Western Siberia covers five natural zones: tundra, forest-tundra, forest, forest-steppe and steppe. Perhaps nowhere on globe zoning natural phenomena does not manifest itself with the same regularity as on the West Siberian Plain.
Tundra , occupying the northernmost part of the Tyumen region (Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas) and having an area of ​​about 160 thousand km 2, has no forests. Lichen and moss tundras of Western Siberia are found in combination with hypnum-grass and lichen-sphagnum, as well as large-hilly bog areas.
Forest-tundra zone extends south of the tundra in a strip of approximately 100-150 km. As a transition zone between tundra and taiga, it is a mosaic combination of areas of open forests, swamps, and bushes. The northern limit of tree vegetation is represented by sparse, crooked larch forests, occupying areas along river valleys.

Lesnaya (taiga, forest-swamp) the zone covers the space between 66 o and 56 o N. latitude. a strip of approximately 1000 km. It includes the northern and middle parts of the Tyumen region, the Tomsk region, the northern part of the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions, occupying about 62% of the territory of Western Siberia. Forest zone West Siberian Plain are divided into subzones of northern, middle, southern taiga and birch-aspen forests. The main type of forests in the zone are dark coniferous forests with a predominance of Siberian spruce, Siberian fir and Siberian pine (cedar). Dark coniferous forests are almost always found in ribbons along river valleys, where they find the necessary drainage conditions. On watersheds they are confined only to hilly, elevated places, and flat areas are occupied mainly by swamps. The most important element of taiga landscapes are swamps of lowland, transitional and upland types. The forest cover of Western Siberia is only 30.5% and is a consequence of weak dissection and associated poor drainage of the entire territory of the region, which contributes to the development of not forest-forming, but swamp-forming processes throughout the entire area of ​​the taiga zone. The West Siberian Plain is characterized by exceptional water content and swampiness; its middle and northern parts are among the most waterlogged areas in the world. earth's surface. The world's largest swamp massifs (Vasyugansky) are located in the southern taiga. Along with the dark coniferous taiga, on the West Siberian Plain there are pine forests, confined to sand deposits of ancient alluvial plains and sandy terraces along river valleys. In addition, within the forest zone, pine is a characteristic tree of sphagnum swamps and forms unique associations of sphagnum pine forests on swampy soils.
Forest-steppe zone , adjacent to the subzone deciduous forests forest zone, characterized by the presence of both forest and steppe plant communities, as well as swamps (ryams), salt marshes and meadows. Woody vegetation forest-steppe zone It is represented by birch and aspen-birch forests, which occur in islands or in the form of ridges, usually confined to saucer-shaped depressions, while the main background is formed by meadow and forb-grass steppe. Only in the Tobol and Ob regions of this zone are natural island pine forests common. A characteristic feature of the forest-steppe of Western Siberia is the grivna-hollow topography and the abundance of salty drainless lakes.
Steppe zone covers southern part Omsk and southwestern parts of the Novosibirsk regions, as well as the western part Altai Territory. It includes the Kulundinskaya, Aleiskaya and Biyskaya steppes. Within the zone, ribbon pine forests grow along ancient hollows of glacial water flow.
The significant height of the mountains of Western Siberia determines the development of altitudinal zones here. In the vegetation cover of the mountains of Western Siberia, the leading position is occupied by forests, covering most of the area of ​​the Salair Ridge and Kuznetsk Alatau and about 50% of the territory of Altai. The high-mountain belt is clearly developed only in the Altai mountains. Forests of Salair, Kuznetsk Alatau, northeastern and western parts Altai is characterized by the widespread development of the relic formation of the black taiga, which is found only in the mountains of southern Siberia. Among the black taiga in the Kondoma River basin there is a relict “linden island” - an area of ​​linden forest with an area of ​​​​about 150 km 2, considered as a remnant of tertiary vegetation.

