Coniferous forests and their animals. Forest animals: photo, description

coniferous forest animals

The mammals that inhabit these places for the most part are herbivorous and live on a diet of moss, pine needles, bark, and cones. Insectivorous birds are rare compared to those that feed on the seeds and buds of conifers. In these places Forest fires are infrequent, and usually occur in the spring when there is little sap in the trees. At this time, vast areas can be devastated.

coniferous forest animals

There are fewer water bodies in the taiga than in the tundra. less here and waterfowl. And duck-gogol, characteristic of coniferous forests, nests in hollows. The snow in the forest is even, loose, shallow, from under it you can get a wintered berry or cedar cone. Therefore, many taiga birds - capercaillie, woodpeckers, crossbills, nutcrackers, etc. - do not fly far for the winter, but roam from place to place within the zone.

• Predators - lynx and wolverine - cause great damage to the taiga inhabitants. Their prey is often not only large birds and hares, but also such animals as roe deer and musk deer. Extremely cautious, these insidious predators hunt at night and at dawn, waiting for prey in ambush on the trails.

coniferous forest animals

Before the arrival of man, the bear was considered the master of the taiga: in Eurasia - brown, in North America - grizzly. And now even travelers who have spent the night in the taiga wilderness often joke: “Here Uncle Misha will come to check documents ...” The bear moves well through the impassable taiga, quickly climbs trees. In the northern regions, the brown bear hibernates for the winter. But he sleeps very sensitively and, if he is awakened, leaves the lair.

• The taiga is rich in fur-bearing animals. Squirrels and sables, Siberian weasel and ermine, hare and marten are found here. Many valuable game birds - hazel grouse, capercaillie, black grouse.

Back in the last century, widely deciduous forests Europe was inhabited by a significant number of huge wild bulls- teeth. They inhabited the forest regions of Central Europe and northwestern Russia. Predatory hunting and wars led to their almost complete extermination. Huge work has been done in our country to restore the number of bison. Purebred bison are kept and successfully breed in the reserves of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Prioksko-Terrasny. Now the number of bison in the USSR has increased significantly. Bison feed on grasses, buds, leaves and bark of deciduous trees.

Animals of mixed and broad-leaved forests

Used to be in the zone deciduous forests and river beavers. The fur of these animals is extremely highly valued, so they have long served as an object of intensive hunting and at the beginning of the 20th century. were almost completely destroyed. Now in our country these animals are protected by law. Work is underway to resettle them. Beavers live on quiet forest rivers, the banks of which are densely overgrown with deciduous trees. They feed on tree shoots and bark, and from branches they build their dwellings - huts, from trunks and branches - dams, which block the riverbed, arranging artificial backwaters. The size of the huts is different. They serve the beavers for many years, are annually repaired, completed and sometimes reach enormous sizes. Yes, in Voronezh Reserve there is a hut, the height of which is 2.5 m, and the diameter of the base is 12 m. But usually they are smaller: 1-1.5 m high and 3 m in diameter.

Animals of mixed and broad-leaved forests

The sparse forest, tall grass glades and bushes are the favorite habitats of the red deer and roe deer. The pine marten is one of the most valuable fur-bearing animals. She arranges her nests at high altitude in hollows. More often than other animals, squirrels suffer from this predator. The marten's nocturnal lifestyle gives it huge advantages in hunting squirrels, since the squirrel is a diurnal animal and sleeps soundly in its nest at night. It is not difficult for a marten to capture her sleeping. Having reached the squirrel's nest, the marten looks for an inlet, which the squirrel closes from the inside with a cork made of some soft material, and, breaking into the nest, grabs the sleeping hostess. The marten also eats plant foods: fruits, berries. She loves honey very much. Having found a nest of wild bees, the marten sometimes lives near it for a long time; often several martens gather at the nest.

The fauna of the mixed forest is represented by many species of animals, birds and insects. Some of the original wild animals: hedgehogs, foxes, hares and wild boars - even live in groves adjacent to villages and cities inhabited by people. Squirrels, snakes, moles, wild birds are often found within settlements, in city parks and squares.

