Examples of the relationship of natural components in a natural complex. Dimensions of natural complexes

The concept of a natural complex

The main object of study of modern physical geography is the geographical shell of our planet as a complex material system. It is heterogeneous in both vertical and horizontal directions. In the horizontal, i.e. spatially, the geographic envelope is divided into separate natural complexes (synonyms: natural-territorial complexes, geosystems, geographic landscapes).

A natural complex is a territory that is homogeneous in origin, history of geological development and modern composition of specific natural components. It has a single geological foundation, the same type and amount of surface and groundwater, a uniform soil and vegetation cover and a single biocenosis (a combination of microorganisms and characteristic animals). In a natural complex, the interaction and metabolism between its components are also of the same type. The interaction of components ultimately leads to the formation of specific natural complexes.

The level of interaction of components within a natural complex is determined primarily by the amount and rhythms of solar energy (solar radiation). Knowing the quantitative expression of the energy potential of a natural complex and its rhythm, modern geographers can determine the annual productivity of its natural resources and the optimal timing of their renewability. This allows us to objectively predict the use of natural resources of natural-territorial complexes (NTC) in the interests of human economic activity.

Currently, most of the natural complexes of the Earth have been changed to one degree or another by man, or even re-created by him on a natural basis. For example, oases in the desert, reservoirs, agricultural plantations. Such natural complexes are called anthropogenic. According to their purpose, anthropogenic complexes can be industrial, agricultural, urban, etc. According to the degree of change by human economic activity - in comparison with the original natural state, they are divided into slightly changed, changed and strongly changed.

Natural complexes can be of different sizes - of different ranks, as scientists say. The largest natural complex is the geographical envelope of the Earth. Continents and oceans are natural complexes of the next rank. Within the continents, there are physical-geographical countries - natural complexes of the third level. Such, for example, as the East European Plain, the Ural Mountains, the Amazon Lowland, the Sahara Desert and others. Well-known natural zones can serve as examples of natural complexes: tundra, taiga, temperate forests, steppes, deserts, etc. The smallest natural complexes (terrains, tracts, fauna) occupy limited territories. These are hilly ridges, individual hills, their slopes; or a low-lying river valley and its individual sections: bed, floodplain, above-floodplain terraces. It is interesting that the smaller the natural complex, the more homogeneous its natural conditions. However, even natural complexes of significant size retain the homogeneity of natural components and basic physical-geographical processes. Thus, the nature of Australia is not at all similar to the nature of North America, the Amazonian lowland is noticeably different from the adjacent Andes to the west, an experienced geographer-researcher will not confuse the Karakum (temperate zone deserts) with the Sahara (tropical deserts), etc.

Thus, the entire geographical envelope of our planet consists of a complex mosaic of natural complexes of different ranks. Natural complexes formed on land are now called natural-territorial complexes (NTC); formed in the ocean and other body of water (lake, river) - natural aquatic (NAC); natural-anthropogenic landscapes (NAL) are created by human economic activity on a natural basis.

Geographical envelope - the largest natural complex

The geographic envelope is a continuous and integral shell of the Earth, which includes, in a vertical section, the upper part of the earth's crust (lithosphere), the lower atmosphere, the entire hydrosphere and the entire biosphere of our planet. What unites, at first glance, the heterogeneous components of the natural environment into a single material system? It is within the geographic envelope that a continuous exchange of matter and energy occurs, a complex interaction between the indicated component shells of the Earth.

The boundaries of the geographical envelope are still not clearly defined. Scientists usually take the ozone screen in the atmosphere as its upper limit, beyond which life on our planet does not extend. The lower boundary is most often drawn in the lithosphere at depths of no more than 1000 m. This is the upper part of the earth’s crust, which was formed under the strong combined influence of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and living organisms. The entire thickness of the waters of the World Ocean is inhabited, therefore, if we talk about the lower boundary of the geographical envelope in the ocean, then it should be drawn along the ocean floor. In general, the geographic shell of our planet has a total thickness of about 30 km.

