Yagel (reindeer moss) belongs to the genus Cladonia. It is often confused with moss. This plant, belonging to the genus of lichens, has more than 40 species.
Lichen reindeer moss , or aboutmoss . This is one of our largest lichens, its height reaches 10-15 cm. A separate reindeer moss plant resembles some kind of fancy tree in miniature - it has a thicker "trunk" rising from the ground, and thinner winding "branches". And the trunk and branches towards the ends gradually become thinner and thinner. Their tips almost completely disappear - they are no thicker than a hair.
Reindeer moss has a whitish color. When wet, reindeer moss is soft and elastic. But after drying, it hardens and becomes very brittle, crumbles easily. The slightest touch is enough to break off pieces of lichen. These tiny fragments are easily carried by the wind and are able to give rise to new plants. It is with the help of such random fragments that the reindeer moss mainly breeds.
Grows in both cold and warm climates, in well-drained, open environments. Reindeer moss easily tolerates large temperature fluctuations, survives in the scorching sun, after prolonged droughts it recovers at the slightest influx of moisture. It mainly grows in the alpine tundra, has an extremely high frost resistance. Grows on trees, rocks, stumps.
It grows very slowly: 3-5 mm per year. Restoring pasture after reindeer grazing can take several decades. To avoid depletion of pastures, wild deer constantly migrate.
2. Types of reindeer moss
Cladonia alpine consists of hollow cylindrical outgrowths up to 20 cm high, has a bushy thallus. This type of lichen prefers sandy soils that are open to the sun. Often grows in pine forests, swamps. Lichen exhibits antimicrobial activity. It contains acetic acid. Used in medicine.
deer cladonia it is the largest lichen of the cladonia genus. The reindeer moss of this species lives on sandy soils, in the tundra, pine forests, swamps and peat bogs. This reindeer moss is widespread in temperate and northern latitudes. It is also the main food for reindeer.
Cladonia soft forms greenish-gray pudets. Grows up to 7 centimeters in height. Distributed in temperate and northern latitudes. Grows on peat, sandy soil of pine forests, stumps. It is an excellent food for reindeer.
Cladonia forest different grayish-green or green-yellow color. Grows up to 10 centimeters in height. The taste is bitter-bitter. Grows in temperate and northern latitudes. He likes peat soils, open sunny places in pine forests, sandy soils. A valuable species of lichen, serves as food for bad deer.
Cladonia unsmoothed greenish-gray or light yellow, up to 10 centimeters high. They like to grow on mosses, sandy soil. Distributed in Western Siberia. A very valuable species, it is food for reindeer.
Cladonia thin - Differs in upright or decumbent branches. It bushes weakly, has a white-green or bluish-green color. It lives on rotten stumps, sandy soils, peat bogs in the middle zone of the European part. It is also a valuable species.
3. The role of reindeer moss
Yagel is up to 1/3 of the diet of reindeer. The value of reindeer moss lies in its high nutritional value, it is rich in carbohydrates, and is well absorbed by deer.
It is also used as supplementary feed for other animals. It is eaten by deer and musk deer. Dried reindeer moss is added to cows and pigs.
Reindeer moss has a high nutritional value. So 100 kilograms of reindeer moss in animal nutrition replace 300 kilograms of potatoes.
Reindeer moss used as food by the indigenous peoples of the north. It is eaten boiled, added to food in dried form. In these peoples, reindeer moss replaces diapers for newborns, as it has excellent absorbent properties. It is used to decorate window spaces.
4. Medicinal properties of reindeer moss
Healing properties of reindeer moss became known to people not so long ago. Scientists have found a strong antibiotic in moss, it stops the growth of putrefactive bacteria, prevents their reproduction. This property of reindeer moss was used by many northern peoples to preserve meat in the warm season. For this purpose, the meat was covered with reindeer moss on all sides, it did not spoil for a long time even at room temperature.
The acid found in moss kills the tubercle bacillus. Usic acid, killing the tubercle bacillus, preserves the intestinal microflora. On the basis of reindeer moss, many antibiotics have been developed.
In folk medicine, reindeer moss used for tuberculosis, peptic ulcer, atherosclerosis, thyroid disease, varicose veins, cough, gastritis, as a blood purifier, normalizing bowel function.
