Extracurricular activity "medicinal plants of Chukotka". Nature, plants and animals of Chukotka Fauna of Chukotka

More than 900 species of higher plants, more than 400 species of mosses and the same number of lichens grow in Chukotka. Even the flora of Wrangel Island - the northernmost land area of ​​Chukotka - has no less than 385 plant species, which is significantly more than the flora of any island of the same size in the Arctic zone.

At first glance, the vegetation here is very poor. Only sometimes in the river valleys one can find light-coniferous forests of lean Daurian larches and dwarf birches, and very rarely - relict Chozeni-poplar forests. Tundras with unpretentious shrub alder and dwarf cedar, sedge and cotton grass, blueberries and lingonberries are more common. The most typical landscape is mountainous and arctic tundra with small, pressed to the ground shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens.

Meanwhile, this plant scarcity is rather visible: over 900 species grow in Chukotka. higher plants, more than 400 species of mosses and the same number of lichens. Even the flora of Wrangel Island - the northernmost land area of ​​Chukotka - has no less than 385 plant species, which is significantly more than the flora of any island of the same size in the Arctic zone.

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is located in several natural zones, and therefore its vegetation cover is very diverse. Here you can select a zone arctic desert(which includes the Wrangel and Herald Islands, as well as a narrow strip of land along the coast of the North Arctic Ocean), a zone of typical and southern hypoarctic tundra and forest-tundra (Western Chukotka, Chukotka Peninsula, Nizhneanadyr lowland, southern part basin of the Anadyr river and Beringovsky district), as well as the zone of larch taiga (basins of the Anyui and Omolon rivers).

The fauna of Chukotka is no less diverse, which belongs to a typical "Arctic complex" centered in Alaska and is quite unique for the Russian North, since many species of Arctic fauna do not spread further to the west of Chukotka.

The Bering Sea is home to 402 fish species (65 families), of which 50 species and 14 families are commercial. The objects of fishing are also 4 types of crabs, 4 types of shrimps, 2 types cephalopods... About 30 kinds freshwater fish inhabits the inland waters of the Okrug, but mainly salmon, char and whitefish, as well as grayling, smelt, pike, broad and burbot are caught.

Birds are numerous: tundra partridges, ducks, geese, swans; on the coast - guillemots, eiders and gulls, forming "bird colonies". There are about 220 species in total.

There are white and brown bears, reindeer, bighorn sheep, sable, lynx, wolf, arctic fox, wolverine, ermine, chipmunk, white hare, fox, muskrat, mink, etc.

The seas are rich sea ​​animal: walrus, seal and whales.

There are many insects: mosquitoes, midges, horseflies.

To the Red Book Russian Federation included polar bear and bighorn sheep, marine mammals narwhal, humpback, fin whale, sei whale, gray and blue whales, minke whale, as well as 24 bird species.

There are nature reserve"Vranlega Island", natural-ethnic park "Beringia", state zoological reserve republican significance "Swan", state nature reserves regional (district) meaning "Avtotkuul", "Tumansky", "Tundrovy", "Ust-Tanyurersky", "Chaunskaya Bay", "Teyukuul", "Omolonsky".

In addition, there are 20 natural monuments of regional importance on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

Russian Civilization

- Tutorials and manuals - NATURE AND RESOURCES OF CHUKOTKA

Chapter 9. PLANT COVER

54. Geobotany and its terms

The vegetation cover of the Earth and its individual regions is studied by the science of geobotany. Like any science, geobotany uses special scientific words- in scientific terms. So that you can read exactly what we want to tell you about the vegetation cover of Chukotka, you should give a dictionary of at least the main terms commonly used by geobotanists. Vegetation cover is a multitude of plant species, which we refer to as different types, genera, families, orders, classes and types. I hope you remember something from your botany lessons about plant classification? At the same time, plant species that make up the vegetation cover belong to different life forms (grasses, shrubs, shrubs, trees) and different plant communities (meadow, tundra, forest, swamp). The vegetation cover changes in space - from place to place (Fig. 74), and in time - from year to year. At the same time, it changes species composition(flora) and a set of life forms and communities (vegetation).

Rice. 74. Vegetation cover changes in space - from place to place; each place corresponds to a certain plant community. Consider a typical change plant communities in the tundra of Chukotka from the bank of the brook to the top of the hill. Each community (its name is given in the rectangle) has its own specific plant species - the most numerous are shown in the pictures

A plant community is a relatively uniform patch of plant cover ranging in size from a few square meters in the tundra to a few hectares in the forest. Plant communities in the landscape occupy areas that are homogeneous in terms of conditions. In such areas, soil, hydrological and microclimatic conditions vary insignificantly; therefore, one set of species and one set of life forms of plants is usually maintained throughout the entire length.