Artiodactyls live in coniferous-deciduous forests: elk, bison, red deer, roe deer. There are also predators, such as bear, wolf, ferret, badger, marten and others. For rivers and reservoirs located in the zone mixed forests, has its own fauna. So, on river banks remote from human attention, beavers build huts, water rats, desmans and even otters live. The world of birds in this area is even more diverse.

The wild boar is a large, strong animal with short legs and a strong stocky body. It is the ancestor of the domestic pig. They are similar in body structure and are omnivores. Boars are covered with dark bristly hair. The cubs are lighter in color and have stripes on the sides and back. Boars do not see well, but they can move quickly, guided by a well-developed sense of smell and hearing. They live in herds of adult males and females with piglets. Old male billhooks keep apart. Usually these animals are nocturnal, resting during the day in secluded places.

With the proper level of affection and attention, even a wild boar will behave like best friend person. On one of the islands of the Bahamas, a 12-year-old boar named Baby lives. 9 years ago he was tamed by two locals.

The common fox is one of the predators of the mixed forest. The length of the lean body, together with the fluffy tail, reaches 1.5 m. The foxes have an elongated pointed muzzle and triangular ears. Coat color is usually red various shades. Cheeks, chest, abdomen and tail tip are white. Animals are especially beautiful in winter, with more fluffy and warm fur.

The common badger lives in the forests of Europe and Asia, up to the Far East. An adult weighs up to 25 kg. The body reaches 0.9 m, and the tail is 0.24 m in length. The color of the body is brownish-gray, to the paws - blackish. White and black stripes on the muzzle. The badger is a nocturnal animal. Its diet includes animal food (worms, frogs, insects) and edible roots. Lives in self-digging burrows. It hibernates for the winter.

hedgehog ordinary - insectivorous mammal. Has poor eyesight, but excellent sense of smell and hearing. The back of the animal is densely covered with needles 2 cm long, usually gray with transverse dark stripes. Protecting itself from danger, the hedgehog curls up into a ball of needles. Prefers areas with dense grass cover and undergrowth. It hibernates and breeds young in burrows.

From September 15 to 17, Russia celebrates one of the largest environmental holidays - Russian days the woods. As you know, forests are not only lungs of the planet and a pantry of various berries, mushrooms and medicinal herbs, but also a home to many amazing animals. In this regard, we are telling you about some of the rare animals that live in Russian forests.

1. Musk deer.

This small deer-like animal with fangs lives in the mountain coniferous forests of the Sayans, Altai, Transbaikalia and Primorye. Despite its intimidating appearance, the musk deer feeds exclusively on vegetation. However, the musk deer is remarkable not only for this, but also for its attractive smell, which lures females for mating. This smell appears due to the musk gland located in the belly of the male next to the urogenital canal.

As you know, musk is a valuable component of various medicines and perfumes. And it is precisely because of him that the musk deer often becomes the prey of hunters and poachers. Another reason why this unusual animal is classified as an endangered species is the reduction in the boundaries of its range, which is associated with increased economic activity human (mainly with deforestation).

One of the solutions to the problem of preserving the species in the wild is the farming of musk deer and the selection of musk from living males.

2. Japanese green dove.

This unusual bird is about 33 cm long and weighs about 300 grams and has a bright yellowish green color. It is common in Southeast Asia, but also found in Sakhalin region(Crillon Peninsula, Moneron and South Kurile Islands). The bird inhabits broad-leaved and mixed forests with an abundance of cherry and bird cherry trees, elderberry bushes and other plants, the fruits of which it feeds on.

The Japanese green dove is a rare species, and therefore little is known about its life. Today, scientists know that green doves are monogamous birds. They weave their nests from thin twigs and place them in trees at a height of up to 20 meters. It is believed that partners incubate eggs in turn for 20 days. And after that, helpless, downy chicks are born, who will learn to fly only after five weeks. However, pairs or flocks of green doves are rare in Russia, most often they are noticed one by one.

3. Far Eastern, or Amur leopards.

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, there were much more rare cats, and their range covered a considerable territory - eastern and northeastern part China, Korean peninsula, Amur, Primorsky and Ussuri regions. However, in the period from 1970-1983, the Far Eastern leopard lost 80% of its territory! The main reasons then were forest fires and the conversion of forest areas for agriculture.

Today, the Amur leopard continues to lose its territory and also suffer from food shortages. After all, deer spotted deer and other ungulates that this leopard hunts, in huge number killed by poachers. And since the Far Eastern leopard has beautiful fur, he himself is a very desirable trophy for poachers.

Also, due to the lack of suitable food in the wild, Far Eastern leopards are forced to go in search of food in reindeer farms. There predators are often killed by the owners of these farms. And to everything else, due to the small size of the Amur leopard population, it will be very difficult for representatives of the subspecies to survive during various disasters like a fire.

However, all this does not mean that the subspecies will disappear soon. Today there are still large areas of forest that are suitable habitat for the Amur leopard. And if these areas can be preserved and protected from fires and poaching, then the population of these amazing animals in the wild will increase.

Interestingly, Far Eastern leopards are the only leopards that have been able to learn to live and hunt in harsh winter conditions. In this, by the way, they are helped by long hair, as well as strong and long legs, which allow them to catch up with prey, moving through the snow. However, Amur leopards not only good hunters, but also exemplary family men. After all, sometimes males stay with females after mating and even help them with raising kittens, which, in principle, is not typical of leopards.

4. Alkina.

These butterflies live in the south-west of Primorsky Krai and are found along streams and rivers in mountain forests, where the fodder plant of caterpillars of the species grows - the Manchurian liana kirkazon. Most often, male butterflies fly to the flowers of this plant, and females sit in the grass most of the time. Alcinoy females tend to linger on this plant to lay their eggs on its leaves.

Today, due to the disturbance of the habitat of the Kirkazon and the collection of it as medicinal plant its amount in nature decreases, which, of course, affects the abundance of alcinoid. In addition, butterflies suffer because of their collection by collectors.

5. Bison.

Previously, these animals were widely distributed in the territory former USSR, but by the beginning of the 20th century they were preserved only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and in the Caucasus. However, even there their numbers have been steadily declining. For example, by 1924 only 5-10 bison survived in the Caucasus. The main reasons for the reduction of bison were their extermination by hunters and poachers, as well as their destruction during hostilities.

The restoration of their numbers began in 1940 in the Caucasian Reserve, and now bison inhabit two regions in Russia - the North Caucasus and the center of the European part. In the North Caucasus, bison live in Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and in the Stavropol Territory. And in the European part there are isolated herds of bison in the Tver, Vladimir, Rostov and Vologda regions.

Bison have always been inhabitants of deciduous and mixed forests, but avoided vast forest areas. In the Western Caucasus, these animals live mainly at an altitude of 0.9 - 2.1 thousand meters above sea level, often leaving the glades or treeless slopes, but never moving away from the forest edges.

In appearance, the bison is very similar to its American relative - the bison. Nevertheless, it is still possible to distinguish them. First of all, the bison has a higher hump, longer horns and tail than the bison. And in the hot months, the back of the bison is covered with very short hair (it even seems that it is bald), while the bison has the same length of hair all over the body at any time of the year.

The bison is listed in the Red Book of Russia as an endangered species and today lives in many reserves and zoos.

6. Fish owl.

This species inhabits the banks of rivers in the Far East from Magadan to the Amur Region and Primorye, as well as on Sakhalin and the South Kuriles. The fish owl prefers to live in the hollows of old trees with an abundance of aquatic prey nearby, but old forests and hollow trees are often cut down, which inevitably forces these birds out of their habitats. In addition, fish owls are caught by poachers, and they often fall into traps during an attempt to pull the bait out of them. The development of water tourism on the Far Eastern rivers and, consequently, the increased disturbance of these birds gradually leads to a decrease in the number of eagle owls and prevents their reproduction. All this has led to the fact that today this species is under threat of extinction.

The fish owl is one of the largest owls in the world, as well as the largest representative of its kind. Interestingly, these birds can hunt with two different ways. Most often, a fish owl looks out for fish, sitting on a stone in the river, from the shore or from a tree hanging over the river. Noticing the prey, the eagle owl dives into the water and instantly grabs it with sharp claws. And in the case when this predator tries to catch sedentary fish, crayfish or frogs, it simply enters the water and probes the bottom with its paw in search of prey.

7. Giant evening party.

This bat, the largest in Russia and Europe, lives in broad-leaved forests on the territory from the western borders of our country to the Orenburg region, as well as from the northern borders to the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions. There they settle in hollows of trees by 1-3 individuals, in colonies of other bats(usually red and small evening).

The Giant Vespers is a rare species, but ecologists don't know exactly what is causing their low numbers. According to the assumptions of scientists, the threat is the deforestation of broad-leaved forests. However, today there are no special measures for the protection of these animals, since it is not clear which measures will be effective.

Interestingly, these the bats they hunt large beetles and night butterflies, flying over forest edges and reservoirs. However, analysis of blood and droppings showed that these animals also feed on small birds during migrations, however, this has never been recorded.

8. Heavenly barbel.

In Russia, in the south of Primorsky Krai (in Terneisky, Ussuriysky, Shkotovsky, Partizansky and Khasansky regions), a beetle with a bright blue color lives. It lives in deciduous forests mainly in the wood of the greenskin maple. There, the female beetle lays eggs, and after about half a month, larvae appear. They develop in wood for about 4 years, and then, in June, the larva gnaws out the “cradle” and pupates. After about 20 days, the beetle emerges from the wood and immediately begins to reproduce. On this he will spend all his strength until the end of his life, which lasts only two weeks.

The celestial barbel is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species, the number of which is declining. According to ecologists, the reason for this is deforestation and a sharp decrease in the number of green maple.

9. Himalayan, or white-breasted bear.

The Ussuri white-breasted bear inhabits the broad-leaved forests of Primorsky Krai, southern regions Khabarovsk Territory and southeastern part of the Amur region. Until 1998, it was listed in the Red Book of Russia as a small species, and today it is a hunting species. However, if in the 90s its population was 4-7 thousand individuals, now this bear is on the verge of extinction (its population is up to 1 thousand individuals). The reason for this was, first of all, deforestation and mass hunting. The latter, by the way, was discussed during the international environmental forum "Nature without Borders" in Vladivostok, after which in 2006 it was decided in the Primorsky Territory to introduce restrictions on hunting for Himalayan bear during hibernation.

The white-breasted bear leads a semi-arboreal lifestyle: it gets food from trees and hides from enemies (this is mainly Amur tigers and brown bear). Almost the entire diet of this bear consists of plant foods, in particular nuts, fruits and berries, as well as shoots, bulbs and rhizomes. It also does not refuse to eat ants, insects, mollusks and frogs.

10. Black stork

A widespread, but rare species, the number of which is declining due to human economic activity, which manifests itself in the reduction of forests and the drainage of swamps. Today, the bird is found in forests from the Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions to Southern Primorye. The black stork prefers to settle near water bodies in dense, old forests.

Right there, on the old tall trees(and sometimes on rock ledges) black storks build nests that will then be used for several years. When the time comes to invite the female to the nest (around the end of March), the male fluffs up his white undertail and begins to emit a hoarse whistle. The eggs laid by the female (from 4 to 7 pieces) will be incubated by the partners in turn until after 30 days the chicks hatch from them.