5. Status and protection
Reindeer moss grows very slowly. Its destruction by deer in one pasture forces the shepherds to constantly overtake herds in search of new pastures. It takes from 10 to 15 years to fully restore the eaten pasture. But the large areas of growth of this lichen make it possible to find new pastures, and old ones to recover.
Reindeer pastures need protection.
To the south of the ice zone, along the coasts of the northern seas, a tundra zone stretches. For thousands of kilometers from west to east - a cold treeless plain.
Winter in the tundra is long and very severe (frost down to -50). In the middle of winter, the polar night lasts for about 2 months. You can see the polar lights in the sky.
Very strong winds constantly blow in the tundra. In winter, there is often a blizzard and the wind speed reaches 30-40 m per second. Throwing up clouds of snow, knocking people down and overturning sleds with deer, a blizzard rages in the vast expanses of the tundra. Often it lasts 5-6 days. Winds blow snow from hills into hollows, river valleys, and the bare ground freezes heavily.
Corrosion is the mechanical effect of snow driven by strong winds. Corrosion is a powerful stream of solid ice particles that can damage and cut plants protruding from under the snow.
The climate in the tundra is severe, the summer is very short (2-3 months) and cool. The temperature in July does not exceed +14 C. And although the polar day comes, there are often frosts, and sometimes even snow falls. Cold winds blow in the tundra all year round. The tundra zone has a very large extent from west to east. The vegetation cover of this zone is not the same in the western and eastern regions.
By its nature of the landscape, the tundra can be peaty, swampy and rocky. The vegetation is mainly mosses and lichens, sometimes low-growing grasses are found, and very rare representatives are dwarf birches and creeping polar willows. There are no shrubs in the tundra, they are only located on the border with the taiga zone, and to the north, all vegetation spreads near the ground.
During a short summer, the surface of the tundra thaws about 50 cm deep, and below (almost 500 m) lies a layer of permafrost that never thaws.
Permafrost does not let rain and melt water to the depth. And from the surface, water evaporates slowly due to the low temperature. Therefore, there are many swamps and lakes in the tundra, and the soil is moist.
How plants are adapted in the tundra: dwarf forms of plants; their small leaves are often folded, covered with hair, have a wax coating; plants creep along the ground, forming pillows; roots are located close to the surface; many flowering plants tolerate frost; bright color of flowers, attracts insects; perennial plants.
The main representatives of typical tundras are sedges and mosses, which form a closed sod 5-10 cm thick. Mushrooms, lichens live in it, stems and rhizomes of flowering plants are immersed in it. The tundra is dominated by shrubs, perennial grasses, mosses, which tolerate harsh natural conditions well.
Reindeer moss.
Green moss. Peat mosses.
Arctic red bearberry. On the right is a cladonia lichen.
Tundra plants. 1. Blueberry. 2. Lingonberry. 3. Crow is black. 4. Cloudberry. 5. Loydia late. 6. Onion koroda. 7. Princess. 8. Vaginal cottonseed. 9. Sedge swordtail. 10. Dwarf birch. 11. Willow cuneiform.
Sometimes the color of the lichen thallus depends on the color of lichen acids, which are deposited in the form of crystals or grains on the surface of the hyphae.
Most lichen acids are colorless, but some of them are colored, and sometimes very brightly - in yellow, orange, red and other colors. The color of the crystals of these substances determines the color of the entire thallus.
And here the most important factor contributing to the formation of lichen substances is light. The brighter the lighting in the place where the lichen grows, the brighter it is colored.
mushrooms
Cloudberry.
In the short months of summer, the tundra turns into a flower and berry garden. It is replete with bright corollas of petals, beads of lingonberries, cranberries, cloudberries glow with lights, bluish blueberries turn blue. Even ten times as large as now, the population would not be enough to have time to collect and preserve the harvest of edible berries!
Crowberry.
Herbaceous plants are represented by sedges, cotton grasses, and grasses. Dryad, or partridge grass, various types of saxifrage, various polar poppies, and forget-me-not play an important role in vegetation. One of the first to bloom is the ice new version, which is called the arctic rose. Cotton grass.
Novosiversia icy, arctic rose.
Dryad.
Highlander viviparous This plant has developed the ability to viviparous. Bulbs and nodules develop in inflorescences instead of flowers, capable of giving rise to a new plant.
Veronica is gray. Phillodoce.
Veronica is gray. Phillodoce.
Arctic kopeechnik.
The tundra is characterized by a cold and humid subarctic climate. There is practically no seasonal summer. Summer is cold: it lasts only a few weeks at an average monthly temperature of no more than +15oC. Winters, on the other hand, are long. Temperatures can drop to 50°C below zero. A feature of the tundra is permafrost.
Due to the influence of the Arctic, the climate is excessively humid, but low temperatures do not allow moisture to soak into the soil or evaporate, so wetlands are formed. The soil is supersaturated with moisture, but contains very little humus. Strong, cold winds blow throughout the year. The most difficult natural conditions cause a poor flora and fauna. Few representatives of the flora are adapted to the harsh climate.
tundra flora
The tundra is a treeless expanse with low vegetation cover. Mostly mosses and lichens are found here. Both of them tolerate the harsh climatic conditions of the tundra well. They can winter even under the protection of a thin snow cover or without it at all.Many mosses and lichens of the tundra can also be found in other climatic zones: chylocomium, pleurocium, cuckoo flax. But some, such as reindeer moss, grow exclusively in the alpine tundra.
These plants get their nutrients and water from the atmosphere, so there is no need to extract them from the soil. There are no real roots, and the purpose of the threadlike processes is to attach the plant to the surface. These features explain the abundance of mosses and lichens in the tundra.
Perennial low-growing plants also grow in the tundra: shrubs and herbs. The most common shrubs are blueberries and cloudberries. Among herbal plants, it should be noted: alpine meadow, squat fescue, arctic bluegrass.
Only occasionally in places protected from the wind are lonely dwarf trees found: polar willows, dwarf birches, northern alder. The height of these trees is not more than half a meter. There are no tall trees in the tundra. They cannot take root, because even in the warmest season the earth thaws by no more than 30-50 cm. Because of this, the roots cannot absorb the necessary moisture.
In addition, during a short summer, the cover tissue does not have time to form on the shoots, and when the temperature drops, the trees freeze.
In the tundra, all plants have xeromorphic characteristics, that is, they are adapted to a lack of moisture: many have a wax coating or hairy coat, the leaves of plants are small and often curled. Thus, representatives of the flora are somehow adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of the tundra.
Tundra is a treeless natural zone in the north of Eurasia and North America. It is characterized by a harsh climate and the occurrence of permafrost even at shallow depths. Due to low winter temperatures and frozen ground, trees cannot grow here, even conifers that can withstand extreme Siberian frosts. What animals live in the tundra in such conditions?
Features of the climate of the tundra
The tundra zone corresponds to the subarctic climatic zone. Here, the average January temperatures drop to -40º, and the minimum is even lower. But this is not the case everywhere. For example, on the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula, where the warm Norwegian current passes, January temperatures rarely drop below -20º. But winter throughout the tundra lasts a very long time.
Summer here is comparable to our autumn. In the hottest month, the temperature rarely exceeds +10º. Even in July, sub-zero temperatures and snow can be observed. And such a summer lasts from the strength of a month and a half.
The main feature of the tundra climate is excessive moisture. But not because there is a lot of precipitation, but because of low temperatures and, as a result, insignificant evaporation. As a result, there are many swamps and lakes. And there are strong winds here, especially on the coast of the Arctic Ocean.
In winter, beyond the Arctic Circle, the sun does not go below the horizon for several days in a row. In summer, it is the turn of the polar day. And to the south, the sun shines so long that the evening dawn is replaced by the morning and there is no real darkness. This phenomenon is called "white nights".
Fauna and flora of the tundra
The vegetation of the tundra is very peculiar. In the south of the zone, where it is warmer, dwarf trees are still found: polar willow, dwarf birch. It is difficult to mistake them for trees, because the thickness of their trunks does not even reach the diameter of a pencil, and they rise only 20-30 cm in height.
The main plants of the tundra are mosses and lichens. They determine the appearance of the tundra landscape. There is enough moisture for them here, and they are unpretentious to heat. However, they grow very slowly.
The most famous tundra plant is moss, or reindeer moss, which is actually not a moss, but a lichen. This is the source of food for reindeer, which is why it got its popular name.
There are a lot of shrubs in the tundra that winter under the snow without shedding their small dense leathery leaves. This allows them to start growing immediately after thawing from under the snow. First of all, these are lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries and cloudberries.
Herbaceous plants include sedge, cotton grass and polar poppy. During the short Arctic summer, they manage to go through a full vegetative cycle.
The vegetation here often forms creeping and cushion-like forms. This allows you to better use the ground heat and save it, protect yourself from strong winds that break the stems.
The fauna of the tundra is not rich in species, but quantitatively large enough. What animals live in the tundra permanently? The indigenous inhabitants of the tundra include reindeer, lemmings, arctic foxes, wolves, and birds - a snowy owl and a white partridge. Very rare animals - musk oxen.
Fauna of the Russian tundra
The most numerous animals of the tundra are lemmings. These rodents feed on seeds, fruits and roots of tundra plants. They can multiply very quickly, because they mature within 2-3 months after birth. In a year, they can bring up to 5-6 litters of up to a dozen cubs each. It is clear that there is not enough food for everyone. And lemmings undertake large migrations, moving en masse in search of food.
Although lemmings are not used by humans, the animal world of the tundra cannot do without these animals. After all, they serve as the main food for valuable game animals - arctic fox, fox.
The white fox and the wolf are also typical representatives of the tundra animals. But if the Arctic fox mainly feeds on lemmings, hunts birds and destroys bird nests, the wolf prefers larger prey. And by this he poses a danger to the reindeer. Wolves hunt in large packs, driving herds of deer to fight off weakened animals or young calves from the herd.
Reindeer - the main animal of the tundra
Reindeer graze on vast expanses of the tundra. They feed not only on reindeer moss, but also on other types of plants. In search of food, they have to roam all the time, because the eaten vegetation is restored for a very long time. In addition, in winter they migrate to the more southern regions of the tundra and to the forest-tundra, since here the snow is looser and it is easier to dig out plants with a hoof. And the leaves of dwarf trees are also edible.
In summer, deer move closer to the coast of the ocean, the wind from which saves them from midges - blood-sucking insects.
The reindeer has long been domesticated by man. It is simply an indispensable animal in the tundra. Their meat, skins are used, deer transport people and goods. No wonder the song says: "And the deer is better ..."
Reindeer wool is very warm, because the hairs in it are hollow, filled with air. Therefore, deer can easily endure very severe frosts. And for the inhabitants of the tundra, clothing made from deer skins is also necessary.
In North America, caribou deer live in this zone.
tundra birds
The fauna of the tundra is also represented by birds. The most famous eider is a large sea duck. It is famous for its exceptionally warm down, which lines the nest and covers the eggs. This gray down is highly valued, so it is harvested. From one nest, from which the chicks have already left, you can get 15-20 grams of pure fluff.
The white partridge is also a permanent resident of the tundra. The name suggests that in winter its plumage turns white, which allows the bird to be invisible against the background of snow. She eats plant foods, and the chicks are also insectivorous.
The snowy owl mainly preys on lemmings. And in the summer, she is a danger to birds, as chicks are a good addition to her diet.
Summer paradise for waterfowl
In summer, the endless expanses of the tundra are literally saturated with water. These are melted snow waters, and numerous lakes and swamps, and rivers. Therefore, the fauna of the tundra is replenished with a huge number of waterfowl. They find both algae and insect larvae in the water, and they do not refuse the insects themselves.
Geese, ducks, loons, waders, swans - this is not a complete list of birds that feed and hatch chicks in the far north. And in autumn they take their chicks south to warmer climes.
Conservation of tundra animals
The flora and fauna of the tundra is very fragile, because it takes not years, but decades to restore it in harsh conditions. Therefore, he needs protection.
The Red Book of Russia aims to protect flora and fauna. Animals of the tundra that are included in it:
- bighorn sheep putoransky;
- bighorn sheep Chukchi;
- polar bear;
- white goose;
- white-billed loon;
- goose white;
- goose;
- barnacle;
- red-throated goose;
- black goose Pacific;
- small swan;
- American swan;
- pink seagull;
- Siberian Crane, or White Crane.
To protect the living nature of the tundra, reserves have been created: Kandalaksha, Lapland, Taimyr, and others.
The main feature of the tundra is the treelessness of monotonous swampy lowlands in a harsh climate, high relative humidity, strong winds and permafrost. Plants in the tundra are pressed against the surface of the soil, forming densely intertwined shoots in the form of a pillow. A variety of life forms can be seen in plant communities.
Distinctive features of the tundra zone are the predominance of a sparse moss-lichen cover, severe waterlogging, widespread permafrost and the shortness of the growing season. The harsh climatic conditions of the tundra zone determine the depletion of the organic world. The vegetation includes only 200-300 species of flowering plants, about 800 species of mosses and lichens.
The vegetation of the tundra is primarily lichens and mosses; the angiosperms encountered are low grasses (especially from the grass family), chicken grass, sedges, polar poppies, shrubs and shrubs (for example, some dwarf species of birch and willow, berry shrubs of the princess, blueberries, cloudberries).
Most of the tundra zone of the Northern Hemisphere is occupied by subarctic tundras (northern and southern), on its northern outskirts giving way to arctic tundras, where there are no thickets of shrubs, along with mosses, lichens and grasses, arctic alpine shrubs play an important role.
In the Eastern European part of Russia and in Western Siberia, the southern tundra is characterized by large dwarf tundra, with a well-defined layer of dwarf birch with an admixture of willows. To the north, the tier of shrubs thins out, they become more squat and, along with mosses, shrubs and semi-creeping shrubs, sedge acquires a large role in the vegetation cover, there is an admixture of dryad. In Eastern Siberia, with an increase in the continentality of the climate, large dwarf tundras are replaced by small dwarf tundras with a different type of birch. Chukotka and Alaska are dominated by hummocky tundras with cottongrass and sedge, with the participation of hypnum and sphagnum mosses and an admixture of undersized shrubs, which become less to the north. The subarctic tundras of Canada and Greenland are dominated by tundras dominated by ericoid shrubs. The tundra serves as pastures for deer, hunting grounds, and places for gathering berries (cloudberries, blueberries, shiksha).
The rather poor fauna of the tundra developed during the period of glaciation, which determines its relative youth and the presence of endemics, as well as species associated with the sea (birds living in bird colonies; polar bear, pinniped rookeries). Tundra animals have adapted to the harsh conditions of existence. Many of them leave the tundra for the winter; some (such as lemmings) stay awake under the snow, others hibernate. Arctic fox, ermine, weasel are widespread; meet a wolf, a fox; from rodents - voles.
The reindeer is a symbol of the tundra. This is the only representative of ungulates that can exist in the open northern tundra and on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. Both males and females have large horns. It feeds mainly on lichens (moss moss), grass, buds and shrub shoots. In winter, it takes out food from under the snow, breaking it with its hooves.
The reindeer is widespread in Europe, Asia and North America; inhabits the polar islands, tundra, plain and mountain taiga. Herd polygamous animal. The reindeer makes seasonal migrations, moving in the winter months to places rich in moss pastures, sometimes located many hundreds of kilometers from summer habitats (from the tundra to the forest tundra and the northern part of the taiga).
People tamed the reindeer about 2 thousand years ago. And now they breed it for meat and skins. In many parts of its range today, wild reindeer have been supplanted by the domestic form of this species.
Typical inhabitants of the Russian tundra are reindeer, foxes and arctic foxes, bighorn sheep, wolves, lemmings and hares.
Due to the large amount of water in the tundra, various waterfowl willingly spend the summer - geese, ducks, loons, flying south with the onset of winter. The characteristic features of the tundra fauna are extreme poverty associated with the severity of the living conditions and the relative youth of the fauna, as well as uniformity, determined by the circumpolar distribution of most species, and the connection of many inhabitants with the sea (birds living in bird colonies, polar bear, a number of pinnipeds). In general, there are few birds: Lapland plantain, white-winged plover, red-throated pipit, plover, snow bunting, snowy owl and ptarmigan.
Because of the cold summer, there are practically no reptiles in the tundra: low temperatures limit the possibility of life for cold-blooded animals.
Of the amphibians, some frogs come from the south.
Rivers and lakes are rich in fish (nelma, broad whitefish, omul, vendace and others). Salmon predominate; dallium lives in Chukotka and Alaska.
Diptera predominate among insects. Mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects are plentiful. The swampiness of the tundra allows the development of a large number of blood-sucking insects that are active in the summer.
Relatively numerous: Hymenoptera (especially sawflies, as well as bumblebees, associated in their distribution with leguminous plants), beetles, springtails, butterflies. Permafrost and associated swampiness do not favor the existence of hibernating forms and diggers.
