Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests

The Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion is located in the mountains of eastern Turkey. It is a Palearctic ecoregion in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.

Geography

The ecoregion covers an area of 81,628 km², 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 runs through the northern and western portion of the ecoregion. The diagonal is a biogeographic feature which marks the easternmost limit of many Central Anatolian 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 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 oaks, including ''Quercus brantii, Q. libani, Q. boissieri'', and ''Q. ithaburensis'' ssp. ''macrolepis''. Other forest communities include ''Quercus robur'' ssp. ''pedunculiflora'' forests and montane ''Pinus sylvestris'' forests. ''Platanus orientalis'' is predominant in valley forests. Relict forest of alder (''Alnus'' spp.), sweet chestnut (''Castanea sativa''), maple (''Acer'' spp.). and the shrub ''Lonicera caucasica'' are found in humid enclaves.

Other woody plant communities include wild rose shrublands dominated by ''Rosa pimpinellifolia'' and ''Rosa canina'', 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'' is common at lower elevations. Steppe of herbs and low shrubs, including ''Astragalus'' spp., ''Gundelia tournefortii, Noaea mucronata, Thymus'' spp., and '' Salvia cryptantha'', is found in oak forest clearings. These are known as tragacanthic steppe, after tragacanth, a natural gum derived from several species of ''Astragalus'' that grow there. High mountain steppes are predominantly of herbaceous plants, like ''Achillea vermicularis, Ajuga chia, Helianthemum nummularium, Malcolmia africana'', and '' Marrubium parviflorum''. Other steppe types are dominated by grasses.

Fauna

Native mammals include brown bear (''Ursus arctos''), wolf (''Canis lupus''), lynx (''Lynx lynx''), red fox (''Vulpes vulpes''), chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra asiatica''), bezoar ibex (''Capra aegagrus''), wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), and river otter (''Lutra lutra'').

Birds include the chukar partridge (''Alectoris chukar'') and grey partridge (''Perdix perdix'').

Protected areas

Protected areas in the ecoregion include Munzur Valley National Park, Mount Nemrut National Park, and Şeytan Dağları National Park.

External links

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References

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Ecoregions of Turkey
Ecoregions of Asia
Natural history of Anatolia
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Forests of Turkey
Palearctic ecoregions
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests