Nicola Arndt und Matthias Pohl - Neobiota

Table 1: FAO Global Ecological Zoning - Look-up table for Russia.
EZ
Level 1
EZ
Level 2
Domain FAO Ecological
Zone
Temperate
Continental
deciduous
broad-leaved
and mixed
forests
Climate
(FAO Code)
Continental
(TeDc)
Steppes Semi-arid
(TeBSk)
Deserts Arid
(TeBWk)
Corresponding
regional
vegetation class
Broad-leaved
forests
Regional variants of vegetation
Central European – oak, oak-hornbeam, beech
forests
East European – oak, oak-lime, ash, pine forests
Trans-Volga – oak, oak-lime forests
Far East – mixed broad-leaved – coniferous forests
Forest steppes Caucasus – oak forest steppes
East European – oak-lime forest steppes
Trans-Volga – maple, oak-lime forest steppes
West Siberian – birch-aspen forest-steppes
Far East – oak forest-steppes
Temperate
steppes
Temperate
deserts
3 Characteristics of the mountain vegetation
Northern – herb-rich grass steppes
(East-Europaen, Trans-Volga, West Siberia)
Middle – (dry grass steppes) steppes
(East-European, Trans-Volga - Kazakhstan, Dauria-
Mongolian)
Southern – desert (dwarf semishrub - grass
steppes) steppes (Caspian Sea region, Trans-Volga
- West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan)
Northern – dwarf semishrub, psammophytic shrub
deserts (Caspian Sea region; North Aral Sea region,
Central North Turan)
Middle – dwarf semishrub, petrophytic and
psammophytic shrub deserts (West –North Turan,
Central North Turan, East-North Turan)
Southern – psammophytic shrub, dwarf semishrub
deserts (West-South Turan)
The integration of latitudinal and altitudinal zonal characteristics of vegetation distribution is typical
for mountain areas. Phytogeographic research in mountainous regions is connected with the
development of the concept of three-dimensional structure of the vegetation cover. Many researchers
consider an altitudinal belt as a basic structural unit for mountain vegetation, and use climatic,
landscape or land use characteristics for its delimitation. Each altitudinal belt has its own type of
vegetation (combination of plant communities belonging to different formations). The main regional
unit for the differentiation of mountain vegetation is an altitudinal zonality type which includes
several altitudinal belts. The altitudinal zonality types are distinguished basing on the following
principles:
1. The altitudinal zonality type depends on zonal and regional features of mountain climate. For
example, while the temperature factor determines boundaries between altitudinal belts, humidity acts
more locally and determines a diversification and change of plant formations within the belts.
2. The altitudinal zonality type is characterized by an established morphological structure and
sequential set of altitudinal belts, succeeding each other in a certain order along the mountain slope.
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