The tundra is dominated by only those plants that are able to withstand the rigors of its climatic conditions.Tundra landscape swampy, peaty and rocky.Shrubs do not invade here.Their distribution area is within the boreal regions.Northern expanses of land covered with creeping plants dwarf tundra polar willow, blueberries, cranberries, and other elfin.
Fauna is mostly formed by mosses, lichens, sedges and mushrooms.Low grass now and then interrupt the moss-lichen cushions.Trees and shrubs are represented by small forms.There are only so polar willow dwarf birch.Tiny trees that sometimes make their way through the interlocking turf, then grow completely.
polar willow - a dwarf shrub
unique representative of flowering plants - polar willow.It is too small, though, still belongs to the tundra shrubs rather than grass.Tiny plantlets forced because natural conditions do not become like the sapling shrub and dwarf, prostrate on the ground.
on a thin tree stems strengthened the minimum amount of long-lived leaves, do not crumble, like other willows in autumn.They under snow remain green.The plant has two names - a dwarf willow and Arctic.The polar willow in the tundra is not alone.Along with it there are representatives of Magadan, the Yenisei, grass and several other toy breeds.
Nutritional value of the polar willow
Willow leaves - perfect fodder for the reindeer.They are, to be satisfied in the winter, they dig out of the snow.In winter, it shoots, buds and bark are not neglected rabbits, partridges and rodents.
Arctic shrubs leaves are edible.Nordic nations stockpile plant for future use and is made from a rather exotic food.They are removing deer stomachs, filling them with boiled leaves and liquid, which boil the plant.The Chukchi are fed a mixture of willow leaves and deer blood.Huskies seasoned nerpovym their fat and blood.Moreover, from tea leaves prepared surrogate.
biological description
dwarf shrub has a grassy appearance miniature tree-climbing trunks.Viewing pictures, polar willow which is depicted, and you wonder - how bizarre nature.Tiny tiny trunks formed underground branches.They are not like the ordinary trees are short.Their length is not more than 3-5 cm.
on creeping along the ground, rooting yellow branches are located a few tiny leaves, exhibit over turf.Lanceolate stipules although inherent in the plant, but it is rare.They often prefer to be absent.In leaf outline rounded, broadly ovate back.Sometimes they are reniform and only occasionally elliptically broadly.Vershinku have roundish.
The shape of the leaves often notched.The base have outlined is rounded, the heart-shaped, and that very rarely tapered lines.Here is the polar willow - unusual tree tundra.In green leaves with entire sides of the top of the mat and the bottom is slightly shiny.The length of the bare stalks only a 1 centimeter.The length of the leaves, strung on tiddly stalks, not more than 2.5 cm and a width not greater than 1.3 cm.
end-flowering form of earrings, as a rule, oblong or ovate.The number of tiny flowers in them varies from 3 to 17 pieces of bracts provided with scales even polar willow.Their description is as follows: from dark brown scales ovate (sometimes that back ovate) rounded, concave forms found jagged edge of his.
Naked free two stamens.They have dark bellow and oblong-ovate narrowed nectary.Ovary conical, felt light shades first, eventually go bald, repainting in green or purple tones.We have a bipartite stigmas divergent, oblong-linear nectary.
course, little things can not always be considered in the nature, and especially in the photo.Polar willow, like many other plants, thoroughly studied by biologists in labs.
The area of Arctic willow
Reign hardy plant starts in polar deserts covering the Arctic Islands, and extends to the northern neighborhoods Putorana plateau.The area captured in the dwarf shrub tundra, Scandinavian, East Siberian, Chukchi and Kamchatka land.It stretches across the expanses of Jan Mayen and Svalbard.
in endless combat the negative conditions of the harsh Arctic tree found reliable methods of survival in the inhospitable northern areas.During the ice age, when the relentless onslaught of the approaching glaciers became unbearable, polar willow forced retreated to the south.
glacier crawl back allowed her to re-capture your favorite Northern Territory.It is firmly entrenched in its previous borders, settling in the New Earth and the Commander Islands.The ongoing Arctic thaw helps promote persistent shrub borders to the Far North.It is with great speed (for dwarf plants) penetrates into the tundra and the Arctic zone.Its area is increasing annually at a kilometer!
Soils
sapling has a wide ecological amplitude.They are chosen by the soil of various compositions.Avoid it unless limestone, indeed, they are sometimes found.Thrive on grass, rubble, clay soils characteristic of arctic and alpine tundra.Shrub unassuming to the soil moisture.No polar willow tundra to unnecessarily over-dried or overly humid places.
to the wealth of soils it is indifferent.However, it does not want to grow at high politrihovyh peat mounds dot the marshy areas.They have depleted the acidic substrate, which is not like the dwarf shrubs.But on the zonal tundra gley soils it grows everywhere.The plant neglects little snow boroughs.His involve nival, with good snow cover corners.
ecosystems involving polar willow
Where throw glance, almost everywhere, except for the northern areas, shrub adjust to the moss-lichen faces.These thalli - a stunner.Their hats saturated green, yellow, orange, red and other colors form a fabulously beautiful scenery.Willow trunks are always immersed in the mossy turf and leaves, on the contrary, rises above the surface the picturesque hillocks.
tree Linked to the shingles and the collapse of blocky, that clearly show the photo.Polar willow tundra hiding in small crevices formed stones.Between the stones it is mechanically protected and to a greater degree of soil humus.
However, numerous moss and lichen phytocenoses shrub prefers loose turf.It is the surfaces that are formed hypnum bokoplodnymi moss, liverwort and similar vegetation.
ecological niches polar willow
abode dwarf shrub steel mountain disintegrated Putoran.He found refuge among the tiny crevices and cracks, rugged Kotuiskaya and Anabar plateau.Its snow-covered thickets tightened niche bald studded belt.They did not fail to crawl into the forest with moist moss thalli, who founded the picturesque northern ecosystem.
and in mountain valleys, snow looks like polar willow?There it forms a massive growths.She completely covered lodges snowfields and ice are surrounded by dense leaning out of small leaves.At the same time, the plant is inactive in the vast plains of the southern forest-tundra and tundra.
It nival ravines are scattered at the foot of the northern slopes.Dwarf willow thickets spread to Lakeside obomshelym bushes.They were covered with skirting deeply incised streams.
Their activity increases in the typical tundra.The abundance of willow shoots note in ecosystems landscape moraines.Where the plains have swarms of rocky debris left by the movement of glaciers.The alluvial and alluvial areas and the role of the bush cut.
becomes interesting, it looks like the polar willow, photos which are considered in the spotted tundra, to sides of the valley streams, and where watersheds been laid and formed dellevye complexes.In towns with Ivkov-moss-grass thalli.
Domination willow shrubs on the tundra
the presence of polar willow develops vegetation arctic tundra.And the dwarf shrub actively dominates much of the upland phytocenoses.In particular, he prevails in Ivkov-moss and grass communities.In addition, it was noted in the prevalence of mountain ranges Byrranga.
abundant thickets of dwarf willows mastered moss tundra.They clogged crevices detrital tundra.They have become a haven dellevye complexes, trains, humus-rich, bulk and snowy towns.Completely covers the valley of polygonal rollers willow marshes.
Willow Mountain
With willow bushes, settled in the cracks between stones, obtained a spectacular picture.The polar willow in mountain landscapes are not uncommon, it is a part of various habitats, capturing large areas.Its leaves persistently bristle across the mountain belt, making his way to the top.Here it does not involve only the bare scree yes nezadernovannye gravelly areas.
climbed to a height of 300-400 meters, it displaces the Dryad, becoming a dominant edificator mountain tundra phytocenoses developing in the top tier.In addition, it is able to replace in the field of mining gravel and sand willow monetolistnuyu, unable to go deep into the cliff.Lump same disintegrated foothills and hills overgrown Byrranga hybrid polar willow.