Western Siberia is a huge territory, stretching over five natural zones. The natural zones of Western Siberia are tundra, forest-tundra, forest, forest-steppe and steppe. In this article we will briefly talk about each of them.

Tundra

This zone occupies the northernmost part of the map of Western Siberia - the Tyumen region. More precisely, the tundra is the Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas. This zone has an area of ​​about 160 thousand square meters. km. The vegetation here is represented by lichens and mosses, but there are no forests at all. A large number of northern berries grow in the tundra - cloudberries, blueberries, cranberries and lingonberries. The fauna is represented by deer, wolves, foxes, arctic foxes, owls and partridges. There are a lot of swamps in the Siberian tundra. The climate here is arctic and quite cool.

Rice. 1. West Siberian tundra

Forest-tundra

It is located south of the tundra and is a strip up to 150 km wide. It is a transition zone, therefore it is covered with areas of woodlands, swamps, and shrubs. The main tree of the forest-tundra is larch. The fauna is practically no different from the fauna in the tundra.

Forest zone

It is represented by a strip of taiga more than 1000 km wide. This is the most large area, occupying about 62% of the territory of Western Siberia - slightly less than in Eastern Siberia. This includes the following areas:

• almost all of Tyumen;
• Tomskaya;
• Omsk;
• Novosibirsk.

There are northern, middle and southern taiga, as well as birch and aspen forests. The main type of forest is dark coniferous. Siberian spruce, fir and cedar predominate. The forest is located along river valleys.

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A characteristic feature of the Siberian taiga is the huge number of swamps. This is the wettest and wettest area on Earth.

In the southern part of the taiga there is the largest swamp massif in the world - Vasyugansky. It stretches for several hundred kilometers.

Rice. 2. There are a huge number of swamps in the Siberian taiga

Forest-steppe

It is characterized by alternating areas of forest and steppe, and also contains many swamps. The trees here are represented by birches and aspens. They are located in the form of small islands. The main part of the territory is occupied by mixed-grass steppe. A special feature of the Siberian steppe is the abundance of salt lakes.

Steppe

Another treeless natural zone of the West Siberian Plain covers its southern and southwestern part. The climate here is quite favorable, making it possible to grow a large number of cereal crops. Like other regions, the steppe is characterized big amount lakes The fauna is represented mainly by rodents.

Rice. 3. The Siberian steppe is a fertile territory

Table: main characteristics of natural zones of Western Siberia

Zone	Area, thousand sq. km	Percentage of the entire territory of Western Siberia	Climate
			Arctic
Forest-tundra			Subarctic
			Moderate
Forest-steppe			Moderate
			Moderate

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In almost 3 million sq. km, flat, flat terrain with small low ridges and continental climate contributed to the pronounced geographical zoning of its landscapes from the northern cold tundras to the warm southern steppes. The main territory here is occupied by forest-swamp, dark-coniferous taiga, difficult-to-pass landscapes.

On the coast and islands Kara Sea, gulfs of the Ob, Baydaratskaya and Gydan Bays, on the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas north of the Arctic Circle there is a natural ecosystem of the northern cold tundra. A feature of the tundra is widespread swampiness on permafrost soils and complete absence forests

At first glance, it seems that the tundra does not caress the eye with lush vegetation and bright colors. But a person who takes a close look at her harsh beauty cannot help but be fascinated. Bright spots of groups of growing plants of all shades from emerald green to olive, red, bright yellow and brown are visible everywhere here.

The climate of the tundra is very harsh; the long winter polar night poses a serious test for animals and plants living in the tundra. Average January temperatures in the tundra are -22оС, -24оС. The absolute minimum here can drop to -51oC, -54oC. Cold northerly winds further cool the flat area.

Summers are cool and very short, which results in a short growing season. Average temperatures in summer range from 0°C to +8°C, Maximum temperature on hot days it can rise to +32оС, +34оС. The tundra blooms profusely and amicably, against a background of solid moss, islands of partridge grass appear white in large lawns, forget-me-nots and polar poppies, speedwells and cyanosis, buttercups and yarrow bloom in carpets. Plants of the northern tundra spaces are most often low-growing and creeping, and reproduce by rhizomes. Woody forms are also low-growing; they grow here dwarf species birches and willows.