Mass fruiting of cotton grass in the Chaunskaya tundra.

In early June, when we arrived in Chukotka, the tundra was already full of many flowers. The polar summer is short, the plants must have time to bloom and give seeds before the cold sets in and the white silence bites this harsh land.

Here and there, shaggy pink inflorescences of mytniks stuck out of the dry grass. The inflorescences of anemone trembled in the wind, fluffy pink carpets of blooming polar willow spread. On the shores more deep rivers alder thickets turned yellow with catkins. At the end of June, cloudberries and wild rosemary blossomed, marsh tussocks were enveloped in the white foam of their large fragrant flowers. Chamomiles and cyanosis are densely dotted with peat islands of tundra lakes. They grew in the most lush flower beds on the soils of gull colonies fertilized with bird droppings. But the tundra made the greatest impression during the mass fruiting of cotton grass - the white sea, undulating in the wind, stretched to the very horizon. The pebbles of the sea coast were full of carnations, wrestlers, forget-me-nots, polar poppies. By the beginning of August, the number of flowers had noticeably decreased. The first ripe cloudberries and blueberries appeared. July and August brought with them countless mushrooms. And here and there, among the moss and grass, one could see the little caps of aspen and birch trees. At the end of August, the leaves began to turn into autumn colors, lingonberries and shiksha arrived in time. Early September snowfalls will cover them. The berries will lie safe and sound under the snow and will be a good help for returning birds at the beginning of next summer.

Mytnik is woolly.

Siberian anemone.

Arctic willow.

Blossoms of northern cyanosis around the gull's nests.

Carnation creeping on the coast of the Chaunskaya Bay.

Ripe cloudberries.

Apollo Phoebus on aconite flowers.

Tundra mushrooms and lingonberries.

Polar poppies on the cliffs of the southern coast of Ion.

Toolkiton

ecological and local history education,

preschool teachers for work

with children and parents.

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Therefore, we have the opportunity to get acquainted, admire, with the flora and fauna of the tundra and the sea.

Humidity "href =" / text / category / vlazhnostmz / "rel =" bookmark "> humidity cereals and forbs appear. Rivers flow in high peat banks. Dry gravelly rises on the plains and lower parts of mountain slopes are occupied by lichens. Some plants grow in small turf trees (eg partridge grass), which interspersed with intervals of exposed soil, merge into solid carpets. Some plants form cushions (saxifrage) or spread over the soil, covering it with their dense branches (arctic willows and birches). Shoots and leaves pressed to the ground in winter The plants are well protected by the snow, the plants are small in size, and the most common lichens in the tundra are the fruticose lichens of the moss and the leafy lichens.

Green mosses form a continuous canopy that serves as a natural protection against thawing permafrost... Evergreen screeches form small sod beds of creeping branchy shoots; lichens various forms- leafy, tubular, scale - give the tundra a special charm.

We have a typical sedge-cotton grass tundra... Shrub willow stands, sedge meadows and horsetail swamps stretch along the banks of the river channels. Alders and birches grow on the gravel along the numerous streams where a lot of snow accumulates. The bark of the shrub alder is used by the indigenous people for tanning and dyeing deerskin a bright orange-red color; when smoking meat and fish. Tincture of earrings collected in winter is used for treatment, the leaves are applied to purulent wounds.

Dwarf birch is a characteristic component of the tundra vegetation cover. Well eaten reindeer in the spring and early summer... Blueberry thickets are the main component of dwarf shrubs and mountain tundras.

The relief of Chukotka predetermines low-lying plains, highlands and mountain ranges. Lowlands, as a rule, adjoin sea bays; composed of pebbles, sands and clays. Their relief is plain and hilly. The tops of the mountains are softly delineated and flowing, but in places they have a sharp character with stone walls and pillars. Such heights are called hills; in the mountains, snowfields persist almost all summer.

It happens that tundra and cold deserts develop and coexist in the same climatic conditions. Mountain plants descend from the hills to the plain, and since the mountains and plains often coexist, the char plants are also found on the plain tundra.

A combination of relief, soil, climate, vegetation, wildlife or natural area with natural factors are called ecosystem(ecosystem of the natural zone - tundra).

There are many mushrooms in the tundra; in some warm and rainy years, mushrooms grow from July to September, and they remain under the snow all winter.

