Okhotske-Kamchatkan Salix udensis Riparian Woodland
Most rivers in southern Kamchatka are flanked by broad open woodlands typically dominated by the near endemic Salix udensis (Salicaceae). In places these trees can grow to heights of 30 m or so. The soils are enriched by the washed up remains of dead salmon which die in their thousands, and give these forests a rich lushness that would not normally be possible. The few other associated trees include Chosenia macrolepis, Populus suaveolens and Sambucus racemosa. At ground level there are often dense thickets of the near endemic Filipendula kamtschatica (Rosaceae), which can reach heights of 2.5 m. Their fallen stems create a dark-brown peat and in some cases the Filipendula outlives the trees forming treeless thickets that can shade out most other species. Other tall growing herbs include Senecio cannabifolius and Urtica platyphylla, while smaller ground layer plants include Anemone amurensis, Angelica refractum, Anthriscus aemula, Corydalis ambigua, Equisetum hiemale, Geum macrophyllum and the endemic Chrysosplenium kamtschaticum (Saxifragaceae), Fritillaria camschatcensis and Trillium kamtschaticum (Liliaceae).
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Alnus hirsutum Wet Woodlands
Representing the counterpart of European alder (Alnus incana) woodlands, these are confined to wetter areas often replacing Salix udense woodland usually along rivulets. The undergrowth is somewhat similar, but tends to have less dense thickets of Filipendula kamtschatica. Consequently they usually have a more diverse ground layer flora. Some of the more typical of these include Allium victoriale subsp. platyphyllum, Calamagrostis langsdorffii, Heracleum lanatum, Majanthemum dilitatum, Struthiopteris filicastrum, Veratum album subsp. oxysepalum, Viola selkirkii and the two endemic species Cirsium kamtschaticum (Asteraceae) and Galium kamtschaticum (Rubiaceae).
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Betula ermani Stone Birch Forest
These birch forests dominated by the near endemic Betula ermani (Betulaceae) occupy large areas of southern Kamchatka and the middle Kurile Islands (Iturup and Urup), and usually occupy a zone between the alluvial meadows and the Alnus belt. They also occur in the valleys adjacent to the Pacific but do not reach the cold shores of the Ochotsk Sea. The stands are relatively open giving the impression of parkland. This partly relates to the fact that these trees will not germinate in deep shade and unlike the birches of America and Europe this species has more or less horizontal branches reminiscent of oak trees. They consequently cause much more shady conditions beneath their bows. Their height can reach up to 16 m. The tall groundcover associated with these forests also makes it difficult for trees to germinate. Most of these forest are thought to be extremely ancient possibly dating back to the late Tertiary Period. The undergrowth normally includes a shrub layer with species such as Sorbus sambucifolium, up to three field layers and a ground layer. Upper layer species include the endemic Lonicera kamstchatica (Caprifoliaceae) and Pleurospermum camtschaticum (Apiaceae). Middle layer species include Pedicularis resupinata, Saussurea oxyodonta, several orchids like Coeloglossum viride subsp. bracteatum and Dactylorhiza aristata. Lower layer species include Anemone coerulea, Lycopodium annotinum, and the orchid Cypripedium guttatum subsp. yatabeamum, while the ground layer is mainly composed of bryophytes.
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Alnus crispus Thicket
An alder belt dominated by the endemic Alnus crispus subsp. sinuata surround most of the mountains. It usually starts suddenly at an altitude of about 250 m reaching a height of about 1000 m as seen, for example, on the Gorelaja and Opala volcanoes, although in eastern and southern Kamchatka it virtually reaches sea level. At lower altitudes it can grow to a height of 3-4 m, but the height diminishes with altitude and can become a trailing low shrub at its altitudinal limit. In places it can become very dense and this appears to be partly due to the pressure of snow, which completely covers it in winter. A 4 m tall thicket may be compressed to just 1.5 m. The associated species vary from place to place but include several endemic taxa such as Cacalia auriculata subsp. kamtschatica (Asteraceae) and Trillium kamtschaticum (Liliaceae).
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Beringian (Pinus pumila) Woodland
These woodlands mainly dominated by the dwarf pine Pinus pumila are largely confined to oceanic and sub oceanic areas close to the Bering Sea, and can be found, for example, along much of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Anadyr and Penzhina river basins in the Koriakskiy Mountains, on the Cammander Islands and on the northern Kurile Islands. Other associated trees and shrubs may include Alnus fruticosa and Larix dahurica. The canopy height varies from about 3 m in the lowlands down to about 40 cm at the altitudinal limit. This is about 1400 m and represents the timberline for much of this area. On the other hand, a number of the upland forests in Kamchatka suffer from the affects of volcanic eruptions and as a result are in a permanent state restoration. The associated undergrowth is varied but may include several interesting species such as Agrostis kudoi, Anemone sibirica, Aster sibiricus, Empetrum sibirica, Pedicularis labradorica, Potentilla vulcanicola, Trisetum sibiricum and the endemic Allium ochotense (Alliaceae), Atragene ochotensis (Ranunculaceae), Oxytropis erecta (Fabaceae) and Poa schumushuensis (Poaceae).