The main food of numerous birds in the tundra is a huge number of mosquitoes and midges; there are so many of them that they can obscure the sun. Very prolific pied mice became food for predators and large birds. For the winter, they hide in deep snow and feed on plant roots. Typical animals for the tundra are reindeer, arctic foxes, hares, polar partridges and owls.

Forest-tundra

A forest-tundra zone stretches along the Arctic Circle from Salekhard to a narrow strip. This is, first of all, a transition zone between the vast expanses of tundra and the vast expanses of taiga in the south. Here climatic conditions softer, and among the tundra at first, low-growing trees with a characteristic flag-shaped crown shape, formed by the prevailing winds, rarely appear. To the south there are more and more trees, and the forest-tundra ecosystem turns into typical taiga forests.

Taiga

The largest territory in terms of area up to 1,850 thousand square meters. km, located in a wide strip in Western Siberia, is occupied by s. They are located along the middle reaches of the Ob and the lower reaches of the Irtysh. The main coniferous trees of the taiga forests of Western Siberia are fir and spruce, cedar, pine and larch with an admixture of birch, aspen and alder. The boundless taiga wilds stretch here across colossal swamps and lowlands for thousands of kilometers. At higher elevations, urmans grow - dense cedar, spruce and fir forests.


Under the thick palmate branches of trees in the Siberian taiga it is always damp, cool and gloomy. There are very few shrubs and herbs here; the ground is covered with a continuous carpet of emerald green fluffy mosses and moisture-loving lichens. In the taiga there is a lot of windfall and dead trees withered on the roots with hanging tufts of gray lichens. Ferns grow abundantly in damp places, and fallen trees are covered with thick green moss. Broken branches hang intertwined on the trees, further shading the space between the trees.

The climate in the taiga is temperate continental with average January temperatures of -16°C, -24°C. The absolute minimum in vast taiga areas can drop to -48°C, -50°C. Cold north winds They are already cooling the vast flat taiga space. Summer in the taiga is quite cool, the average temperature in July is +16°C and the absolute maximum is +38°C, +41°C. The main precipitation falls in summer.

The cool, gloomy taiga forest creates conditions for insufficient evaporation, and therefore the largest array of swampy ecosystems on the planet is located in the Siberian taiga zone. The cheerful chirping of birds is heard in the treetops, among which the gentle voices of warblers stand out. Down in the twilight it is very quiet, dark and humid.

The sun's rays practically do not penetrate here. Only clouds of midges hover in the still frozen air. Yes, sometimes a woodpecker sits down with a sharp cry and knocks on dead trees, and a wood grouse noisily falls from a dry branch. Sometimes a squirrel will peek curiously from behind the trunk and a striped chipmunk will flash by. But you can walk tens of kilometers through the taiga wilds and not see a single bird or encounter a single animal.

Only along the rivers, where alder and willow trees, birch forests with an admixture of rowan grow more than the sun, life is in full swing. Doves are cooing, warblers and warblers are busy in the bushes, magpies are chirping loudly and cuckoos are crowing. The bird noise ceases only when a hawk appears nearby. Broods of capercaillie and hazel grouse come to the thickets of cranberries, lingonberries and blueberries, and bears also come here to “fatten”.

Elks graze in the low-lying swampy taiga with abundant moisture-loving vegetation and young growth of deciduous trees. IN hot weather Moose, in order to escape from the midges, climb into the water up to their faces. During the long winter, the taiga is covered with deep snow for many months. It hangs like a cap from the wide spruce paws, dusting the shifting swamps. Foxes, squirrels and stoats feast on the bounty of the generous forest.

