Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- I Introductory Chapters
- II Ecophysiology
- III Aquatic Bryophytes
- IV Desert and Tropical Ecosystems
- V Alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic Ecosystems
- VI Sphagnum and Peatlands
- 14 Living on the Edge: The Effects of Drought on Canada's Western Boreal Peatlands
- 15 The Structure and Functional Features of Sphagnum Cover of the Northern West Siberian Mires in Connection with Forecasting Global Environmental and Climatic Changes
- 16 The Southernmost Sphagnum-dominated Mires on the Plains of Europe: Formation, Secondary Succession, Degradation, and Protection
- VII Changes in Bryophyte Distribution with Climate Change: Data and Models
- VIII Conclusions
- Index
- References
15 - The Structure and Functional Features of Sphagnum Cover of the Northern West Siberian Mires in Connection with Forecasting Global Environmental and Climatic Changes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- I Introductory Chapters
- II Ecophysiology
- III Aquatic Bryophytes
- IV Desert and Tropical Ecosystems
- V Alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic Ecosystems
- VI Sphagnum and Peatlands
- 14 Living on the Edge: The Effects of Drought on Canada's Western Boreal Peatlands
- 15 The Structure and Functional Features of Sphagnum Cover of the Northern West Siberian Mires in Connection with Forecasting Global Environmental and Climatic Changes
- 16 The Southernmost Sphagnum-dominated Mires on the Plains of Europe: Formation, Secondary Succession, Degradation, and Protection
- VII Changes in Bryophyte Distribution with Climate Change: Data and Models
- VIII Conclusions
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Changes in structural and functional features of Sphagnum cover may be very sensitive indicators of climatic shift in Western Siberia. The spread of raised Sphagnum bogs in the West Siberian Plain is limited by low temperatures and the presence of a permafrost earth layer in the north, and by precipitation in the south. It is expected that global warming and increases in ambient CO2 concentrations may shift bioclimatic zones northward. Comparative ecophysiological analysis of Sphagnum indexes for contrasting bioclimatic zones is very important in order to forecast possible changes in northern peatlands and to estimate the tolerance range of Sphagnum species.
Western Siberia is located in the central part of the Eurasian continent, covering a vast area from the Urals to the Yenisei River. The extent of the territory is more than 2500 km in the meridional direction; therefore the climate in Western Siberia is very diverse. Within the bounds of the plain territory (West Siberian Plain, WSP) the latitudinal bioclimatic zones (tundra, forest tundra, taiga, forest–steppe, and steppe) are very well distinguished. They replace each other to the south in accordance with temperature and moisture gradients (Richter 1963).
Boggy soils are characteristic of the plain territories. Such types of soils can be explained by the surface slope to the north, high relative humidity, and weak drainage. However, the spread of mires to the north is limited by the presence of a permafrost layer.
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- Information
- Bryophyte Ecology and Climate Change , pp. 299 - 316Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
References
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