Lesson topic: “Rare and endangered species of plants and animals of Mordovia.” Conducted by: Korneeva T

The Red Book is the one that contains information about rare species of animals, plants and fungi. In the near future they may disappear altogether.

At the end of the sixties of the last century, the team of the botanical department of the University of Mordovia published a magazine about plants. Separate brochures were also published, they talked about animals and plants that are very rare. Over the years, data about them accumulated, and in 2002 they compiled an accurate list of rare species.

In 2003, it was approved and all species of birds, rare plants and mushrooms represented in it were included in the Red Book. A little later, the first volume on plants and mushrooms was published. Two years later, in 2005, the second volume about animals was published.

Plants of the Red Data Book of Mordovia

As mentioned earlier, the list of plants has been collected by scientists from the University of Mordovia since 1968. It was published in 2002, and in 2003 it was published in the Red Book.

The list described shrubs, vines from wildlife. In Mordovia, some species of wild ferns are also protected, which are also quite rare. For example, these are such as: Siberian kostenets, Virginian rosewort and others. There are also rare orchid species growing in the wild in this region. This is a green half-petal, a heart-shaped cache. Rare species include medicinal plants, for example: or Pontian wormwood and many others.

Aquatic plants and marsh plants are also protected. From ornamental plants Also, some are included in the list of protected species: Italian aster, Russian hazel grouse, wood anemone, imbricated fennel, perennial lunaria. And many other types.

All these plants will soon disappear from the face of the Earth, which is why they were included in the Red Book for protection. We can't let this happen. They need to be protected and helped to develop.

Avran officinalis

Adonis vernal (Adonis vernal)

Common ram

Sandy immortelle (Tsmin sandy)

Swamp cranberry

Common juniper

Gray alder

Opened lumbago

Sundew rotundifolia

Bearberry (Bear's ear)

Zalessky feather grass

Feather grass is beautiful

Feather grass

Russian hazel grouse

Leafless iris

Real lady's slipper

Pollenhead

Leafless mugwort

Neottiantha capulata

Burnt orchis

Orchis orchis

Thyme

Animals of the Red Book of Mordovia

The list of animals that are also on the verge of extinction includes 44 different species of animals. This includes 10 types of different insects. The largest of them is considered to be the dragonfly, with beautiful name- Watchman Emperor. There are also large butterflies, one of which is Mnemosyne.

In addition, there are 4 species of fish on the list. The most famous of them is the sterlet. Until recently it could be caught in the Sura River. Birds have not been forgotten either; 27 species have been included. Most of them are predators. The small ones include the steppe kestrel. But the golden eagle is a large bird of prey. In addition, there are 3 species of mammals. For example, a muskrat.

The third appendix, which was published as a supplement to the Red Book, contains a list of birds and animals that require the greatest attention.

It looks like this:

• White stork;
• falcon;
• quail;
• broody;
• barnacle goose;
• dwarf eagle;
• grey goose;
• guarantor;
• Central Russian European mink.

As of 2006, new data is provided on rare animal species facing extinction. They were also in the Red Book. Also, all data on animal species that have changed their location on the territory of the Mordovian region is changing. In addition, completely new data has emerged on rare species of vertebrates and insects. Other objects that require protection are also being further studied.