Mixed forests

In mixed forests, which stretch in a narrow strip in Western Siberia from Yekaterinburg to, it is noticeably warmer. Average temperatures in January here range from +16°C to +18°C. The absolute maximum temperature can rise from +38°C to +40°C. With sufficient moisture in mixed forests, shrubs and grasses grow wildly in the undergrowth.

Mixed forests are more elegant and lighter, sometimes they consist of one type of tree, spruce or birch, aspen or pine. But more often in the forest stand there are coniferous species mixed with broad-leaved trees. A mixed forest always consists of two tiers, pines and maples, candle-shaped fir and spruce reach high towards the light, viburnum and walnut, wild apple and cherry trees grow below.

The undergrowth contains many berry bushes, raspberries, currants, rose hips, acacia and spirea. Below there are whole clumps of veronica and lily of the valley, wild strawberries and stone berries. In the forest clearings, daisies turn white in a cloud, buttercups turn yellow, and forget-me-nots are found.

Fauna mixed forest richer than taiga. Here you will no longer see sables and weasels; red deer, pine martens, minks, black ferrets and wild boars appear here. An oriole builds its nest in the treetops, whistling melodiously. In spring, the forests ring with the voices of birds, finches, thrushes, siskins sing, and wild pigeons coo. There are many hedgehogs and badgers, hares and foxes. Large forest predators are wolves, wolverines and brown bears.

Forest-steppe

From Chelyabinsk to the upper reaches, a wide strip of forest-steppe stretches across Western Siberia. This is also a transition zone from mixed forest to steppe, characterized by a more comfortable climate and sufficient annual moisture. The forests are gradually thinning out, remaining in patches and birch patches along rivers and natural lake reservoirs.

Steppe

In the very south of the plain, partly in the Omsk region, partly in the region, there is a zone of dry steppes. This is an absolutely flat area with low ridges covered with grassy vegetation and lack of moisture. It is the ability to tolerate a lack of moisture that distinguishes steppe vegetation from meadow grasses.

The steppe is characterized by a continental climate with a short cold winter and long, dry, hot summers. Average winter temperatures in the steppe range from -14°C to -16°C. The absolute minimum in the steppe can drop to -49°C. In summer, average temperatures rise to +18°C, absolute temperatures up to +40°C. The steppe is moistened only in spring with precipitation and melting snow. In the summer, precipitation in cages is low, up to 400 mm/year, which, with high evaporation, creates conditions for soil salinization and the formation of salt marshes.

The steppe landscapes here are dominated by grass meadows with birch and aspen-birch forests, feather grass rich forbs, fescue-feather grass, fescue with halophytic wormwood and wormwood communities, wormwood-fescue, quinoa and camphorosma plant communities on chestnut and, respectively, dark chestnut soils.

The brightly blooming steppe is especially beautiful in May and on a bright sunny June day in the morning. All the flowers turned their corollas, strewn with sparkling drops of dew, towards the sun and opened their buds to the maximum. Within an hour, another picture will change greatly, under the rays of the rising bright sun, I close the corollas of the flowers by noon, and the steppe will fade.

The air over the steppe is filled with the buzzing and chirping of countless insects, bees, bumblebees, and grasshoppers. Silently, but very beautifully, butterflies of all kinds of colors flutter, and gophers whistle. And above, with its wings spread, a hawk looks out for prey.

Large expanses of steppes on fertile soils in Western Siberia are plowed. It was here in the steppes of Eastern Kazakhstan that virgin lands came, developed and plowed up the steppes, built villages and roads. And today the steppes of Western Siberia are the breadbasket of the country.

Introduction

Two species grow in Siberia: Siberian spruce (P. obovata) and Ayan spruce (P. ajanensis). Depending on growing conditions and other natural factors, the tree has a number of morphobiological forms. Externally, they mainly differ in the color of the needles. It can be green, silver, golden or bluish-gray. The last of the listed varieties is considered the rarest.

The emergence of similarities and differences as environment influences the process of implementation of heritable traits, in particular in spruce trees, genetics determines.

