What are natural complexes? This is a geographical concept that refers to a number of interconnected components of nature. They can cover both vast territories and completely small areas of the Earth. What natural complexes are there? What is the difference? What are they characterized by? Let's find out.
Geographic Shell
Telling what natural complexes are, it is impossible not to mention the geographical shell. This is a conditional concept that unites several spheres of the Earth at once, which intersect and interact with each other, forming a single system. In fact, it is the largest natural complex on the planet.
The boundaries of the geographic shell almost repeat the edges of the biosphere. It includes the hydrosphere, biosphere, anthroposphere, the upper part of the lithosphere (the earth's crust) and the lower layers of the atmosphere (the troposphere and stratosphere).
The shell is solid and continuous. Each of its components (terrestrial spheres) has its own patternsdevelopment and features, but at the same time is influenced by other areas and has an impact on them. They are constantly involved in the cycles of substances in nature, exchanging energy, water, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, etc.
Natural complex and its types
The geographical envelope is the largest, but not the only natural complex. There are a lot of them on the globe. What are natural complexes? These are certain areas of the planet that have a homogeneous geological structure, soil, vegetation, wildlife, climatic conditions and the same nature of the waters.
Natural complexes are also called landscapes or geosystems. They differ in vertical and horizontal directions. Based on this, the complexes are divided into zonal and azonal. The main reason for their diversity is the heterogeneity of the geographic envelope.
First of all, differences in natural conditions provide an uneven distribution of solar heat on Earth. This is due to the elliptical shape of the planet, the uneven ratio of land and water, the location of the mountains (which trap air masses), etc.
Zonal natural complexes
Zonal natural complexes represent mainly the horizontal division of the planet. The largest of them are geographic zones. Their arrangement is consistent and regular. The emergence of these complexes is directly related to the climatic conditions of the area.
The nature of geographic zones changes from the equator to the poles. Each of them has its own temperature and weather conditions, as well as the nature of soils, groundwater and surface water. There are such belts:
- arctic;
- subarctic;
- Antarctic;
- Subantarctic;
- north and south temperate;
- northern and southern subtropical;
- northern and southern subequatorial;
- equatorial.
The next largest zonal complexes are natural zones, which are divided according to the nature of moisture, that is, the amount and frequency of precipitation. They do not always have a purely latitudinal distribution. And they depend on the height of the terrain, as well as proximity to the ocean. Allocate the Arctic desert, steppe, tundra, taiga, savannah and other natural areas.
Azonal natural complexes
Azonal complexes are not connected with the latitudinal division of the planet. Their formation is associated primarily with the relief and formation of the earth's crust. The largest azonal natural complexes are oceans and continents, which differ significantly in geological history and structure.
Continents and oceans are divided into smaller complexes - natural countries. They consist of large mountain and plain formations. For example, the natural complexes of the Far East include the Central Kamchatka Plain, the Sikhote-Alin Mountains and the Khingan-Bureya Mountains, etc.
The natural countries of the planet include the Sahara desert,Ural Mountains, East European Plain. They can be divided into narrower and more homogeneous sections. For example, gallery forests located along the outskirts of the steppes and savannahs, mangrove forests located along the coast of the seas and in estuaries. The smallest natural complexes include floodplains, hills, ridges, urems, swamps, etc.
Components of natural complexes
The main components of any geographical landscape are relief, water, soil, flora and fauna, climate. The interconnection of the components of the natural complex is very close. Each of them creates certain conditions for the existence of the others. Rivers influence the condition of soils, soils and climate - the appearance of certain plants, and plants attract certain animals.
Changing even one component can lead to a complete change in the entire complex. The drying up of the river will lead to the disappearance of vegetation characteristic of the river area, to a change in the quality of the soil. This will certainly affect the animals that will leave the geosystem in search of their usual conditions.
Excessive reproduction of any kind of animal can lead to the extermination of the plants they eat. There are cases when huge swarms of locusts completely destroyed meadows or fields. Such a development of events does not go unnoticed by the natural complex and provokes changes in the soil, water, and then the climate regime.
Conclusion
So what are natural complexes? This is a natural-territoriala system whose components are homogeneous in origin and composition. The complexes are divided into two main groups: azonal and zonal. Within each group there is a division from large to smaller sections.
The largest natural complex is the geographic shell, which includes part of the lithosphere and atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere of the Earth. The smallest complexes are individual hills, small forests, estuaries, swamps.
