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Main focus points in terms of plants,
soils etc and their related sites
List of sites Correspondence between soil names
West Siberian plain – one of the biggest
accumulation lowland in the world
Southern taiga subzone (near the village Plotnikovo). Because of extremely flat surface of the West Siberian Plain slightly inclined towards the Polar Ocean you can see very unusual inverse ecosystem distribution – all watershed boundaries occupied by peat lands – raised bog ecosystems. Forests are only in depressions – in well-drained river valleys. The most interesting forest feature is constant presence of Siberian cedar – the most important tree not only for the natural ecosystems but for the local people also.
Besides dark coniferous forest you will see southern part of the biggest peat bog ecosystem in the whole world. Whole community was created due to several thousand years of peat moss activity.
The same subzone but another landscape type – the Tom' river valley (near the village Timirjazevo). Sandy terraces appeared in the middle of Pleistocene and for pretty long time developed as sandy desert – moving sand. Here you can find only relic dune forms in relief occupied by pine forest. You will see deeply leached poor soils - soddy deeply podzolic soils and interesting mixture of herbaceous plants under tree canopy.
Forest-steppe zone (near the village Chebula). You will see a typical set of ecosystems, which represents natural environment of this zone. Western Siberia is the only place over the world where in forest-steppe zone you can see primary birch forest with white birch as dominant. It comes here in combination with natural dry meadows and their ratio changes gradually from north to south. Vegetation and soil pattern strictly depend on relief and we will try to show this interdependence in small catena. Soil types are represented by leached chernozem, podzolized chernozem and grey forest soils.
After the typical zonal ecosystems you can "discover" "abnormal" landscapes connected with macro catena (near the village Jurty). Even relatively low hills can redistribute moisture and winds and by this way create conditions for the unique natural ecosystems. In close neighborhood you will see arid salted meadows and highly eutrophic, hyper humid black taiga – community of trees (a unique mixture of Siberian fir and common aspen) and giant herbs, a site of preglacier relic species. Soil types are represented by meadow solonchakous soils and soddy deeply podzolic soils.
In southern part of the forest-steppe zone (near the city Barnaul) for the first time you can "taste" the true steppe and famous Russian chernozem. Besides zonal soil types (ordinary and leached chernozem soils) you can find miracle changes especially in soil cover in microcatena. There is also a gorgeous view on the Ob river valley (30 - 40 km wide) and big outcrop of Pleistocene aeolian sediments of approx. 50 m high. You will also become familiar with field experiments and vast collections of Siberian cereal and forage crops in the Altai Institute of Arable Farming & Crop Breeding.
The biggest and the most complex
Siberian mountain system – Altai
Forest-steppe belt is a visiting card of the Altai.
Scotch pine forest on the Katun river terrace with rich herbs cover (near the village Ust-Sema). It is one of the most diverse forest ecosystems in Siberia. Soil type is represented by grey forest soils.
Park-like Siberian larch forest with well-developed herbs layer on northern slopes in combination with mountain steppe on southern slopes (near the village Kumalyr). It represents typical landscape of continental mountains. Black chernozem-like soils with a big amount of soil organic matter under the forest look impressive.
Different types of eu-mesotrophic mountain bogs in river valley.
Mountain forest and tundra belts Seminsky pass is a historical and natural site. In a short distance you can see fast changes from subalpine cedar forest with tall herbs and brown soils to different types of mountain tundra with recent and relic cryogenic features. Soil types are represented by mountain brown forest soils and mountain tundra soils.
Mountain forest steppe belt. Huge Katun terraces, mountain steppe and many paradoxes of continental climate and previous historical landscape development such as xerophyte grasses near the flood plain spruce forest and peat mosses (near the village Aktash). Salted soils close to deeply leached soils. Dark kashtanozem soils and brown forest soils in accordance with the different slope exposition. Permafrost and seasonal frost.
Mountain steppe belt. Endemic dry steppe communities and mountain kastanozem soils (near the village Kurai).
Central Asian semidesert zone. May be one of the most impressive stops will take place near the village Chagan-Usun – Devonian sea – Tertian swamp – recent desert. Paleosoils with high content of humus matter. Differently colored landscape because of serpentines and products of their weathering. Toxic soils and as a consequence the unique plants of edaphic stony semidesert. It is a small island of Gobi desert in the Altai Mountains.