The coniferous forests of the Northern Continent represent the longest areas of continuous forest cover on Earth. Conifers do well in high latitudes because they are evergreen, and photosynthesis can begin immediately as conditions become favorable for growth, without the need for leaves to regrow first, as is the case with deciduous forests. In this way, conifers compensate for the short growing season, which lasts from 50 to 80 days, depending on latitude. Seed maturation and reproduction are also related to climate. Coniferous trees, unlike deciduous ones, do not form fruit-bearing organs that are pollinated and ripen within one year. Fertilization in female bump may take a year or more to complete, and may take up to three years until the bud develops and the seeds are ripe for distribution.
The absence of leaf litter and the prevailing cold climatic conditions that slow down the natural decomposition of the deadwood carpet, a material that is difficult to decompose anyway, result in only a very thin layer of soil and little or no undergrowth. The mammals that inhabit these places are mostly herbivorous and live on a diet of moss, pine needles, bark and cones. Insectivorous birds are rare compared to those that feed on the seeds and buds of conifers. Forest fires are infrequent in these places, and usually occur in the spring, when there is little sap in the trees. At this time, vast areas can be devastated.
Resettlement begins deciduous trees- birch, alder and mountain ash, which only after some time are replaced by climax vegetation - spruce, larch, cedar * or pine.
Characteristic for coniferous trees the tall and pointed shape is ideal for bearing the weight of winter snow and allowing the snow to slide off quickly when it begins to melt in the spring. The shallow root system is perfectly adapted to the thin layer of soil that is characteristic of this habitat.
In the north, regions where the underlying soil layers remain frozen all year round, and therefore impervious to water, there are many rivers, streams and marshes with their own local flora of mosses and sedges. The forest becomes more and more sparse and blends with the adjacent tundra. Large patches of tundra mosses and lichens grow on the uplands. Near the rivers in the transitional region, the forest remains dense and invades far to the north, into the tundra, along the river valleys. On the southern edge of the taiga belt, coniferous forests are gradually replaced by deciduous forests.
Throughout the world, small areas of coniferous forests occur outside their main latitudinal distribution, especially on mountain slopes where altitudinal zonality creates climatic conditions, similar to the conditions formed near the poles.
During the Age of Man, coniferous forests suffered significant damage due to clearing for agriculture and industrial forestry. As a result, large areas of land were subjected to wind and rain erosion, which destroyed the structure of the soil and, naturally, reduced its ability to retain moisture. It took some time for the coniferous forests to recover from the damage, as the normal succession process cannot take place immediately.

* It should be remembered that in the northern coniferous forests there is no true cedar (Cedrus genus). The English word “cedar” can mean juniper, Siberian cedar pine (most often called so), thuja and cypress. – V.P.

VEGETARIAN BEASTS

Evolution of the helmethorns

Animals that feed on woody vegetation are the largest inhabitants in areas covered with coniferous forests. In summer they feed mostly on young shoots and needles, and subsist on a diet of bark, mosses and lichens for the rest of the year. Throughout the northern continent, the most numerous species are those descended from the gigantelopes of the African subcontinent. These northern animals, although heavier than their distant antelope ancestors, are not even close in size to African gigantelopes. Only shaggy forms from the Far North, living in the tundra, can be compared with them in size.
The difference in size between the two different northern forms stems from two different periods of settlement. The first of these took place about forty million years ago, before giant mountain ranges were erected between Africa and Europe, and about the time when the rabbits drove the antelopes out of their original home - from the African plains. Gigantelopes, then still in the early stages of their evolution, were forced to settle north into coniferous forests, where they later began to flourish and turned into helmets. Cornudens spp.
The second wave of migration took place closer to the present, about ten million years ago, when African gigantelopes reached their current elephant proportions. Erosion mountain range, which once separated the Indian subcontinent from the rest of Asia, opened up new routes to the north, and led to the gradual settlement of the tundra and the evolution of the woolly gigantelope Megalodorcas sp.
Shortly after the appearance of these animals in the coniferous forests, the jaws and horns of the ancestral helmet forms began to evolve in accordance with their new habitat. Like the now nearly extinct ruminants, many of these animals lacked upper incisors. They plucked grass using the lower incisors and the bone plate in the upper jaw. But such a system is not very effective to tear branches from forest trees. The first change that took place was the growth forward of the horny plate on the head, which formed a kind of beak. The lower lip became muscular and stretched forward to catch up
with her, thereby stretching oral cavity forward some distance from the front teeth. Such a primitive structure is still found in some species, for example, in the helmeted helmet. Cornudens horridus. In more advanced forms, however, the lower jaw also extended forward so that the front teeth were aligned with the horny beak. These adaptations are the result of evolutionary pressure that has allowed only those species to survive that can successfully feed on the branches and bark of conifers, as well as lichens. bizarre horn formations over the eyes are also used for protection.
The structure of the horns has evolved one step further in the water helmet Cornudens latirostris that inhabits lakes and river banks. This creature has a horny plate stretched forward in the form of a wide formation similar to a rake, with the help of which this animal collects soft aquatic plants, which it looks for at the bottom of ponds and streams. On each leg, he has two wide hooves, widely spread apart and connected by a skin membrane, which prevents the animal from getting bogged down in soft mud and sand. In its way of life, the aquatic helmet is most likely reminiscent of hadrosaurs, the duck-billed dinosaurs of the last half of the Reptilian Age.

