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Tian Shan Montane Steppe And Meadows
The Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1019) covers a 2,000 km long stretch of grasslands of the isolated Tian Sham mountains of Central Asia. It is characterized by high-altitude flat and rolling grasslands. Location and description The ecoregion stretches around the lower altitudes of the Tian Shan mountain ridge, running for approximately 2,000 km from western Kyrgyzstan to eastern Xinjiang Province in China. It separates the arid Tarim Basin and Taklimakan Desert to the south from the Junggar Basin and Kazakh Shield to the north. Running up the middle of the ecoregion is the main ridge of the Tian Shan, with some middle altitudes supporting conifer forests in the Tian Shan montane conifer forests ecoregion. Climate The climate of the ecoregion is '' cold semi-arid'' (Köppen climate classification (BSk)). This climate is generally characterized as having precipitation greater than a true desert, and also a colder temperature. Flora and fauna B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve
Bayanbulak Grassland National Nature Reserve () (from Mongolian "abundant spring") is the second largest grassland in China, located in the Bayanbulak Basin of the Tian Shan mountains in northwest China. The terrain is mostly flat, and encompasses a middle section of the Kaidu River ("Peacock River"). The reserve is 200 km northwest of Korla in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As a high-altitude marshland (at 2,000 - 2,500 meters), the reserve is an important breeding and staging ground for birds and waterfowl, and is the highest-altitude breeding ground for swans in the world. The area has been designated an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA #CN-114) by Birdlife International. At the center of the reserve is "Swan Lake", a connected series of wetlands, which was designated in 1980 as the "Bayanbulak Swan Nature Reserve" by the Xinjiang government, and upgraded in 1986 to a "National Swan Reserve" by the government o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junggar Basin
The Junggar Basin () is one of the largest sedimentary basins in Northwest China. It is located in Xinjiang, and enclosed by the Tarbagatai Mountains of Kazakhstan in the northwest, the Altai Mountains of Mongolia in the northeast, and the Heavenly Mountains (Tian Shan) in the south. The geology of Junggar Basin mainly consists of sedimentary rocks underlain by igneous and metamorphic basement rocks. The basement of the basin was largely formed during the development of the Pangea supercontinent during complex tectonic events from Precambrian to late Paleozoic time. The basin developed as a series of foreland basins – in other words, basins developing immediately in front of growing mountain ranges – from Permian time to the Quaternary period. The basin's preserved sedimentary records show that the climate during the Mesozoic era was marked by a transition from humid to arid conditions as monsoonal climatic effects waned. The Junggar basin is rich in geological resources (e.g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions Of Kyrgyzstan
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. Sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecoregions Of 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 * Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carex
''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' may be called true sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of ''Carex'' is known as caricology. Description All species of ''Carex'' are perennial, although some species, such as '' C. bebbii'' and '' C. viridula'' can fruit in their first year of growth, and may not survive longer. They typically have rhizomes, stolons or short rootstocks, but some species grow in tufts (caespitose). The culm – the flower-bearing stalk – is unbranched and usually erect. It is usually distinctly triangular in section. The leaves of ''Carex'' comprise a blade, which extends away from the stalk, and a sheath, which encloses part of the stalk. The blade is normally long and flat, but may be folded, inrolled, c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kobresia
''Kobresia'' is a genus of plants in the sedge family. They are sometimes called bog sedges. These perennial sedges are quite similar to ''Carex'' species in appearance. The genus is widespread across much of Europe, Asia and North America, with many species native to the Himalayas. Species *'' Kobresia burangensis'' Y.C.Yang – Tibet *'' Kobresia capillifolia'' (Decne.) C.B.Clarke – Central Asia, Himalayas, Tuva region of Siberia, Mongolia, central and western China including Tibet and Xinjiang *''Kobresia cercostachys'' (Franch.) C.B.Clarke – Eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Yunnan *''Kobresia condensata'' (Kük.) S.R.Zhang & Noltie – Sichuan, Yunnan *''Kobresia cuneata'' Kük – Tibet to central China *'' Kobresia curticeps'' (C.B.Clarke) Kük. in H.G.A.Engler – Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan *'' Kobresia curvirostris'' (C.B.Clarke) C.B.Clarke in J.D.Hooker – Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, Thailand *'' Kobresia duthiei'' C.B.Clarke in J.D.Hooker – Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan ... [...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] |
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] |
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notably in 1918 and 1936. Later, the climatologist Rudolf Geiger (1894–1981) introduced some changes to the classification system, which is thus sometimes called the Köppen–Geiger climate classification system. The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (temperate), ''D'' (continental), and ''E'' (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the ''E'' group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, ''Af'' indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Semi-arid Climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-arid climates, depending on variables such as temperature, and they give rise to different biomes. Defining attributes of semi-arid climates A more precise definition is given by the Köppen climate classification, which treats steppe climates (''BSk'' and ''BSh'') as intermediates between desert climates (BW) and humid climates (A, C, D) in ecological characteristics and agricultural potential. Semi-arid climates tend to support short, thorny or scrubby vegetation and are usually dominated by either grasses or shrubs as it usually can't support forests. To determine if a location has a semi-arid climate, the precipitation threshold must first be determined. The method used to find the precipitation threshold (in millimeters): *multiply by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tian Shan Montane Conifer Forests
The Tian Shan montane conifer forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0521) covers the "forest belt" of the Tian Shan mountains - generally the north-facing slopes that get enough moisture, and are warm enough, for trees to grow. This conifer belt is found mostly between 1,500 and 2,700 meters. Location and description The ecoregion stretches in patches on the main Tian Shan mountain ridge, across approximately 2,000 km from western Kyrgyzstan to eastern Xinjiang Province in China. The conifer forest belt is found on north-facing slopes, at altitudes from a minimum of 1,500 meters (below which it is too dry to support conifers) to a maximum of 2,700 meters (above which it is too cold). The disconnected components of the ecoregion tend to be elongated along ridges that average 4,000 meters in height, with one of the larger sections wrapping around Lake Issyk-Kul. In general, the landscape below the forest belt is steppe, and above is alpine meadow with occasional dwarf junipers. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taklimakan Desert
The Taklimakan or Taklamakan Desert (; zh, s=塔克拉玛干沙漠, p=Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Такәламаган Шамә; ug, تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى, Täklimakan qumluqi; also spelled Taklimakan and Teklimakan) is a desert in Southwestern Xinjiang in Northwest China. It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains to the west, the Tian Shan range to the north, and the Gobi Desert to the east. Etymology While most researchers agree on being the Persian word for "place", etymology of ''Takla'' is less clear. The word may be a Uyghur borrowing of the Persian , "to leave alone/out/behind, relinquish, abandon" + ''makan''. Another plausible explanation suggests it is derived from Turki ''taqlar makan'', describing "the place of ruins". Chinese scholars Wang Guowei and Huang Wenbi linked the name to the Tocharians, a historical people of the Tarim Basin, making the meaning of "Taklamakan" similar to "Tocharistan". A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
