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Steppe-tundra

'''Steppe-tundra''' is a sparse dry-climate vegetation type which was widespread during Pleistocene times at mid-latitudes of North America and Eurasia, but no longer exists today. The characteristics of steppe-tundra are inferred indirectly from knowledge of the habitat preferences of the individual plant species that were present in this vegetation, and from related zoological and sedimentological evidence. The terms steppe and tundra tend to imply a dense sward with organic-rich soils, and so in this sense the term is misleading. For convenience, the steppe-tundra can be divided into two types, a more 'steppe-like' variant and a more 'tundra-like' variant. For the tundra-like vegetation, analogies have been drawn with a treeless vegetation that presently occurs in scattered patches on well drained south-facing hillslopes in north-eastern Siberia, although the modern-day equivalent is thought to have too dense a ground cover of vegetation. Ground cover amounted to no more than about 50%, with mainly herbaceous plants but a few scattered low shrubs and occasional stunted trees in sheltered spots. Peat accumulation would have been negligible, and the soil would have had a much lower organic content than most present-day tundra such as Ubsunur Hollow. The more steppe-like variant, containing a higher proportion of steppic species, would seem if anything to have had an even sparser vegetation cover. The best analogy would be with semi-desert transitional steppes that occur today at the northern fringes of the Gobi desert|central Asian desert. The steppe-tundra supported grazing megafauna such as bison, horses, and mammoths.

References

External links

- Possible link between steppe-tundra habitat and human eye, skin and hair color Category:Terrestrial biomes Category:Ice ages

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