As in any other habitat, the animals of the coniferous forest are included in the familiar tangle of food chains of predators and prey, with carnivores forming the last link. Here, as in deciduous forests temperate climate, the most ferocious and common hunters are predatory rats. They hunt under the trees in small packs, stalking the rabbit or helmet, separating the weak and aging individuals from the herd, and driving them to exhaustion. Predatory rats do this before attacking, then tearing apart the prey with strong front teeth. Helmethorns have mighty horns, so if pursued, it can be just as dangerous for both the predator and the one being pursued.
A predator unique to coniferous forests is the pumtret. Vulpemustela acer, a large weasel-like animal, one of the few still living representatives of true predators. Its size - up to two meters in length - makes it the most large predator, which lives in these areas, and perhaps owes its survival to its low, muscular body and ability to easily run through the sparse undergrowth, suddenly appearing in front of its prey. Pumtrets live in small family groups and usually hunt in pairs.
Not all predators are mammals; birds also take their share of small animal populations. bigbeak Pseudofraga sp., one of the largest birds of prey, has a wingspan of about a meter and lives in the western forests of the Northern Continent. It is descended from the starling, which evolved to fill the gap left when many ancient birds of prey died out in the Age of Man. It has a rounded tail and broad, blunt wings that enable it to fly quickly and agile through densely growing trees. It has a straight strong beak and strong claws that it uses to grab prey. The closest living relative of the big beak, Parops
lepidorostris is a completely different being. It is only ten centimeters long and feeds mainly on insects, which it pulls out of the bark of trees with its thin beak.
With so many predators in the coniferous forest, it's no surprise that small mammals must have a variety of defensive adaptations to ensure their survival. needle-tailed squirrel Humisciurus spinacudatus is a perfect example of their ingenuity. It has a long, wide and flat tail with spines developing on its underside, which lies at rest on the ground. However, when the animal is alarmed, it throws its tail over its back, and with a sharp increase in skin tension, raises its needles. This becomes an almost impenetrable barrier, and can be used to repel an attack from any direction.
Beaver was large rodent, which in the Age of Mammals adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle in part to protect against predators. Beaver after man Castor spp. became even better adapted to life in the water. Its tail and hind legs have merged together into one large rowing surface, which, driven by the spine, produces strong rowing movements up and down. Its ears, eyes and nose are set high on the head and remain on the surface when the rest of the animal's body is submerged in water. Surprisingly, the rowing surface does not interfere with the movement of the animal on the ground, and is used as a grasping limb, allowing it to climb trees, expanding the range of possible sources of food and building material.

