(A review) O. I. Sumina. Tundra science studies. Terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic. Textbook. 2024. Saint-Petersburg. Lan. 400 p.

The reviewed book is written by Dr. Biol. Sci. Olga I. Sumina, a specialist with half a century of experience teaching the “Tundra science studies” course at Saint-Petersburg State University. As well she is the person conducting geobotanical researches in various regions of the Far North both within the Russian Arctic (from Kola Peninsula on the west up to Chukotka Peninsula on the east, including the West Siberia North and Taymyr Peninsula and large ocean islands Kotelnyi and Wrangel) and in Alaska and the Scandinavian North. The book that is concurrently a scientific monography and a textbook is informative and easy acceptable both for students as future researchers and for scientists experienced in study the Arctic biome. There are Introduction and 10 Chapters in the book, where the detailed information on the living and nonliving nature is given. Two first ones describe the biome size and limits, geographical subdivision as well the climate, geology, geomorphology, and soils. A half of chapters (3–7) contains the data of plants (vascular and cryptogam), flora (history of origin, species area distribution) and vegetation (the diversity of plant cover, the history and results of vegetation classification, the geobotanical subdivision and the reflection of all these on the circumpolar vegetation maps (CAVM). Chapter 8 refers to the terrestrial ecosystem functioning due to the various biological components (autotrophic producents and heterotrophic consuments and reducents), their productivity and the element nutrient cycles. The information on the history of the Far North discovery beginning with the end of the XVI – beginning of the XVII centuries, the scientific studies of the plant cover in the Russian Arctic; the specially protected areas (reserves, national parks and nature monuments, dendrology parks and botanical gardens) are in the focus of the Chapter 9. The last Chapter 10, which title is “Changes of the Arctic ecosystems: present and future”, is ending by the very convincing conclusion that for correct assessment of both ongoing processes and forecasts for the future, the necessary is the long-term monitoring of the state of ecosystems, since only thus obtained data may form the basis for it. The status of the Textbook is strengthened by the suggestions at the end of each Chapter to ask students “Questions” and to suggest “Assignments”; topics for possible Essays are also proposed.