Mammals

Noble deer

Roe

Bison

Muskrat

Shrew baby

Lesser shrew

Common shrew

Chiroptera

Pond bat

Water bat

Long-eared bat brown

Dwarf pipistrelle

Forest bat

Malaya Vechernitsa

Red-haired nocturnal

Giant noctule

Two-tone leather

Rodents

Baibak or Steppe Marmot

River beaver

Dormouse garden

Polchok

Wood mouse

Large jerboa

Common mole rat

Steppe pied

Predatory

Brown bear

Badger

European mink

Steppe polecat

River otter

Lynx

Reptiles

Swamp turtle

Common copperhead

Common viper

Birds

Little grebe

Black-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Gray-cheeked grebe

Little bittern

great egret

White stork

Black stork

Grey goose

Mute swan

Whooper Swan

Shelduck

Gray duck

Pintail

Red-nosed Pochard

Red-headed duck

White-eyed blackhead

Tufted duck

Osprey

Steppe Harrier

Harrier

Snake eater

Eagle - dwarf

Greater Spotted Eagle

Burying ground

Golden eagle

Saker Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Merlin

Kobchik

Steppe Kestrel

Ptarmigan

Gray crane

Cowherd

Crake - baby

Bustard

Little Bustard

Stilt

Kulik-magpie

Lieutenant

Morodunka

Turukhtan

Garnish

Great snipe

Great Curlew

Great godwit

Steppe Tirkushka

Common gull

White-cheeked tern

Little tern

Klintukh

Deaf cuckoo

White Owl

Owl

Scops Owl

Great-footed owl

Little owl

Great Sparrow Owl

Hawk owl

Roller

Hoopoe

green woodpecker

three-toed woodpecker

Crested lark

meadow pipit

Black-fronted Shrike

Gray Shrike

Wren

nightingale cricket

Common cricket

Reed warbler

Aquatic warbler

Northern Warbler

Redstart

Ordinary remez

Black-headed Chickadee

Tufted tit

Moskovka

Blue Tit

Common Crossbill

Prosyanka

Dubrovnik

Amphibians

Fire-bellied fire-bellied toad

Gray toad

grass frog

Edible frog

Arachnids

Silver spider

Dolomedes spider

Insects

Watchman - Emperor

Prairie cricket

Mountain leafhopper

Common humpback

Ranatra rod-shaped

Water Scorpio

Hunter wingless

Orius is small

Rhinocoris red

Pygolumpus bidentata

blue shield

The water lover is big

Wide swimmer

Forest horse

Krasnotel odoriferous

Bronze beauty

Golden fossa ground beetle

Shiny ground beetle

Purple ground beetle

Head beetle

Mosswort

Lebia blue-headed

Rove rove odorous

Dead eater four-point

Stag beetle

Small Rogachik

Smooth bronze

Kaloyed - bull

Rhinoceros beetle

Fish

Caspian lamprey

Brook lamprey

Russian sturgeon

Sterlet

Common Podust

Bystryanka

White-eye

Lake minnow

Carp

Asp

Whitefin minnow

Chub

Dace

Common spined loach

Bersh or Volga pike perch

Common sculpin

Reasons for the decline in flora and fauna

In Mordovia, 236 species of animals are endangered, and there are 230 species of plants. Unfortunately, their numbers are declining. This is due to direct harvesting of plants and extermination of animals. Also, the number of medicinal, ornamental and food plants is decreasing every year. These include: Russian hazel grouse, May lily of the valley, leafless iris, oregano. This happens mainly near populated areas and in places of mass recreation of people. For example, near tourist centers.

Also, the reason for the extinction of species can be called a change in habitat, due to widespread agricultural economic activity person. Forests are being cut down, steppes and meadows are being developed for new agricultural crops, and swamps and many reservoirs are being drained. Accordingly, the population of inhabitants of forests, meadows, ponds and swamps is declining.

It is also caused by other species from foreign lands, which are slowly displacing local plants and animals. For example, the American mink takes the place of the European mink. Raccoon dog and muskrat, reduce the population of water birds. In the forests of Mordovia you can increasingly find American maple.

In addition, forced destruction of some species of animals and plants occurs. For example, in Mordovia, the speckled ground squirrel and jerboa were specifically exterminated. The following plants were destroyed: common cockle, rye brome. These are the species that caused great damage to agriculture.

In our article we want to tell you about the Mordovian Nature Reserve. It is located in the Temnikovsky district of Mordovia, in the zone of broad-leaved and coniferous forests, as well as forest-steppe, on the banks of the Moksha River. total area The reserve covers more than thirty-two thousand hectares of land.

From the history of the reserve

Mordovian Nature Reserve named after. P. G. Smidovich was organized in March 1936, and it received its name in honor of a government worker of that time who dealt with environmental issues in the country.

The primary goal of creating the reserve was to restore the number of forests damaged by logging and burned in fires. In 1938, the taiga zone lost about two thousand hectares of trees. Currently, there is a struggle to preserve the natural landscape of the region.

Mordovian Nature Reserve named after. P. G. Smidovich, as well as its surroundings contain a lot historical monuments. For example, here you can find settlements and human sites dating back to the Neolithic era. In the seventeenth - twentieth centuries, the southeastern part of the Murom forests belonged to monasteries, whose servants tried to preserve and increase forest wealth. They built special ditches to drain wetlands. Remnants of their activities have survived to this day.

The reserve conducts regular observations of the state of the rarest species of flora at stationary recording sites.

Location of the protected area

Mordovian State Reserve named after. P. G. Smidovich is located on the right bank of Moksha. The border of the northern part of the protected area runs along the Satis, which is a tributary of the Moksha. The western border is delineated by the Chernaya, Moksha and Satisu rivers. On the southern side, forest-steppe approaches, which naturally delineates the boundaries of protected lands. It turns out that the forest areas of the reserve are included in the coniferous and deciduous forests on the very border with the forest-steppe.

As for the climate, the protected area falls in the Atlantic-continental region. The frost-free period a year is up to 135 days. Sub-zero temperatures begin in November. Maximum warm temperature reaches forty degrees here, and the minimum at winter period up to - 48 degrees.

Water system

The water system of the protected lands is represented by the Bolshaya and Malaya Chernaya, Pushta and Arga rivers. There are also streams flowing into Moksha. All of them also have their tributaries. However, in summer period some rivers partially dry up. Summer rains have little effect on the water level in rivers. Only heavy rainfall can lead to an increase in river water levels. Most of the reserve is the drainage area of ​​the Pushta River. There are lakes in the southwest, and there are quite a lot of them, about two dozen. There are large and small sizes.

Flora of the reserve

The Mordovian reserve is completely covered with forests. Half of them are pine. But in the eastern and western parts birch tracts predominate, while in the central area linden tracts predominate. In Moksha there are oak trees that are one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty years old. Sometimes there are also more ancient giants, whose age reaches three hundred years.

The flora of the reserve is represented by 788 species of vascular plants, as well as 73 species of mosses. The most common type of vegetation is subtaiga (light coniferous) forests of the most different types. Pine-oak, as well as pine-linden forests are specific to this region. The moisture and soil provide such a wide variety of woodlands. Here you can see dry lichen forests, damp spruce forests, and black alder poplars.

It must be said that the Mordovian Nature Reserve (photos are given in the article) has preserved quite a lot of forests in its natural state on its territory. Pine forests dominate. There are no clear boundaries between forest varieties.

Fauna of the protected area

In 1930, the Mordovian Nature Reserve named after Smidovich was introducing introduced new species to protected area. Thus, muskrats brought from Primorye were released into the lakes, which not only took root in these parts, but also became quite common for this region, and the most numerous of the ungulate representatives. Deer were brought here from the Voronezh region and Kherson region (Askania-Nova). In 1940, roe deer were introduced. Later, bison and bison, as well as Ukrainian gray cattle, were also brought in. They even created a special bison park, which existed until 1979. Unfortunately, further work were stopped, the bison park was destroyed, and the animals themselves were sent to live freely.

Beaver population recovery

Over the years of its existence, the Mordovian State Reserve named after Smidovich has restored the number of beavers that were almost completely exterminated. Work began in the late thirties. Nowadays, beavers have become quite numerous in the Moksha River basin.