As we can see, the geographical envelope coincides in volume and territorially with the distribution of living organisms on Earth. However, there is still no single point of view regarding the relationship between the biosphere and the geographical envelope. Some scientists believe that the concepts of “geographical envelope” and “biosphere” are very close, even identical, and these terms are synonyms. Other researchers consider the biosphere only as a certain stage in the development of the geographic envelope. In this case, three stages are distinguished in the history of the development of the geographical envelope: prebiogenic, biogenic and anthropogenic (modern). The biosphere, according to this point of view, corresponds to the biogenic stage of the development of our planet. According to others, the terms “geographical envelope” and “biosphere” are not identical, since they reflect different qualitative essences. The concept of “biosphere” focuses on the active and determining role of living matter in the development of the geographical envelope.

Which point of view should you prefer? It should be borne in mind that the geographic envelope is characterized by a number of specific features. It is distinguished, first of all, by the great diversity of material composition and types of energy characteristic of all component shells - the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Through general (global) cycles of matter and energy, they are united into an integral material system. To understand the patterns of development of this unified system is one of the most important tasks of modern geographical science.

Thus, the integrity of the geographical envelope is the most important pattern, on the knowledge of which the theory and practice of modern environmental management is based. Taking this pattern into account makes it possible to foresee possible changes in the nature of the Earth (a change in one of the components of the geographical envelope will necessarily cause a change in the others); give a geographical forecast of the possible results of human impact on nature; carry out a geographical examination of various projects related to the economic use of certain territories.

The geographic envelope is also characterized by another characteristic pattern - the rhythm of development, i.e. recurrence of certain phenomena over time. In the nature of the Earth, rhythms of different durations have been identified - daily and annual, intra-century and super-secular rhythms. The daily rhythm, as is known, is determined by the rotation of the Earth around its axis. The daily rhythm is manifested in changes in temperature, air pressure and humidity, cloudiness, and wind strength; in the phenomena of ebb and flow in the seas and oceans, the circulation of breezes, the processes of photosynthesis in plants, the daily biorhythms of animals and humans.

The annual rhythm is the result of the movement of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. These are the change of seasons, changes in the intensity of soil formation and destruction of rocks, seasonal features in the development of vegetation and human economic activity. It is interesting that different landscapes of the planet have different daily and annual rhythms. Thus, the annual rhythm is best expressed in temperate latitudes and very weakly in the equatorial belt.

Of great practical interest is the study of longer rhythms: 11-12 years, 22-23 years, 80-90 years, 1850 years and longer, but, unfortunately, they are still less studied than the daily and annual rhythms.

Natural zones of the globe, their brief characteristics

The great Russian scientist V.V. At the end of the last century, Dokuchaev substantiated the planetary law of geographic zoning - a natural change in the components of nature and natural complexes when moving from the equator to the poles. Zoning is primarily due to the unequal (latitudinal) distribution of solar energy (radiation) over the Earth's surface, associated with the spherical shape of our planet, as well as different amounts of precipitation. Depending on the latitudinal ratio of heat and moisture, the law of geographic zonation is subject to weathering processes and exogenous relief-forming processes; zonal climate, surface waters of land and ocean, soil cover, vegetation and fauna.

The largest zonal divisions of the geographic envelope are geographic zones. They stretch, as a rule, in the latitudinal direction and, in essence, coincide with climatic zones. Geographic zones differ from each other in temperature characteristics, as well as in the general characteristics of atmospheric circulation. On land the following geographical zones are distinguished:

Equatorial - common to the northern and southern hemispheres; - subequatorial, tropical, subtropical and temperate - in each hemisphere; - subantarctic and Antarctic belts - in the southern hemisphere. Belts with similar names have been identified in the World Ocean. The zonality in the ocean is reflected in changes from the equator to the poles in the properties of surface waters (temperature, salinity, transparency, wave intensity, etc.), as well as in changes in the composition of flora and fauna.

Within geographic zones, natural zones are distinguished based on the ratio of heat and moisture. The names of the zones are given according to the type of vegetation that predominates in them. For example, in the subarctic zone these are tundra and forest-tundra zones; in the temperate zone - forest zones (taiga, mixed coniferous-deciduous and broad-leaved forests), zones of forest-steppes and steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.

