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

昆古尔森林草原是欧洲森林草原区最北方的前哨，是林地和从喀尔巴阡山脉延伸到乌拉尔山脉的开阔地之间的生态交错带。Kungur森林草原位于彼尔姆东南部地区（俄罗斯），在半北方云杉和冷杉云杉森林与混合阔叶树的前乌拉尔带内。由于北方、温带和草原物种的共存，该岛的特点是植物多样性高，是北方地区重要的生物多样性热点。密集的农业、牧场和伐木业正在导致这一独特的草原生态系统的丧失。对于可持续的保护管理，植被历史背景是一个必要的要求。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。该项目的目的是了解昆古尔森林草原在前乌拉尔半北带内的形成和动态。为此，泥炭和湖泊沉积物从昆古尔森林草原将进行研究，比较那些典型的半北方森林。孢粉学、沉积学和植物大残体分析将为恢复两地区的植被和环境历史提供依据。通过检验工作假设，将评估气候变化、地质、土壤因素、火灾、人类和动物对欧洲森林草原最北端的影响的不同作用。所获得的知识是重要的可持续保护战略的昆古尔森林草原。该项目将使人们更好地了解欧亚大陆和世界上类似的生态交错区的森林和草原动态。

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.