Urban Flora as a Component of the Urban Ecosystems in the Taiga Zone: An Example of Karelian Cities

Cities are areas of increased diversity of species in the taiga zone. The aboriginal fraction of Karelian flora is a stable natural system whose main characteristics are preserved in the urban flora. The adventive fraction, which is a dynamic component of the flora, has not been completely formed in the cities, as well as in eastern Fennoscandia as a whole. It has become substantially richer during the past 20–25 years. Cities of the taiga zone may serve as objects for monitoring the anthropogenic processes of flora transformation in the North.