Ringed seal... Males are somewhat larger than females. The head is small, the muzzle is short. Inhabits all northern seas... Live for over 40 years. The most widespread species of seals. The main food for polar bears. Keeps mostly in coastal zone, more often in bays, straits and river mouths, however, it also occurs in the open ocean, up to the North Pole. Lives in ice in winter. Cubs (1-2) are born on ice, the size of newborns is 60 cm.

Lionfish, or striped seal... Body length up to 1.6 m, weight up to 150 kg. The animal feeds mainly on fish and invertebrates. Whelps in the spring on the ice, the average size newborns 85 cm.Inhabit only in the northern part The Pacific and in the southern part of the Chukchi Sea. Summer habitats are poorly studied, since the lionfish never comes out on land. There are also restrictions on the extraction of lionfish.

Sea hare or bearded seal. The largest seal in the fauna of Russia. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable. Prefer coasts with large quantity islands, live sedentary. When fast ice forms, retreat to drifting ice

Walrus. Females are smaller than males. The body is elongated; the head is round, small, flattened in front, no auricles; on the upper lip stiff whiskers are arranged in several rows. Fangs protrude from the upper jaw at the corners of the mouth. The tail is short, barely visible, the skin is thick, wrinkled. In males, the neck and chest are covered with bumps and scars. The hair is sparse, short, absent in old animals. The walrus is common in all Arctic seas. Coastal mows are located on Wrangel Island, Chukotka, Novaya Zemlya, etc. Inhabits mainly shallow areas of the seas. He walks awkwardly on land or ice. When swimming fast, rowing with hind limbs. It can dive to a depth of 90 m and remain submerged for 20 minutes. Sleeps on the water both horizontally and vertically thanks to subcutaneous air sacs. Spends a lot of time on ice or land. It feeds mainly on mollusks, which it preys on the seabed. Some males can prey on the seal (in Chukchi, such a walrus is called a kelyuch). These animals can be dangerous to humans as well. In winter, the female gives birth to a cub on the ice.

Walruses have long been mined for their meat and fat; skins are used to build houses and boats. Tusks, “fish teeth”, are used to make hunting tools and various decorations. The indigenous population of the North widely uses all parts of the carcass, including the stomach, intestines, tendons, and bones. Fishing plays an especially important role in the life of the Eskimos and Chukchi. The ban and restrictions on hunting have led to an increase in the number of walruses in recent decades. In Russia, fishing is allowed only for the indigenous population of Yakutia and Chukotka.

Among floating ice closely related to coastal areas inhabits polar bear.

This is the largest living land predator, strong and dexterous, capable of fast running, easily jumps over ice ridges, makes jumps from a height of several meters into the water and onto the ice, clinging to the ice, clinging to almost vertical ice floes and icebergs. Swims well and dives well, staying underwater for up to two minutes

From close to him brown bear It is distinguished by an elongated and narrower body, a long mobile neck, a relatively small head with a straightened profile, short rounded ears, slightly protruding from the hairline. The feet are massive, with densely pubescent lower surfaces, the nails are slightly curved, sharp. The tail is short, hidden in the hairline. The fur is very dense in winter, but shorter and harder than that of a brown bear. Summer fur is shorter than winter fur. The color is the same in males and females, changing from white and yellowish (in autumn and winter) to straw-yellow, gray or almost brown (at the end of summer). Bears are generally active all year round and constantly roam among the ice, while reaching the North Pole and its environs. Gravitate towards sites open water... Wandering, they often find themselves on land and may linger there if the ice moves away from the coast. The main food is several species of seals, mainly the ringed seal and sea ​​hare(bearded seal). Once on land, they feed on lemmings, birds and their eggs, plant food- shrubs, grasses, berries, can switch to feeding on garbage from human habitation. They endure long hunger strikes. In December - February, the female gives birth to 1 - 3 blind and naked cubs. By the age of three months, they are covered with thick fur and become capable of roaming along with their mother. At the age of months, the cubs begin to forage on their own, although for more than a year they feed on their mother's milk. The family lasts for about two years (a female bear usually brings offspring every 3 years). Enemies and competitors, with the exception of humans, have polar bear Hardly ever. Bears have long been hunted by the local population of the North for their skins, meat and fat.

They tolerate captivity well and are kept in many zoos around the world. A person is rarely attacked, however, showing curiosity, they can come up to a close distance, so it is better to keep a distance from each other. View included in the Red Book of the RSFSR.

