre-existing flora, hence the biodiversity of the area is low. There are few endemic species in the ecoregion. [22]

There are a total of 368 native vertebrate species in the Scandinavian and Russian taiga according to WWF tabulation; when all migratory bird species are included, this number is somewhat larger. [17]

There are a number of special status mammals, birds and plants within the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, including the following native non-endemic threatened mammals: [17]

The Scandinavian and Russian taiga has only a single non-endemic special status native reptile: the Lower Risk grass snake ( Natrix natrix ). [17]

Native non-endemic threatened avian species in the ecoregion are: [17]

Protected areas

There are many rivers and lakes in the Taiga. Norwegian closed-canopy boreal forest at the Arctic Circle in Rana Municipality. RanelvaIllhoellia C.JPG
There are many rivers and lakes in the Taiga. Norwegian closed-canopy boreal forest at the Arctic Circle in Rana Municipality.

The following is a partial list of protected areas lying within the Scandinavian and Russian taiga: [17]

References

  1. ↑ Olson, D.M.; Dinerstein, E.; Wikramanayake, E.D.; Burgess, N. D.; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth". BioScience. 11 (2001): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.
  2. ↑ Sporrong, Ulf (2003). "The Scandinavian landscape and its resources". In Helle, Knut (ed.). The Cambridge History of Scandinavia . Cambridge University Press. pp.  22.
  3. ↑ Berglund, H. "Taiga" (PDF). Naturvårdsverket. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Hase, C. "Europe's virgin forests - boreal region". Virginforests. Christoph hase. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ↑ Ueda, K.I.; Agrin, N.; Kline, J. "Siberian spruce". Inaturalist. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Ueda, K.I. "Siberian larch". Inaturalist. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  7. ↑ Carlsson, J. "Improved and efficient restoration by controlled burning in boreal Western Taiga woodlands". European commission - LIFE public database. European commission. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  8. ↑ Houston Durrant, T.; de Rigo, D.; Caudullo, G. "Pinus sylvestris in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). Publ. Off. EU. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Caudullo, G.; Tinner, W.; de Rigo, D. 2016. "Picea abies in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg. Retrieved 6 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Beck, P.; Caudullo, G.; de Rigo, D.; Tinner, W. 2016. "Betula pendula, Betula pubescens and other birches in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg. Retrieved 6 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Caudullo, G; de Rigo, D (2016). "Populus tremula in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  12. ↑ Enescu, C.M; Houston Durrant, T; de Rigo, D; Caudullo, G (2016). "Salix caprea in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Houston Durrant, T; de Rigo, D; Caudullo, G (2016). "Alnus incana in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  14. ↑ Enescu, C.M; Houston Durrant, T.; Caudullo, G.; de Rigo, D. 2016. "Juniperus communis in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats" (PDF). European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. Publ. Off. EU, Luxembourg. Retrieved 6 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Clark, D; Joosten, H (2002). WISE USE OF MIRES AND PEATLANDS - BACKGROUND AND PRINCIPLES INCLUDING A FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKING. Saarijärvi, Finland: International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society. ISBN   951-97744-8-3.
  16. ↑ Similä, M; Mikkola, M; Jouni, P. "Boreal Peatland LIFE Project Working for the Finnish Peatlands" (PDF). Parks & Wildlife Finland 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Creative Commons by-sa small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.Hogan, C. Michael (November 19, 2012). McGinley, Mark (ed.). "Scandinavian and Russian taiga". Encyclopedia of the Earth. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  18. ↑ Waara, A (3 September 2014). "The world's lakes have finally been counted". Uppsala university. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  19. ↑ Heath, M.; Evans, M. (2000). Important bird areas in europe - priority sites for conservation (1 ed.). Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. p. 225-261, 675-697, 583-652. ISBN   0-946888-34-5 . Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  20. ↑ Fredin, O. (2002). "Glacial inception and Quaternary mountain glaciations in Fennoscandia" . Quaternary International. 95–96 (2002): 99-112. Bibcode:2002QuInt..95...99F. doi:10.1016/S1040-6182(02)00031-9 . Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  21. ↑ Rimantė, G (2004). "A brief outline of the Quaternary of Lithuania and the history of its investigation" . Developments in Quaternary Sciences, Elsevier. Developments in Quaternary Sciences. 2: 245-250. Bibcode:2004DevQS...2..245G. doi:10.1016/S1571-0866(04)80075-7. ISBN   978-0-444-51462-2 . Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  22. ↑ Jonsell, B (2000). Flora Nordica 1. Stockholm, Sweden: Bergius Foundation. p. Introduction cover. ISBN   91-7190-033-0 . Retrieved 6 July 2025.
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