Temperate Grasslands and Shrublands of Russia

Abstract

For Northern Eurasia and, consequently, for Russia, temperate grasslands and shrublands are an obligatory element of a forestless landscape. They are present in all plain and montane biomes, forming natural and secondary (anthropogenic) communities, and occupy forestless spaces in the bounds of both the forest and steppe zones. In the forest zones, they are predominantly anthropogenic, locating in sites naturally occupied by forests (Molinio-Arrhenatheretea grasslands are specifically extensive and diverse here). Conversely, in the steppe zone, they are natural (Festuco-Brometea grasslands prevail). The total area of temperate grasslands is 920,000km2, of which 680,000km2 are used as pastures and 240,000km2 as hay meadows), and they are widely spread in all natural zones of Russia, especially within the forest zone (250,000km2) and steppe zone (500,000km2 including steppes in mountain areas). The main distinctive features of their spread are small contour; diffusiveness; a strong anthropogenic transformation (of the steppe); and proneness to fires, desertification, etc. Biogeographically, the regions are so different that zonal-provincial variants can be identified. Grasslands are both zonal (steppes) and intrazonal (floodplain meadows). They are mainly composed of graminoids and forbs in different proportions, the composition and production of which change annually (fluctuations) and in perennial autogenous cycles (for example, “a year of grasses” or “a year of legumes”). A spatially extensive and diverse group comprises post-forest or post-agrarian watershed meadows, representing perennial stages of a progressive succession, which follow the pioneer stages. Their conservation (economically and sustainably optimal maintenance) depends on man, who has included them in the cycle of agrarian use as hay fields or pastures and, less often, uses for recreation and for conserving historical landscapes. A similar picture is observed for shrublands, which form both zonal (at watersheds) and intrazonal complexes with herbaceous vegetation. The most stable and spatially extensive shrublands are represented by two types. The first type are arctic and alpine thickets formed by Siberian dwarf pines (Pinus pumila), dwarf birches (Betula rotundifolia, B. fruticosa and others), and Alnus alnobetula subsp. fruticosa. The second type are steppe shrub thickets dominated by many species of genera such as Caragana, Spiraea, Chamaecytisus and Prunus. Shrublands on floodplains or clearing and burn sites are relatively quickly replaced with other kinds of vegetation during succession. The first inventory of grasslands in Russia was performed back in 1932–1938 by the outstanding vegetation scientist Leonty Ramensky (1884–1953), who was the first in the world to create so-called ecological scales (ecological indicator values), which, using data on the contribution of plant species in a community's composition, make it possible to assess habitat parameters (humidity, soil wealth, salinity, etc.). According to a recent phytosociological overview, the diversity of temperate grasslands and shrublands of Russia's plains comprises 18 classes, 35 orders, and 92 alliances for grassland communities and 4 classes, 5 orders, and 8 alliances for steppe shrublands. We highlight distinctive features of meadow and steppe ecology as well as the contribution of these habitats to the conservation of biodiversity, global climate regulation, and the formation of various ecosystem services, including use as hayfields, pastures, recreation and historical sites. Grassland and shrubland conservation and restoration in Russia are associated with the prospects to create a network of protected areas and with the restoration of steppe and meadow animal husbandry.