Similar to western and central Europe, the most widespread biome in the Czech Republic is the broad-leaved deciduous forest. Other biomes - forest-steppe, spruce and pine taiga and mountain tundra are only small extension (Fig. 1). Nowadays, the biomes are only theoretical concepts because the central European landscape is strongly affected by the human impact (Fig. 2), in this case we can speak about the potential vegetation.
Fig. 1. Approximate distribution of Czech biomes (Source: Chytrý, 2012).
Fig. 2. Forest cover in 2000 (Source: Chytrý, 2012)
Broad-leaved deciduous forest biome occurs up to 1000–1200 m
a.s.l., but is absent from dry and warm lowlands (Fig. 1). Dominant zonal types of natural vegetation in this biome are forests of beech (Fagus sylvatica) with an admixture of fir (Abies alba) at middle and higher
altitudes and of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) at low altitudes. Other broad-leaved trees (maples, alder, ash, oak, lime, elm) occur especially at sites where the composition of tree species has changed as a result of past forest
management or natural disturbances, or at azonal sites such as floodplains, scree slopes,
ravines, rock outcrops and dry slopes with shallow soil. Large areas of this biome are
now covered by coniferous plantations, arable land and different types of permanent grasslands.
Forest-steppe biome occurs in the dry and warm lowlands in central Bohemia and south Moravia. The central Bohemian occurrence is connected with dry area of the rain shadow of the Krušné Mts. and is an isolated extrazonal occurrence of
this biome. On the contrary, the Moravian forest-steppe is a western edge of the continuous
forest-steppe area that extends from the Pannonian Basin through eastern Austria and
south-western Slovakia to southern Moravia. Forest-steppe is
characterized by a mosaic of forest and open land. Forest vegetation is build of three species such as oak and hornbeam. The grass species dominate in the treeless steppe landscape. This biome is under the anthropogenic pressure from the Neolithic and the arable land is the dominant land-use type.
Taiga biome is represented by extrazonal patches of natural coniferous forests. It has a limited extension on the mountain areas and lowland areas with nutrient-poor acidic bedrock (sandstones and sand). Spruce (Picea abies) is the dominant natural tree specie in the mountain taiga. Spruce with shrub pine (Pinus mugo) are common in the bog areas. The replacement vegetation of the mountain taiga
includes low-productive grasslands. The lowland taiga occurs in the lowland basins, areas of infertile sandy soils (podzols) or/and high water table (lowland bogs and mires). Dominant vegetation in the lowland taiga is acidophilous forest of pine (Pinus sylvestris
with Vaccinium spp.) and local admixtures of spruce and broad-leaved
deciduous trees (oaks).
Tundra biome occurs as alpine tundra only in the highest altitudes of the Czech mountains. During the Pleistocene glacials, the tundra occupied also the middle and lower altitudes. The alpine tundra includes mainly grasslands and heathlands.
Notes:
Note that the taiga and tundra biomes are the extrazonal biomes in the Czech Republic. Their occurrence is connected with the specific soil, bedrock and altitudinal changes of the climate.
Task:
Find the pictures of tree species mentioned above on the internet.