Most abundant in Chukotka are the sea coasts, where animals and birds
find food in the sea. On the rocky shores there are bird colonies, where
tens of thousands of birds nest. The most abundant are the thick-billed guillemot, Pacific guillemot, Ipatok, and puffin. Birds of prey usually live near bird colonies. Bazaar dwellers differ in the way they get food. The northernmost ivory gull in the world feeds on fish, crustaceans, as well as the remains of the prey of polar bears, which they often accompany in the ice for a long time. Kittiwakes mainly catch small fish, while auklets catch small invertebrates. The burgomaster eats chicks and eggs.
Seagulls, cormorants, ducks, brent geese, guillemots, Arctic terns, sandpipers, eiders- these birds spend a lot of time on the water, they dive well. They feed on small crustaceans, small fish; at low tide, there is also a lot of food on the shore. May appear off coasts only for breeding.

Sea gull- a large bird, a massive yellow beak with a red spot on the mandible. Legs are grayish red. In an adult bird in summer, the back and wings are black, the rest of the plumage is white; in winter, there are brown streaks on the sides of the head and neck. Sea gull nests on sea ​​coasts in separate pairs and colonies of different sizes. It feeds on fish, as well as eggs and chicks of other birds, berries, and various garbage. Winters in coastal waters.

White seagull- a medium-sized bird with a wingspan of about a meter. The plumage of an adult bird is white, the young one is mottled. The beak is small, gray, the legs are black. Walks well on land, reluctantly sits on the water. Often makes a sharp and sonorous cry. Breeds in separate pairs and colonies of different sizes both on rocks, even on icebergs, and on plains. The nest is very aggressive. In clutch there are 1 - 3 brownish-gray eggs. Outside the nesting period, it prefers to swim in the open sea, near the boundaries of floating ice. It feeds on fish, marine invertebrates, animal waste, carrion, as well as food debris from polar bears. In winter, it roams among the ice, often accompanies polar bears. This is the northernmost gull in the world; it lives in high latitudes all year round. In the Russian Arctic - 20 thousand individuals. The species is included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

Polar gull- large seagull, wingspan up to one and a half meters. The beak is powerful, red at the base and grayish at the end, the legs are light red. The upper body and wings of adult birds are grayish, beer is white; young birds are gray. Flies well, swims, walks on land. The cry is loud, rough. It feeds on lemmings, fish, eggs and chicks.

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The vegetation and soil cover of the tundra is very vulnerable. To destroy the millennial tundra soils, it is enough to drive over them with the tracks of an all-terrain vehicle. Many are familiar with the depressing pictures of the dense networks of all-terrain roads that surround the villages. It is known that after six passes along the track of domestic tracked all-terrain vehicles, the vegetation cover is completely destroyed, which leads to dramatic increase the temperature of the upper soil layer, and as a result - to the acceleration of thermoerosion and thermokarst, to the fluidity and creeping of soils, as well as the growth of ravines. In these places, depressions with water, swamps, lakes are formed, which quickly grow on the site of the land tundra. Drivers do not always follow the routes established for transport, and they randomly plow through the vastness of the tundra. In solving these problems, foreign experience deserves attention, in particular - the use of wheeled all-terrain vehicles with low-pressure tires, the laying of permanent roads on gravel embankments, the use of tracked vehicles only in winter.

Waste dumps cover huge areas near settlements... Tin cans, polyethylene products can decompose after several tens or hundreds of years, for the paper to decay, it takes 2-3 years. Broken glass does not decompose, and in sunny weather it can act as a lens and cause a dangerous tundra fire. What are the worth (and not only, and most importantly - not so much in monetary terms) the many millions and millions of metal barrels from gasoline, diesel fuel and other types of fuel scattered across the tundra. The tundra is littered with hunters, berry and mushroom pickers. People often stay at resting places broken glass, rubbish, broken bushes, fire marks, ruined bird nests. Leaving the place of rest, you must carefully clean it up, bury the trash, cans, glassware and put out the fire. It can be filled with water, covered with earth or sand, and in winter - with snow, not to leave the fire without extinguishing it completely. Severe consequences the flora and fauna of the tundra are brought by fires. Perhaps, only after 30 years they will recover, but the fires destroy the soil layer, and the same phenomena occur as from the tracks of all-terrain vehicles, that is, the permafrost begins to thaw. Children cannot go to the tundra alone without adults and make fires. Adults need to properly handle fire, strictly follow fire safety rules. Light the fire on open places, on the sandy banks of rivers and lakes, having built a hearth of stones or windproof walls for a fire. It is better to bring firewood with you, do not use flammable liquids.

