Nihonkai montane deciduous forests | |
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Ecology | |
Realm | Palearctic |
Biome | Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests |
Geography | |
Area | 82,361 km2 (31,800 sq mi) |
Country | Japan |
Coordinates | 39°45′N141°15′E / 39.75°N 141.25°E |
The Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0428) covers the Nihonkai (Sea of Japan-side) mountain slopes of Japan's central island of Honshu, including most of the northern half of the island. [1] [2] Also included in the ecoregion are the forested lowland hills of the Oshima Peninsula, which is the southern extension of Hokkaido Island.
The ecoregion stretches for 800 kilometres (500 mi) up the western side of Honshu, from Wakasa Bay in the south and expanding to cover the breadth of the island by the time it reaches the northern coast. Elevations range from sea level to 2,959 metres (9,708 ft), with an average of 523 metres (1,716 ft). [3] Throughout the ecoregion, individual mountain peaks rise above the zone of deciduous trees into the Honshu alpine conifer forests ecoregion.
The climate of the ecoregion is Humid continental climate - Hot summer sub-type (Köppen climate classification Dfa), with large seasonal temperature differentials and a hot summer (at least one month averaging over 22 °C (72 °F), and mild winters. [4] [5]
The climate is cooler in the north of Honshu than the south, with deciduous mixed trees typified by Japanese beech (Fagus crenata), Jolcham oak (Quercus serrata), Castanopsis sieboldii , Picea jezoensis , Pinus thunbergii , Pinus pumila , Prunus nipponica , Cryptomeria japonica , Sciadopitys verticillata , Salix pierotii , Camphora officinarum , Cercidiphyllum japonicum , Fagus crenata , Carpinus laxiflora , Tilia amurensis , Larix gmelinii , Larix sibirica , Larix × czekanowskii , Betula dahurica , Betula pendula , Pinus koraiensis , Pinus sibirica , Pinus sylvestris , Picea obovata , Abies sibirica , Quercus acutissima , Quercus mongolica , Ginkgo biloba , Prunus serrulata , Prunus padus , Tilia amurensis , Salix babylonica , Acer palmatum , Populus tremula , Ulmus davidiana , Ulmus pumila , Haloxylon ammodendron , Elaeagnus angustifolia , Tamarix ramosissima , Podocarpus macrophyllus , and Prunus sibirica .
Protected areas in the ecoregion include:
The Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests is a terrestrial ecoregion of the Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands, in Japan. The Nansei Islands are an island arc that stretches southwest from Kyushu towards Taiwan. The larger islands are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller ones mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island. The highest point is Mount Miyanoura on Yakushima Island at 1,936 metres.
The East Siberian taiga ecoregion, in the Taiga and boreal forests biome, is a very large biogeographic region in eastern Russia.
The Southern Korea evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion at the southern end of the Korean Peninsula.
The Northeast Siberian taiga ecoregion is an area of "sparse taiga forest" between the Lena River and the Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia, Russia. The ecoregion's internal borders form a patchwork of territory constituting the southern part of the East Siberian Lowland, as well as lowlands around the East Siberian Mountains, including the ridges and peaks of the Verkhoyansk Range and the Chersky Range. On the southern border of the ecoregion is the north coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, giving the region maritime boreal forests as well as the continental forests situated inland. The ecoregion is one of the largest tracts of virgin boreal forest in the world, due to the very sparse population and difficult access. It is mostly in the Sakha Republic.
The Okhotsk-Manchurian taiga ecoregion is an area of coniferous forests in the Russian Far East, covering the Amur River delta, the west coast of the Okhotsk Sea, and the rugged extension of the northern Sikhote-Alin Mountains that run southwest-to-northeast through the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions. It is the southernmost taiga forest in Eurasia. The ecoregion is distinguished from surrounding ecoregions by the slightly warmer climate due to the maritime influence and the shield of the mountains to the west, and by the mixing of flora and fauna species from Okhotsk-Kamchatka communities to the north and Manchurian species from the south. The forest at lower altitudes is "light taiga", and "dark taiga" at higher altitudes.
