Tundra is a vast territory with a harsh climate. What plants are able to survive in these conditions, what kind of soil covers permafrost, how it is used in agriculture, read in this article.
Description of the tundra
This zone of nature occupies a vast territory from the Kola to the Chukchi Peninsula. Their coasts are washed by the Arctic Ocean. The climate of the tundra is characterized by low air temperatures, short summers and harsh winters that last up to nine months a year.
Characteristic of the tundra of the cold period is associated with the prevailing southerly winds blowing from the mainland. In summer, the weather is unstable with frequent and strong northerly winds. They bring cooling and heavy rainfall, the average annual amount of which reaches four hundred millimeters. Snow covers the soil surface almost all year round, up to two hundred and seventy days.
What kind of soil is in the tundra? This zone is distinguished by peat-bog and weakly podzolic soils. A characteristic feature is the presence of swamps. Their formation is associated with permafrost, which has waterproof properties.
The tundra of Russia is a zone with lowpopulation density. Indigenous peoples live here: Nenets, Chukchi, Yakuts, Saami and others. Their main occupation is reindeer herding. A description of the tundra is impossible without mentioning the places where minerals are mined, such as gold, apatite, nepheline, ores, and much more. Railway tracks do not satisfy the constantly growing needs of the population. This is due to permafrost, which prevents the construction of roads.
What are the tundras?
Tundra is a natural zone lying above the northern limits of forest vegetation. This is a territory with permafrost, which is never flooded with the waters of the seas and rivers. It is characterized by a large extent from the north to the very south, this is reflected in the climatic conditions within its zone. Therefore, the following types of tundra are distinguished:
- Arctic. They occupy the islands of the same name, covered with mosses, lichens, and rarely flower plants. The latter are perennial herbs and small shrubs. Willow and dryad, which is often called partridge grass, are common here. Perennial herbs are represented by polar poppy, small sedge, some grasses and saxifrage.
- The territory of the northern tundra is the mainland coast. They differ from the arctic in that the vegetation cover of this zone is closed. The soil of the tundra is ninety percent covered with green mosses and bushy lichens. Moss grows here. Flower plants are becoming more diverse. You can meet ozhika, saxifrage or highlander viviparous. Fromshrub plants - lingonberries, blueberries, wild rosemary, willow, dwarf birch.
The southern tundra of Russia, like the northern one, is distinguished by a continuous vegetation cover that covers the soil in tiers. The top row is dominated by willow and dwarf birch, the middle row is dominated by shrubs and herbs, while the bottom row is dominated by lichens and mosses
How do plants survive in harsh environments?
The climate of the tundra forced many plants to acquire so-called adaptations. For example, plants in which shoots creep or creep along the surface of the soil, and the leaves are collected in a rosette, use surface layers of air. Undersized representatives of the flora are helped to survive by snow cover.
In summer, plants struggle to retain moisture by shrinking leaves. Thus, the evaporating surface is reduced, which contributes to the retention of liquid. For example, the dryad and the polar willow have their own adaptations, thanks to which they survive. On the underside of the plants there is a dense pubescence that prevents the movement of air. This helps to reduce evaporation. In the tundra, most of them grow perennial plants. Some of them are viviparous, that is, fruits and seeds are replaced by bulbs and tubers. Such plants take root faster. This saves valuable time.
When is the tundra beautiful?
This is observed twice a year. The first time the tundra is beautiful is in August. During the ripening of cloudberries, the tundra changes from green to red, and then, when the berry ripens, to bright yellow. Cloudberry is the closest relative of raspberries and belongs to perennial herbaceous plants. Its stems are not covered with thorns, and the flowers are much larger. An interesting fact is that unripe fruits are red, and mature ones are orange. The inhabitants of the tundra appreciate cloudberries. They make jam from its berries. The fruits are consumed in soaked and steamed form.
The second time the beauty of the tundra is pronounced in September, because this month is called the golden autumn. The leaves of the trees turn yellow, from which everything around sparkles. This time is loved by mushroom pickers. The soil of the tundra at this time is so favorable that mushrooms grow here, which reach the height of local trees. It is noteworthy that they are not wormy at all.
Gley soils
According to the mechanical composition, they belong to heavy soils: loamy and clayey. The place of occurrence is ridged glacial plains. Permafrost thaws to a depth of fifty to one hundred and fifty centimeters. The tundra-gley soils are completely leached, that is, they do not contain readily soluble s alts and carbonates.
But they are rich in weathering products and humus, the content of which in the upper horizon is ten percent. The peaty and humus soil of the tundra contains forty percent of humus. Different subzones have different soil reactions. It is acidic in one area, slightly acidic in another, and neutral in a third.
Morphological structure of the soil
- The top layer is kind oflitter of semi-decomposed mosses and lichens. Its thickness is three to five centimeters.
- Horizon consisting of coarse humus or humus up to twelve centimeters thick. It is a moist loam of dark brown or dark gray color with densely intertwined roots. Such soil has an uneven border and a clear transition.
- Horizon, the thickness of which is eight to twelve centimeters. It is called illuvial. It is painted unevenly, the background is brown with rusty and pale gray spots. It is a loamy horizon with numerous roots.
- Gley horizon. Its thickness is twenty-twenty-five centimeters. What is the soil like in the tundra? It is brown in color with vague bluish spots. Sometimes rusty spots are visible on the general background. It is a loamy horizon, in rare cases - thixotropic. Differs in humidity and a small amount of roots.
- The horizon is illuvial. Its thickness is twelve to fifteen centimeters. Painted unevenly, background brown. There are dark gray and rust spots. The horizon is loamy, sufficiently moist, with a small content of roots. Permafrost is visible below. Often thixotropic.
- Gleyy loamy horizon of dark gray color. It contains many veins of ice.
What is the phenomenon of thixotropy?
This is a state when highly moistened soils under mechanical action on them are able to change their state from viscous-plastic to quicksand mass. After some time, the soil returns to its original state. Moreover, the humidity does not decrease. Continental tundra is rarely subject to the phenomenon of thixotropy, which decreases in subzones from north to south. This also applies to soil gleying.
Use of tundra soils in agriculture
The main industry in the Arctic tundra is reindeer breeding. Agriculture is also advancing very slowly. Potatoes, cabbages, radishes, carrots, rutabagas and other vegetables began to be grown in some areas. Some grain crops are also grown at experimental stations and state farms.
When developing new land plots, they take into account the unfavorable factors that are characteristic of tundra soils. Therefore, the main tasks of soil cultivation are their drainage, activation of biological processes, improvement of aeration, elimination of the harmful effects of permafrost, and much more. To make the soil suitable for agricultural use, it is fertilized with manure, peat, organic and mineral fertilizers. The soil of the tundra, experiencing the influence of cultivation, is changing. The best indicator is a decrease in the level of permafrost. Its effect on plant growth is greatly reduced.