On the way to the village Beltir you will see the landscape of the late Pleistocene terminal moraine, Pleistocene Lake deposits, which are the ancient chronicle of climate.
Our last trip will take you to the top of the Altai, to the recent glaciers via Karagem pass (about 3000 m). Larch forest on permafrost, different types of glaciers, solifluction, pingo, and alpine meadows these are only few examples of what you will see on your way.
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The list of sites
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Location
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Zone / subzone / belt
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Vegetation
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Soils (see correspondence between Russian and FAO names of the mentioned soils)
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Plotnikovo
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southern taiga
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dark coniferous forest
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soddy podzolic soils with the second humus horizon
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Plotnikovo
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southern taiga
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dark coniferous forest
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soddy gleyic soils
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Chebula
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forest steppe zone, the northern subzone
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dry meadow, forest meadow and aspen-birch forest
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leached chernozem, podzolized chernozem and grey forest soils
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Yurti
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forest steppe zone
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salt tolerant vegetation
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meadow solonchakous soils
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Kotorovo
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mountain forest belt, Salair range
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aspen - fir forest with highly developed tall herbs layer
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soddy deeply podzolic soils
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Barnaul
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forest steppe, the southern subzone
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specific aspen - birch forest islands, true steppe vegetation
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catena from ordinary chernozem soil to soddy podzolic soil according to the different positions in micro-relief
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Cherga
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Katun river terraces
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scotch pine forests with rich herbs cover
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grey forest soils
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Kumalyr
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mountain forest-steppe belt
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larch forest, differentiation of vegetation cover according to slope exposition
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mountain forest chernozemic soils
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Kumalyr
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mountain forest-steppe belt
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different types of eu-mesotrophic mountain bogs in river valley
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Seminsky Pass
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mountain subalpine belt
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cedar pine (Pinus Sibirica) forest
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mountain greyish-brown forest soils
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Seminsky Pass
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mountain tundra belt
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tundra vegetation
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tundra soils
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Jaloman
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mountain steppe belt, Katun river terraces
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true steppe
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complex of, signs of relict soils cryoturbation
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Aktash
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mountain forest belt, small river valley
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mountain flood plain spruce forest
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relict forms of permafrost relief (pingo)
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Aktash
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mountain forest belt, river terrace
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vegetation of salted meadow
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mountain automorphic salted soils
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Kurai
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mountain steppe belt, Kurai intramountain depression
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vegetation of dry steppe
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mountain kashtanozem soils
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Chagan-Uzun
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mountain steppe belt
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vegetation of stony semidesert
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serpentines and products of their weathering
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Note. The above-mentioned sites of the excursion and the emphasis of scientific commentary can be changed a bit, in case the majority of the excursion participants wish to do so due to their specific interests.
Correspondence between Russian, international WRB (1998)
and German (AG Boden, 1994) names of the mentioned soil
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Russian names
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WRB (1998) names
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AG Boden (1994) names
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soddy podzolic soils with the second humus horizon
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Eutric Albeluvisol
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Fahlerde
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soddy gleyic soils
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Umbrihumic Gleysol
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Humusgley
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peat ombrotrophic moor soils
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Ombri-fibric Histosol
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Hochmoor
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sandy soddy podzolic soils
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Arenic Luvisol
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Bдnderfahlerde
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leached chernozems
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Glossic Chernozem
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Braunerde-Tschernosem
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podzolized chernozems
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Luvic Chernozem
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Parabraunerde-Tschernosem
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grey forest soils
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Albic Luvisol
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Fahlerde
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meadow solonchakous soils
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Mollic Solonchak
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Solonchak *
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hydromorphic solonetz
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Mollic Solonetz
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Solonetz *
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dark grey forest soils
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Greyi-Skeletic Phaeozems
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Parabraunerde
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soddy deeply podzolic soils
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Haplic Albeluvisol
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Fahlerde
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ordinary chernozems
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Haplic Chernozem
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Tschernosem
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grey forest shallow gley soils
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Stagni-Albic Luvisol
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Pseudovergleite Fahlerde
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mountain brown forest soils
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Endoleptic Cambisol
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Braunerde
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mountain tundra soils
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Eutric Leptosol
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Braunerde-Ranker
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mountain salted soils
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Carbonatik Solonchak
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Solonchak *
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mountain kashtanozem soils
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Calci-Skeletic Kastanozem or Skeletic Calcisol
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Kastanozem
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* - doesn't exist in Germany, so the soil name is given as according to WRB
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