Polymorphism of Landscape-Zonal Systems: An Empirical-Statistical Modeling

Abstract

The report presents for the first time the results of quantitative assessment of the mechanisms of monosystem (geocomponental) organization of landscape-zonal systems by the example of forest and forest-steppe landscapes of the Volga River basin. The geosynergistic (synthetical) unity of monosystem landscape structures is expressed by the general partial measure of closeness of connections between different geocomponental attributes. It has been established that natural landscapes and all geosystems of the higher taxonomic orders (landscape zones, provinces, and domains) are characterized by generally low mean statistical values of closeness of component interrelations and a narrow range of their variation. These are the principal conditions for manifestation of landscape polymorphism.

The two types of landscape polymorphism are described: parametric and territorial. Landscape “projections” (partial sub-systems) with the highest equivalence of geocomponental blocks are considered by the author as geosynergetic “cores” of the general monosystem structure of zonal-regional complexes. In the main watershed of the Volga River basin, only 7 partial landscape structures with the core properties are formed out of 21 possible paired combinations of geocomponental blocks: thermo-edaphic, oro-edaphic, thermo-productive, edapho-productive, thermo-geochemical, oro-geochemical, and edapho-geochemical. The author has prepared a series of maps illustrating the degree of manifestation of partial landscape structures in different kinds of landscapes and in zonal geospaces on the main watershed of the Russian Plain.