The Bering tundra
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
(WWF ID: PA1102) is an ecoregion that covers a portion of northeastern Russia, between the
Kolyma Mountains
The Kolyma Mountains or Kolyma Upland (), is a system of mountain ranges in northeastern Siberia, lying mostly within the Magadan Oblast, along the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk in the Kolyma region. It constitutes the watershed between the ba ...
on the west, and the
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
coast to the east. The area is an important stopping place for migratory birds. It has an area of .
Location and description
The ecoregion stretches approximately 1,000 km on alignment from southwest-to-northeast, between the
Kolyma Mountains
The Kolyma Mountains or Kolyma Upland (), is a system of mountain ranges in northeastern Siberia, lying mostly within the Magadan Oblast, along the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk in the Kolyma region. It constitutes the watershed between the ba ...
on the west, the
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...
coast to the east, and
Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively.
Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
peninsula to the south.
Climate
The climate of Koryak is ''
subarctic
The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of hemiboreal regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Fennoscandia, Northwestern Russia, Siberia, and the Cair ...
'' (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
(Dfc)). This climate is characterised by long cold winters (at least one month averaging below ), and short, cool summers (one to three months greater than , but no month averaging above ).
Mean precipitation is about 358 mm/year. The mean temperature at the center of the ecoregion is in January, and in July.
Flora and fauna
The ecoregion supports flora and fauna typical of forest-tundra. Low-lying areas may feature stunted trees and willow and alder on floodplains. Elsewhere the ground cover is grasses, heaths, and members of the families
Asteraceae
Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...
,
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae (, buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family (biology), family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide.
The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 spec ...
, and
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...
. Mosses and lichens take over at higher elevations. Species diversity is relatively low due to the harsh climate and the isolation of the area since glacial times. Large mammals the include the East Siberian brown bear, the Anadyr fox, and some bighorn sheep in the highlands. Common smaller mammals include the East Siberian ermine and the American mink. Large colonies of migrating birds rest or nest in the area every summer and autumn. Numbers of over 700,000 individuals and 200 species have been recorded in the ecoregion.
Protections
There is at least one significant nationally protected area in this ecoregion, the
Koryak Nature Reserve, on the northeastern region of Kamchatka, stretching from mountains to the coast. A 2017 estimate approximated that 43,231 square kilometers of the region are included in protected areas.
See also
*
List of ecoregions in Russia
The following is a list of ecoregions in Russia, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF):
Terrestrial
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
* Caucasus mixed forests (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey)
*Central European mix ...
References
{{reflist
Ecoregions of Russia
Palearctic ecoregions
Tundra ecoregions