The problem of protecting rare endangered plant species, as well as rare plant communities, often serving as refuge of relict plant species, requires more and more attention. The second edition of the "Red Book of the USSR" (1984) includes only seven species arctic plants, in the "Red Book of Russia" (19 northern species. You can not tear bouquets of flowers, about 50 valuable northern species are on the verge of destruction. When collecting plants for herbarium, carefully cut with a knife, do not break, take the right amount... It is also wise to collect medicinal plants, you need to know not only about their benefits, but also understand the methods and time of collection. When collecting mushrooms, they should not be cut off with a knife, but their mycelium should be twisted, because after cutting the remaining part of the leg, and then the mycelium itself begins to rot. In the next season, there may be no mushrooms in this place. Where the climate is dry, the mushrooms should not be twisted, but cut off.

It is forbidden to collect eggs, destroy nests, dig holes, as well as other actions that prevent the reproduction of birds and animals. You can not touch the nests of birds and eggs in it, move away the grass and branches, so as not to violate their camouflage. A disturbed bird abandons its nest; chicks that have not yet hatched or those that have already hatched die. The helpless chick, lost in our opinion, always has his parents nearby. You cannot kill birds, even predatory ones - they are orderlies of the tundra. Hunting for some species of birds is allowed with special permits, at a certain time and number.

Many, if not all, troubles of the nature of our North are connected, of course, with the attitude of man to the Arctic only as a source of resources and as a place of temporary residence. The protection of the tundra is, first of all, the protection of the natural habitat of deer; mosses and lichens, which deer feed on, are disappearing. From time immemorial, indigenous people have been able to take from nature so much so as not to cause it, and therefore themselves, damage.

Today it is necessary to instill in the younger generation a sense of responsibility towards nature. Their communication with the natural world makes children think about the responsibility of each of us for everything that happens in it. They must understand: they should not only sympathize with the objects of nature, but also provide them with direct, real and effective help.

Using the regional component in the upbringing and education of children preschool age presupposes an active search and cognitive activity of teachers, parents and children in collecting information about their region, creating photos and videos.

Made up,

deputy. Director for Far East

Continuous distribution of permafrost, boggy plains form the dominant tundra communities. By originality vegetation its territory can be represented by generalized geobotanical districts ("Chukotka").
1. Western part Of the Chukotka Upland to the Gulf of the Cross is Western Chukotka District... It is distinguished by the wide development of sedge-cotton grass and moss shrub tundras. And in the valleys, closed from the prevailing winds, willow stands up to 3 m high grow. Occasionally, alder stands along the ridge, in the hollows, at the foot of the mountains. In the tundra, cotton grass, sedges, reed grass, bluegrass, and mytniks grow. Among the dwarf shrubs, dwarf willows, lean birch, wild rosemary, cloudberry, blueberry prevail.
In the valleys, you can find small chozen groves - and in the basin of the Teleakay, Kanchalan, Belaya, Tanyurer, Bolshaya Osinovaya rivers. The relict Chozenia-poplar forests extend far from the larch woodlands. These forests grow along the river bed in islets, the width of which rarely exceeds 0.5 km. The height of the trees is on average 10 - 12 m, the diameter of the trunks is up to 20 cm.
2.In Anyui Geobotanical District along with larch forests and woodlands, poplar and chozenia groves are widespread. In the Anadyr basin there are mixed forests with flat-leaved birch. The watersheds are occupied by hummocks, dwarf shrubs, and herb tundras. Up to a height of 800 m, dwarf cedar rises along the slopes, forming thickets. Larch woodlands occupy slopes up to 650 m, but in the valleys they reach rocky deserts. The willows growing along the river beds reach the talus. and herbs. In the valleys of Bolshoy and Malyi Anyui, lichen sparse forests with dwarf cedar undergrowth prevail. The entire area is a winter reindeer grazing land. Above 1000 m, a belt of stony deserts is widespread in the mountains.
3. East Chukotka Geobotanical District covers eastern part Chukotka Upland. Many plant species typical of the American continent grow here. For example, edible viburnum, some Potentilla, saxifrage, stellate raspberry do not spread further to the east. Alder groves, chozenia, poplar do not grow on the territory. The exception is the relict thickets of bush alder and balsamic American poplar near Lake Koolen.
On the east of Chukotka willow tundra and meadows are highly developed. This is facilitated by the large irrigation capacity due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean. The low-lying swampy coastal plains adjacent to the Kolyuchinskaya Bay, the Inchoun and Uelen lagoons, and the Mechigmenskaya Bay are occupied by complex bogs. The flat, low swampy ridges are overgrown with willow and cotton grass. Furrowed tundras are developed on the slopes. Peaks and saddles mountain ranges the Daurkin peninsula are covered with arctic tundra. Shrub species acquire pillow growth.
The enrichment of the species is facilitated by the hot springs often found in the area. Thermophilic species grow in their vicinity.