Arctic biota: Taxonomic diversity [Review] [Russian]

摘要

The Arctic biota contains approximately 25000 species that is about 1% of the species diversity of the organic world. The representation of the largest animal and plant classes, predominating in the contemporary flora and fauna of the Earth, is 0.3-3.0% of the number of species in the world taxon. The representation of such taxa as oligochaetes, collembolans, mosses, and lichens is much higher - up to 10%. The share of animals (about 60%) and insects (15%) in the Arctic biota is lower than in the organic world of other natural belts and of the planet as a whole. The main feature of the Arctic biota's structure is a decrease of the share of the most advanced taxa. The groups, relatively primitive by their adaptive possibilities and diversity, take forward positions. This process is clearly pronounced in the landscapes of high latitudes. The share of the arctic species proper is also related to their evolutionary level; it is the highest for the most advanced taxa - 20-40%. Within the Arctic, the species richness of specific floras and faunas closely correlates with summer thermal conditions (temperature of the warmest month). General regularities of latitudinal-zonal transformations in the taxonomic structure of the Arctic biota are proposed. They are considered not only as a result of impoverishing the species composition in the marginal part of the planetary trend of biodiversity, but first of all as a consequence of realizing the adaptive potential of large phyla.