The importance of genetics is great for agriculture and forestry. She serves theoretical basis for breeding agricultural plants and animals. The task of selection is to change the hereditary properties of plants and animals, to create varieties and breeds that make it possible to obtain maximum amount products best quality and meet the needs of agricultural production.

Genetics is of great importance for both medical and agricultural immunology. Specific knowledge in this area makes it possible to conduct a targeted fight against hereditary diseases and pathogens of agricultural plants and animals.

Natural characteristics of Siberia

Territories of Siberia. Natural areas of Siberia

The territory of Siberia has traditionally been divided into two parts: Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia. Western Siberia includes: Tyumen region, Altai region, Kemerovo region. Eastern Siberia includes: Taimyr Territory, Tungus regions, Yakutia, Transbaikalia, Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia.

Western Siberia consists of many lakes and rivers, with small areas of taiga. The Tyumen region is located on the West Siberian Plain. The Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas in Siberia are completely covered with tundra vegetation. Their height above sea level is only 10 - 20 meters. To the south of Siberia, the altitude of the territories rises to 100 - 150 meters. On the West Siberian Plain there is the Sibirsky Uval hill. Its height is about 285 meters above sea level. Next is the large swampy valley of the Ob River. These areas contain rich reserves of oil and natural gas.

About 700 thousand years ago there were glaciers on the territory of Western Siberia. The northern part of Western Siberia was often flooded by the sea. Here lived: big-horned deer, woolly rhinoceroses and mammoths, whose tusks are still found on the territory of Yamal and the Gydan Peninsula. As a result of global cooling in Western Siberia, an area of ​​permafrost was created. IN northern regions the ground froze to 450 meters. Only under the reservoirs the ground did not freeze. In the more southern regions of Western Siberia, permafrost has become two-layered: ancient permafrost located at a depth of 150 - 400 meters and modern permafrost.

Between these layers there is an area of ​​thawed soil. Such soils are very fragile for construction work.

There are several natural zones located on the territory of Western Siberia. After the dark coniferous forests there are small-leaved aspen and birch forests. They give way to forest-steppe, where both meadow herbaceous plants and birch trees grow. To the south of Western Siberia the number of tree species decreases. Near the border with Kazakhstan, the landscape consists of endless vast steppes. A large number of land is plowed to grow agricultural products. Due to the fact that there is enough territory for pastures, livestock farming is developed here.

In the southern part of Western Siberia there are plains and lowlands in the area of ​​the Tobol, Irtysh and Ob rivers. In some places there are hills. This entire area is swampy. The Vasyugan Plain is a continuous swamp, occupying vast territories. In the east of Western Siberia, the foothills of the Salair Ridge begin, and then the ridges of the Kuznetsk Altai. Altai Mountains are the highest in Southern Siberia. They have an unusual relief. Mountain ranges emerge from one center and diverge into different sides like the sun's rays.

In the southern part Taimyr Territory The Putorana plateau is located. It is the highest part of the Central Siberian Plateau. The plateau is composed of sandstone and igneous layers rocks. Numerous small valleys are lakes. Bolshoi Khantaysky is the largest lake, with an area of ​​882 square kilometers. The deepest place of the lake reaches 420 meters.

Most of Central Siberia is located on the Central Siberian Plateau.

Western Siberia covers five natural zones: tundra, forest-tundra, forest, forest-steppe, steppe, as well as low-mountain and mountain regions of Salair, Altai, Kuznetsk Alatau and Mountain Shoria(Appendix 2). Perhaps nowhere on the globe is the zonality of natural phenomena manifested with the same regularity as on the West Siberian Plain.

The tundra, which occupies the northernmost part of the Tyumen region (Yamal and Gydansky peninsulas) and has an area of ​​about 160 thousand km 2, has no forests. Lichen and moss tundras of Western Siberia are found in combination with hypnum-grass and lichen-sphagnum, as well as large-hilly bog areas.

