- •Geomorphology of the Region
- •The Diversity of Mineral Resources Complexes of Altai Region
- •Lecture 3 The Climate of the Altai Region
- •Mode of Solar Radiation
- •General Circulation of Atmosphere
- •In autumn, cyclonic activity increases over south-east regions of West Siberia.
- •A Spreading Surface
- •Thermal Mode of Air and Ground
- •Lecture 4 Surface and Underground Waters
- •In places where surface runoff is blocked, such as the low bottomlands, fliere are marshes. One can differentiate three types of marshes: bottom marshes, surface marshes and transitional marshes.
- •Characteristics of the Largest Rivers and Lakes
- •Underground Waters
- •Lecture 6 Vegetation of the Altai Region
- •Pine Forests
- •Meadows
- •Distribution of Plant Species of the Altai Region According to the 3 Altitude Categories
- •Lecture 7 Altai Region During Reforms
Meadows
Meadows occur in plains, ravine slopes, terraces and the margins of forest outliers in the steppe zone.
Locations of wetland communities composed of reed, club rush and reed- mace are considered to be part of meadow vegetation.
Well-developed subalpine and alpine meadows are also frequently met in the Altai mountains.
The subalpine belt is the transitional zone from forests to alpine meadows and mountain tundra.
The most characteristic plants of the alpine meadows are sedge and grasses. Alpine meadows comprise also columbines, fire-plants, hedysarums, and buttercups
that make a colorful picture. In higher elevation the alpine vegetation is sometimes called “small-grass alpine meadow” and these lawns are less colorful, but comprise a few beautiful plants like Viol altaica, Caliianthemum angustifolium, Schultzia crrnita, Lagotis integrifolia, Pedicularis oederii, and Ranunculus aitaicus.
Swamps
The formation of swamps both on plains as well as in the mountains are mainly connected with the activity of ancient glaciers. Swamps are spread in the hollows of ancient runoffs of glacier waters on the plain and in large inter-mountain depressions. Many lakes have turned into dry land through the stage of swamps.
O
The Largest Plant Families of the Altai Region
f course, the vegetation of the Altai mountains comprises also vegetation types of disturbed lands that are characterized by weed species.Families |
Number of species |
% of the total number of species |
Asteraceae |
353 |
13.6 |
Poaceae |
239 |
9.3 |
Fabaceae |
183 |
7.1 |
Rosaceae |
143 |
5.5 |
Cyperaceae |
143 |
5.5 |
Brassicaceae |
138 |
5.3 |
Ranunculaceae |
111 |
4.3 |
Caryophyllaceae |
102 |
4.0 '• |
Scrophulariaceae |
86 |
3.3 |
Chenopodiaceae |
79 |
3.1 |
Total |
1576 |
61.1 |
Table 1
<*
Families |
Number of species |
% to the total number of species |
Carex |
111 |
4.3 |
Astragalus |
62 |
2-4 |
Artemisia |
51 |
2.0 |
PotentiMa |
50 |
1.9 |
Oxytropis |
46 |
1.8 |
Salix |
41 |
1.6 |
Allium |
34 |
1.3 |
Achillea |
31 |
1.2 |
Poa |
29 |
1.1 |
Saussurea |
28 |
1.1 |
Ranunculus |
28 |
1.1 |
Total |
511 |
19.8 |
Table 2