Black Sea coast of the Caucasus human activity. Plants and animals of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus: description with photos and videos of the nature of the Caucasus. Homework assignments

High mountains protect a narrow strip of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus from cold winds from the north. The sun rises high above the horizon here. Even in winter, its rays heat the surface of the earth so much that the air temperature remains above zero. At a time when frosts are raging in the north and snowstorms are raging, roses are blooming in the local gardens.

The sea has a great influence on the weather of the Black Sea coast. How beautiful you are, O night sea, - Here it is radiant, there it is bluish-dark... In the moonlight, as if alive, It walks and breathes, and it shines. In the endless, free expanse, Shine and movement, roar and thunder... The sea is bathed in dim radiance, How good you are in the solitude of the night! (Tyutchev F.I.)

Indeed, it warms in winter and moderates the heat in summer. A lot of water evaporates from the surface of the sea. Water vapor rises and is carried by winds to the mountain slopes. Here it cools and turns into powerful clouds, from which heavy precipitation falls. Warmth and moisture create favorable conditions for the development of lush vegetation. Evergreens grow here.

What does the word “subtropics” mean? Translated from Latin, the prefix “sub” means “under”. The subtropics are the areas below the tropics. More precisely, near the tropical zone. The subtropical zone is located south of Russia, and here, on the Black Sea coast, is only a small piece. So, we must find out what are the distinctive features of the plant world of the subtropics.

Favorable conditions - warmth and moisture - make it possible for tall trees with large leaves (beech, oak, chestnut) to grow. Beech reaches a height of meters. its trunk is smooth, the leaves have the shape of an oblong ellipse, the fruits are nuts, but they cannot be eaten. Beech lives up to 500 years.

Dolphins are toothed whales, only much smaller. These are the smartest sea animals, they are excellent swimmers. Dolphins never leave their relatives in the white: they support the wounded and sick on the surface so that he can breathe, and help him swim. Dolphins navigate and communicate with each other using sound signals.

The Sochi National Park was created to preserve unique nature. The plants of these places are listed in the Red Book of Russia (colchis broom, Colchis boxwood, yew berry)

The Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is called the Russian Riviera. It is located on the same latitude as the Italian Riviera, the French Riviera and the Golden Sands of Bulgaria. The relatively narrow strip of land between Anapa and Tuapse is located at the extreme point of the northern zone of the subtropical zone.

Mountains and the warm Black Sea have formed the unique nature of this fertile place. The Greater Caucasus influences the climate of the Black Sea coast. Between Taman and Anapa it is closer to temperate maritime, in the area between Anapa and Tuapse it is Mediterranean, and from Tuapse towards Adler it is humid subtropical. The further south the coastline is located, the more plants and fauna typical of the subtropics are found.

Flora of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus

The warm climate, large amounts of rain and generous sun have created here the most favorable conditions for the growth of plants, the list of which includes more than 6 thousand species of plants.
Rich forests are a characteristic feature of the Caucasus Mountains. Most of the forests in the Krasnodar Territory belong to mountain forests. Broad-leaved oak forests grow up to an altitude of 600 m, and higher (up to 1300 m above sea level) beech forests occupy a natural niche.

The foothills and mid-mountains are occupied by oak, edible chestnut, linden, maple, hornbeam, and evergreen shrubs. You can often find wild fruit gardens with pears, Caucasian blueberries, cherry plums, dogwoods, wild grapes, hazel, cherries, apple trees, and walnuts. To the south of Gelendzhik, typical subtropical plants also appear, including magnolias and palm trees.

Eastern beech, sycamore, hornbeam, yew, rock sycamore, maple, rowan, low-growing birch, Caucasian fir prefer higher elevations. Even higher is the zone of subalpine meadows with anemones, lilies, and cornflowers. Violet, sedge, meadow grass, mosses and lichens have climbed to the heights of alpine meadows.

Millions of years ago, the Caucasus was an island cut off from the continent. Relict and endemic trees and shrubs still grow here. Among them there are very unusual ones: strawberry tree, silk acacia, ironwood. The evergreen strawberry tree actually produces delicious red berries that resemble strawberries. Relict pines and junipers make a healing contribution to the fresh sea air on the coastal strip, enriching it with phytoncides.
Cultivated pomegranates, peaches, apricots, figs, and walnuts grow in the gardens.
To appreciate the unique natural features of this region, you must visit the Sochi National Park.

