Eastern Anatolian montane steppe | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 168,381 km2 (65,012 sq mi) |
Countries | List |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Critical/endangered [1] |
Protected | 8,202 km² (5%) [2] |
The Eastern Anatolian montane steppe is a temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion. It is located in the Armenian Highlands, covering parts of eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, southern Georgia, and northwestern Iran.
The ecoregion occupies the Armenian Highlands, a plateau lying mostly between 1500 and 2500 meters elevation. The volcanic peaks Mount Ararat (5137 m) and Mount Süphan (4058 m) rise above the plateau. [1] It covers portions of eastern Turkey, eastern and southern Armenia, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the Javakheti region of southern Georgia, and northwestern Iran. The highlands are bounded on the northeast by the Lesser Caucasus, on the northwest by the Pontic Mountains, and on the south by the Zagros Mountains. To the east the plateau descends towards the Aras-Kura lowlands, and in the Aras valley the ecoregion descends to 375 meters elevation.
The northern part of the ecoregion is in the watershed of the upper Aras River, which includes Lake Sevan in Armenia. The Aras empties into the Kura River, which then drains into the Caspian Sea. The ecoregion includes closed basins of Lake Van in eastern Turkey and Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran.
The cities of Tabriz, Erzurum, and Yerevan are located in the ecoregion.
The climate is continental, with warm summers and cold winters. Annual precipitation ranges from 400 to 600 mm, and generally falls evenly throughout the year. Rainfall is lower (200–300 mm annually) in the rain shadow of the high mountains. Strong and cold winds are frequent, particularly on exposed ridges and peaks, and can limit the growth of trees. [1]
Plant communities include desert steppe, semi-desert steppe, mountain steppe, woodland, alpine, and wetlands.
Desert steppe is found in the driest areas, and consists of low xerophytic plants covering 25-30% of the ground. The semi-desert steppe consists of low annual herbs and grasses, including Artemisia fragrans, Capparis spinosa, Bassia prostrata , and Poa bulbosa .
Mountain steppes consist of herbs, shrubs, and grasses, which grow higher and are more diverse than the desert and semi-desert steppes. From 1500 to 2200 meters elevation, the main plant associations are cushion-like formations of Artemisia austriaca and Artemisia fragrans or species of Astragalus, Acantholimon , and Onobrychis , or grasslands of Poa bulbosa and species of Stipa, Festuca , and Bassia . From 2200 to 2700 meters elevation, umbellifers of genera Ferula and Prangos are common. [1]
Open steppe woodlands are predominantly of juniper (Juniperus) and almond. The trees form a sparse canopy, underneath which is a shrub layer of Pistacia, Berberis , and Rosa , and an herb layer with species of Astragalus and Artemisia. Scattered areas of oak woodland occur between 800 and 2000 meters elevation where moisture and soils are favorable. [1]
Wetlands occur around the ecoregion's lakes and streams. Wetland vegetation is predominantly reeds and rushes, including common reed (Phragmites australis), cattails (Typha spp.), the rush Scirpus tabernaemontani , and the sedges Carex acuta, C. diluta , and Bolboschoenus maritimus . [1]
Alpine plant communities are found on the high peaks, including Ararat and Süphan. Characteristic plants are herbs and geophytes, with species of Draba, Dracocephalum, Oxyria, Polygonum , Veronica, Trollius, Scilla, Primula , and Gentiana verna . [1]
Large mammals include brown bear (Ursus arctos), gray wolf (Canis lupus), striped hyena (Hyena hyena), and wild goat (Capra aegagrus). [1]
A 2017 assessment found that 8,202 km2, or 5%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [2] Protected areas include Charoimagh Protected Area, Sahand Protected Area, Marakan Protected Area, and Kiamaky Wildlife Refuge in Iran, Sevan National Park, Lake Arpi National Park, and Khosrov Forest State Reserve in Armenia, Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı) National Park, Süphan Dağı and Lake Akdoğan in Turkey, and Arpachay State Nature Sanctuary in Azerbaijan.
The Anatolian side of Turkey is the largest portion in the country that bridges southeastern Europe and west Asia. East Thrace, the European portion of Turkey comprises 3% of the country and 10% of its population. East Thrace is separated from Asia Minor, the Asian portion of Turkey, by the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles. İskilip, Çorum province, is considered to be the geographical center of Earth. Turkey is very vulnerable to earthquakes.