1. When briefly characterizing the natural zones of the globe during the entrance exam, it is recommended to consider the main natural zones of the equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical, temperate, subarctic and arctic zones of the northern hemisphere in the direction from the equator to the North Pole: the zone of evergreen forests (gils), the savannah zone and light forests, zone of tropical deserts, zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs (Mediterranean), zone of temperate deserts, zone of broad-leaved and coniferous-deciduous (mixed) forests, taiga zone, tundra zone, ice zone (arctic desert zone).

When characterizing natural areas, it is necessary to adhere to the following plan.

1. Name of the natural area.

2. Features of its geographical location.

3. Main features of climate.

4. Predominant soils.

5. Vegetation.

6. Animal world.

7. The nature of the use of natural resources of the zone by humans.

The applicant can collect factual material to answer the specified questions of the plan using the thematic maps of the “Teacher’s Atlas”, which is required in the list of manuals and maps for the entrance exam in geography at KSU. This is not only not prohibited, but is also required by the “General Instructions” for standard programs for entrance exams in geography to Russian universities.

However, the characteristics of natural areas should not be “standardized”. It should be borne in mind that due to the heterogeneity of the relief and the earth's surface, the proximity and distance from the ocean (and, consequently, the heterogeneity of moisture), the natural zones of various regions of the continents do not always have a latitudinal extent. Sometimes they have an almost meridional direction, for example, on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Pacific coast of Eurasia, and other places. The natural zones that stretch latitudinally across the entire continent are also heterogeneous. They are usually divided into three segments, corresponding to the central inland and two oceanic sectors. Latitudinal, or horizontal, zoning is best expressed on large plains, such as the East European or West Siberian plains.

In the mountainous regions of the Earth, latitudinal zonality gives way to altitudinal zonality of landscapes to a natural change of natural components and natural complexes with an ascent into the mountains from their foothills to the peaks. It is caused by climate change with altitude: C for every 100 m of rise and an increase in the amount of precipitation and a decrease in temperature by 0.6 to a certain altitude (up to 2-3 km). The change of zones in the mountains occurs in the same sequence as on the plains when moving from the equator to the poles. However, in the mountains there is a special belt of subalpine and alpine meadows, which is not found on the plains. The number of altitude zones depends on the height of the mountains and the characteristics of their geographical location. The higher the mountains and the closer they are located to the equator, the richer their range (set) of altitude zones. The range of altitude zones in the mountains is also determined by the location of the mountain system relative to the ocean. In the mountains located near the ocean, a set of forest belts predominates; Inland (arid) sectors of continents are characterized by treeless high-altitude zones.

Natural complex - part of an ecosystem with established relationships between its various components, limited by natural boundaries: watersheds, common for a given territory, the first regionally widespread layer of low-permeability rocks from the surface (aquitard) and the ground layer of the atmosphere. Natural complexes associated with large water arteries are divided into smaller ones, related to tributaries of various orders. Accordingly, natural complexes of the first, second, third, etc. are distinguished. orders of magnitude. Under undisturbed conditions, two neighboring natural complexes can be almost completely identical, but when man-made impacts occur, any changes in the components of the ecosystem will affect primarily within the natural complex where the source of disturbance is located. In urban agglomerations, natural complexes are the basic elements that form the natural component of the natural-technogenic geosystem. The choice of the order of the natural complex considered in each specific case depends primarily on the scale of the work. In particular, for the city of Moscow, when carrying out small-scale works (1:50000 and smaller), it is advisable to identify natural complexes confined to first-order tributaries of the river. Moscow (Setun, Yauza, Skhodnya, etc.) More detailed studies require consideration of natural complexes of smaller orders as “basic” ones. For work carried out on a scale of 1:10000, it is optimal to consider natural complexes confined to tributaries of the second, third and (in some cases) fourth orders.

Territories of the natural complex - areas of the earth's surface outlined by urban planning boundaries, within which green spaces are preserved in relatively undisturbed conditions or partially restored. In Moscow, the territories of the natural complex include: urban and suburban forests and forest parks, parks, green areas for various purposes, water surfaces and river valleys.

It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of “natural complex” and “territories of a natural complex”: natural complex - a natural scientific concept, a single element of an ecosystem, whereas territory of the natural complex - an urban planning concept that determines the purpose and status of individual territories within the city of Moscow.

The doctrine of the natural-territorial complex, geographical landscape

Alexander Humboldt pointed out that “nature is unity in plurality, the combination of diversity through form and mixture, is the concept of natural things and natural forces as the concept of a living whole.”

