Das Phänomen der Kungur-Waldsteppe: Natur oder Mensch?
Physische Geographie
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The Kungur forest-steppe (SE Perm region, Russia) is the most northern outpost of the European forest-steppe zone, the ecotone biome between woodlands and open landscapes stretching from the Carpathians to the Ural Mountains. It is located within the zone of the pre- Uralian belt of hemiboreal spruce and fir-spruce forests with intermixed broadleaved trees. Due to the co-existence of boreal, temperate and steppe species, this island is characterized by high plant diversity and represents an important biodiversity hot-spot in the boreal zone. Intensive agriculture, pasture and lumbering is leading to the loss of this unique steppe ecosystems. For sustainable protection management, a background in vegetation history is a necessary requirement. However, no palaeoecological studies were implemented in order to understand its history. The project aimed to understand the phenomenon of the Kungur forest-steppe in terms of its formation and dynamic within the hemiboreal zone of the pre-Urals. Vegetation history of the Kungur forest-steppe was studied in comparison to the typical hemiboreal forests. The postglacial formation of the pre-Uralian hemiboreal forests studied on Paltinskoe peat bog reveals four important phases: 1) the dominance of Siberian taiga and forest-steppe in the Early Holocene and beginning of the Middle Holocene (8.8-6.9 ka), indicating a dry climate; 2) the spread of spruce and European broadleaved trees in the Middle Holocene (6.9-4 ka) under wetter climate conditions; 3) the maximum of broadleaved trees coinciding with the arrival and spread of Siberian fir in the Late Holocene (4-2.3 ka); and 4) the decline of broadleaved trees since the Early Iron Age (2.3 ka - present) possibly due to general climate cooling and logging. Archives from the Kungur forest-steppe cover only the last 5000 years. In comparison to Paltinskoe, vegetation of the natural reserve ‘Spasskaya Gora’ in the northern part of the Kungur forest-steppe was dominated by more open forests with Betula, Ulmus, Pinus and Picea. Pollen diagrams show an alteration of forest phases and open forest-steppe phases. Forest-steppe phases correlate with more intense fire regime, higher erosion and grazing most likely caused by human activities. They correspond to the Early Iron Age and Migration period (4th century BC - 8 century AD) and the Russian occupation that started in the 16th century. Modern Betula- and Pinus-dominated forest-steppe landscapes of the natural reserve ‘Spasskaya Gora’ have developed over the last 300 years and are apparently human-made. Pollen diagrams from Lake Viatkinskoe and Nevolino peatland support presence of forests in the northern part of the Kungur forest-steppe as well as an anthropogenic opening of the landscapes. Hypotheses on formation of the Kungur forest-steppe can be grouped in two major concepts: 1) a relic of the Pleistocene cold steppe, 2) product of anthropogenic activities. The results of the project strongly support the second hypothesis. The obtained knowledge is important for sustainable conservation strategies for the Kungur forest-steppe. In order to effectively protect this biodiversity hotspot, an active maintenance of forest-steppe by deforestation, controlled fire and pasture is required.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
- (2018) History of the Kungur forest-steppe in the Holocene: problems, approaches and first results). Belgorod State University Scientific Bulletin. Natural Sciences Series 42 (4), 487-496 (in Russian)
Shumilovskikh L.S., Sannikov P.Yu.
(Siehe online unter https://doi.org/10.18413/2075-4671-2018-42-4-487-496) - (2019) Non-pollen palynomorphs notes: 3. Phototrophic loricate euglenoids in palaeoecology and the effect of acetolysis on Trachelomonas loricae. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 270, 1-7
Shumilovskikh L.S., Schlütz F., Lorenz M., Tomaselli, B.
(Siehe online unter https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2019.06.017) - (2020) Does season matter for moss surface sample collection? A case study from Kungur forest-steppe, pre-Urals, Russia. Palynology
Shumilovskikh L.S., Abdulmanova I., Efimik E.
(Siehe online unter https://doi.org/10.1080/01916122.2020.1776780) - (2020) Postglacial history of East European boreal forests in the mid-Kama region, pre-Urals, Russia. Boreas
Shumilovskikh L.S., Schmidt M., Pereskokov M., Sannikov P.
(Siehe online unter https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12436)