Eight hundred individuals were sent for further resettlement in Mordovia, Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Tomsk regions.

Beavers are very interesting animals. They cut down trees to obtain food and for construction. They gnaw off the branches and then divide the trunk into separate parts. Imagine that they are able to fell an aspen tree in just five minutes. And a tree with a diameter of forty centimeters is slowly cut up in one night. By the morning, after their active work, only a stump and a pile of sawdust remains. Beavers gnaw while standing on their hind legs and leaning on their tail. Their jaws work like a saw. The teeth of animals are self-sharpening, and therefore always remain sharp.

Beavers partially eat branches from a fallen tree on the spot, and float the rest down the river to their house or to the place where a new dam will be built. Sometimes animals even dig channels that serve to transport food. The length of such a channel can be a couple of hundred meters, and its width can reach fifty centimeters. The depth reaches one meter.

Beavers live in burrows, or so-called huts. The entrance to their house is always under water. Animals dig holes in the banks. They represent complex system labyrinths with four or five entrances. Beavers treat walls and floors very carefully. In general, the living space itself is located at a depth of no more than one meter, has a width of up to a meter and a height of up to fifty centimeters. Animals design their homes in such a way that the height of the floors in the house is twenty centimeters above the water. If suddenly the water level in the river rises, the beaver immediately raises the floor, scraping construction material from the ceiling.

Animals build huts in places where it is impossible to dig a hole. These are either low, swampy shores or shallows. The walls of the house are coated with silt or clay, it becomes strong and inaccessible to any predator. Air enters the hut through the ceiling. There are many passages inside. With the onset of frost, animals insulate their home and the temperature remains above zero throughout the winter. The water in the holes never freezes, and therefore beavers can always go under the ice of the reservoir. During severe frosts, steam can be seen above the huts. This indicates that the house is inhabited. Sometimes the settlement of this animal simultaneously consists of burrows and a hut. Why do you think beavers build dams? Everything is very simple. Although they are large, they are rodents. They have quite a lot of enemies: bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx. To prevent enemies from reaching them, the entrance must be flooded. This is not an obstacle for the beaver, and predators will not get to it. However, these animals cannot live in water all the time.

Lynx in the Mordovian Nature Reserve

The lynx is a protected animal in the reserve. Currently, the population of this animal is expected to increase. According to employees, this is due to the fact that this year there has been an increase in their main food - the white hare.

In addition, researchers have recorded an increase in the numbers of other animals such as squirrels and sika deer. I must say what last years The number of squirrels, roe deer, foxes, and martens has also increased. All this data was obtained thanks to route census, which allows you to track changes in the number of certain individuals.

In general, the lynx is a very beautiful and hardy animal, which is a symbol of the reserve. The reserve first discovered the lynx in March 1941 following traces of its life activity. Then in 1942, hunters killed three individuals at once (it was a female and two young lynxes), and later also an adult male. And since then, for six years, no traces of this animal were ever found.

It was only in 1949 that the Mordovian Nature Reserve began reintroducing the lynx.

This animal is characterized by a dense and strong physique and has very developed legs. The animal's fur is beautiful and thick. The lynx's sense of smell is not very developed, but its hearing and vision are excellent. Like all cats, she climbs trees remarkably well, moves quietly and silently, and, if necessary, makes a big jump for prey. In general, the lynx feeds on hares and some hazel grouse). However, they are sometimes able to attack prey much larger than themselves if they see that they can overpower it. Cases of attacks on roe deer and deer have been recorded. The lynx is a night hunter.

There are rumors that cats are very strong and bloodthirsty, but talk of attacks on people is extremely exaggerated. If you don't touch the animal, it will never attack first. Lynx, on the contrary, tries to avoid humans.

Unfortunately, a decrease in the number of individuals was previously observed wild cats. But now the population has increased significantly.

Objectives assigned to the reserve

Mordovian State Reserve named after P. G. Smidovich carries out measures to preserve the natural state natural complexes(biotechnical, fire-fighting and other measures), measures to protect and protect forests, measures to extinguish fires, equip areas with signs and information boards.

The reserve workers are faced with the task of identifying and suppressing any violations of the regime of the protected area. The Mordovian Nature Reserve carries out environmental education work, including with schoolchildren.

In addition, research work is carried out. The administration of the sanatorium is organizing educational eco-tourism. This is, first of all, the creation of special places for tourists to relax.

Mordovian Nature Reserve and ecological tourism

The purpose of the reserve is to preserve and enhance natural resources, and not hiding them from human eyes behind seven locks. Therefore, the Mordovian Nature Reserve is actively involved in the development of ecological tourism. First of all, this is a journey into the world of the new and unknown. Such tours are organized to untouched forests for educational and educational activities.

As part of such tourism, ecological trails, specialized recreation areas, visitor centers and many others have long been created in the reserve. interesting objects. However, the territory of the reserve is closed and visiting is prohibited. But tourist excursions are possible, but by prior arrangement with the administration.

Since 2013, the reserve has also become a tourist operator of the Russian Federation. It offers its visitors eight different tour programs to suit every taste:

1. “Visiting the reserve” - a one-day program with a visit to the central estate and thematic events.

2. “Reserved Mordovia” - a one-day excursion route with a visit to the main attractions of the reserve.

3. Expedition to the Inorsky cordon. A seven-day trek with visits to monasteries, picturesque places, as well as educational activities and programs.

4. Expedition to the Pavlovsky cordon. For five days, guests live in wooden houses, go on excursions, visit monasteries and the main estate.

5. "Course This trip is designed for five days with accommodation and meals in field conditions. Instructors will teach you the basics of survival in the wild, and master classes await you.

6. "Our animals." A fascinating journey into the world of wild nature. The guide will introduce you to the life of birds and animals. also in winter time Vacationers will be able to ride snowmobiles.

7. Family tour. This excursion is designed for weekends. In two days you will not only visit protected places, but also a number of monasteries.

8. Tour " National cuisine" You can not only enjoy the beauty of the protected lands, but also taste dishes of national cuisines.

Instead of an afterword

Mordovian nature reserve them. Smidovich preserves and preserves the riches of nature. If you decide to visit it and admire the local beauty, then you can choose one of the eight excursion tours currently offered. They are all very different and everyone can choose the right option for themselves. We wish you a good break from everyday life and admire the local beauty.

There is no industrial fishing in the republic's water bodies, with the exception of pond farms. Not a single potentially commercially valuable species in the natural reservoirs of the Republic of Mordovia has a normal abundance.

Lake Inerka. Mordovia

Biological resources of the republic's land

Flora. Plants.

The flora of the Republic is rich and diverse. Currently, it consists of alternating forests with arable land and small areas of steppe meadows or meadow steppes. Forests occupy an area of ​​744.3 thousand hectares, which is 27% of the territory of the republic.

The western part of Mordovia is located in the zone of coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests; in the central and eastern regions, shrub and meadow steppes predominate. The flora includes more than 1,230 species of vascular plants from 495 genera and 109 families. Of these, 4 are species of club mosses, 8 are horsetails, 18 are ferns, 3 are gymnosperms, and the rest are flowering plants. Herbaceous plants predominate; the number of tree and shrub species is small. The main forest-forming species: pine, spruce, larch, English oak, ash, sycamore maple, elm, warty and downy birch, alder, small-leaved linden, black poplar.

Types of forests in Mordovia.

The forests of the republic are represented by the following main types (student presentations by types of forests):

Pine forests occupy 29.7% of the area of ​​all forests and are represented mainly by Scots pine. These are lichen pine forests, lingonberry-heather, bilberry-lingonberry, green moss pine forests, long moss pine forests, sphagnum pine forests, the names of which are given by the dominance of the corresponding plant species in the undergrowth and grass cover. Soils pine forests poor in organic matter due to the lack of massive leaf fall. And the gradually falling needles do not create soil humus and even inhibit the germination of seeds of forest plants. Therefore, such forests are sparsely represented by shrubs, and herbaceous plants include mosses and lichens. We also have complex (or mixed) pine forests, where in the tree layer, along with pine, oak, linden, birch grow, and rowan, buckthorn, euonymus, hazel and others grow in the undergrowth. Due to the regular fall of deciduous trees, the soils here are rich in humus, therefore such forests are rich in herbaceous vegetation (lily of the valley, lungwort, strawberries).

There are few spruce forests in the republic, about 0.5%, and they are confined to the northwestern part (Temnikovsky, Tengushevsky districts). It is there that the southern border of the Norway spruce range lies. Spruce forests, like pine forests, are classified into groups according to their predominance in the undergrowth. The most economically important are spruce-green moss and blueberry-lingonberry forests. We have complex spruce forests (oak and linden-oak), streamside and lowland spruce forests.

Broad-leaved forests (oak forests) used to occupy vast territories in our republic, but now remain in the form of small tracts on fertile soils in the central and eastern parts of the republic (about 17.5% of the forest area).

The main forest-forming species is pedunculate oak; it is usually accompanied by Norway maple, small-leaved linden, common ash and other forest species.

The grass stand is abundant in such forests due to the very rich nutrients soil and is represented by lily of the valley, lungwort, species of kupena, and common lily of the valley. Based on the dominance of species in the undergrowth, oak forests are distinguished: maple-sedge-grass, maple-linden-snow, maple-linden-forb and floodplain oak forests, growing near rivers on floodplain loams with excess moisture. Floodplain oak forests form mixed communities with alder and elm; stinging nettle, meadowsweet and others are found in the grass cover. Oak forests are the most valuable, species-rich forests of our republic, and it is a pity that their area continues to shrink, and oak of seed origin is being replaced by coppice with lower quality wood.

Birch and aspen forests (small-leaved) are derivative or secondary types and occupy 51% of the forest area in Mordovia. Birch forests usually appear on the site of pine forests, although sometimes primary birch forests are found in river floodplains. Our forests are inhabited mainly by three types of birch: warty, downy and silver, but the name white birch has become popular among people because of the color of the bark.

Aspen forests form derivative types that replaced spruce and oak forests. Aspen (trembling poplar), as a species that is more demanding of soil and moisture, occupies more fertile soil. One of characteristic features Aspens have very mobile leaves that move even from a slight breeze. This is explained by the fact that the leaf blades are attached to the end of a long, thin petiole, which is flat and strongly flattened laterally. Thanks to this shape, the petiole bends especially easily to the right and left, which is why the aspen leaf blades are so mobile, and the impression of their trembling is created. The aspen does not live long, its trunk is already early age There is often rot inside; mature trees are almost all rotten in the middle. For this reason, they break easily from strong winds. Aspen is of little use for firewood, as it produces little heat; it is used mainly for matches and various crafts. Its wood is of little value, which is why aspen is called a forest weed.

The following new species of vascular plants have been recorded in the flora of Mordovia: moss moss three-spikelet (Bolypebereznikovsky district), coffee plant shield (Bolshebereznikovsky district), indigenous sedge (Tengushevsky district), steppe plantain (Dubensky, Bolshebereznikovsky districts). The flora of Mordovia, therefore, includes 331 species of vascular plants from 532 genera and 113 families. Among them are 5 species of club mosses, 8 horsetails, 18 ferns, 3 gymnosperms, and the remaining 296 flowering or angiosperm plants.

Rare plants forests of Mordovia.

Lilia Saranka. Grows in small groups in sparse mountain oak forests, deciduous forests and birch groves, preferring humus-rich soils. Blooms in late June - July. It is found in many regions of the republic, including Ruzaevsky.

Leafless iris. Grows in light forests, preferring black soil or dark gray soil. Blooms in May - June. It is found in many regions of the republic, including Ruzaevsky.

Lyubka green-flowered. Grows in moderately moist, broad-leaved, small-leaved, mixed forests, and mountain oak forests. Seeds germinate only in the presence of fungi within 2-4 years; seedlings lead an underground lifestyle. The first leaves appear at 3-5 years, and the plant blooms at 9-11 years, usually in June - July. The plant lives on average 20-27 years, reproducing mainly by seeds. It is found in many regions of the republic, including Ruzaevsky.

Forest anemone. It grows on rich chernozem and dark gray soils, along the edges of steppe upland oak forests. Blooms in May - June. Plants grown from seeds bloom in 5-8 years. It is found in many regions of the republic, including Ruzaevsky.

Open lumbago Perennial. Grows in dry sparse pine forests on poor sandy soils and steppe chernozem slopes. Blooms in April - May. It is found in many regions of the republic, including Ruzaevsky.

Adonis in spring. A light-loving plant that grows on steppe slopes, thickets of bushes and the edges of steppe oak forests. Blooms in late April - early May. Flowering and fruiting occurs when they reach 15-20 years of age. It is found in many regions of the republic, including Ruzaevsky.

The lady's slipper is real. Grows on coniferous and mixed forests, along the outskirts of swamps, as well as in mountain oak forests and birch forests. It blooms at 15-21 years of age, in late May - early June. The most numerous populations are in Simkinskoe natural park Bolynebereznikovsky district. Listed in the International Red Book.

Lady's slipper is speckled. Grows in coniferous and mixed forests, slopes of forested ravines and river valleys on wet soils. Blooms in late May - early June. It was first discovered in the 80s of the 20th century in the vicinity of the biological station of Mordovian University in the Bolshebereznikovsky district.

Russian hazel grouse. Bulbous ephemeroid. It grows in sparse broad-leaved forests, in forest clearings, forest edges, in well-warmed places with relatively abundant moisture and rich soil. It blooms in the 4th year of life in the second half of May. It is found in the Lyambirsky district and in the vicinity of the city of Saransk.

Siberian scilla. Grows in deciduous forests. Ephemeroid. Blooms at the end of April. A significant population is located in the vicinity of the village of Samaevka, Kovylkinsky district.

New locations of species included in the Red Book of Russia have been discovered: feather feather grass (Lyambirsky, Atyashevsky, Ruzakovsky, Dubensky, Oktyabrsky districts), lady's slipper (Atyashevsky district), orchis caprata (Kovylkinsky district), leafless iris (Kovylkinsky district). New locations of many rare species on the territory of Mordovia have been discovered, including those considered to have disappeared from the flora: long pondweed (previously observed only in 1926, in 2000 found in the Tengushevsky and Zubovo-Polyansky districts), alpine pondweed (Tengushevsky district), naiad ( Kovylkinsky district), yellow onion (Chamzinsky district), imbricated fennel (Kovylkinsky, Oktyabrsky districts), high broomrape (Chamzinsky district), intermediate corydalis (Ichalkovsky district), Lapp (Ichalkovsky district).

Work continued on inventorying the flora of specially protected natural areas. For example, the flora of the Atyashevsky reserve has been studied. On its territory, 271 species of vascular plants from 184 genera and 56 families have been identified. Including 5 types of horsetails, 2 types of ferns, 2 types of gymnosperms, the remaining 264 species are angiosperms. The leading position in the flora of the reserve is occupied by the families Compositae, grasses, Rosaceae, legumes, and cruciferous plants. Herbaceous plants dominate (87.2%), woody plants account for 12.2%. Among the rare and endangered plants in the flora of the Atyashevsky reserve are 19 species: Saranka lily, Kaufman's lily, bitter gentian, peach-leaved bellroot, Fuchs palmate root and others. Much attention is paid to identifying surviving steppe areas. In order to remove them from economic use and privatization processes, some of them, based on a thorough study of their flora and vegetation, are recommended for protection as nature reserves and monuments.

The study of adventive flora (plants alien to the flora of the Republic and penetrated into the territory as a result of economic activity) is underway. The main source of introduction of adventive species is unintentional introduction (229 species), mainly with railway transport (60% of the total number of introduced species were found along railways). Despite the fact that the structure of the adventive flora is dominated by resistant and non-naturalizing species (241 species), the number of species that are regularly found in undisturbed natural communities (25 species) is growing. Some of them appeared in the natural environment as a result of ill-conceived introduction and can serve as a source biological pollution, for example, cyclachena cocklebur, Sosnovsky's hogweed, field catcher. Many of the Advents are dangerous allergens and quarantine weeds, such as species of the ragweed genus.

Fauna. Animals

Due to the fact that the republic is located on the border of the forest zone and forest-steppe, the fauna has a number of features.

The first feature is the richness of species. 268 bird species have been registered in Mordovia, of which 70 species are classified as rare and endangered, and 10 species are included in the Red Books. In addition, there are 74 species of mammals, of which 35 are rare to one degree or another, 3 species are included in the Red Books, of animals 2 species of cyclostomes, 7 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians and 40 species of fish.

The second feature of the republic’s fauna is the diversity of life forms.

Here we find both purely steppe species - the common mole rat, big jerboa, speckled ground squirrel, steppe moth, and marten, capercaillie, hazel grouse and others. There are many land animals associated with water: muskrat, muskrat, beaver.