A.N. Krasnov in 1895 formed the idea of “geographical combinations of phenomena” or “geographical complexes” that should be dealt with by private geosciences.

The generally recognized founders of Russian landscape science are V.V. Dokuchaev and L.S. Berg.

Landscape science began to develop especially rapidly in the 1960s in connection with the demands of practice, the development of agriculture and forestry, and land inventory. Academicians S.V. devoted their articles and books to landscape science issues. Kalesnik, V.B. Sochava, I.P. Gerasimov, as well as physical geographers and landscape scientists N.A. Solntsev, A.G. Isachenko, D.L. Ardmand, and others.

In the works of K.G. Ramana, E.G. Kolomyets, V.N. Solntsev developed the concept of polystructural landscape space.

The most important areas of modern landscape science include anthropogenic, in which a person and the results of his economic activities are considered not only as an external factor that disturbs the landscape, but as an equal component of the PTC or natural-anthropogenic landscape.

On the theoretical basis of landscape science, new interdisciplinary directions are being formed that have significant integration significance for all geography (ecological geography, historical geography of landscapes, etc.)

Natural-territorial complex. TPK Groups

Natural-territorial complex(natural geosystem, geographic complex, natural landscape), a natural spatial combination of natural components that form integral systems at different levels (from the geographic envelope to the facies); one of the basic concepts of physical geography.

There is an exchange of substances and energy between individual natural territorial complexes and their components.

Groups of natural-territorial complexes :

1) global;

2) regional;

3) local.

Towards global PTC refers to the geographic envelope (some geographers include continents, oceans and physiographic zones).

TO regional– physical-geographical countries, regions and other azonal formations, as well as zonal – physical-geographical belts, zones and subzones.

Local PTCs, as a rule, are confined to meso- and microforms of relief (ravines, gullies, river valleys, etc.) or to their elements (slopes, peaks, etc.).

Systematics of natural-territorial complexes

Option 1:

a) physical-geographical zoning.

b) physical-geographical country.

c) physical-geographical region.

d) physical-geographical region.

The result of work on physical-geographical zoning is a map of the USSR on a scale of 1:8000000, and then a landscape map on a scale of 1:4000000.

Under physical-geographical country is understood as a part of the continent, formed on the basis of a large tectonic structure (shield, plate, platform, folded area) and the common tectonic regime in the Neogene-Quaternary time, characterized by a certain unity of relief (plains, plateaus, upland shields, mountains and highlands), microclimate and its structure of horizontal zoning and altitudinal zonation. Examples: Russian Plain, Ural Mountain Country, Sahara, Fennoscandia. On maps of the physical-geographical zoning of continents, 65-75, sometimes more, natural complexes are usually identified.

Physiographic region- part of a physical-geographical country, isolated mainly during the Neogene-Quaternary time under the influence of tectonic movements, marine transgressions, continental glaciations, with the same type of relief, climate and a peculiar manifestation of horizontal zoning and altitudinal zonation. Examples: Meshchera Lowland, Central Russian Upland.

Option 2:

Typological classification. Determination of PTC by similarity.

a) Classes of natural complexes (mountain and plain).

b) Types (according to zonal criterion)

c) Genera and species (by the nature of vegetation and some other characteristics).

Comparing the physical-geographical zoning and typological classification of PTC, one can notice that in the system of physical-geographical zoning, the higher the rank of PTC, the more unique it is, while with typological classification, on the contrary, the higher the rank, the less pronounced its individuality

Obviously, the structure of the geographical shell depends on a specific region, therefore it consists of individual natural complexes.

Natural complexes of the Earth

The geographical envelope has a mosaic structure, this is due to the different natural complexes that are included in it. The part of the earth's surface that has the same natural conditions is usually called a natural complex.

Homogeneous natural conditions are relief, water, climate, soil, flora and fauna. Separately, natural complexes consist of components that are interconnected by historically established connections.

That is why, if a change occurs in one of the components of nature, then all the components of the natural complex change.

The geographic envelope is a planetary natural complex and the largest. The shell is divided into smaller natural complexes.

Types of natural complexes

The division of the shell into separate natural complexes is due to the heterogeneity of the earth's surface and the structure of the earth's crust, as well as the uneven amount of heat.

Due to these differences, natural complexes are classified into zonal and azonal.

Azonal natural complexes

The main azonal natural complexes are considered to be oceans and continents. They are the largest in size. Smaller areas are considered to be flat and mountainous areas that are located on continents.

For example, the Caucasus, West Siberian Plain, Andes. And these natural complexes can be divided into even smaller ones - the Southern and Central Andes.

River valleys, hills, and various slopes that are located on their territory will be considered even smaller natural complexes.

Interrelation of components of natural complexes

The interrelation of the components of natural complexes is a unique phenomenon.

This can be seen using a simple example: if the amount of solar radiation and its impact on the earth’s surface changes, then the nature of vegetation in a given area will also change. This transformation will lead to changes in soil and relief formation.

Human impact on natural complexes

Human activities have had a significant impact on natural systems since ancient times. After all, man not only adapts to the nature of the Earth, but also exerts a constant and extensive influence on it.

Over the centuries, man has improved his skills and created different ways to use nature to his advantage. This had an extremely negative impact on the development of most natural complexes.

It is for this reason that people are increasingly talking about such a phenomenon as rational environmental management. This concept is usually understood as human activity aimed at careful development of natural complexes and conservation of natural resources in any circumstances.

Studying the contents of the paragraph provides the opportunity to:

Ø deepen understanding of the essence of the concept of “components of nature” and the relationships between them;

Ø study the structure, basic properties of the PTC and landscape

Natural component- this is an integral material part of nature, representing one of the spheres of the geographical shell of the Earth (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, etc.). Natural components on the Earth's surface are presented rocks, air, surface And groundwater, soils, vegetation And fauna. Climate (long-term weather regime) and relief are not components of nature, since they are not material bodies, but reflect the properties of air masses and the earth's surface.

There are three groups of natural components: lithogenic, hydroclimatogenic and biogenic (Fig.).

All components of nature are closely interconnected and a change in one leads to a change in the others.

The closest interaction of components is characteristic of the near-surface (soil) and the nearest above-surface layer of the Earth, since it is here that all spheres of the geographical shell of the Earth (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, etc.) come into contact. For example, the climatic features of the territory are influenced by the relief. Climate and topography influence the formation of water, soil, vegetation and wildlife. In turn, the flora and fauna are united by a system of interaction with each other and influence other components of nature. The relationships between the components of nature must be taken into account when organizing economic activities. For example, drainage leads to a decrease in groundwater in an area, and this affects soil, vegetation and wildlife, etc.

Natural components, closely interacting with each other in a certain territory, form complexes called natural-territorial complexes. Under natural-territorial complex(PTK) is understood as a relatively homogeneous area of the earth's surface, which is distinguished by a peculiar combination of natural components. Based on the size of the territory, PTCs are divided into three levels: planetary, regional and local

The largest - planetary or global level of PTC is represented on the planet by a geographical envelope.

PTC at the regional level: continents, natural zones, physical-geographical countries, are structural parts of the geographical shell. Local level PTCs are represented by landscapes (facies, tracts).

The boundaries of the PTC, as a rule, are not clearly identified and the transition from one complex to another occurs gradually. On maps, the boundaries of natural complexes are drawn with lines, which are a symbol. Each natural complex has its own structure. PTC structure is a combination of natural components that form PTC.

Properties of PTC. The main property of PTC of different ranks should be considered its integrity. Integrity means a close relationship between the components of the PTC.

Another important property of the natural complex is sustainability, which consists in the ability of the PTC to return to its original state when exposed to external forces (deforestation, land reclamation, etc.).

The sustainability of natural complexes is of great importance due to the increasing human impact on nature. Crisis phenomena in nature occur when the stability and ability of the PTC to self-healing is disrupted. Sustainability is ensured by a variety of relationships between the components of the natural complex. The more complex the PTC, the more stable it is, i.e. has more opportunities for self-healing and counteraction to human economic activities.

PTCs are constantly evolving, i.e. have the following property: variability. This can be seen in the example of local complexes, when lakes become overgrown, ravines appear, forests become swamped, etc. It is believed that under natural conditions the evolution of natural complexes occurs in the direction of increasing their stability. In this regard, the main problem with anthropogenic impact on nature is not to reduce the natural stability of natural-territorial complexes.

