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Ecoregions Of Japan
Japan is home to nine forest ecoregions, which reflect its climate and geography. The islands that constitute Japan generally have a humid climate, which ranges from warm subtropical in the southern islands to cool temperate on the northern island of Hokkaidō. Ecoregions overview Japan lies at the convergence of three terrestrial realms, the Palearctic, Indomalaya, and Oceania, and its flora and fauna combine elements from all three. The ecoregions that cover the main islands of Japan, Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, and Shikoku, along with the nearby islands, are considered part of the Palearctic realm. The island arcs of southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands to the southwest and the Ogasawara Islands to the southeast, are home to subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregions; the Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests ecoregion is part of the Indomalayan realm, while the Ogasawara subtropical moist forests of the Ogasawaras is part of the Oceanian realm. Terrestrial ecoregions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans Japanese archipelago, an archipelago of List of islands of Japan, 6852 islands covering ; the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa Island, Okinawa. Tokyo is the Capital of Japan, nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the List of countries and dependencies by population density, most densely populated and Urbanization by country, urbanized. About three-fourths of Geography of Japan, the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nansei Islands Subtropical Evergreen Forests
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 high 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 (6,352 ft). The ecoregion is the northernmost in the Indomalayan realm, and shares many plants with subtropical and tropical Asia. Climate The Nansei Islands have a humid climate, which ranges from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. The warm Kuroshio Current runs offshore, and sustains coral reefs and the northernmost mangroves in the western Pacific. Flora The natural vegetation of the islands is subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest. The dominant trees are ''Castanopsis sieboldii, Quercus miyagii, Persea thunbergii'', and ''Schima wallichii'' ssp. ''l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world. Because of its proximity to Kyoto, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles. Name The name ''Biwako'' was established in the Edo period. There are various theories about the origin of the name ''Biwako'', but it is generally believed to be so named because of the resemblance of its shape to that of a stringed instrument called the ''biwa''. Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku-ji in the 14th century, gave a clue to the origin of the name ''Biwako'' in his writing: "The lake is the Pure land of the goddess Benzaiten because she lives on Chikubu Island and the shape of the lake is similar to that of the ''biwa'', her favorite instrume ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freshwater Ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation (largely undefined at this point). Three caveats are appropriate for all bio-geographic mapping approaches. Firstly, no single bio-geographic framework is optimal for all taxa. Ecoregions reflect the best compromise for as many taxa as possible. Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Honshū Alpine Conifer Forests
The Honshū alpine conifer forests ecoregion covers in the high-elevation mountains of central Honshū and the Oshima Peninsula of Hokkaido, Japan. It is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion in the Palearctic realm. Flora Northern Japanese hemlock grow with species of ''Rhododendron'' and ''Menziesia''. Maries' fir, Veitch's fir, and Jezo spruce grow in forests with plentiful herbs and ferns in their understories. '' Sasa'' grass is very dense in places. Fauna Sika deer and Asian black bear inhabit this ecoregion. Significant birds include the rock ptarmigan and the golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p .... See also * List of ecoregions in Japan References Montane forests Temperate coniferous forests Ecoregions of Japan * Forests of Japan H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hokkaidō Montane Conifer Forests
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. Location and description The mountainous region is surrounded by the lower plains and hills of the Hokkaidō deciduous forests ecoregion. Central to the region is the Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group, the location of Daisetsuzan National Park, the largest national park in Japan. The highest mountain on the island, and in the region, is Asahi-dake with an elevation of . Above the conifer line, alpine conditions support thickets of Stone pine ''(Pinus pumila)'' Climate The climate of the ecoregion is '' Humid continental climate, warm summer'' (Kö ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temperate Coniferous Forests
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needleleaf trees dominate, while others are home primarily to broadleaf evergreen trees or a mix of both tree types. A separate habitat type, the tropical coniferous forests, occurs in more tropical climates. Temperate coniferous forests are common in the coastal areas of regions that have mild winters and heavy rainfall, or inland in drier climates or montane areas. Many species of trees inhabit these forests including pine, cedar, fir, and redwood. The understory also contains a wide variety of herbaceous and shrub species. Temperate coniferous forests sustain the highest levels of biomass in any terrestrial ecosystem and are notable for trees of massive proportions in temperate rainforest regions. Structurally, these forests are rather si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taiheiyo Montane Deciduous Forests
The Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0441) stretches for about along the eastern (Pacific side) 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. Location and description Elevations run from sea level to , with a mean elevation of . While most of the ecoregion is represented by a thin strip above the coastal region, there is a large inland section centered on the Akaishi Mountains in central Honshu, and another centered on Fukushima Prefecture to the north. Climate The climate of the ecoregion is '' Humid continental climate, warm summer'' (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differential ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taiheiyo Evergreen Forests
The Taiheiyo evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion of Japan. Geography The ecoregion covers an area of on the Pacific ''(Taiheiyo)'' side of the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It also includes Tsushima Island in the Korea Strait between Kyushu and Korea, and the volcanic Izu Islands off Honshu's southern coast. The ecoregion is home to Japan's largest cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya. Climate The ecoregion has a humid subtropical climate. The influence of the Japan Current creates a humid climate with mild winters and a long growing season, which nurtured evergreen broadleaf forests. Flora Laurel forests grew near the coast, and oak forests were predominant inland. At higher elevations, the Taiheiyo evergreen forests yielded to the Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests of the interior. The forests include a mix of species with origins in temperate and tropical Asia. Species with tropical origins include two species of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nihonkai Montane Deciduous Forests
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. Also included in the ecoregion are the forested lowland hills of the Oshima Peninsula, which is the southern extension of Hokkaido Island. Location and description The ecoregion stretches for 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 , with an average of . Throughout the ecoregion, individual mountain peaks rise above the zone of deciduous trees into the Honshu alpine conifer forests ecoregion. Climate 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 , an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nihonkai Evergreen Forests
The Nihonkai evergreen forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0427) covers a thin strip of land on the western coast (facing the Sea of Japan) of the island of Honshu in Japan. It is bounded on the east by the Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion. Location and description The coastal strips extends the most of the length of the island, encompassing bays, inlets, rocky coasts and caves. Also represented in the ecoregion are the Oki Islands and Sado Island in the Sea of Japan about 40 km west of Honshu. Climate The climate of the ecoregion is '' Humid continental climate, warm wet summer'' (Köppen climate classification (Cfa)). This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials. No month averages below , at least one month averages above , and four months average over . Precipitation is relatively even throughout the year. Flora and fauna About 37% of the ecoregion is closed evergreen needle-leaf forest, 27% is closed deciduous forest, 11% cultivated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
