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Pamir Alpine Desert And Tundra
The Pamir alpine desert and tundra ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1014) covers the high plateau of the Pamir Mountains, at the central meeting of the great mountain ranges of Central Asia: Himalaya, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Kunlun, and Tian Shan. It is a region of relatively high biodiversity due to its central location and high elevation differentials, but it also acts as a barrier between the climate and habitats of north and south Asia. Location and description The ecoregion is mostly located in the eastern region of Tajikistan, on a high plateau with broad valleys and steeply-sloping mountains. The ecoregion measures about 275 km west-to-east, and 250 km north-to-south. Major mountain ranges radiate outwards: the Tian Shan to the northeast, Hindu Kush to the west, Karakoram to the south and Himalyas to the south and east. The Pamir also sit in the middle of different climates and habitats: the Alai woodlands to the west and north, and the dry Tarim Basin to the east. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Siberian region; the Mediterranean Basin; the Sahara and Arabian Deserts; and Western, Central and East Asia. The Palaearctic realm also has numerous rivers and lakes, forming several freshwater ecoregions. The term 'Palearctic' was first used in the 19th century, and is still in use as the basis for zoogeographic classification. History In an 1858 paper for the ''Proceedings of the Linnean Society'', British zoologist Philip Sclater first identified six terrestrial zoogeographic realms of the world: Palaearctic, Aethiopian/Afrotropic, Indian/Indomalayan, Australasian, Nearctic, and Neotropical. The six indicated general groupings of fauna, based on shared biogeography and large-scale geographic barriers to migration. Alfred Wallace a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mountain tract". There are three regions and associated types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine tundra, and Antarctic tundra. Tundra vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges, grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra regions. The ecotone (or ecological boundary region) between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line or timberline. The tundra soil is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. The soil also contains large amounts of biomass and decomposed biomass that has been stored as methane and carbon dioxide in the permafrost, making the tundra soil a carbon sink. As global warming heats the ecosystem and causes soil thawing, the permafrost carbon cycle accelerates and releases much of these soil-contained g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions Of Afghanistan
{{Short description, none The following is a list of ecoregions in Afghanistan, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Terrestrial ecoregions Temperate coniferous forests * East Afghan montane conifer forests Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands * Gissaro-Alai open woodlands Montane grasslands and shrublands * Ghorat-Hazarajat alpine meadow * Hindu Kush alpine meadow * Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe *Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows *Pamir alpine desert and tundra * Sulaiman Range alpine meadows Deserts and xeric shrublands * Afghan Mountains semi-desert * Badkhiz-Karabil semi-desert * Baluchistan xeric woodlands * Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands * Central Persian desert basins * Paropamisus xeric woodlands * Registan-North Pakistan sandy desert References * C.Michael Hogan; World Wildlife Fund. 2012Registan-North Pakistan sandy desert. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment Topic ed. Pete ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions In China
{{Short description, none The following is a list of terrestrial ecoregions of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. The transition between two of the planet's eight terrestrial biogeographic realms – the Palearctic, which includes temperate and boreal Eurasia, and Indomalaya, which includes tropical South and Southeast Asia – extends through southern China. Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests * Guizhou Plateau broadleaf and mixed forests * Hainan Island monsoon rain forests * Jiang Nan subtropical evergreen forests * Northern Indochina subtropical moist forests * South China Sea Islands * South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forests * South Taiwan monsoon rain forests (Taiwan) * Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests (Taiwan) * Yunnan Plateau subtropical evergreen forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests * Central China loess plateau mixed forests * Changbai Mountains mixed forests ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long-tailed Marmot
The long-tailed marmot (''Marmota caudata'') or golden marmot is a marmot species in the family Sciuridae. It occurs in mountainous regions in the central parts of Asia where it lives in open or lightly wooded habitats, often among rocks where dwarf junipers grow. It is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern. As suggested by its name, it is a relatively long-tailed species of marmot. Description The long-tailed marmot is a large, sturdy rodent weighing up to . Its typical weight range is from , with the lower weights in the spring directly after hibernation and the higher weights in the autumn just before hibernation where more than one–quarter of its mass can be fat. Males average slightly larger than females. Its head-and-body length is and the tail is about long. The tail is 37–55% of the head-and-body length. This is considerably longer than typical of other marmots, although the proportionally longest-tailed individuals of the grey (''M. baibacina'') and alpine marmots ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marco Polo Sheep