The concept of landscape. Landscape structure . With the development of geography, the idea of PTK changed. Based on the doctrine of natural-territorial complexes, a new direction has been formed - landscape science, the object of study of which is the landscape (from the German land - earth, schaft - a suffix expressing interconnection).

The landscape is a homogeneous natural formation within a natural area and reflects its main features. Landscape can be taken as the basic unit in physical-geographical zoning. To form ideas about the territory, it is enough to study it within the landscape. Each landscape is part of larger territorial geographic units.

Landscape is a relatively homogeneous area of the geographic envelope, distinguished by the natural combination of its components and the nature of the relationships between them.

The landscape includes not only natural components, but also small PTC - facies and tracts that make up its morphological structure.

The simplest (elementary) complex is the facies that is characterized by the greatest homogeneity of natural components. An example could be a section of a small river valley, a hollow, a small depression, etc., which have homogeneous geological deposits and soils, the same microclimate, water regime and composition of the biocenosis.

Facies are combined into tracts. A tract is a system of facies associated with a separate large landform or watershed on a homogeneous substrate and the general direction of physiographic processes. Examples of tracts include PTK within a ravine or hill. A larger unit of the landscape is the terrain, which is a combination of tracts that are regularly repeated within the landscape. The identification of areas is determined primarily by the peculiarities of the geological structure and relief.

Anthropogenic landscapes. As a result of transformative human activity, transformed - anthropogenic - landscapes appear in place of natural landscapes.

In landscape science, depending on the degree of anthropogenic impact, there are primary natural landscapes, which are formed by the action of only natural factors; natural-anthropogenic landscapes, which are formed by the action of both natural and anthropogenic factors, and anthropogenic landscapes, whose existence is supported only by human activity. The degree of their change depends on the intensity of economic use. The greatest changes occur in the industrial, transport and agricultural use of landscapes.

Under anthropogenic landscape is understood as a geographical landscape transformed by human activity and differing in structure and properties from natural ones. Since human activities that cause the formation of anthropogenic landscapes can be purposeful and unpurposeful (unintentional), different anthropogenic landscapes are formed. There are weakly modified, modified and highly modified landscapes.

Purposeful impact on landscapes leads to their transformation and the formation of landscapes with specified parameters and functions. Agricultural, industrial, recreational, urban and others are formed, which are sometimes called cultivated or cultural. Under cultural landscape is understood as a territory in which, as a result of human activity, the landscape has acquired new properties compared to its previous state (Fig...).

Landscapes, over time, are characterized by changes in qualitative and quantitative parameters. Such transformations are called - landscape development. Factors causing landscape development processes are divided into internal and external. As a result of development, some landscapes can transform and disappear, while others, on the contrary, can be formed. The task of rational environmental management is to prevent unwanted destruction (degradation) of landscapes, i.e. manage landscape development.

Questions and tasks

1. What are PTCs and what natural components do they contain?

2. What does the concept of “hardware and hardware stability” mean and what factors ensure it?

3. As a result of what economic activities can the interconnections of the PTC be destroyed? Give examples.

They can cover both vast territories and completely small areas of the Earth. What natural complexes are there? How are they different? What are they characterized by? Let's find out.

Geographical envelope

When telling what natural complexes are, it is impossible not to mention the geographical envelope. This is a conditional concept that unites several spheres of the Earth at once, which intersect and interact with each other, forming a single system. In fact, it is the largest natural complex on the planet.

The boundaries of the geographical envelope almost repeat the edges of the biosphere. It includes the hydrosphere, biosphere, anthroposphere, the upper part of the lithosphere (the earth's crust) and the lower layers of the atmosphere (troposphere and stratosphere).

The shell is solid and continuous. Each of its components (earthly spheres) has its own patterns of development and characteristics, but at the same time it is influenced by other spheres and influences them. They constantly participate in the cycles of substances in nature, exchanging energy, water, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, etc.

Natural complex and its types

The geographical envelope is the largest, but not the only natural complex. There are a lot of them on the globe. What are natural complexes? These are certain areas of the planet that have homogeneous geological vegetation, fauna, climatic conditions and the same water character.

