![]() Image credit: Erik Adamsson, Creative CommonsĪgile snow sheep live above 2,000 m, grazing the meadow and tundra. Black rock moss and crustose lichen species blistered rock tripe lichen, concentric ring lichen, yellow map lichen, and Ophioparma ventosa form thin layers on exposed rock. Mosses such as bendy heron’s-bill moss and hoary rock moss, and fruticose lichens such as gray reindeer lichen, green witch's hair, crinkled snow lichen, and rimmed camouflage lichen grow in more sheltered spots. At the top of the mountains, the “ goltsy” consists of large areas of rock and stones. Wet areas have sedge ( Carex sochaveana), moss and cottongrass tundra. Patches of high meadow have cold-tolerant species such as Alpine yellow violet, hairyflower bellflower, Trollius asiaticus, Angelica saxatilis and Rheum compactum. ![]() Above this, mountain tundras have Bellardi bog sedge, eightpetal mountain-avens or white dryad, white arctic mountain heather, pincushion plant, Rhododendron redowskianum, and blue mountain heath. The Siberian anticyclone in winter means snow cover does not exceed 30 cm.Ībove the taiga tree-line is a belt of dwarf trees and shrubs known as “ stlanik”, with species such as dwarf Siberian pine, Siberian alder, bog biberry, Betula fruticosa, and Rhododendron aureum. Inland, temperature inversions can occur, with lower air temperatures in valleys and lowlands than in the highlands. On the Okhotsk coast, average monthly temperatures are -20☌–12☌ and annual precipitation 364 mm, most of which falls from May to November. In Kodar, the average monthly temperatures are -30☌–16☌ and annual precipitation is 350–1,200 mm. The climate is strongly continental, except in the far east of the ecoregion, which is influenced by coastal conditions. From west to east, mountains include the Barguzin, Kodar, Stanovoy, Aldan, Dzhugzhur, and Bureya ranges. This ecoregion is located along a chain of mountaintops running from the northern edge of Lake Baikal to the coast of the Okhotsk Sea-a series of islands amongst the East Siberian and Okhotsk-Manchurian taiga that form a trans-Siberian route for plant dispersion. Image credit: Matthias Kabel, Creative Commons The flagship species of the Trans-Baikal Bald Mountain Tundra ecoregion is the wolverine. ![]() Musk deer and reindeer venture up the mountainsides to graze, followed by grey wolves and wolverines. Low-growing mountain tundra and patches of meadow with bright flowers host species such as snow sheep, northern pika, golden eagle, alpine accentor and willow grouse. Winds are strong, and snow is blown away before it can settle. High above the taiga forests of East Siberia and Okhotsk, the Trans-Baikal Bald Mountain Tundra ecoregion contains a pristine, fragile “ goltsy” zone of lichen and moss clinging to large areas of stone and rock. ![]()
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