Mechanisms of the Formation of Extrazonal Biocenoses on the Solovetskiye Islands

Authors: Shvartsman, Yu.¹; Bolotov, I.²

Source: Russian Journal of Ecology, Volume 36, Number 5, September 2005 , pp. 312-319(8)

Publisher: MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica

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Abstract:

On the Solovetskiye Islands, subtundra forests and forest-tundra crooked forests are considered to be zonal biocenoses, as this region is intersected by the 12°C isotherm for July, which marks the boundary between the northern taiga and forest-tundra zones in northern Europe. The formation of extrazonal tundras on the islands is attributed to the cooling effect of the sea and the prevalence of cold northeasterly winds in the growing period. Herbaceous and herb-bilberry forests similar to their middle-taiga counterparts develop in this region due to a convective heat flow anomaly of high intensity (up to 40–50 W/m²). The phenomenon provides evidence for the existence of an active heat source in the crust under the archipelago. This source is probably a diapir fold involving the upward movement of the mantle.

Keywords: biocenoses; the Solovetskiye Islands; natural zonality; convective heat flow

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11184-005-0078-y

Affiliations: 1: Lomonosov State University, pr. Lomonosova 4, Arkhangelsk, 163006, Russia, 2: Institute of Ecological Problems of the North, Ural Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, nab. Severnoi Dviny 23, Arkhangelsk, 163061, Russia,

Publication date: 2005-09-01