Numerous combinations of landscape conditions have led to the fact that various faunal complexes are adjacent to each other, the jerboa often lives next to the squirrel, etc.

Also a feature of the fauna of Mordovia is the passage of the territory of the boundaries of the ranges of many species of terrestrial vertebrates. For example: common mole rat, small vespers and others.

In Mordovia, 63 species of mammals (of which 35 are rare), 267 species of birds (70 rare), and 44 species of fish live in the reservoirs of the republic. The world of insects is very rich (more than 1000 species), but the diversity of reptiles and amphibians is small. Animal world consists of representatives of forest fauna (elk, wild boar, lynx, marten, white hare, wood grouse, hazel grouse, woodpeckers, blackbirds, tits) and, to a lesser extent, steppe fauna (speckled ground squirrel, steppe mole rat, common mole rat, great jerboa).

On the territory of Mordovia, 25 species of regular migrants, 24 species of irregular migrants and 35 species of vagrants have been recorded. According to the observations of biologists, 39 species should be classified as rare breeders: the greater spotted eagle, the great bittern, the reed harrier, the falcon, the falcon and others. About 20 species of birds are considered to possibly nest on the territory of Mordovia.

The list of animals of Mordovia included in the "Red Book" of Russia consists of 32 species: muskrat, bobak, European bison, black-throated loon, black stork, osprey, golden eagle, snake eagle, peregrine falcon (falcon), imperial eagle, red-breasted goose, white-eyed pochard, steppe harrier, white-tailed eagle, greater spotted eagle, saker falcon, steppe kestrel, ptarmigan, great curlew, stilt, oystercatcher, little tern, steppe tirkushka, little tern, eagle owl, gray shrike, aquatic warbler, blue tit, common sculpin.

Of the reptiles, 4 species are considered practically lost to the nature of Mordovia: the brittle spindle, the common copperhead, steppe viper, viviparous lizard.

The total area of ​​the republic's hunting grounds is 2,482 thousand hectares, including: agricultural land - 1,707 thousand hectares, forest land - 719 thousand hectares, water areas - 21 thousand hectares. The lands are inhabited by moose, wild boar, black grouse, wood grouse, geese, ducks and other species.

Rare animals of the forests of Mordovia.

Swallowtail (insect class)

Mnemosyne (class insects)

Grass frog (class amphibians)

Common copperhead (class reptiles)

Black stork (bird class)

Golden eagle (bird class)

Eagle owl (bird class)

Lesser noctule (class mammals)

Red deer (class mammals)

Bison (class mammals)

Water biological resources republics

The main fishing reservoirs of the Republic are the Sura, Moksha, Alatyr rivers and their largest tributaries.

There is no industrial fishing in the republic's water bodies, with the exception of pond farms. Not a single potentially commercially valuable species in the natural reservoirs of the Republic of Mordovia has a normal abundance.

Sura is a large right tributary of the Volga. Over five seasons, representatives of 31 species were registered in control fish catches. The quantitative representation of individual taxa is presented as follows:

Numerous, dominant species: bleak, roach, golden crucian carp, silver crucian carp, common perch, rotan;

Common, occasionally numerous: pike, gudgeon, ide, river minnow, spined loach, common loach, loach, catfish, bitterling, tench, burbot, ruff;

Numerous common ones: rudd, asp, bream, silver bream, sabrefish, carp (wild), chub, sterlet, pike perch;

Rare: white-eye, podust, bersh, bream.

In general, the ichthyofauna of the middle Sura is at the stage of gradual recovery. First of all, 4 species moved from the group of rare and oppressed to common ones - dace, chub, carp, sterlet. The number of numerous species has doubled - 8, instead of occasionally numerous - almost tripled - 15 instead of 5.

Moksha is a more typical river than Sura. In its channel part there are more calm zones, overgrown creeks with semi- or entirely lacustrine hydroregime. Winter freezes are not uncommon in the river. Therefore, the channel ichthyofauna has a mixed character - specialized (floodplain) species live next to purely rheophilic fish.

According to the diversity of fish, the river basin The Moksha and the riverbed itself are inferior to the Sura - a direct tributary of the Volga; the economic list is presented the following types: stream lamprey (cyclostomes), sterlet, pike, dace, chub, roach, asp, river minnow, rudd, quickspot, verkhovka, bleak, sabrefish, gudgeon, bream, white-faced, silver bream, common crucian carp, silver crucian carp, common bitterling, carp (carp), loach, char, common, catfish, burbot, perch, ruff, pike perch, bersh, rotan, common sculpin.

General species diversity of fish in the river. Moksha can be assessed as normal. The presence of environmentally sensitive representatives - sculpin, sterlet, chub, pike perch, dace, asp, gudgeon - indicates a relatively low level of river pollution.

Behind Lately in the river Moksha, in the area of ​​Temnikov and below, a stable population of sterlet has formed.

17 species of fish have been recorded in the Insar River basin. In the Alatyr River, along with the species identified in the Insar River, bream and silver bream are present.

In general, the Insaro-Alatyr ichthyofauna is depleted in apparent diversity relative to the possibility of a taxometric set of fish in rivers of this size and type. This is due to the fact that on the Insar River, a reservoir of relatively small flow, the Saransk-Ruzaevsky industrial hub is located with a significant volume of discharged wastewater and a whole bunch of all kinds of pollution.

The data presented in their entirety allow us to characterize general state ichthyofauna in the Republic as consistently improving. The most indicative signs in this regard are:

increase in the population of rare and oppressed fish;

the transition of small species to the category of common ones, even in those reservoirs where they were absent for a long time;

reducing the content of chemical pollutants of abiotic pollution in water bodies.

Two specially protected natural areas have been created on the territory of the republic federal significance(Mordovian State Reserve named after P. G. Smidovich and National Park"Smolny"), there are also nature reserves and natural monuments of regional significance.

Lesson topic: “Rare and endangered species of plants and animals of Mordovia.” The purpose of the lesson: to introduce students to rare and endangered species of plants and animals of Mordovia, to continue to instill in them love and respect for nature, and to introduce them to the Red Books of Nature. Lesson type: combined, lesson - presentation.

Pollenhead red. A perennial herbaceous plant with a rhizome penetrating deeply into the soil, ascending, almost vertical, with shoots, the internodes of which are of different sizes. The stem is cm long, the branching system of shoots is monochasial, with 3-6 leaves. The red pollen head grows in dry, sparse forests, broad-leaved, coniferous, along the edges, among shrubs, often on steep slopes; with strong shading, it can go into a state of forced dormancy for a very long time (up to 20 years) and lead an underground lifestyle

Russian hazel grouse. Perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, up to 40 cm tall. Bulb up to 1 cm in diameter. It grows on the slopes of ravines, on the edges of deciduous and pine forests. But the Russian hazel grouse prefers fertile soils with a high humus content.

Osprey. Osprey is a large and, in fact, unique predator, since it is the only species in this family. Ospreys are large in size. Their body is up to half a meter long, and their wingspan reaches almost one and a half meters. Weight varies from one and a half to two kilograms. The wings of ospreys are elongated and characteristically curved where the carpal joint would be. The upper feathers are dark brown, and the crown, nape, chest and belly are white.

Golden eagle. The golden eagle is a large bird with long and relatively narrow wings and a slightly rounded tail; the feathers on the back of the head are narrow and pointed; the paws are very powerful, with strong claws and a tarsus feathered down to the toes. The dimensions of the golden eagle are as follows: total length 8095 cm, wing length 6072.5 cm, weight 36.5 kg. Female golden eagles are noticeably larger than males. Both sexes are colored the same.

May lily of the valley. May lily of the valley is a perennial herbaceous plant of the lily family with a creeping branched rhizome and thin roots at the nodes. The underground rhizome is no thicker than a goose feather, bears near the top several pale small lower leaves, half-hidden in the ground. Shoots consisting of 36 vaginal leaves extend from the apices and lateral branches of the rhizome. The leaves of the lily of the valley are basal, long-petioled with an oblong-elliptical pointed leaf blade, thin, entire, bright green, bluish on the upper side and shiny on the lower side. The plant has a strong but pleasant aroma and blooms from late May to June. The fruit is a juicy, three-lobed, spherical orange-red berry that ripens in August–September. The plant is poisonous.

Owl. If we consider owls beautiful, then the most beautiful of them, of course, is the eagle owl. The size of the eagle owl also commands respect. This is an owl with a wingspan of almost two meters and a weight of about three kilograms. An eagle owl's egg weighs grams - the same as an adult Ussuri owl.

The fauna of the forests of Mordovia is diverse. Most of the insect species recorded in our republic are found here; many hymenoptera, butterflies, and beetles can be found. Some of them are listed in the Red Books - these are mnemosyne butterflies, swallowtail butterflies, and many species of bumblebees.
The forest floor is also rich in species of invertebrate animals; a huge number of microorganisms develop here.
Among the amphibians in the forests live: the sharp-faced and grass frog, the spadefoot, the green and gray toad, which is included in the lists of rare and endangered species.
All six species of reptiles are found in the forests. Along the outskirts there is a quick lizard, along the edges there is a viviparous lizard, in wet forests It’s quite common, there are copperheads and brittle spindles.
Birds of the forests of Mordovia are also represented in great diversity. In the forest you can find lesser and spotted woodpeckers, nuthatch, whirligig, siskin, goldfinch, hazel grouse, black grouse and many other birds. Some species are listed in the Red Books.
Mammals of forest biogeocenoses are divided into several ecological groups:
Tree climbers. They spend most of their lives in trees, getting food there, arranging nests for breeding and resting, and fleeing from squirrels and martens.
Mammals leading a semi-arboreal, semi-terrestrial lifestyle - forest dormouse, hazel dormouse.
Species leading a terrestrial lifestyle. These are elk, sika deer, roe deer, polecat, and many types of mouse-like rodents.
Subterranean mammals are also found in the forest - different kinds shrew, mole. Many species of forest animals are of commercial importance.

Snakes of the Republic of Mordovia

The snake fauna of the Middle Volga region includes 9 species (Bakiev, Malenev, 1996).
The Republic of Mordovia (RM), despite the small size of its territory (length from west to east is about 280 km, from north to south - from 80 to 140 km), is characterized by significant landscape diversity. According to the nature of the relief, the territory of the republic is divided into two parts, between which there are no sharp transitions: the western part is lowland (with the water system of the Moksha River) and the eastern part is hilly (the Sura river system). The least studied group of vertebrates living on the territory of Mordovia are reptiles. According to various authors, from 6 to 8 species of reptiles live in Mordovia.
To date, the habitat of three species of snakes has been established on the territory of Mordovia. Ordinary and in mass form is an ordinary snake (noted in 59 points).
Spreading common viper in Mordovia is sporadic. The viper was recorded in 37 locations and is mainly found in fairly large forest areas. Prefers mixed forests, in which it is common in clearings, clearings, clearings, along the banks of swamps, rivers, lakes and streams.
Extremely rare species is a common copperhead. Over the past 50 years, only 6 reliable finds of this species are known.

Amphibians of the Republic of Mordovia

In 1888 (cited from: Garanin, 1971) N.A. Varpakhovsky compiled a list of amphibians and reptiles of the Nizhny Novgorod province, the southern districts of which later became the territory of Mordovia. M.D. Ruzsky (1894), who was engaged in herpetological collections in the Sur region, noted 6 species of amphibians and 2 species of reptiles in the Ardatovsky district (now the Ardatovsky district of Mordovia).
The most complete and systematic studies of the ecology of amphibians in Mordovia, or rather the Middle Sur region, were carried out from 1968 to 1977. During this time, 269 route surveys were laid with a total length of over 143 km (Astradamov, 1975; Astradamov, Alysheva, 1979a). 10 species of amphibians were identified, which were divided into three groups: those living in the floodplain on continental terraces, living in the floodplain on non-flooded terraces, and aquatic. The dominant species in the pine forests of the Middle Sur region was the sharp-faced frog. The feeding habits of this species were studied (Makarov and Astradamov, 1975). In its stomach, more than 130 species of invertebrates were noted, the basis of which were insects. The authors made interesting calculations, according to which 10 thousand specimens of the sharp-faced frog living on an area of ​​100 hectares destroy 15 million specimens of animals in 5 months, of which 9 million are “harmful”.

Chiroptera of the Republic of Mordovia

Chiropterans are one of the least studied orders of mammals in the republic and are represented only by the family – Vespertilionidae. The main studies were carried out in the Mordovian nature reserve (Morozova-Turova, 1938; Borodina et al., 1970; Barbash-Nikiforov, 1958). In the latest general publications on the bats of Mordovia, there are some disagreements. Thus, 9 species are included in the Red Book (2005), and 8 species are included in the textbook (Vechkanov et al., 2006). In addition to the pond and water bats common to these publications, the brown long-eared bat, the red noctule, the common noctule of the carica and Nathusius, and the two-colored leather bat, the Red Book lists the small and giant noctule, and in textbook also a mustachioed night bat.
According to the latest report (Pavlinov et al., 2002), 13 species can live on the territory of the republic. Some of them are included in the Red Books of neighboring regions (Red Book of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 2003; Red Book of the Ryazan Region, 2003; Red Book of the Ulyanovsk Region, 2004; Red Book of the Penza Region, 2005) (table).
In addition to the mentioned types of L.S. Shaldybin (1964) noted a three-colored bat in the amount of two copies for Mordovian Nature Reserve. Apparently this information should be considered erroneous, because The species' range within Russia is located only within the North Caucasus (Pavlinov, 2002).

Many game animals have been preserved in the forests - wolf, elk, badger, beaver, wild boar, muskrat, fox, white and brown hares; of birds - black grouse, gray partridge, capercaillie. Carp, crucian carp, bream, and pike are found in reservoirs.

Rare animals of the forests of Mordovia

Take care of these waters, these lands,
I love even a small epic.
Take care of all the animals inside nature,
Kill only the beasts within yourself.
(Demonstration of a presentation of rare animals with teacher comments)
В· Swallowtail (class insects)
B Mnemosyne (class insects)
В · Grass frog (class amphibians)
В· Common copperhead (class reptiles)
В· Black stork (bird class)
В· Golden eagle (bird class)
В · Eagle owl (bird class)
В· Lesser noctule (class mammals)
В· Red deer (class mammals)
В· Bison (class mammals)
The Mordovian Nature Reserve is located on the territory of the republic.

Mordovian Nature Reserve

It is located in the interfluve of the Moksha and its right tributary the Satis, on the Oksko-Klyazminskaya plain, in Mordovia, near the city of Temnikov. Founded in 1936, the area is 32,148 hectares, 30,852 hectares are forests, 201 hectares are reservoirs. The relief is poorly dissected, characterized by small elevations between the river floodplains and ravines. There are clearly 4 terraces, the heights of which are respectively 110, 110-120, 120-140 and 140-188 m above sea level. The following rivers flow through the reserve: Pushta, Moksha, Satis, Arga (a tributary of the Satis).
The climate is temperate, typical for mid-latitudes. Average annual temperature 3.4 °C, average July temperature 19.8 °C, average January temperature - 12.4 °C, average annual precipitation 445 mm. About 950 plant species, 619 vascular species, 77 moss species, 83 lichen species, and 25 tree and shrub species are registered in the reserve. Most common pine forests with an admixture of broad-leaved species (birch, aspen, linden), as well as pure pine forests. In the Moksha floodplain there are oak forests aged 140–150 years. In the undergrowth - bird cherry, blackberry, black currant, raspberry. Meadow vegetation is represented mainly by floodplain meadows.
The fauna is represented by 59 species of mammals, 194 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles, 29 species of fish. The reserve is home to 12 species of predators - Brown bear, European mink, pine marten, otter, lynx; 5 species of artiodactyls - roe deer, deer (spotted and red), elk, bison. There are 22 species of rodents - beaver, dormouse (forest and garden), wood mouse, large jerboa, yellow-throated mouse. There are 8 species of bats - bats (pond, water and whiskered), long-eared bats, rufous noctule. Hares (hare and hare) are common; There are muskrats and shrews.
Typical birds include the black-throated loon, black stork, whooper swan, gray duck, red-headed pochard, honey buzzard, short-tailed snake eagle, golden eagle, eagles (burying ground and dwarf), white-tailed eagle, buzzard, osprey, peregrine falcon, saker falcon, eagle owl, black grouse, capercaillie, hazel grouse, quail, gray partridge and gray crane, great snipe, snipe, woodcock, curlew, clint, wood pigeon, scops owl, little owl, tawny owl, short-eared and long-eared owls, woodpeckers (7 species), bee-eater, grosbeak.
Amphibians include newts (common and crested), toads (green and gray), spadefoot, frogs (4 species), toad, and reptiles (6 species) - spindle, grass snake, copperhead, viper, lizards (fast and viviparous). 29 species of fish are registered, of which the most common are tench, pike, golden carp, perch, and verkhovka.