What Animals Live in a Boreal Birch Forests

What Animals Live in a Boreal Birch Forests

Ecoregion that covers the island of Iceland

Iceland boreal birch forests and tall tundra
In Þingvellir National Park, Iceland
Ecoregion territory (in royal)
Ecology
Realm	Palearctic
Biome	Boreal woods/taiga
Geography
Area	91,681 km2 (35,398 sq mi)
Land	Republic of iceland
Coordinates	65°45′N 16°15′W  /  65.75°N 16.25°W  / 65.75; -16.25 Coordinates: 65°45′N 16°xv′W  /  65.75°N 16.25°West  / 65.75; -16.25

The Iceland boreal birch forests and tall tundra ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0602) covers the island of Republic of iceland in the North Atlantic. The isle is volcanic in origin with basaltic soils, and the cold northerly climate prevents any significant crop agriculture. Considering the island is young and isolated from larger land masses, species biodiversity is relatively low. Forest cover has been reduced to nearly one% of the original birch forest past a long history of timber extraction and soil erosion acquired by sheep grazing. Blanket bogs (areas of high rainfall and peat accumulation) are common. ^{[1] [2] [3] [four]}

Location and description [ edit ]

Iceland is a volcanic plateau ascension out of the Atlantic 290 km e of Greenland. Three quarters of the isle is in a higher place 200 metres (660 ft) in elevation, with steep fjords and cliffs along much of its coast. Approximately twenty% of the isle is bare rock or glacier, with the highest tiptop beingness ii,119 metres (half dozen,952 ft). ^{[5] [3]}

Climate [ edit ]

Because the Gulf Stream has a moderating effect, portions of Iceland have an Oceanic climate (subpolar diversity) (Koppen Cfc). Merely about of the ecoregion is Tundra climate (Köppen climate classification ET), a local climate in which at least one month has an average temperature loftier enough to melt snow (0 °C (32 °F)), just no month with an average temperature in excess of ten °C (50 °F). ^{[6] [seven]} Atmospheric precipitation is everyman in the north, equally little as 500 mm/year, and highest in the south with upwards to 3,500 mm/year in places. ^[5]

Flora and fauna [ edit ]

Continuous vegetation covers approximately 25% of the island, 16,000 km^two of which is dryland vegetation and 10,000 km² of wetlands. About ane,360 km^two is employed in crop agriculture, and most i,250 km2 of the original white birch ( Betula pubescens ) woods remains. Another sixty,000 km2 is sparsely or very sparsely covered invegetation. ^[5] Most of the birch is shrub-like and under two meters tall. Well-nigh 2% of the forest features trees 8-12 meters tall, generally in valleys in the northward, east and south. Too birch, there are some stands of Rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia ) and Tea-leaved willow ( Salix phylicifolia ).

Lake Skorradalsvatn, in western Iceland

There are 483 species of vascular plants recorded in Iceland. The largest families are the sedges ( Cyperaceae ), with 53 species, and grasses ( Poaceae ), with 47 species. In that location are 560 species of Bryophytes (liverworts, hornworts, and mosses). ^[5] The most mutual mosses are Racomitrium lanuginosum and Racomitrium canescens . There are more than 550 species of lichens, and over 1200 species of funghi. ^[5] There are no reptiles or amphibians in Iceland.

Only one species of mammal is ethnic to Iceland, the Arctic fox ( Alopex lagopus ). Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) visit occasionally on drifting sea ice, and at that place are introduced species such as the American mink ( Mustela vison ), which was brought in for fur farming but have escaped and formed a pregnant population. Some other introduced species is the Wood mouse ( Apodemus sylvaticus ) which is now widespread in wooded areas.

The greatest ecological threat facing the isle is soil erosion. While 50-60% of the island was covered in vegetation at the time of homo inflow, the reject to the current 25% has been the result of soil loss acquired by deforestation for firewood and timber, and overgrazing by sheep. In recent years, nonetheless, the nation has pursued tree planting and soil conservation programs that have stopped and reversed the decline. ^[five]

Protected areas [ edit ]

Over 12% of the ecoregion is officially protected. ^[3] These protected areas include:

• Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
• Jökulsárgljúfur National Park (at present part of Vatnajökull)
• Lónsöræfi Nature Reserve
• Þingvellir National Park
• Skaftafell National Park (now part of Vatnajökull)
• Snæfellsjökull National Park
• Vatnsmýrin Nature Reserve
• Vatnajökull National Park National Park

References [ edit ]

1. ^ "Republic of iceland boreal birch forests and alpine tundra". World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
2. ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve, using WWF data. Retrieved September xiv, 2022.
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Iceland boreal birch forests and alpine tundra". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved August ane, 2022.
4. ^ "Republic of iceland boreal birch forests and tall tundra". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
5. ^ ^{a b c d due east f} "Biodiversity in Republic of iceland. National Written report to the Convention on Biodiversity" (PDF). Ministry for the Environment, The Icelandic Establish of Natural History. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
6. ^ Kottek, Thousand., J. Grieser, C. Beck, B. Rudolf, and F. Rubel, 2006. "Earth Map of Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Updated" (PDF). Gebrüder Borntraeger 2006. Retrieved September fourteen, 2022. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. ^ "Dataset - Koppen climate classifications". World Bank. Retrieved September xiv, 2022.

What Animals Live in a Boreal Birch Forests

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland_boreal_birch_forests_and_alpine_tundra