The forest-tundra zone extends to the south of the tundra in a strip of approximately 100-150 km. As a transition zone between tundra and taiga, it is a mosaic combination of areas of open forests, swamps, and bushes. The northern limit of tree vegetation is represented by sparse, crooked larch forests, occupying areas along river valleys.

The forest (taiga, forest-swamp) zone covers the space between 66o and 56o latitude. a strip of approximately 1000 km. It includes the northern and middle parts of the Tyumen region, the Tomsk region, the northern part of the Omsk and Novosibirsk regions, occupying about 62% of the territory of Western Siberia. The forest zone of the West Siberian Plain is divided into subzones of northern, middle, southern taiga and birch-aspen forests. The main type of forests in the zone are dark coniferous forests with a predominance of Siberian spruce, Siberian fir and Siberian pine (cedar). Dark coniferous forests are almost always found in ribbons along river valleys, where they find the necessary drainage conditions. On watersheds they are confined only to hilly, elevated places, and flat areas are occupied mainly by swamps. The most important element of taiga landscapes are swamps of lowland, transitional and upland types. The forest cover of Western Siberia is only 30.5% and is a consequence of weak dissection and associated poor drainage of the entire territory of the region, which contributes to the development of not forest-forming, but swamp-forming processes throughout the entire area of ​​the taiga zone. The West Siberian Plain is characterized by exceptional water content and swampiness; its middle and northern parts are among the most waterlogged areas on the earth's surface. The world's largest swamp massifs (Vasyugansky) are located in the southern taiga. Along with the dark coniferous taiga, on the West Siberian Plain there are pine forests, confined to the sandy deposits of ancient alluvial plains and to sandy terraces along river valleys. In addition, within the forest zone, pine is a characteristic tree of sphagnum swamps and forms unique associations of sphagnum pine forests on swampy soils.

The forest-steppe zone, adjacent to the deciduous forest subzone of the forest zone, is characterized by the presence of both forest and steppe plant communities, as well as swamps (ryams), salt marshes and meadows. The woody vegetation of the forest-steppe zone is represented by birch and aspen-birch forests, which occur in islands or in the form of ridges, usually confined to saucer-shaped depressions, while the main background is formed by meadow and forb-grass steppe. Only in the Tobol and Ob regions of this zone are natural island pine forests common. A characteristic feature of the forest-steppe of Western Siberia is the grivna-hollow topography and the abundance of salty drainless lakes.

The steppe zone covers the southern part of the Omsk and southwestern parts of the Novosibirsk regions, as well as the western part of the Altai Territory. It includes the Kulundinskaya, Aleiskaya and Biyskaya steppes. Within the zone, ribbon pine forests grow along ancient hollows of glacial water flow.

The significant height of the mountains of Western Siberia determines the development of altitudinal zones here. In the vegetation cover of the mountains of Western Siberia, the leading position is occupied by forests, covering most of the area of ​​the Salair Ridge and Kuznetsk Alatau and about 50% of the territory of Altai. The high-mountain belt is clearly developed only in the Altai mountains. The forests of Salair, Kuznetsk Alatau, the northeastern and western parts of Altai are characterized by the widespread development of relict taiga formations, which are found only in the mountains of southern Siberia. Among the black taiga in the Kondoma River basin there is a relict “linden island” - an area of ​​linden forest with an area of ​​​​about 150 km 2, considered as a remnant of tertiary vegetation.

Glaciation affected not only the relief, but also the vegetation and animal world West Siberian Plain. When the glacier retreated, the north of the plain was conquered by tundra and taiga, although previously there were broadleaf forests, in which mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and giant deer lived. Based on the remains of trunks in the swamps, it can be judged that the forest boundary was located several hundred kilometers further north than at present.

The continental climate in the vast West Siberian Plain increases as you move from north to south. This is expressed in an increase in the annual temperature range, a decrease in precipitation, and a shortening of the duration of spring and autumn - the transition seasons of the year.