Fauna of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus

Just two hundred years ago, the fauna of the Caucasus was rich and diverse. But gross human intervention in the life of wild nature has had the most negative impact. In 1924, the Caucasian State Reserve was created on the northern slope of the Main Caucasus Range to preserve and restore populations of Caucasian deer, bison, aurochs, chamois, bear and pine marten. In 1983, it was given the status of “biosphere”.

Currently, the number of species of fauna on the Black Sea coast is about 60. Wild boars, lynxes, jackals, leopards, roe deer, otters, chamois, aurochs and other animals live here.

The bird kingdom of the region has about 200 species. Among them there are interesting and endemic ones: dipper, black grouse, great buzzard, lambs eagle, common eagle, vituten, horned lark. Alpine jackdaws, thrushes and larks feel great here. Ular, also known as the mountain turkey, has chosen inaccessible rocks for life and nests.

Populations of cicadas, butterflies, praying mantises, large ground beetles, and fireflies are widespread. Reptiles and amphibians are few in number, with the exception of lizards. They are represented by newts, snakes, and turtles. Red vipers, large toads and boa constrictors are rare species. Marine inhabitants - dolphins, jellyfish, stingrays, seahorses, shrimp.

Climate of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus

Residents of the coast joke that their summer turns into a long autumn, and then into spring. You can swim on the Black Sea coast almost 5 months a year. Sea water temperature in summer ranges from 20 to 26°C, air temperature - up to 30°C. Rain falls frequently, but it is short, so most days are sunny.

On average, winter temperatures in the subtropical zone do not fall below 0°. January is the time of the strongest storms at sea, but in February silver acacia (mimosa), Voronov's snowdrop already bloom on the shore, and at the end of March - Caucasian cyclamen. Taking into account the fact that the beach can be replaced by skiing in Krasnaya Polyana, and the winter here is mild, holidays on the Black Sea coast in the winter months have their attractive sides.

Sochi National Park was created in 1983. The purpose of its creation was to preserve the unique natural complexes of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The park became one of the first national parks in Russia.
The main value of the national park is the mountain forests, unique in beauty and richness of vegetation, occupying 94.1% of the area.
The presence of animals and plants that are absent in other parts of the planet allows us to consider this territory as a World Heritage site. It is no coincidence that the protected part of the national park, together with the Caucasus Nature Reserve, was nominated for the World Natural Heritage List.
Also in this territory, more than 60 natural monuments were identified, and many historical and archaeological monuments were identified.
You can see a lot of interesting things here.

Svir Gorge

Svir waterfalls are located on the territory of the Sochi National Park in the Lazarevsky district of the city.

Natural monument "33 waterfalls"

In the picturesque gorge there are numerous small waterfalls, rapids, and waterfalls, which attract tourists and sightseers with their beauty. There are 33 waterfalls on the Dzhegosh stream.

Akhun Tower

The name comes from the name of the Ubykh god - Akhyn. Mount Bolshoy Akhun, with its size and almost ideal shape, stands out against the background of the Sochi landscape. At its top there is an old-style observation tower.
It is also known that in the depths of the Akhun karst massif there are more than 20 caves. More than 200 species of higher plants grow in the forests, 34 of which are listed in the Red Book of Russia. On one of the peaks of the massif are the remains of the medieval Christian temple of Maly Akhun.

Byzantine temple

Presumably the temple was built in the 11th-12th centuries. Now its ruins can be seen in the village. Loo Lazarevsky district. The ruins are a monument of church architecture. They began to be studied in the late 80s of the 20th century. The walls of the temple were made of sandstone and slate, and therefore are almost completely preserved, although they are densely overgrown with trees and bushes.

Volkon Gorge


The Volkon Gorge is very picturesque. It contains the Volkonsky dolmen, a hydrogen sulfide spring and the Two Brothers rocks with a natural tunnel between them. The journey to the gorge begins with a monument of the Middle Bronze Age - a dolmen. The dolmen in the Volkonsky Gorge belongs to a rare monolithic type.

Agur waterfall

Back in 1911, Agur Falls became a popular tourist destination. The path carved into the rock, winding, leads to the first 30-meter waterfall. It consists of two cascades of 12 and 18 meters, the jets of which fall at an angle to each other. Above are two more waterfalls, smaller in height, but no less beautiful. The second one – its height is 21 meters – is multi-jet. The height of the third waterfall is 23 meters.

The park is home to animals listed in the Red Book.: Bison, leopard, black stork, black vulture, griffon vulture, golden eagle, Caucasian otter, Caucasian forest cat, stag beetle, Karelina newt, Caucasian toad and many others.

