| Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Map of the ecoregion | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | montane grasslands and shrublands |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 6,328 km2 (2,443 sq mi) |
| Country | Morocco |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable [1] |
| Protected | 1,682 km² (27%) [2] |
The Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Morocco. It extends along the High Atlas range of northwestern Africa's Atlas Mountains.
The ecoregion extends from 2700 meters elevation up to 4167 meters elevation on Toubkal, which is the highest peak in North Africa. [3]
The ecoregion has a temperate montane climate. Average annual precipitation varies from 200 to 600 mm, and up to 1000 mm in the wettest areas. North-facing slopes are generally cooler and more humid, and snows can persist as long as seven months above 3500 meters elevation. South-facing slopes are generally more arid, and are exposed to drying winds from the Sahara. [3]
Open woodlands of juniper ( Juniperus thurifera ) and evergreen holm oak ( Quercus rotundifolia ) are the characteristic plant community, extending up to the treeline at approximately 3200 meters. The critically endangered Moroccan cypress (Cupressus atlantica) has been reduced to a few hundred trees scattered in the western portion of the range. Thorny and cushion shrubs cover the ground, including Cytisus balansae, Erinacea anthylis, Prunus prostrata , and Astragalus armatus . [3]
Denser stands of oaks and junipers have an understory of shade-loving shrubs including Fraxinus dimorpha, Lonicera arborea, Crataegus lacinata, Buxus sempervirens , and Berberis vulgaris australis , interspersed with the tall shrubs Juniperus oxycedrus and Ephedra nebrodensis and herbaceous plants Cephalantera rubra, Helleborine latifolia, Festuca triflora , and Festuca rubra . [3]
Open grasslands cover ridgelines, and extend from the treeline to the summits, interspersed with areas of bare rock. These high meadows are adapted to strong winds and alpine conditions, and include Avena montana, Festuca mairei, Festuca alpina , and Ranunculus geraniifolius . [3]
At lower elevations, the juniper and oak woodlands transition to evergreen broadleaf forests, which extend up to 2800 meters elevation on humid north-facing slopes, and xeric conifer forests extend from 1500 meters elevation up to 3100 meters on drier south-facing slopes. [3]
The High Atlas is home to the Barbary leopard (Pathera pardus panthera) and Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia). Other mammals include red fox (Vulpes vulpes), golden jackal (Canis aureus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus), Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), and European polecat (Mustela putorius). [3]
Native birds include the alpine accentor (Prunella collaris) and rufous-tailed rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis). [3] Toubkal National Park is home to breeding population of white-rumped swift (Apus caffer), as well as African crimson-winged finch (Rhodopechys alienus) and Moroccan horned lark (Eremophila alpestris atlas). [4]
Reptiles endemic to the High Atlas include the Atlas day gecko (Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus), Quedenfeldtia moerens , Atlas dwarf lizard (Lacerta andreanskyi), Atlas mountain skink (Chalcides montanus), and Atlas mountain viper (Vipera monticola). [3]
Protected areas include Toubkal National Park and Haut Atlas Oriental National Park.
The Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, are on the island of Corsica. The ecoregion includes the high-altitude regions of Corsica's mountain ranges.
The Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands is a xeric woodland ecoregion in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula.
The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of Nepal, India, and Tibet, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the western portion of the Himalaya Range.
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests is an ecoregion in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in North Africa. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion of North Africa. It occupies interior plateaus and mountain ranges of the Maghreb region, lying generally between the coastal Mediterranean woodlands and forests to the north and the Sahara to the south.
Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests is an ecoregion, in the temperate coniferous forest biome, which occupies the high mountain ranges of North Africa. The term is also a botanically recognized plant association in the African and Mediterranean literature.
The Elburz Range forest steppe ecoregion is an arid, mountainous 1,000-kilometer arc south of the Caspian Sea, stretching across northern Iran from the Azerbaijan border to near the Turkmenistan border. It covers 63,300 square kilometres (24,400 sq mi) and encompasses the southern and eastern slopes of the Alborz Mountains as well as their summits. The Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion's lush green mountainsides and plains receive moisture from the Caspian Sea from this ecoregion's northern border. The vast Central Persian desert basins ecoregion forms its southern border.
The climate and ecology of land immediately surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is influenced by several factors. Overall, the land has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The climate induces characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. Plant life immediately near the Mediterranean is in the Mediterranean Floristic region, while mountainous areas further from the sea supports the Sub-Mediterranean Floristic province.
The Sanetti Plateau is a major plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The plateau is the highest part of the Bale Mountains, and is located within Bale Mountains National Park.
The Zacatonal is a montane grassland and shrubland ecoregion of central Mexico.
The Great Basin montane forests is an ecoregion of the Temperate coniferous forests biome, as designated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The Central American montane forests are an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, located in mountains of Central America.
The Sierra Nevada upper montane forest is a vegetation type found below the treeline in the United States Sierra Nevada range. It is generally located above the mixed coniferous forest and below the alpine zone. Overstory trees are typically cone shaped to shed the snow.
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 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 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 Somali montane xeric shrublands is a desert and xeric scrubland ecoregion in Somalia. The ecoregion lies in the rugged Karkaar Mountains, which run parallel and close to Somalia's northern coast on the Gulf of Aden, and follows coast from Cape Guardafui south to Eyl on the Arabian Sea.
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.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.