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Larch Forest
Forests dominated by larch occur around the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotske, the Amur basin and the centre of Kamchatka. The dominant species Larix dahurica appears to be an aggregate of several local endemic taxa such as L. ochotensis and L. kamtschatica (Pinaceae), but the their taxonomic status is still unclear. The tree layer is typically composed of pure, even aged stands with a one-stratum canopy. Where the climate favours other trees, larch is often shaded out due to its intolerance to shade. However, these relatively open forests normally have a good shrub layer mainly composed of circumboreal species and species confined to the eastern parts of Asia. In the lowlands these include Betula middendorffii, Ledum palustre and Vaccinium uliginosum, while in more upland areas Rhododendron dauricum and R. parvifolium become more conspicuous. The herb layer is also rich in species. In the wetter lowlands Carex appendiculata, C. schmidtii, Calamagrostis langsdorffii and Eriophorum vaginatum are some of the more typical species. In the uplands the most abundant species are Arctostaphylos uva-ursa, Carex vanheurckii, Solidago spriaeifolia and Vaccinium vitis-ideae.
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Spruce-Fir Forest
These dark coniferous forests are dominated by Ayan (or Yezo) spruce Picea jezoensis (Pinaceae). It is a near endemic species with a range that includes northern Sikhote-Alin, the western coast of the Sea of Okhotske, the Chanbai-Shan, Shanter Islands, Sakhalin, the southern Kurils (Iturup & Kunashir), central Kamchatka, and south as far as central Honshu. Because of its ability to tolerate shade, it usually forms dense forest over much of its range, and although it may form pure stands, it is often associated with fir trees such as Abies nephrolepis (in more continental areas) and the near endemic Abies sachalinensis (Pinaceae) in the more maritime island areas. A lower tree layer may include the near endemic Sorbus amurensis (continental areas) or S. mixta (island areas). In the darkest forests, shrubs are absent, but a few shade tolerant species like Eleutherococcus senticosus, Euonymus pauciflora and Oplopanax elatus may be found in the more open areas. On islands Ilex rugus, Skimmia repens and the near endemic Vaccinium axillare (Ericaceae) can be significant components of the shrub layer. The herb layer is equally patchy and contains a pool of mainly boreal species. Examples include Chamaepericlymenum canadense, Diplazium sibiricum, Pseudocystopteris spinulosa and the near endemic Leptorumohra amurensis (Dryopteridaceae). On Sakhalin, these forests include many species endemic to Sakhalin and Japan such as the shrubs Euonymus miniata (Celastraceae), Hydrangea panuculata (Hydrangeaceae), Ilex rugosa (Aquifoliaceae), Vaccinium hirtum (Ericaceae), Viburnum furcatum (Caprifoliaceae), and the herbs Aralia cordata (Araliaceae) and Petasites amplus (Asteraceae).
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Alluvial Lowland Meadows
On many of the large flat river flood valleys, like those of the Bolshaja, Karymchina and Plotnikovaja in southern Kamchatka, extensive areas of alluvial soils have been created supporting diverse stands of vegetation. These usually form in a zone outside the Salix udense woodlands and represent some of the richest plant communities of this BioProvince. This is no doubt partly related to fact that these meadows are thought to be of great antiquity dating back to the late Tertiary Period. Common plants of the upper field layer include several endemic or geographically restricted species such as Artemisia unalaskensis, Cirsium kamtschaticum (Asteraceae), Geranium erianthum (Geraniaceae), and Sanguisorba tenuifolium (Rosaceae). The lower layers typically include Carex longirostrata, Moehringia laterifolia, Majanthemum dilatatum and Trientalis europaea subsp. artica, while other less common plants are Agrostis trinii, Botrychium multifidum, Rumex arifolius, Trollius riederianus and the endemic Viola kamtschatica (Violaceae). On the west coast the giant, near endemic umbellifer Angelophyllum ursinum (Apiaceae) gives these meadows an eerie atmosphere. It occurs as scattered plants emerging from the other herbaceous plant layer to a height of up to 3.5 m. Shrubs and trees tend to be few and far between but may include Crataegus chlorosarca and the endemic Daphne kamtschatica (Thymelaeaceae).
Okhotske-Kamchatkan Alpine Meadows
At altitudes ranging from 150 and 650 m depending on latitude, alpine meadows start to develop. On Kamchatka these are characterized by Carex longirostrata, Galium boreale, Geranium erianthum, Majanthemum dilitatum and the near endemic Artemisia unalaschcensis (Asteraceae). Other species may include Artemisia arctica, Juncus beringensis, Rubus arcticus, Salix arctica, Viola avatshensis and the endemic Cirsium kamtschaticum (Asteraceae) and Fritillaria camschatcensis (Liliaceae). At heights above about 1000 m these meadows start too peter out and the vegetation becomes more scattered, but at these high altitudes several alpine, endemic or near endemic taxa may be encountered including Dryas octopetala var. kamtscatica (Rosaceae), Oxytropis kamtschatica (Fabaceae), Salix berberifolia subsp. kamtschatica (Salicaceae) and Saxifraga merkii (Saxifragaceae).
Further information required.
References
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