Natural complexes are also called landscapes or geosystems. They differ in the vertical and horizontal directions. Based on this, complexes are divided into zonal and azonal. The main reason for their diversity is the heterogeneity of the geographical envelope.

First of all, differences in natural conditions provide uneven distribution of solar heat on Earth. This is due to the elliptical shape of the planet, the unequal ratio of land and water, the location of mountains (which trap air masses), etc.

complexes

The complexes represent predominantly the horizontal division of the planet. The largest of them are Their arrangement is consistent and regular. The emergence of these complexes is directly related to the climatic conditions of the area.

The nature of geographical zones changes from the equator to the poles. Each of them has its own temperature and weather conditions, as well as the nature of the soil, groundwater and surface water. The following belts are distinguished:

arctic;
subarctic;
Antarctic;
subantarctic;
northern and southern temperate;
northern and southern subtropical;
northern and southern subequatorial;
equatorial.

The next largest zonal complexes are natural zones, which are divided according to the nature of moisture, that is, the amount and frequency of precipitation. They do not always have a purely latitudinal distribution. And they depend on the altitude of the area, as well as proximity to the ocean. There are arctic desert, steppe, tundra, taiga, savannah and other natural zones.

Azonal natural complexes

Azonal complexes are not associated with the latitudinal division of the planet. Their formation is associated primarily with relief and the formation of the earth's crust. The largest azonal natural complexes are oceans and continents, which differ significantly in geological history and structure.

Continents and oceans are divided into smaller complexes - natural countries. They consist of large mountain and plain formations. For example, the natural complexes of the Far East include the Central Kamchatka Plain, the Sikhote-Alin Mountains and the Khingan-Bureya Mountains, etc.

Natural countries on the planet include the Sahara Desert, the Ural Mountains, and the East European Plain. They can be divided into narrower and more uniform areas. For example, gallery forests located on the outskirts of steppes and savannas, mangrove forests located along the sea coast and at river mouths. The smallest natural complexes include river floodplains, hills, ridges, urems, swamps, etc.

Components of natural complexes

The main components of any geographical landscape are relief, water, soil, flora and fauna, and climate. The relationship between the components of the natural complex is very close. Each of them creates certain conditions for the existence of the others. Rivers influence the condition and climate - the appearance of certain plants, and plants attract certain animals.

Changing even one component can lead to a complete change in the entire complex. Drying out the river will lead to the disappearance of vegetation characteristic of the river area and a change in soil quality. This will certainly affect animals that will leave the geosystem in search of conditions familiar to them.

Excessive reproduction of any animal species can lead to the destruction of the plants they eat. There are cases when huge swarms of locusts completely destroyed meadows or fields. This development of events does not go unnoticed by the natural complex and provokes changes in the soil, water, and then climate regime.

Conclusion

So what are natural complexes? This is a natural-territorial system, the components of which are homogeneous in their origin and composition. The complexes are divided into two main groups: azonal and zonal. Within each group there is a division from large to smaller areas.

The largest natural complex is the geographic envelope, which includes part of the lithosphere and atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere of the Earth. The smallest complexes are individual hills, small forests, river mouths, and swamps.

This is a geographical concept that denotes a number of interconnected components of nature. They can cover both vast territories and completely small areas of the Earth. What natural complexes are there? How are they different? What are they characterized by? Let's find out.

Geographical envelope

Natural complex and its types

The geographical envelope is the largest, but not the only natural complex. There are a lot of them on the globe. What are natural complexes? These are certain areas of the planet that have a homogeneous geological structure, soil, vegetation, wildlife, climatic conditions and the same water character.

Zonal natural complexes

Zonal natural complexes represent predominantly the horizontal division of the planet. The largest of them are geographical zones. Their arrangement is consistent and natural. The emergence of these complexes is directly related to the climatic conditions of the area.

arctic;
subarctic;
Antarctic;
subantarctic;
northern and southern temperate;
northern and southern subtropical;
northern and southern subequatorial;
equatorial.

Azonal natural complexes

Components of natural complexes

The main components of any geographical landscape are relief, water, soil, flora and fauna, and climate. The relationship between the components of the natural complex is very close. Each of them creates certain conditions for the existence of the others. Rivers affect soil conditions, soils and climate affect the appearance of certain plants, and plants attract certain animals.

Conclusion

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