The forest-steppes and steppes of Eurasia are very diverse both in the composition of plantings and in the animal kingdom. Further in the article we will analyze the main features of these territories.
Flora
What is the difference between forest-steppes and steppes? First of all, you should pay attention to the vegetation. So, forest steppes are characterized by territories where oak forests predominate, “diluted” with ash and maple trees. To the west, hornbeam and beech are common. The West Siberian forest-steppes, in which a continental climate is observed, are rich in birch groves with larch and pine trees. Trees like spruce do not grow there. “Gray” soils are predominantly prevalent in forest zones, and mainly chernozem in grassy steppes. Usually drought resistant grasses grow in the steppe. In order to protect the stem and leaves from dryness, some plants have a waxy coating or they are covered with soft down. Others have narrow leaves folded during a drought. Still others store moisture in fleshy stems and leaves. In many plants, the root system is located very deep. In spring, active flowering begins, and some species even bear fruit. The steppe covers a bright carpet of various perennials. Throughout the summer, vegetation changes as it blooms. From north to south, forbs are replaced by cereal or fescue-feather grass culture, in the most southern places - wormwood.
Fauna
How do forest steppes and steppes differ in the composition of the animal world? In each territory certain species live. So, in the forest-steppe, the peculiarity of the animal world is that the species inhabiting it are adapted to different areas. Squirrel, pine marten and dormouse are found in places with rich vegetation (trees, for example). A little less often there you can see roe deer and elk. Of the steppe animals, jerboas, ground squirrels, polecats, marmot, most rarely, bustard and bustard, are most common. The beaver and muskrat are inhabitants of reservoirs. The fauna of the steppe region has formed over a long time mainly from herbivores. A wide variety of rodents, birds, feeding on insects and grains, as well as birds of prey and animals.
The effect of territory on animal habits
The behavior of steppe animals was significantly affected by life in open spaces with arid weather conditions and with sharp changes in temperature, seasonal lack of food and the drying of watering places. Animals have long adapted to such harsh conditions. For example, saiga antelopes have well-developed fast running. Thanks to him, they are saved from attacks by predatory animals. In addition, running helps them to travel long distances in search of water and food. Various rodents, of which there are a huge number in the steppes, are adapted to live in burrows used for reproduction and as a refuge from heat and cold. In addition, such dwellings are for rodents a good shelter from predators. Since there are almost no trees in the steppe, birds make nests right on the ground. Many animals hibernate during the onset of winter, this allows them to survive the cold and hunger. They do the same with severe drought. Basically, many birds fly to warmer climes during the winter season. There are animals that are active at all times of the year. They have to look for food in both winter and summer. Such animals mainly include mice, foxes, hares, partridge, voles and wolves.
Steppes and forest-steppes of Russia
These territories are common in the central part of the country. Basically, in our time, the zone of forest-steppes and steppes has been developed, and there are gardens and vegetable gardens on it. Various crops, corn, potatoes, hemp, and sunflower are grown here. To the south of the forest-steppe zone there are areas not saturated with forests. For the reason that trees lack nutrition for growth, grasses and shrubs mainly grow in the steppes. Small groves can be found only near rivers or ravines saturated with groundwater. Steppes begin from the lower reaches of the Danube and extend to the Southern Urals. If you look in the meridional direction, the border separating the forest-steppes and steppes is almost invisible. In other words, the latter continues the former. Steppes originate from the southern border of forest-steppes and end in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus and Crimean mountains.
Weather
The steppe region is characterized by a continental climate. Here is a fairly warm summer. The climate is one of the main differences between the forest-steppe and the steppe. In the warm season, the temperature averages +22 ° C. On especially hot days, it can reach +40 ° C. Humidity is usually not more than 50%. The weather in the steppes is dry and sunny. If it rains, then most often it is a downpour, after which the water quickly evaporates. A lot of dust and the drying up of rivers entail winds in the steppes, which are quite frequent there. Although the winter is short, you cannot call it warm. In the cold season, the average temperature on the thermometer reaches -30 ° C. In the Black Sea region, snow does not lie longer than two months, but in the Volga region about five. The coldest and harshest winters are usually in the east of the country. Sometimes even freezing of rivers occurs. A frequent guest in those parts is a thaw, which inevitably entails ice. In spring, the rivers are widely flooded, floods are observed. In summer and autumn, floods often result in rain. Since the snow melts very quickly in the spring, this contributes to the erosion of soils, due to which ravines arise. For the year in the western part there is a high rainfall, but not more than 500 mm. Closer to the southeast there is a decline - up to 300 mm.