At the junction air masses temperate zone with tropical cyclones appear, bringing rain. At the beginning of summer, this front acts in the south - the steppe zone receives moisture (about 300 mm per year). In July, hot air dominates the entire south of the plains, and cyclones move north, bringing precipitation to the taiga zone (500 mm per year). In August, the front reaches the tundra, where up to 250 mm falls per year.

In winter, cyclones of the Arctic front operate at the junction of temperate and arctic air masses. This softens the frosts in the north, but due to high humidity and strong winds, the harshness of the climate here manifests itself even with less frost.

The West Siberian Plain is rich in rivers, lakes, and swamps, the distribution of which across the territory clearly shows a dependence on the topography and the zonal ratio of heat and moisture.

The largest river of the West Siberian Plain is the Ob with its tributary Irtysh. This is one of the greatest rivers in the world. In Russia, it ranks first in length (5410 km) and basin area (2990 thousand km 2).

In addition to the Ob and Irtysh among large rivers The region can be called navigable Nadym, Pur, Taz, and Tobol.

Among the numerous lakes, the predominant ones are those that fill glacial lake basins and are located on the site of former oxbow lakes. In terms of the number of swamps, the West Siberian Plain is also a world record holder: nowhere else in the world is there such a wetland area with an area of ​​800 thousand km 2 as here. A classic example of swampiness is the Vasyugan region, a geographical area lying between the Ob and Irtysh rivers. There are several reasons for the formation of such vast wetland areas: the presence of excess moisture, flat topography, permafrost, low air temperatures, and the ability of peat, which predominates here, to retain water in quantities many times greater than the weight of the peat mass.

The climate of Western Siberia is more continental and harsher than in the east of the European part of Russia, but milder than in the rest of Siberia. The large extent of the plain from north to south allows several latitudinal zones– from the tundra in the north to the steppes in the south.

The enormous size of the West Siberian Plain and its flat topography make it possible to trace the latitudinal-zonal changes in natural landscapes especially well.

home distinguishing feature tundra - the severity of the climate. Adapting to harsh conditions, tundra plants prepare winter buds in the fall. Thanks to this, in the spring they quickly become covered with leaves and flowers, and then bear fruit. There is a lot of different plant food in the tundra, so many herbivorous birds nest here.

The forest-tundra is the first zone when moving south where a summer thermal regime is observed for at least 20 days a year, when average daily temperatures exceed 15°C. Here the tundra alternates with crooked forests and small forests.

Forest-swamp zone. More than half of the territory of Western Siberia is occupied by the forest-swamp zone. The interfluve spaces are dominated by swamps, and the slopes of river valleys and elevated areas (ridges) are occupied taiga forests. In the northern part of the plain, spruce-cedar forests dominate, in the southern part - spruce-cedar forests with an admixture of fir and birch.

To the south of the taiga there is a subzone of deciduous forests, which in Western Siberia stretches in a narrow strip from the Ural Mountains to the Yenisei River.

The West Siberian forest-steppe stretches in a narrow strip from the Urals to the foothills of the Salair Ridge. The abundance of lake basins is a feature of this zone. The shores of the lakes are low, partly swampy or overgrown with pine forests. In Kuldinsky pine forests live together with steppe species: field pipit, jerboa - taiga species: flying squirrel, capercaillie.

This zone is characterized by large fertile soils on which good crops of grains and vegetables can be grown.

Resources of Western Siberia

Natural resources The West Siberian Plain is very diverse. Oil and gas reserves in such fields as Urengoy, Medvezhye, and Surgut place Western Siberia among the world leaders. Its territory also contains 60% of Russia's total peat reserves. The richest salt deposits are located in the south of the plain.

Great wealth Western Siberia - her water resources. In addition to surface water - rivers and lakes - huge reservoirs have been found groundwater. Great economic importance biological resources tundra and forest-tundra - this seemingly life-poor zone. It produces a significant amount of fur and game, and there is a lot of fish in its rivers and lakes. In addition, the tundra is the main breeding area reindeer. The taiga of Western Siberia has long been famous for its fur and timber production.

