The Altai alpine meadow and tundra
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 l ...
(WWF ID: PA1001) is a
terrestrial 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 l ...
covering the higher elevation 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 ...
at the center of the "X" formed by the borders separating
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
. The mountain peaks are the farthest north in Central Asia, separating the plains of Siberia to the north from the hot, dry deserts to the south. Altitudes above 2,400 meters display characteristics of tundra, with patches of alpine meadows and some trees immediately below the treeline. The ecoregion is in the
montane grasslands and shrublands
Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...
biome, and the
Palearctic realm
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-Sibe ...
, with a humid continental climate. It covers an area of .
Location and description
The ecoregion covers the high-peak ranges of mountains across the meeting of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, stretching about 700 km from northwest-to-southeast, and a similar distance from southwest-to-northeast. The ecoregion is scattered, capturing the higher elevations above the treeline; the lower elevations in this area are mostly in the
Altai montane forest and forest steppe
The Altai montane forest and forest steppe ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0502) covers patches of the subalpine forest belt on the Altai Mountains, crossing the border region where Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China meet. The region has high biodiversi ...
ecoregion, with warmer temperatures. The Altai are broken into a number of ranges, with the Southern Altai in Kazakhstan, and the Mongolian Altai and Gobi Altai stretching away to the southeast.
Because these mountains are at a relatively high latitude compared to other Central Asian mountains, the alpine regions begin at lower altitudes. The treeline at its highest is , and the zone of rocks and glaciers at .
Climate
The region has a
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 moun ...
(Koppen classification ET). This climate is defined as having at least one month warm enough to melt snow (average greater than 0 degrees C), but no month averaging over . The high Altai region receives mean precipitation of about 294 mm/year. The mean temperature is in January, and in July.
Flora and fauna
Overall, the plant life of the Altai show more closeness to Arctic species than do the more southerly mountains of Central Asia (the
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
, the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
, and
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
an). One study of 300 species in the region found that 39% had Arctic affinities.
Within the region, plant life is highly dependent on
altitude zonation and the
elevation levels.
There are few species in the highest, "nival" zone, where glaciers and exposed bare rock make life difficult. The sub-nival (high-alpine) zone features moss, lichen, and creeping plants over broad areas of the high plateaus. The low-alpine zone, above full treeline, is a zone of alpine meadows featuring dwarf birch (Betula rotundifolia) in the wetter northern areas, and sedge-meadows of
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 ...
(bog sedge) and
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'' ...
.
Because of its remoteness, the mountains of this ecoregion support many vulnerable species of mammals, including significant populations of the endangered
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 ...
(Panthera uncia), the
Eurasian lynx
The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an eleva ...
(Lynx lynx) and the vulnerable
Siberian musk deer
The Siberian musk deer (''Moschus moschiferus'') is a musk deer found in the mountain forests of Northeast Asia. It is most common in the taiga of southern Siberia, but is also found in parts of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and the Korean ...
(Moschus moschiferus).
Protections
There are a number of nationally protected areas that are at least partially in the ecoregion:
*
Katun Nature Reserve
Katun Nature Reserve (russian: Катунский заповедник) (also Katunsky) is a Russian zapovednik (strict nature reserve) located in the highlands of the central Altai Mountains of south Siberia. The Katun River runs down through a ...
, follows the Katun Ridge of the Altai Mountains, mostly in Russia along the border with Kazakhstan.
*
Katon-Karagay National Park, includes a portion of
Belukha Mountain, shared with Russia and reaching an altitude of 4,506 meters.
*
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, south of
Tavan Bogd
The ( mn, Таван богд, ; "Five saints") is a mountain massif in Mongolia, near the triple border with China and Russia. Its highest peak, the Khüiten Peak (formerly also known as Nairamdal Peak), is the highest point of Mongolia at 43 ...
, at 4,374 meters the highest mountain in Mongolia.
See also
*
List of ecoregions in Russia
The following is a list of ecoregions in Russia, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF):
Terrestrial Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
*Caucasus mixed forests (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey)
*Central European mixed fo ...
*
List of ecoregions in Mongolia
The following is a list of ecoregions in Mongolia, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF):
Terrestrial Temperate coniferous forests
* Altai montane forest and forest steppe ( China, Khazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia)
* Khangai Mountains c ...
*
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 Kazakhstan
The following is a list of ecoregions in Kazakhstan as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Terrestrial Temperate coniferous forests
* Altai montane forest and forest steppe (China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia)
* Tian Shan montane ...
References
{{reflist
Ecoregions of China
Ecoregions of Kazakhstan
Ecoregions of Mongolia
Ecoregions of Russia
Ecoregions of Asia
Montane grasslands and shrublands
Palearctic ecoregions