List of species on Severnaya Zemlya

This is a list of species recorded on Severnaya Zemlya:

Flora

Vascular plants

Most common:

• Cerastium sp.
• Papaver polare
• Saxifraga caespitosa
• Saxifraga oppositifolia

Less common:

• Alopecurus alpinus
• Cerastium regelii
• Deschampsia sp.
• draba sp.
• Draba sp.
• Novosieversia glacialis
• Phippsia sp.
• Poa abbreviata
• Poa arctica
• Saxifraga cernua
• Saxifraga nivalis
• Salk polare
• Stellaria sp.
• Minuartia sp.

Mosses

Most common:

• Detrichum flexicaule
• Dicranum sp.
• Pogonatum sp.
• Sanionia sp.
• Bryum sp.
• Orthothecium chryseum
• Tortura sp.

Less common:

• Andreaea sp.
• Aulacomnium turgidum
• Bryum cryophilum
• Calliergon giganteum
• Calliergon obtusifolium
• Calliergon sarmentosum
• Calliergon giganteum
• Campylophus sp.
• Dichodontium sp.
• Dicranoweisia sp.
• Dicranoweisia crispula
• Dirrichum sp.
• Ditrichum flexicaule
• Drepanocladus revolvens
• Drepanocladus exannulatus
• Hylocomium splendens
• Jungermannia sp.
• Loeskypnum badium
• Philonotis sp.
• Polytrichum sp.
• Ptilidium ciliare
• Racomitrium lanuginosum
• Sanionia uncinata
• Schistidium apocarpum
• Scorpidium turgescens
• Tomenthypnum nitens

Lichens

Most common:

• Cetraria nivalis
• Thamnolia vermicularis
• Cetraria sp.
• Cornicularia sp.
• Lecidea sp.
• Ochrolechia sp.
• Parmelia sp.

Less common:

• Alectoria sp.
• Buellia sp.
• Caloplaca sp.
• Cetaria cucullata
• Cetaria sp.
• Cladia sp.
• Cladonia sp.
• Dactylina arctica
• Dermatocarpon sp.
• Hypogymnia sp.
• Ochrolechia frigida
• Peltigera sp.
• Ramalina sp.
• Rhizocarpon sp.
• Sphaerophorus sp.
• Stereocaulon sp.
• Thamnolia vermicularis
• Thamnolia sp.
• Umbilicaria sp.
• Xanthoria elegans
• Xanthoria sp.

Fauna

Severnaya Zemlya is the easternmost point in the breeding range of the little auk (Alle alle)

Breeding birds

• little auk (Alle alle)
• kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
• black guillemot (Cepphus grylle)
• ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea)
• glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus)
• snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
• purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima)
• brent goose (Branta bernicla).
• Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea)
• herring gull (Larus argentatus)
• red-throated diver (Gavia stellata)
• king eider (Somateria spectabilis)
• sanderling (Calidris alba)
• Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)
• long-tailed skua (Stercorarius longicaudus)
• snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)

The snowy owl( Bubo scandiacus) is common across Severnaya Zemlya in years with high lemming populations.

• Lapland bunting (Calcarius lapponicus).
• pomarine skua (Stercorarius pomarinus)
• Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea)

Transient birds

• Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia)
• rook (Corvus frugilegus)
• white wagtail (Motacilla alba)
• fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
• long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis)
• common eider (Somateria mollissima)
• peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
• rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus)
• knot (Calidris canutus)
• sharp-tailed sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)
• red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
• great skua (Catharacta skua)
• Sabine's gull (Xema sabini)

The long-tailed duck is speculated, but not confirmed, to breed on Severnaya Zemlya.

Mammals

• collared lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus)
• Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus)
• wolf (Canis lupus)
• ermine (Mustela erminea)
• Arctic hare (Lepus timidus)
• reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

References

• Bird Observations in Severnaya Zemlya
• Preliminary Results of Botanical and Microbiological Investigations on Severnaya Zemlya 1995