The Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests

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: PA0434) covers the

Qin Mountains The Qinling () or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan ("Southern Mountains"), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow ...

, which run west-to-east across central China. The mountains effectively divide the biological regions of China into north and south. To the north is the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

basin, a

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...

-soil region of temperate deciduous forests. To the south is the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...

basic, a subtropical forest region. In between, the Qin Mountains support many rare and endemic species, including the

Giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

and the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey.

Location and description

The Qin Mountains or Qin Ling Mountains ( zh, 秦岭山), also called "Nanshan" (Southern Mountains), are the traditional dividing line between

northern and southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined and only serve to depict where there appears to be regional differences between the climates ...

. They stretch across southern

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

Province, with the Yellow River basin to the north, and Yangtze River basin to the south. The

Daba Mountains The Daba Mountains, also known by their Chinese name as the Dabashan, are a mountain range in Central China between the watersheds of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Part of the larger Qinling mountain range, it cuts through four provinces: Si ...

run parallel to the main northern ridge of the Qinling, placing the Daba Mountains evergreen forests ecoregion to the south of the Qin Ling ecoregion. The highest elevation in the Qinling is .

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Humid continental climate, warm summer'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

(Dwb)), with a dry winter. This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over , but no month averaging over , and cold winters having monthly precipitation less than one-tenth of the wettest summer month. Precipitation averages 850 to 950 mm/year in the Qinling Mountains.

Flora and fauna

The Qin Ling deciduous forests ecoregion sits on the north-facing ridge of the divide; the Daba Mountains face south. The Qinling are colder, being more exposed to the climate of northern China. The forests exhibit altitude zonation, with deciduous forests of oak, elm, walnut, ash and maple at the lowest level. The middle elevations support a mixed forest of deciduous trees (oak and birch) and evergreen conifers such as Chinese white pine (

Pinus armandii ''Pinus armandii'', the Armand pine or Chinese white pine, is a species of pine native to China, occurring from southern Shanxi west to southern Gansu and south to Yunnan, with outlying populations in Anhui. It grows at altitudes of 2200–3000 ...

). At higher elevations the forests thin to sub-alpine fir, larch, birch, and rhododendron. The ecoregion is the eastern range of the Giant panda, and also provides habitat for the endangered Red panda (

Ailurus fulgens The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzz ...

), and the Chinese snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus roxellana). A stable population of the Giant panda is found in the Foping National Nature Reserve in the ecoregion.

References

{{reflist Palearctic ecoregions Ecoregions of China Montane forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

Location and description

Climate

Flora and fauna

See also

References