The Eastern Gobi desert steppe is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in Mongolia and northern China. It is the easternmost of the ecoregions that make up the larger Gobi Desert. It lies between the more humid Mongolian–Manchurian grassland on the north, east, and southeast, and the drier Alashan Plateau semi-desert to the west.
The Zagros Mountains forest steppe is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in Western Asia. The ecoregion extends along the Zagros Mountains, stretching from eastern Turkey and northern Iraq to southern Iran.
The Eastern Anatolia Region is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ.
Mount Süphan is a stratovolcano located in eastern Turkey, immediately north of Lake Van. It is the second highest volcano in Turkey, with an elevation of 4,058 metres, and has the third highest prominence of the Armenian Highlands, after Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats.
Lake Nemrut is a freshwater crater lake in Bitlis Province, eastern Turkey. It is part of Nemrut Caldera, a volcanic caldera atop Volcano Nemrut.
The Central Anatolian deciduous forests, also known as the Central Anatolian woodlands and steppe, is a Palearctic ecoregion of the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome. It is located in Central Anatolia, Asian Turkey.
The Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion is located in the mountains of eastern Turkey. It is a Palearctic ecoregion in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.
The Central Anatolian steppe is a Palearctic ecoregion in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. It covers an area of 24,934 km2.
The Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, is in the eastern Mediterranean Basin.
The Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests is an ecoregion located in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The Altai montane forest and forest steppe ecoregion covers patches of the subalpine forest belt on the Altai Mountains, crossing the border region where Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China meet. The region has high biodiversity, as it is located in transition zones between different ecoregions, altitudes, and climate zones. It is in the Palearctic realm, with a Cold semi-arid climate. It covers 35,199,998 km2 (13,590,795 sq mi).
The Caspian lowland desert ecoregion covers the north and southeast coasts of the Caspian Sea, including the deltas of the Volga River and Ural River in the northern region. While the region gets relatively low amounts of precipitation, wildlife is supported by the river estuaries and the sea itself. The wetlands are an internationally important area for bird nesting and migratory resting. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, and the deserts and xeric shrublands biome. It has an area of 267,300 square kilometres (103,200 sq mi).
The Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe ecoregion covers the narrow, flat valley in southwestern Mongolia that lies between the Khangai Mountains, and the Gobi-Altai Mountains. The region is known as the "Valley of the Lakes" because runoff from the mountains collect in lakes that have no outlet to the sea. Although the valley is a semi-arid desert steppe, it has areas of wetlands near the lakes that are important habit for water birds.
The Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe ecoregion covers the foothills on the western edge of the Tien Shan and Alay Mountains of Central Asia. This territory is mostly in southeastern Uzbekistan, with a portion running north into Kazakhstan on the east side of the Syr Darya River, and a small portion in Turkmenistan.
The Gissaro-Alai open woodlands ecoregion covers the western foothills winding around two western offshoots of the Tian Shan Mountains in western Tajikistan, and parts of eastern Uzbekistan and western Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia. The woodlands are typically of Juniper trees and shrubs, fitting the altitude zone situated between the desert valley floor, and the tree line, above which the mountain ridges are glaciated and barren.
The Middle East steppe ecoregion stretches in an arc from southern Jordan across Syria and Iraq to the western border of Iran. The upper plains of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers dominate most of the ecoregion. The terrain is mostly open shrub steppe. The climate is arid. Evidence is that this region was once more of a forest-steppe, but centuries of overgrazing and gathering firewood have reduced tree and grass cover to small areas and along the riverine corridors. Despite the degraded condition of the steppe environment, the ecoregion is important for water birds as the rivers and reservoirs provide habitat in the arid region.
The Central Persian desert basins ecoregion covers the arid steppe and desert basins of central Iran, stretching into northwestern Afghanistan. The ecoregion extends over the Central Iranian Plateau, which is surrounded by mountain ranges and has no outlets to the sea. Much of the terrain is hot sand-and-gravel desert and large salt flats. The vegetation includes many specialized species of halophytes (salt-tolerant), xerophytes (drought-tolerant), and psammophile (sand-loving) plants.
The Azerbaijan shrub desert and steppe is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in western Asia. It lies in the lowlands west of the Caspian Sea, and covers portions of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran.
The Mesopotamian shrub desert is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in Western Asia. It extends across portions of Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.