The Marco Polo sheep (''Ovis ammon polii'') is a subspecies of argali sheep, named after Marco Polo. Their habitat are the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Marco Polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns. Their conservation status is "near threatened" and efforts have been made to protect their numbers and keep them from being hunted. It has also been suggested that crossing them with domestic sheep could have agricultural benefits. Naming The binomial name of the species as a whole is '' Ovis ammon'', described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758, and all members of the species are commonly called "argali". The Marco Polo subspecies ''Ovis ammon polii'' was first described scientifically by zoologist Edward Blyth in 1841. These sheep are also commonly called "Marco Polo's Argali" or the "Pamir Argali.". The sheep are named after the 13th century explorer Marco Polo because they were described in ''The Travels of Marco Polo''. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Himalayan Brown Bear
The Himalayan brown bear (''Ursus arctos isabellinus''), also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the brown bear and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China and Nepal. It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to long, while females are a little smaller. The bears are omnivorous and hibernate in dens during the winter. While the brown bear as a species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, this subspecies is critically endangered and populations are dwindling. Description Himalayan brown bears exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males range from long, while females are long. They are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour. Distribution The Himalayan brown bear occurs in Nepal, Tibet, west China, north India, north Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, entire Kyrgyzstan and south-eastern Kazakhstan. Phylogenetics and evolution The Himalayan brown bear consists of a single cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline about 10% by 2040. It is threatened by poaching and habitat destruction following infrastructural developments. It inhabits Alpine climate, alpine and subalpine zones at elevations of , ranging from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China. In the northern part of its range, it also lives at lower elevations. Taxonomy (biology), Taxonomically, the snow leopard was long classified in the monotypic genus ''Uncia''. Since Phylogenetics, phylogenetic studies revealed the relationships among ''Panthera'' species, it has been considered a member of that Genus ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Festuca
''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. The genus is closely related to ryegrass (''Lolium''), and recent evidence from phylogenetic studies using DNA sequencing of plant mitochondrial DNA shows that the genus lacks monophyly. As a result, plant taxonomists have moved several species, including the forage grasses tall fescue and meadow fescue, from the genus ''Festuca'' into the genus ''Lolium'', or alternatively into the segregate genus ''Schedonorus''. Because the taxonomy is complex, scientists have not determined how many true species belong to the genus, but estimates range from more than 400 to over 640.Darbyshire, S. J. and L. E. Pavlick''Festuca''. Grass Manual. Flora of North America. Fescue pollen is a significant contributor to hay feve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stipa
''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species formerly assigned to ''Stipa'', which have since been reclassified into new genera. Many species are important forage crops. Several species such as ''Stipa brachytricha'', ''S. arundinacea'', ''S. splendens'', ''S. calamagrostis'', ''S. gigantea'' and ''S. pulchra'' are used as ornamental plants. One former species, esparto grass (''Macrochloa tenacissima''), is used for crafts and extensively in paper making. It is a coarse grass with inrolled leaves and a panicle patterned inflorescence. Ecology Species of the genus ''Stipa'' can occur in grasslands or in savanna habitats. Certain specific prairie plant associations are dominated by grasses of the genus ''Stipa'', which genus often lends its name to the terminology of some prairie types. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Artemisia (genus)
''Artemisia'' () is a large, diverse genus of plants with between 200 and 400 species belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae. Common names for various species in the genus include mugwort, wormwood, and sagebrush. ''Artemisia'' comprises hardy herbaceous plants and shrubs, which are known for the powerful chemical constituents in their essential oils. ''Artemisia'' species grow in temperate climates of both hemispheres, usually in dry or semiarid habitats. Notable species include '' A. vulgaris'' (common mugwort), '' A. tridentata'' (big sagebrush), '' A. annua'' (sagewort), '' A. absinthium'' (wormwood), ''A. dracunculus'' (tarragon), and '' A. abrotanum'' (southernwood). The leaves of many species are covered with white hairs. Most species have strong aromas and bitter tastes from terpenoids and sesquiterpene lactones, which discourage herbivory, and may have had a selective advantage. The small flowers are wind-pollinated. ''Artemisia'' species are used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acantholimon
''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a genus of small flowering plants within the plumbago or leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. They are distributed from southeastern Europe to central Asia and also in South America, but also cultivated elsewhere in rock gardens. Form The evergreen subshrubs are generally cushion to mat-forming, with densely tufted shoots bearing mostly awl (long, pointed spike) to needle or grass-like, prickle to spine-tipped hard-textured leaves. They have shortish, simple or branched flower stems which can be loose or dense. The summer-borne flowers are composed of a funnel-shaped calyx, usually with a flared membranous margin, and five spreading petals. Species There are over 400 species. Selected species of ''Acantholimon'' include: *'' Acantholimon acerosum'' *'' Acantholimon albertii'' *'' Acantholimon anatolicum'' *'' Acantholimon armenum'' *''Acantholimon artosense'' *'' Acantholimon avenaceum'' *'' Acantholimon bashkaleicum'' *'' Acantholimon biran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