LIFE IN TREES

Birds and animals that feed on trees and on trees of coniferous forests

Throughout the Age of Mammals, rodents were one of the most successful animal groups in the coniferous forests. Their powerful teeth helped them cope with hard plant material, which they found there, and their warm fluffy skins helped to keep body heat during hibernation.*
Cuttertooth Tenebra vermiforme, a rodent related to the moth squirrel from temperate deciduous forests, in the highest degree adapted to life in a coniferous forest. Its huge incisors and worm-like body allow it to drill deep tunnels in a living tree, where in winter it is reliably protected from the cold. Although in some respects this animal is at an advanced stage of development, its parasitic lifestyle is rather primitive. The basis of his diet is the bark of trees, which he peels off completely, leaving the tree bare. This, combined with the severe damage it causes by burrowing, kills the tree within a few years.
Since the incisors inhabit only living trees, they must constantly move, and every spring, after hibernation, young individuals of a new generation migrate in search of new lands. During migration, they are very vulnerable, and many of them are taken by predators before they complete their journey. The balance between woodworm and predator is extremely fragile, and only a small decrease in the number of predators is enough to cause an increase in the number of woodworms, which could lead to the complete destruction of the coniferous forest over large areas.
No other small rodent among the inhabitants of coniferous forests is so destructive. Many feed on shoots, bark, and seeds found in cones. Many species live on the ground and forage from the cones when they fall. Other species are lightly built and nimble enough to climb the branches where the cones grow.
One large, similar to vole rodent, travel Scandemys longicaudata, is unusual in that it has a prehensile tail. It is too heavy to reach the cones growing on the thinnest branches, and instead it feeds on them by hanging on its tail on a stronger branch growing nearby, and reaching for them with its front paws. Like other rodents of roughly the same size, it forages more than it needs to meet its one-time needs, and stores the rest for the hungry winter months. Its hibernation nest is a long hanging structure made of grass, strips of bark and pine needles. Hanging from the end of a branch, it is large enough to accommodate the animal along with enough food for a successful wintering.
Among the many seed-eating birds living in coniferous forests, the largest is the common pine nutcracker** Paraloxus targa. The two sexes of this bird differ greatly in both appearance and lifestyle. The male has a more powerful build and is armed with a massive beak, which he uses to break open pine cones and extract seeds from them. The female, smaller and duller in color, completely lacks the heavy beak of the male and is a scavenger, including carrion, insects, larvae and bird eggs in her diet. It is most likely that the ancestor of the common pine nutcracker was a bird that looks like a modern female, and the distinctive features of the male evolved primarily for mating games, and its food preferences are a secondary adaptation.

Between the tundra in the north and the deciduous forest in the south stretch vast and picturesque coniferous forests. One type of such forest is called northern boreal, it is located between 50 ° and 60 ° north latitude. Another type is temperate coniferous forest, grows in the lower latitudes of North America, Europe and Asia, on the high elevations of the mountains.

Coniferous forests are found mainly in the northern hemisphere, although some of them can be found in the southern.

This largest terrestrial biotope in the world consists mainly of conifers - trees that grow needles instead of leaves, cones instead of flowers, and seeds develop in cones. Conifers tend to be evergreen, meaning their needles stay on the branches all year round. An exception can be considered only the genus of larches, the needles of which turn yellow and crumble at the end of each summer. Such adaptations help plants survive in very cold or dry areas. Some of the most common species are spruces, pines, and firs.

Precipitation in coniferous forests is from 300 to 900 mm per year, and in some forests of the temperate zone - up to 2000 m. The amount of precipitation depends on the location of the forest. In the northern boreal forests, winters are long, cold and dry, and summers are short, moderately warm, with an abundance of moisture. At lower latitudes, precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year.

The air temperature in the areas of pine and spruce forests– from -40° C to 20° C, the average summer temperature is 10° C.

Coniferous forests - an evergreen kingdom

Conifers grow where summers are short and cool and winters are long and harsh, with heavy snowfall that can last up to 6 months. The needle-shaped leaves have a waxy outer coating that prevents water loss in frosty weather. The branches, on the other hand, are soft and flexible and usually point downwards, so that the snow rolls off them without difficulty. Larches have been found in some of the coldest regions on our planet.

