The Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion is located in the mountains of eastern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
. It is a
Palearctic 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 ...
in the
temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions.
These f ...
biome
A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...
.
Geography
The ecoregion covers an area of 81,628 km
2,
[ Supplemental material 2 table S1b.] which includes the
Anti-Taurus Mountains, the western part of the eastern Anatolian Mountains, and the headwaters of the
Euphrates River.
The
Anatolian diagonal
The Anatolian diagonal is a theoretical dividing line which runs diagonally across central and eastern Turkey from the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea to the southeastern corner of the Black Sea, and roughly cuts across part of the cou ...
runs through the northern and western portion of the ecoregion. The diagonal is a
biogeographic
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...
feature which marks the easternmost limit of many
Central Anatolia
The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray.
Located in Central Turkey, it is borde ...
n species, and the western limit of many eastern Anatolian species. 390 plant species are confined to the diagonal itself.
[
]
Climate
The climate is dry and continental, with extreme winter cold and heavy snowfall. Average annual precipitation ranges from 600 to 1,000 mm. The Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
regions of the eastern Mediterranean lie to the south and southwest. The climate of the Black Sea region to the north is more humid and moderate.[
]
Flora
Forests and woodlands are the most widespread plant communities, interspersed with steppe and shrublands. Forests typically have an open canopy and a grassy understory. The predominant trees are deciduous oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
s, including ''Quercus brantii
''Quercus brantii'', the Brant's oak, is a species of oak native to Western Asia, namely in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
''Quercus brantii'' (covering more than 50% of the Zagros Mountains forest steppe ecoregion) is the most important tree s ...
, Q. libani, Q. boissieri'', and ''Q. ithaburensis'' ssp. ''macrolepis''. Other forest communities include ''Quercus robur'' ssp. ''pedunculiflora'' forests and montane ''Pinus sylvestris
''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and or ...
'' forests. ''Platanus orientalis
''Platanus orientalis'', the Old World sycamore or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red ...
'' is predominant in valley forests. Relict forest of alder
Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...
(''Alnus'' spp.), sweet chestnut
''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...
(''Castanea sativa''), maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
(''Acer'' spp.). and the shrub ''Lonicera caucasica
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in both conti ...
'' are found in humid enclaves.[
Other woody plant communities include wild rose shrublands dominated by '']Rosa pimpinellifolia
''Rosa pimpinellifolia'', the burnet rose, is a species of rose native to western, central and southern Europe (north to Iceland and Norway) and northwest Africa.
Habitat
It is generally restricted to sand dunes or limestone pavements and typic ...
'' and ''Rosa canina
''Rosa canina'', commonly known as the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia.
Description
The dog rose is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from , though sometimes i ...
'', and low woodlands of dwarf juniper ( ''Juniperus communis'' ssp. ''nana'') with an understory of '' Convolvulus calvertii''.[
Areas of steppe are interspersed among the forests and woodlands, and anthropogenic steppe has expanded where woodlands and forests have been degraded or destroyed. Steppe of '']Artemisia fragrans
Artemisia may refer to:
People
* Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece
* Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...
'' is common at lower elevations. Steppe of herbs and low shrubs, including ''Astragalus
''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to tempe ...
'' spp., ''Gundelia tournefortii
''Gundelia'' is a low to high (20–100 cm) thistle-like perennial herbaceous plant with latex, spiny compound inflorescences, reminiscent of teasles and eryngos, that contain cream, yellow, greenish, pink, purple or redish-purple disk flo ...
, Noaea mucronata
''Noaea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae. It is in the Salsoloideae subfamily.
Its native range is from the southern and eastern Mediterranean to Pakistan. It is found in Afghanistan, Algeria, Crete, Cyprus, ...
, Thymus
The thymus is a specialized primary lymphoid organ of the immune system. Within the thymus, thymus cell lymphocytes or ''T cells'' mature. T cells are critical to the adaptive immune system, where the body adapts to specific foreign invaders. ...
'' spp., and '' Salvia cryptantha'', is found in oak forest clearings. These are known as tragacanthic steppe, after tragacanth
Tragacanth is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern legumes of the genus ''Astragalus'', including '' A. adscendens'', '' A. gummifer'', '' A. brachycalyx'', and '' A. tragacantha''. Some of these specie ...
, a natural gum derived from several species of ''Astragalus'' that grow there. High mountain steppes are predominantly of herbaceous plants, like ''Achillea vermicularis
''Achillea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Asteraceae, known colloquially as yarrows. The plants typically have frilly leaves. The common name "yarrow" usually refers to ''Achillea millefolium, A. millefoli ...
, Ajuga chia
''Ajuga'' , also known as bugleweed,Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. ''Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada''. Macmillan, New York. ground pine, c ...
, Helianthemum nummularium
''Helianthemum nummularium'' (known as common rock-rose) is a species of rock-rose (Cistaceae), native to most of Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical si ...
, Malcolmia africana
''Malcolmia africana'', or African mustard, is an annual plant from the Mediterranean Basin which has naturalized elsewhere, including much of western North America, and is invasive in Nevada and Utah. It has recently been shown to be only dista ...
'', and '' Marrubium parviflorum''. Other steppe types are dominated by grasses.[
]
Fauna
Native mammals include brown bear
The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...
(''Ursus arctos''), wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
(''Canis lupus''), lynx (''Lynx lynx''), red fox (''Vulpes vulpes''), chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra asiatica''), bezoar ibex (''Capra aegagrus''), wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
(''Sus scrofa''), and river otter (''Lutra lutra'').[
Birds include the ]chukar partridge
The chukar partridge (''Alectoris chukar''), or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partridge and Pr ...
(''Alectoris chukar'') and grey partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix''), also known as the gray-legged partridge, English partridge, Hungarian partridge, or hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name ...
(''Perdix perdix'').
Protected areas
Protected areas in the ecoregion include Munzur Valley National Park
The Munzur Valley National Park ( tr, Munzur Vadisi Milli Parkı), established on December 21, 1971, is the largest and the most biodiverse national park in Turkey. It is located at the Munzur Valley of Munzur Mountain Range within Tunceli Provi ...
, Mount Nemrut National Park, and Şeytan Dağları National Park
''Şeytan'' is a 1974 Turkish cult horror film that is loosely plagiarized off of William Friedkin’s ''The Exorcist'' (1973), directed by Metin Erksan.
The film was apparently shot with a low budget, resulting in a grainy and poor image qual ...
.
External links
*
References
{{reflist
Ecoregions of Turkey
Ecoregions of Asia
Natural history of Anatolia
*
Forests of Turkey
Palearctic ecoregions
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests