Arguments for and against a Pleistocene tundra‐steppeFootnote¹
Comment from Editorial Board, Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, seriya geograficheskaya: This article contains irrefutable evidence indicating the considerable diversity of ecosystems existing in the peri‐glacial regions of Northeast Asia during the time of the last Pleistocene glaciation. Earlier prevailing concepts regarding the existence of an extensive uniform cover of cold tundra‐steppes thereby are refuted. The ideas advanced by the authors of this article are entirely consistent with the latest analytical arguments presented by P. M. Anderson and A. V. Lozhkin at the International Conference on Peripheral Regions of the Arctic held in Magadan in 1994. It is clarified, for example, that on the northern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk in the Late Pleistocene there were forests of larch and shrubby stone pine, whereas in Eastern Koryakia there were shrubby‐grassy tundras. Hardwood birch forests extended far to the north under improving climatic conditions during the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition period (11,000–9000 years B.P.). The sources of the present biotic diversity in the boreal belt evidently must be sought in the differentiation of the plant cover, which already had developed in the Late Pleistocene and is convincingly confirmed by the authors of this paper through the historical analysis of the flora on Chukotka.
However, the problem of a Pleistocene tundra‐steppe in Northern Eurasia is much broader than is outlined here. It is by no means restricted to Beringia, where because of the oceanic character of the climate the periglacial landscapes differed substantially from those in the intracontinental regions. In publishing this article, the editorial board recognizes that the debate over the Pleistocene tundra‐steppe retains its timeliness and by far not all the arguments advanced by the authors can be accepted as decisive either in a “pro”; or “con”; context.

Yu. P. Kozhevnikov V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg

V. V. Ukraintseva V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg

Citations (4)

Keep up to date with the latest research on this topic with citation updates for this article.

Read on this site (1)

Andrei A. Andreev, Dorothy M. Peteet, Pavel E. Tarasov, Fedor A. Romanenko, Ludmila V. Filimonova & Leopold D. Sulerzhitsky. (2001) Late Pleistocene Interstadial Environment on Faddeyevskiy Island, East-Siberian Sea, Russia. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 33:1, pages 28-35.
Read now

Articles from other publishers (3)

Kseniia Ashastina, Svetlana Kuzmina, Natalia Rudaya, Elena Troeva, Werner H. Schoch, Christine Römermann, Jennifer Reinecke, Volker Otte, Grigoriy Savvinov, Karsten Wesche & Frank Kienast. (2018) Woodlands and steppes: Pleistocene vegetation in Yakutia's most continental part recorded in the Batagay permafrost sequence. Quaternary Science Reviews 196, pages 38-61.
Crossref

Paul Szpak, Darren R. Gröcke, Regis Debruyne, Ross D.E. MacPhee, R. Dale Guthrie, Duane Froese, Grant D. Zazula, William P. Patterson & Hendrik N. Poinar. (2010) Regional differences in bone collagen δ13C and δ15N of Pleistocene mammoths: Implications for paleoecology of the mammoth steppe. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 286:1-2, pages 88-96.
Crossref

Frank Kienast, Lutz Schirrmeister, Christine Siegert & Pavel Tarasov. (2017) Palaeobotanical evidence for warm summers in the East Siberian Arctic during the last cold stage. Quaternary Research 63:3, pages 283-300.
Crossref

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Order Reprints Request Corporate Permissions

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

Request Academic Permissions

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.

Articles from other publishers (3)

Information for

Open access

Opportunities

Help and information

Your download is now in progress and you may close this window

Login or register to access this feature

Citations (4)

Read on this site (1)

Articles from other publishers (3)

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Academic Permissions

Related research

To cite this article:

Download citation

Information for

Open access

Opportunities

Help and information

Keep up to date