The employees of the Sochi National Park do a lot of different work aimed at preserving natural complexes and objects located on the territory of the national park.
They are engaged in the conservation and breeding of rare and endangered species of animals and plants. Thus, the national park is implementing a program to restore the population of the Central Asian leopard in the wild. In 2013, for the first time in Russia, a pair of leopards gave birth to offspring in captivity in the park.

Topic: Near the Black Sea. Lesson objectives: To formulate students’ idea of ​​the subtropical zone of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. To introduce the geographical location of the subtropical zone of Russia, the flora and fauna, and human activities. Learn to work with a geographical map, herbarium, and additional literature. Improve speech and observation skills. Equipment: Map of natural areas; paintings, drawings depicting the objects being studied; video film “Black Sea Coast of the Caucasus”; Lesson progress I. Org. moment II. In the last lesson we studied the topic “Deserts” (At home we had to draw a desert the way the children imagine them). - Well done guys, they did it all. - Find the semi-deserts and deserts of our country on the map; - I think everyone knows how to show on a map. But, the student will tell us the location of the desert and semi-desert zones. Show and story: 1. 1 student: Semi-deserts are located in the southwest of the country on the shores of the Caspian Sea - this is the southern natural zone, indicated in orange on the map. Deserts are located in the temperate zone, and are located even closer to the Northern Tropic, which is why it is so hot there. This is a small natural area. The surface of the desert is flat with sand ridges. These sandy shafts - dunes - are constantly moving. Deserts are not only sandy, but also clayey and even rocky. Summer in the desert is hot: the surface of the Earth heats up to plus 700 during the day, and above 400 in the shade. And at night it is cool, because sand and clay cool quickly. You're very thirsty in the desert. The desert receives little rainfall, sometimes not a drop of rain falls during the summer, and summer here lasts five months. Winter is harsh compared to summer, the temperature drops to -120C, and winter lasts 2-3 months. 2. What plants grow here and how do they adapt to such living conditions? Student 2: The peculiarity of desert plants is that they must evaporate moisture as little as possible and obtain water at great depths or have their own supply of water. The most common desert plant is camel thorn (show). It has a long root, with its help the plant feeds itself with water, the root penetrates to a depth of almost 20 meters. The leaves of the plant are in the form of spines, this allows less water to evaporate. Camel thorn is a low plant. Also in the desert, juzgun, grate, and saxaul grow. 3. How do the animals feel here? Student 3: Most desert animals are small because they have nowhere to hide from predators. Their coloring the color of sand is their camouflage. Most animals are nocturnal when the heat subsides. They get water from food, eating plants or animals. To find water, they must run fast or sleep so that they do not want to eat or drink. Desert animals: corsac fox, saiga, jerboa. 3. Who wants to add? 4th student: The largest animal in the desert is the camel. The camel is called the ship of the desert. They say about camels that they carry a supply of water in their humps, but this is not so. There are two types of camels: one-humped and two-humped. Bactrian camels live in our deserts. They reach two meters in height and can carry up to 500 kg of weight. The structure of his body and legs helps him live in the desert. A camel's feet have calloused soles; they can be used to step on hot sand without getting burned or falling through. The camel eats tough, thorny plants. Its lips and tongue are covered with thick skin. And the humps contain a reserve of fat. A camel can go without drinking in extreme heat for 3-4 days, but when it reaches the water it can drink 6-8 buckets of water. 4. What environmental problems does the desert have? 5th student: human development of deserts has led to environmental problems in this natural area. People built canals to irrigate the land - this is good. But excessive irrigation led to the accumulation of a lot of salt in the soils. Due to excessive grazing of livestock, there is more moving sand - animals completely eat up the plants in the pastures. Poaching is also a problem. Many animals die at the hands of poachers. To preserve nature, the “Black Lands” reserve was created here. III. And now we will conduct a test on the topic “Deserts”: Testing is carried out using the powerpoint program on a computer Deserts Test on the “world around us” in grade 4 1. Deserts occupy...  a) a huge territory in the central part of Russia;  b) a small territory along the shores of the northern seas;  c) a small area in the southwest of the country. 2. In the desert...  a) hot, long summers and cool, short winters;  b) short, cool summers and long, harsh winters;  c) all four seasons stand out clearly; 3. Deserts of Russia...  