The Eastern Gobi desert steppe is a

deserts and xeric shrublands Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

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 ...

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, ...

and northern China. It is the easternmost of the ecoregions that make up the larger Gobi Desert. It lies between the more humid

Mongolian–Manchurian grassland The Mongolian-Manchurian grassland, also known as the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe in the temperate grassland biome, is an ecoregion in East Asia covering parts of Mongolia, the Chinese Autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, and Northeast China. S ...

on the north, east, and southeast, and the drier Alashan Plateau semi-desert to the west.

Geography

The ecoregion lies on a plateau, mostly between 1000 and 1500 meters elevation. The ecoregion extends southwest along the

Yin Mountains The Yin Mountains, also known by several other names, are a mountain range stretching across about of northern China. They form the southeastern border of the Gobi Desert and cross the Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia and Hebei. Among othe ...

, which rise between 1,500 to 2,200 meters elevation. There are no large rivers in the ecoregion. Most of the ecoregion lies in closed basins, with intermittent streams that drain into salt pans and small ponds.

Climate

The climate is arid and continental. Winters are intensely cold, with January mean temperatures of -20 to -28ºC. Summers are warm to hot, depending on elevation. The mean annual temperature ranges from -2 to -6ºC,. Annual rainfall ranges from 100 to 150 mm, falling mostly in the summer, and varies considerably from year to year.

Flora

The predominant vegetation is a steppe of drought-tolerant shrubs and low grasses. The legumes ''

Caragana bungei ''Caragana'' is a genus of about 80–100 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Asia and eastern Europe. They are shrubs or small trees growing tall. They have even-pinnate leaves with small leaflets, and solitary or clu ...

'' and '' Caragana leucocephala'' are characteristic shrubs. Other shrubs include gray sparrow’s saltwort ('' Salsola passerina''), gray sagebrush ('' Artemisia xerophytica''), '' Potaninia mongolica'', and '' Nitraria sibirica''. Common grasses include the needle grasses '' Stipa gobica'' and '' Stipa glareosa'' and bridlegrass ('' Cleistogenes soongorica''). The taana wild onion ('' Allium polyrhizum'') is the main

browse Browsing is a kind of orienting strategy. It is supposed to identify something of relevance for the browsing organism. When used about human beings it is a metaphor taken from the animal kingdom. It is used, for example, about people browsing o ...

eaten by many herd animals, and Mongolians claim that this is essential in producing the proper, hazelnut-like notes of camel airag (fermented milk).

Fauna

Large mammals in the ecoregion include the

Mongolian wild ass The Mongolian wild ass (''Equus hemionus hemionus''), also known as Mongolian khulan, is the nominate subspecies of the onager. It is found in southern Mongolia and northern China. It was previously found in eastern Kazakhstan and southern Siberi ...

(''Equus hemionus hemionus''), Mongolian saiga antelope (''Saiga tartarica mongolica''), Yarkand gazelle (''Gazella subgutturosa''), and

marbled polecat The marbled polecat (''Vormela peregusna'') is a small mammal belonging to the monotypic genus ''Vormela'' within the mustelid subfamily Ictonychinae. ''Vormela'' is from the German word , which means "little worm". The specific name ''pereg ...

(''Vormela peregusna''). Several species of

jerboa Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...

s (family

Dipodidae Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...

) are found in sandy areas. Jerboas are small mammals with long hindlegs and tails, adapted to burrowing and able to jump up to three meters. Native jerboa species include the

long-eared jerboa The long-eared jerboa (''Euchoreutes naso'') is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears. It is distinct enough that authorities consider it to be the only member of both its genu ...

(''Euchoreutus naso''), Kozlov's pygmy jerboa (''Salpingotus kozlovi''), Mongolian jerboa (''Stylodipus andewsi''), and Gobi jerboa (''Allactaga bullata''). Native birds include the

lammergeier The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate m ...

(''Gypaetus barbatus''),

cinereous vulture The cinereous vulture (''Aegypius monachus'') is a large raptor in the family Accipitridae and distributed through much of temperate Eurasia. It is also known as the black vulture, monk vulture and Eurasian black vulture. With a body length of , ...

(''Aegypius monachus''),

MacQueen's bustard MacQueen's bustard (''Chlamydotis macqueenii'') is a large bird in the bustard family. It is native to the desert and steppe regions of Asia, west from the Sinai Peninsula extending across Kazakhstan east to Mongolia. In the 19th century, vagrant ...

(''Chlamydotis macqueenii''),

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''), Pallas's sandgrouse (''Syrrhaptes paradoxus''),

Mongolian ground jay The Mongolian ground jay (''Podoces hendersoni'') or Henderson's ground jay, is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. Description The bird is light tan with iridescent blue on its primary feathers. It has a long, curved beak and a black stri ...

(''Podoces hendersoni''),

greater sand plover The greater sand plover (''Charadrius leschenaultii'') is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "greater sandplover" or "greater sand-plover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Gre ...

(''Charadrius leschenaultii''), and

Mongolian finch The Mongolian finch (''Bucanetes mongolicus''), also known as the Mongolian trumpeter finch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Description The Mongolian finch is a small, long-winged bird. It has a large head and short, ...

(''Bucanetes mongolicus'').

Human use

The vast desert is crisscrossed by several trade routes, some of which have been in use for thousands of years. Among the most important are those from

Kalgan Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southw ...

(at the Great Wall) to Ulaanbaatar (); from

Jiuquan Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou, is a prefecture-level city in the northwesternmost part of Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is more than wide from east to west, occupying , although its built-up area is mostly located in i ...

(in Gansu) to Hami ; from Hami to Beijing (); from Hohhot to Hami and Barkul; and from Lanzhou (in Gansu) to Hami.

Protected areas

3.34% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Wuliangsuhainiaolei Protected Area, Ergeliin Zoo Nature Reserve,

Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve The Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, commonly shortened to Ikh Nart Nature Reserve is a protected area in the East Gobi Province of Mongolia. It occupies part of two counties, Dalanjargalan and Airag. The nature reserve has an area of about ...

, Zagiin us Nature Reserve, Gobiin baga Strictly Protected Area, Ongon Tavan bulag Nature Reserve, Delgerkhangai mountain Nature Reserve, and Burdene bulag Nature Reserve.

References

External links

* {{WWF ecoregion, id=pa1314 , name=Eastern Gobi desert steppe Ecoregions of China Ecoregions of Mongolia Palearctic ecoregions Deserts and xeric shrublands Gobi Desert