Brown coal deposits are associated with ancient sedimentary rocks of Triassic and Jurassic age, the total thickness of which is more than 800-1000 m. In the Tyumen region, its reserves are estimated at 8 billion tons.

However, the main wealth of Western Siberia is oil and gas deposits. It has been established that this plain is a uniquely rich oil and gas province of the Earth.

Over a decade and a half (from 1953 to 1967), more than 90 fields of oil, gas and gas condensate (light oil) were explored. For the last 3 decades, Western Siberia has been the leader in Russia in oil and natural gas production.

Searches in the depths of Western Siberia for “black gold” and “blue fuel” made it possible to discover large reserves iron ores in the north of the Novosibirsk region.

But these vast and varied riches are not so easy to master. Nature “protected” the oil and gas fields of the region from humans by thick swamps and frozen soils. It is extremely difficult to build in such soil conditions. In winter, a person is hampered by severe frosts, high air humidity, and strong winds. In the summer, there are numerous blood-sucking creatures - midges and mosquitoes, tormenting people and animals.

It was due to the fuel and energy complex that the active development farms of Western Siberia. Almost everything is on the territory known species fuel and energy resources. Brown and coal, gas, oil, peat. The territory is also rich in non-traditional energy resources. Hydrocarbon deposits are located in the oil and gas province of Western Siberia. It is located within the Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Tyumen regions, as well as the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. About 58% of the state's initial oil reserves and more than 60% of gas deposits are concentrated in this part. More than 7 billion tons of the first and 8 trillion m 3 of the second resource have already been extracted in Western Siberia. However, the province has enormous oil and gas potential. There are also undiscovered gas and oil reserves in the territory. Their volumes account for 45% and 56% (respectively) of the total initial one. This indicates a relatively low geological knowledge of the region.

The operating sectors of the economy of Western Siberia supply about 14% of the total gross product in the country. Among the existing economic regions of the state, this territory is in the top five. Due to the high supply of quality resources, the region has a well-developed industrial economy. Western Siberia produces about 12% of production. More than 14% of the country's fixed assets and 20% of the products produced by the Russian construction complex are concentrated in the territory.

The economy of Western Siberia is based on it. The industrial complex accounts for 74% of the region’s total GRP. This sector has a clear specialization. From here most of the fuel (coal, oil and gas) is supplied to other regions. The economy of Western Siberia is unthinkable without electric power, petrochemical and chemical industry, mechanical engineering. All of them are closely related to fuel production. The chemical complex is represented by enterprises of Tobolsk, Tomsk and Omsk, as well as Kemerovo region. Machine-building plants produce products for the energy complex, the coal industry and the machine tool industry. Despite the uniqueness of its structure, the economy of Western Siberia suffered significant losses in the 90s. Industrial production fell by almost half. About 30% now comes from vehicle freight turnover. 65% of the pre-reform level is occupied Agriculture Western Siberia. Electric power industry In terms of consumption, the region ranks third in the country. The main area of ​​use of electricity is the industrial complex. Consumers are supplied by the UES of the Urals and UES of Siberia stations. The basis of the territory's electric power industry is large thermal power plants and thermal power plants. They work for associated gas in the Tomsk and Tyumen regions, as well as coal (in the Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions - local, in Omsk - long-distance). The area is considered to be practically self-balanced in terms of electricity.

In the future, the Western Siberian territory remains the basis for the formation of the fuel and energy complex of Russia. It follows from this that the priority areas for the region should be: Improvement of the coal and oil and gas complexes. Social Security industrial workers. Improving fuel and energy resources in the region. First of all, this task is being achieved through electrification, gasification, technological and technical re-equipment of almost all existing economic spheres. Solution environmental issues in the main coal, gas and oil producing industries of the region.