Evergreen forests consist mainly of species such as spruce, fir, pine and larch. The leaves of these trees are small and needle-like or scale-like, and most of them remain green all year round (evergreen). All conifers able to live in cold and acidic soil.

All coniferous forests in the world are classified according to the following types:

• Eurasian coniferous forest with dominance in the east Siberian pine, Siberian fir, Siberian and Daurian ( Landsvennitsa Gmelin) larches. Scotch pine and Scotch spruce are important forest-forming species in Western Europe.
• FROMNorth American coniferous forest dominated by white spruce, black spruce and balsam fir.
• tropicalth and subtropicalth coniferous forest with an abundance of cypresses, cedars and sequoias.

Northern coniferous forests, such as the coniferous forest in Siberia, are called taiga or boreal forests. They cover vast areas of North America from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean and are located throughout Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and throughout Asia through Siberia and Mongolia to northern China and northern Japan.

The length of the growing season in boreal forests is 130 days.

Cypresses, cedars and sequoias grow strictly vertically. The highest of them can reach 110 m in height. Trees are usually pyramidal. The short side branches grow quite close together, but they are so flexible that the snow just slides off.

(predominantly pine and larch):

(spruce and fir predominate):

Life in the coniferous forest

The biome is noticeably higher compared to the tundra: there are 120-150 species of nesting birds alone, and up to 40-50 species of mammals. At the same time, the biodiversity of coniferous forests is significantly inferior in its richness to tropical regions.

Even evergreen trees eventually shed their leaves and grow new ones. The needles fall on the forest floor and form a thick springy carpet of pine needles. Light, usually acidic soils of coniferous forests are called podzols and have a compacted layer of humus, which contains many fungi. filamentous mushrooms help to decompose needles that have fallen to the ground. These organisms provide nutrients from the fallen needles back to the roots of the trees. But since the needles decompose very slowly, the soils under such trees are low in minerals and organic matter, and the number of invertebrates such as earthworms there are very few of them.

Mosquitoes, flies and other insects are common inhabitants of the coniferous forest, but due to low temperatures there are few cold-blooded vertebrates such as snakes and frogs. Coniferous forest birds include woodpeckers, crossbills, kinglets, hazel grouses, waxwings, black grouse, hawks and owls. Mammals include shrews, voles, squirrels, martens, elks, deer, lynxes and wolves.

Too little light penetrates through the thick canopy of coniferous trees. Due to constant darkness, only ferns and very few herbaceous plants grow in the lower tier. Mosses and lichens, on the contrary, are found everywhere on forest soil, trunks and branches of trees. There are very few flowering plants.

Currently, extensive logging in boreal forests may soon lead to their extinction.

Importance of coniferous forests

Coniferous forests are the world's main source of commercial timber. Their use has many advantages:

• Except in very cold areas, they grow rapidly and can be cut down every 40-50 years.
• Many conifers coexist well.
• Frozen soil makes it easier to access wood for machinery and transport in winter.
• Softwood has many various applications– paper, construction and furniture, etc.
• Softwood can be easily harvested as a crop using modern machinery.

acid rain

For the past 50 years, coniferous forests around the world have suffered from acid rain. The main reasons for which are:

• Air emissions sulfur dioxide power plants, industrial plants
• Increased emissions from power plants as well as cars nitrogen oxides

These pollutants are transported by air masses to areas Western Europe. Fifty million hectares of woodlands in 25 European countries suffers from acid rain. So, for example, coniferous mountain forests in Bavaria are dying. Cases of defeat of coniferous, and also deciduous massifs of Karelia, Siberia are noted.

The most common conifers:

• Norway spruce
• White spruce
• Spruce black
• Canadian hemlock
• Lebanese cedar
  
• European larch
  
• Common juniper (veres)
  
• Fir
• podocarp
• western pine
• Caribbean pine
• Scotch pine
• pine tree
• Fitzroy cypress