GEOTHERMS AND FOREST FORMATION IN INSULAR VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE
ERLAND G. KOLOMYTS *
Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin, Russian Academy of Sciences, 10, Komzina Str., Togliatti, 445003, Russia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Conducting channels of magma-based geothermal system causing abnormal increases in soil temperature have been found in the region of the degassing Mendeleev volcano (Kunashir Island, South Kuril ridge). This process was favorable for transgression of more southern species and entire communities to this boreal-forest ecoregion over a long period of time. The "climatically unjustified" but sufficiently stable subboreal forest ecosystems were formed, as well as the early stages of buffer forest communities. Geothermal energy induces rearrangement of the plant cover towards the increase in its floro- and phytocoenotic diversity to the detriment of biomass formation rate. The largest possible (under the given climatic conditions) diversity of floristic and phytocoenological structures creating terrestrial vegetation at the transitional zone from continent to ocean originates just from island volcanic landscapes.
Keywords: Insular volcanic landscape, forest ecosystems, geotherms, soil temperature, structure of forests, productivity