The Sakhalin Island taiga ecoregion covers most of Sakhalin Island, the largest island of Russia, which is separated from the mainland by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The region is one of taiga, coniferous and mixed broad leaf forest landscape, with mixed larch forests at the lower elevations and shrubs at higher elevations. The vegetation is influenced by a maritime climate that is relatively warmer than the colder continental taiga in Siberia to the west. A long, thin island, 1,000 km by 200 km, Sakhalin is connected to the mainland by ice bridges in the winter, so it shares certain flora and fauna species. It is in the Palearctic realm, and mostly in the taiga biome with a Humid continental climate, cool summer climate. It covers 403,504 km2 (155,794 sq mi).
The Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests are a critically endangered WWF ecoregion. The ecoregion occupies the Sichuan Basin in China and covers an area of 9,816,054 ha. The broadleaf forest habitat once covered the Sichuan Basin, but today is limited to mountains and preserved temple grounds in the basin and around the basin's rim. An especially well-preserved example of remaining forest exists on Mount Emei at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin. The original forests are thought to have been made up of subtropical oaks, laurels, and Schima. Much of the remaining Sichuan Basin has been converted to anthropogenic agricultural use in the last 5,000 years.
The Daba Mountains evergreen forests are a Global 200 endangered ecoregion located on the Daba Mountains in China. The forests are part of temperate broadleaf and mixed forests containing both coniferous and broadleaf trees covering a swath of Central China. Forests here provide a transitional area between evergreen forests to the south and deciduous forests to the north. The Daba Mountains evergreen forests cover areas of northeast Sichuan Province, southern Shaanxi Province, the northern half of Chongqing Municipality, and western Hubei Province.
The Guizhou Plateau broadleaf and mixed forests are a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungui Plateau of China. Much of the original forest has been replaced by secondary forests.
The Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion covers a mountainous areas above the lower Amur River and Ussuri River in Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in the Russian Far East. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, with a Humid Continental climate. It covers 187,357 km2 (72,339 sq mi).
The Huang He Plain mixed forests ecoregion covers the flat lower ranges of the Yellow River. This area is generally known as the North China Plain. While there is some forest habitat, the region has mostly been converted to agriculture, being one of the most populous areas in the world.
The Changbai Mountains mixed forests ecoregion covers the Changbai Mountains and surrounding foothills in China and North Korea. The region features extensive and naturally preserved deciduous and conifer forests. The region exhibits high biodiversity due to its relative isolation, temperate climate with high rainfall, and centrality to central Chinese, Siberian, and European floral communities. In 1979, a significant portion of the ecoregion was designated the Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
The Changjiang Plain evergreen forests ecoregion covers the plain of the Yangtze River (Changjiang) from where it leaves the mountains at the Three Gorges in the west, to the mouth of the Yangtze at the East China Sea. This plain is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, and most of the original oak and conifer forests have long been converted to agriculture. Extensive wetlands, however, provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and for diverse aquatic species.
The Manchurian mixed forests ecoregion covers the forested hills surrounding the river plains of northern China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. The ecoregion supports a number of rare species due to the relative isolation, the diversity of habitat, with mixed forests of deciduous Mongolian oak and conifers of Korean pine. Because mountains rise above the region on three sides, with plains and wetlands below, the area supports high biodiversity as a transition zone.
The Central Korean deciduous forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion on the Korean Peninsula, covering portions of South Korea and North Korea.
The Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests ecoregion stretches for about 700 km (430 mi) along the eastern slopes of the island of Honshu, with some small patches on the southern islands of Shikoku and Kyushu. Lower elevations to the east along the coast are in the Taiheiyo evergreen forests ecoregion; higher elevations to the west are in the Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion. Characteristic forests are of Japanese beech, stone pine, and spruce.
The Nihonkai evergreen forests ecoregion covers a thin strip of land on the western coast of the island of Honshu in Japan. It is bounded on the east by the Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion.
The Hokkaidō deciduous forests ecoregion covers the northern and southern coasts of the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost of the main islands of Japan. The region sits in the transition zone between the colder subarctic forests to the north and the more temperate forests to the south. Characteristic trees include Mongolian oak, Basswood, and Ash trees.
The Hokkaido montane conifer forests ecoregion covers the mountainous central regions of Hokkaido Island, the northernmost of Japan's main islands. Forests of spruce and fir thrive in the subalpine, cool climate. On the northeastern edge of the island, the conifer forests extend down to the sea under the influence of the cold Oyashio Current coming down from the north, although logging in recent years has put pressure on these stands.