Alberta is divided by three of Canada's seven physiographic regions. These three regions are the Cordillera, Interior Plains and Canadian Shield. However, the vast majority of the province falls within the Interior Plains region.
Alberta's largest natural region is the Boreal Forest; the smallest is the Canadian Shield.
The Mixed forest vegetation region is a transition zone because it has the same type of natural vegetation, namely coniferous and deciduous forests, as the two regions that border it In the northern part of the region the climate is similar to that of the Boreal and Taiga forest, while in the southern part of the
Six natural regions are recognized in Alberta (see Fig. 2): Grassland, Parkland, Foothills, Boreal Forest, Rocky Mountains and Canadian Shield.
Edmonton lies in the aspen parkland, a deciduous transition zone between the northern boreal forest and southern grasslands.
The terms 'savanna parkland' and 'park savanna' or 'parklike savanna' are sometimes used by phytogeographers. Specifically, Cole (1986) defined savanna parklands as “tall mesophytic grassland (grasses 40–80 cm high) with scattered deciduous trees (less than 8 m high)†in a savanna classification first proposed in 1963.
What is a tallgrass aspen parkland? The tallgrass aspen parkland is a mosaic of prairie and sedge fens (wetlands fed by ground water) accented by groves of aspens or scattered bur oaks. It is a place where plants and animals well adjusted to harsh winds, extreme temperatures, and dry conditions thrive.
The term biome was born in 1916 in the opening address at the first meeting of the Ecological Society of America, given by Frederick Clements (1916b). In 1917, an abstract of this talk was published in the Journal of Ecology. Here Clements introduced his 'biome' as a synonym to 'biotic community'.
Important Famous Grasslands of the World
| Grasslands | Region |
|---|
| Steppe | Europe and North Asia |
| Pustaz | Hungary |
| Prairies | USA |
| Pampas | Argentina |
Boreal forests are only found in the northern hemisphere of Earth, mainly between latitudes 50° and 60° N. With short, cool summers and long, cold winters, these forests form an almost contiguous belt around the Earth, sandwiched between temperate deciduous forests to the south and tundra to the north.
There are 3 terrestrial biomes in Alberta:
- Taiga.
- Grasslands.
- Temperate deciduous forest.
Edmonton is located within the Aspen parkland biome, the “very large area of transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest.†So how did Edmonton come to be known as a prairie city?
There are four distinct Natural Subregions that make up Alberta's Grasslands: Dry Mixedgrass, making up the majority of Alberta's Grasslands Natural Region; Foothills Fescue on the western boundary; Northern Fescue to the north; and Mixedgrass interspersed throughout the Natural Region.
The most densely populated region in Alberta; Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary all lie wholly or partly within the Central Parkland Natural Subregion. Only about 5 percent of the Central Parkland Natural Subregion remains in native vegetation.
The Boreal Forest is located in the Northern part of Alberta. The Boreal Forest takes up 58% of Alberta. The Northern part of the Boreal Forest is kind of chopped of because of the Canadian shield. The Boreal Forest is on top of the Parkland and the Grasslands.
The Canadian Shield Natural Region of Alberta is the province's smallest Natural Region, comprising only 1.5 percent of Alberta's landbase, which equates to approximately 9719 km2. This Natural Region occupies the far northeastern corner of the province and is completely surrounded by the Boreal Forest Natural Region.