a) stone;  b) sandy;  c) clay. 4. In the desert...  a) a large amount of precipitation falls in the form of rain and snow;  b) there is little precipitation;  c) most often there is no precipitation. 5. Desert plants...  a) tall, broad-leaved;  b) low, with narrow leaves and bulbous roots;  c) low, with narrow thin leaves and long roots; 6. Animals of the desert...  a) mostly small, short, have a protective yellow color, move quickly, and are often nocturnal.  b) large, have a subcutaneous layer of fat and thick, long fur,  c) mostly short (rodents) and birds. 7. Desert plants include:  a) feather grass, wormwood, tulip;  b) cloudberries, lingonberries, blueberries;  c) grate, solyanka, dzhuzgun. 8. Desert animals include:  a) corsac, saiga, jerboa;  b) lynx, lion, tiger;  c) walrus, seal, bear. 9. The environmental problems of the desert are:  a) plowing of land, excessive grazing, poaching;  b) excessive irrigation, excessive grazing, poaching;  c) excessive grazing of deer, soil pollution with oil, soil destruction by heavy machinery, poaching. 10. Desert reserve:  a) Barguzinsky;  b) Black lands;  c) Prioksko-Terrasny. Cross-checking answers. IV. Working on a new topic: - What does this noise remind you of? (Sound of the sea). The topic of our lesson today is “The Black Sea coast of the Caucasus - the subtropical zone.” Subtropics - this amazing zone occupies a very small territory. It is located on the coast. On one side are the Caucasus Mountains, and on the other the Black Sea (show on the map). On the coast there are cities such as: Anapa, the hero city of Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, Sochi. What does the word “subtropics” mean? The tropics are a thermal zone located on both sides of the equator. And the prefix “sub” in translation from Latin means “under”. So, what are subtropics? Students: - This is a territory under the tropics. This means that the sun sends almost direct rays here. But the summer here, thanks to the sea, is not very hot, and the winter, due to the fact that the water in the sea heats up in summer, gives off heat to the coast, so it is not cold.. Because of the high young mountains, the cold northern air cannot penetrate here. This is precisely the secret of the amazing climate and nature. There is snow on the mountain slopes, and it’s summer below. V. Favorable conditions - warmth and moisture - make it possible for tall trees with large leaves and heat-loving plants to grow. These are oak, beech, chestnut. Beech reaches a height of 25 - 40 meters. He lives up to 500 years. Chestnut is a long-living tree - it can live up to a thousand years, its height is up to 35 meters. There are many fruit trees growing on the Black Sea coast: peaches, apricots, walnuts. There are tea plantations on the mountain slopes. VI. The fauna of the Black Sea coast is rich and diverse. Here you can see a huge number of animals and insects, but here mosquitoes and flies do not bother you like they do here, they are not visible there. There are a lot of different birds and butterflies. We will now see this in the videos. Amazing and unique starfish, a huge number of different fish, seahorses. Seahorses are fish with a head similar to the head of a fairytale horse - the hunchbacked horse. They do not have a permanent color: if a seahorse sits on brown algae, it turns brown; if it sits on green algae, it turns green. And dolphins are the smartest animals, they are wonderful swimmers. Dolphins never leave their relatives in trouble. It happened that dolphins even saved people. They navigate and communicate with each other using sound signals. They even swim up to vacationers in whole flocks. The fauna of the Black Sea coast is interesting and diverse. We can talk a lot about their inhabitants. Those who are interested can read it in encyclopedias. VII. The Black Sea coast is a place where thousands of people come to relax. But, unfortunately, environmental problems have arisen here too: wastewater and household garbage pollute the sea. A person throws household garbage, breaks off branches of trees and bushes, and picks flowers. But in memory of the trip you can buy souvenirs and postcards. They sell a lot of them here. To preserve the unique nature of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, the Sochi National Park was created. Endangered animals and fish are listed in the Red Book. And now we will watch videos about plants, animals, see the Sochi National Park, the nature of the subtropics. VIII. What did we learn about in class today? - Where is the subtropical zone located? (On the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus). - What's the weather like here? (moderately hot summer, warm winter.) - What needs to be done to preserve the beauty and diversity of nature of these places? (do not tear, do not litter nature) VIII. Summing up the lesson. Giving grades for work. - What did you see from what I told you? -I don’t want to part with this amazing natural area. Let's hope that we will see it just as beautiful, with unique flora and fauna, when we come here to relax. Home back page 132-140. “Test yourself”: rear 1,3,4 or 2.5 (optional)