Phenomenon of the Kungur forest-steppe: natural or human-made?

昆古尔森林草原是欧洲森林草原带最北端的前哨，从喀尔巴阡山脉延伸到乌拉尔山脉，是林地和开阔景观之间的过渡带生物群落。Kungur森林草原位于俄罗斯东南部彼尔姆地区，位于前乌拉尔带的半北方云杉和冷杉林带内，阔叶树混交。由于北寒带、温带和草原物种共存，该岛植物多样性高，是北寒带重要的生物多样性热点。集约化农业、牧场和伐木业正在导致这一独特草原生态系统的丧失。对于可持续的保护管理，具有植被史背景是必要的要求。植物学家和地理学家提出了昆古尔森林草原起源的几个驱动因素：地质、过去的气候或人类。然而，没有进行古生态学研究以了解其历史。该项目旨在了解昆古尔森林草原在前乌拉尔半寒带地区的形成和动态。为此，将研究来自昆古尔森林草原的泥炭和湖泊沉积物，并与来自典型半北方森林的泥炭和湖泊沉积物进行比较。孢粉学、沉积学和植物宏观遗物分析将为这两个地区植被和环境历史的重建提供依据。通过对工作假设的检验，评估气候变化、地质、土壤因素、火灾、人类和动物对欧洲最北端森林草原影响的不同作用。所获得的知识对昆古尔森林草原的可持续保护战略具有重要意义。该项目将使人们更好地了解欧亚大陆和世界上类似的过渡带的森林和草原动态。

The Kungur forest-steppe is the most northern outpost of the European forest-steppe zone, the ecotone biome between woodlands and open landscapes stretching from the Carpathians to the Ural Mountains. The Kungur forest-steppe is located in the SE Perm region (Russia) within the zone of the pre-Uralian belt of hemiboreal spruce and fir-spruce forests with intermixed broadleaved trees. Due to the co-existence of boreal, temperate and steppe species, this island is characterized by high plant diversity and represents an important biodiversity hot-spot in the boreal zone. Intensive agriculture, pasture and lumbering is leading to the loss of this unique steppe ecosystems. For sustainable protection management, a background in vegetation history is a necessary requirement. Several driving factors for the origin of the Kungur forest-steppe were proposed by botanists and geographers: geology, climate of the past, or humans. However, no palaeoecological studies were implemented in order to understand its history. The project aims to understand the phenomenon of the Kungur forest-steppe in terms of its formation and dynamic within the hemiboreal zone of the pre-Urals. For this, peats and lacustrine sediments from Kungur forest-steppe will be studied in comparison to those from the typical hemiboreal forests. Palynology, sedimentology and botanical macroremain analysis will provide basis for the reconstruction of vegetation and environmental history of both regions. By testing the working hypotheses, the different roles of climate change, geology, edaphic factors, fire, human and animal impacts on the European forest-steppe in its northernmost occurrence will be evaluated. The obtained knowledge is important for sustainable conservation strategies for the Kungur forest-steppe. The project will provide a better understanding of forest and steppe dynamics in Eurasia and comparable ecotones in the world.