The Alashan Plateau semi-desert''
ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1302) covers the south-western portion of the
Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world.
Geography
The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...
where precipitation in the mountains is sufficient for a short part of the summer to support sparse plant life. The terrain is basin and range, with elevations from . The region straddles the China-Mongolian border, with the
Tibetan Plateau to the south, and the more arid regions of the Gobi to the north and east.
Location and description
The ecoregion encompasses the desert basins and low mountains bordered by the
Lop Desert on the west, the Tibetan Plateau and
Qilian Mountains to the south, the Gobi extension of the
Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The m ...
on the north, and the
Helan Mountains to the southeast. This part of the Gobi desert is in the rain shadow of the Tibetan Plateau. However, parts of it still receive enough precipitation to support areas of semi-arid desert plant communities.
Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is a
cool arid climate (
Köppen ''BWk''). This climate is characteristic of arid climates that typically have precipitation far below
potential evapotranspiration. Several months average below .
Annual precipitation on the Alashan Plateau is under /year.
Flora and fauna
Plant communities of the Alashan Plateau use various strategies to form and survive. While the ecoregion does have areas of sand and bare rock, there are also low-lying areas with plants that are salt-tolerant (
halophytes) and adapted to the low levels of precipitation (
xerophytes). Shrubs such as saxaul (''
Haloxylon ammodendron'') and the semi-perennial ''
Reaumuria soongorica
''Reaumuria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, found in North Africa, Sicily, Anatolia, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Pakistan, Central Asia, Mongolia, Tibet, and northern China. They tend to be perennial xerophytic and ...
'' add stability to the soil and attract associated species. Areas with more moisture support semi-desert communities of wormwoods (''
Artemisia'', bean caper (''
Zygophyllum''), and ''
Calligonum mongolicum''. Runoff from the Qilian Mountains supports some grasslands, and the
Yellow River, which runs along the eastern edge, supports river forests of desert poplar (''
Populus euphratica'') and ''
Tamarix'' species.
There is one mammal endemic to the Alashan Plateau,
Przewalski's gerbil.
Protections
The
Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park is in Mongolia's north-central part of the ecoregion.
See also
*
List of 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 bioge ...
*
List of ecoregions in Mongolia
References
{{reflist
Ecoregions of China
Ecoregions of Mongolia
Gobi Desert
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Palearctic ecoregions