Zagros Mountains forest steppe
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The Zagros Mountains forest steppe is a
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 fo ...
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 ...
in
Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
. The ecoregion extends along the
Zagros Mountains The Zagros Mountains ( ar, جبال زاغروس, translit=Jibal Zaghrus; fa, کوه‌های زاگرس, Kuh hā-ye Zāgros; ku, چیاکانی زاگرۆس, translit=Çiyakani Zagros; Turkish: ''Zagros Dağları''; Luri: ''Kuh hā-ye Zāgro ...
, stretching from eastern
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and northern
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
to southern
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.


Geography

The Zagros Mountains are a belt of folded mountains formed by the collision of the
African Plate The African Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes much of the continent of Africa (except for its easternmost part) and the adjacent oceanic crust to the west and south. It is bounded by the North American Plate and South American Plat ...
with the
Eurasian Plate The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate that includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent and ...
. On the west, south, and east, the mountains are surrounded by deserts and semi-deserts. The dry grasslands, shrublands, and low-lying deserts of Mesopotamia and southern Iran lie to the west, and the plateau deserts of the
Iranian Plateau The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature in Western Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. It comprises part of the Eurasian Plate and is wedged between the Arabian Plate and the Indian Plate; situated between the Zagros ...
to the east. The Armenian Highlands and
Alborz The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...
Mountains lie to the north.


Climate

The ecoregion's climate is semi-arid and temperate. Annual precipitation ranges from 400 m to 800 mm, and falls mostly in winter and spring. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cold, with the coldest winter temperatures dropping below −25 °C. Temperatures are generally warmer and the climate drier at the southern end of the range.


Flora

220px, A view of Persian oak forests that dominate the Zagros Mountains The predominant plant community in the mountains is forest or open woodland of deciduous broadleaf trees, with an understory of steppe shrubs and grasses. Oaks, particularly Persian oak (''Quercus brantii''), are the characteristic trees, covering over 50% of the Zagros mountains in Iran. Pistachio (''Pistacia'' spp.) forms groves, and grows in association with oaks. Vegetation varies with altitude and exposure to prevailing winds. In the northern part of the ecoregion, shrub steppe of ''
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. and ''
Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant, perennials, and annual plant, annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the ...
'' spp. with scattered trees occurs above 400m to 500m elevation. Forests and forest remnants of ''Quercus brantii'' and/or '' Q. boissieri'' occur from 700 to 800 meters elevation to about 1,700 m. The
treeline The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...
is at 1,900 to 2,000 meters elevation, with sub-alpine vegetation above it. At the southern end of the range, the trees are sparser and more open, and the steppe vegetation is more prominent. Steppe extends up to 1400 meters elevation, and open woodlands of ''Quercus brantii'',
hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
(''Crataegus''),
almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
(''Prunus amygdalus''), nettle tree (''Celtis'' spp.) and pear (''
Pyrus syriaca ''Pyrus syriaca'' is a deciduous tree in the Rosaceae family. It is referred to by the common name Syrian pear. It is the only pear species which grows in the wild in Lebanon, Turkey, Syria and Israel. The Syrian pear is a protected plant in Isr ...
'' and '' Pyrus glabra'') continue up to 2,400 meters. Although degraded from
overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...
and
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
, the Zagros is home to a rich and complex flora. Remnants of the originally widespread oak-dominated woodland can still be found, as can park-like pistachio-almond steppelands. The wild ancestors of many important food plants, including wheat, barley,
lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...
, almond, walnut, pistachio, apricot, plum,
pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
, and grape, grow throughout the mountains.
Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
plants of the mountain range include ''
Allium iranicum ''Allium iranicum'' or Iranian leek is a species of wild leek native to Iraq and Iran. It is used in traditional Iranian medicine as a treatment for hemorrhoids. Its chromosome number is 2n=32. Adding ''Allium iranicum'' to yogurt results in in ...
'', ''
Astragalus crenophila ''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 ...
'', ''
Bellevalia kurdistanica ''Bellevalia'' is a genus of plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It was first described as a genus in 1808. The approximately 65 species are found from the Mediterranean: Turkey (about 12 species) and Israel (12 species), t ...
'', ''
Cousinia carduchorum The genus ''Cousinia'' of the tribe Cardueae is in its current circumscription one of the larger genera in the Asteraceae, with approximately 650-700 species distributed in central and western Asia. Many of the species in this genus were once cl ...
'', ''
Cousinia odontolepis The genus ''Cousinia'' of the tribe Cardueae is in its current circumscription one of the larger genera in the Asteraceae, with approximately 650-700 species distributed in central and western Asia. Many of the species in this genus were once cl ...
'', '' Echinops rectangularis'', ''
Erysimum boissieri ''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus ''Cheiranthus'' is sometimes included here in whole o ...
'', ''
Iris barnumiae ''Iris barnumiae'' is a species in the genus ''Iris''; it is also in the subgenus ''Iris'' and in the section ''Oncocyclus''. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. It has pale glaucous green and narrow l ...
'', ''
Ornithogalum iraqense ''Ornithogalum'' is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Growing from a bulb, species have linear bas ...
'', ''
Scrophularia atroglandulosa The genus ''Scrophularia'' of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts. Species of ''Scrophularia'' all share square stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers for ...
'', '' Scorzonera kurdistanica'', '' Tragopogon rechingeri'', and '' Tulipa kurdica''.


Fauna

The Zagros are home to many threatened and endangered animals, including the
Persian leopard ''Panthera pardus tulliana'' is a leopard subspecies native to the Iranian Plateau and surrounding areas encompassing Turkey, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan. Since 2016, i ...
(''Panthera pardus tulliana''), Syrian brown bear (''Ursus arctos syriacus''),
mouflon The mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, the Caspian Sea, Caspian region from eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds. Taxonomy ''Ovis gmelini'' ...
(''Ovis orientalis orientalis''),
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 u ...
(''Canis lupus''), striped hyena (''Hyena hyena''),
Blanford's fox Blanford's fox (''Vulpes cana'') is a small fox native to the Middle East and Central Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Naming Blanford's fox is named after the English naturalist William Thomas Blanford, who described i ...
(''Vulpes cana''), and
Zagros Mountains mouse-like hamster The Zagros Mountains mouse-like hamster (''Calomyscus bailwardi'') is a relatively little-known rodent which was the first species of mouse-like hamster to be described. The species is distributed throughout much of southern Iran, particularly in ...
(''Calomyscus bailwardi'').
Wild goat The wild goat (''Capra aegagrus'') is a wild goat species, inhabiting forests, shrublands and rocky areas ranging from Turkey and the Caucasus in the west to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. It has been listed as near threatene ...
s (''Capra aegrarus'') can be found throughout the Zagros Mountains. The
Persian fallow deer The Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamica'') is a deer species once native to all of the Middle East, but currently only living in Iran and Israel. It was reintroduced in Israel. It has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2008 ...
(''Dama dama mesopotamica''), an ancient
domesticate Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...
once thought extinct, was rediscovered in the late 20th century in
Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...
Province in the southern Zagros. In the late 19th century, the
Asiatic lion The Asiatic lion is a population of ''Panthera leo leo'' that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat ...
(''Panthera leo persica'') inhabited the southwestern part of the mountains. It is now extinct in this region. The Luristan newt (''Neurergus kaiseri'') is a vulnerable species endemic to the central Zagros mountains of Iran.


Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 20,339 km², or 5%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include:"Zagros Mountains forest steppe". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 8 December 2020

/ref> *
Arjan and Parishan Protected Area Parishan Lake is a lake in Iran. The Parishan Lake is in Jereh and Baladeh District in Fars Province and is the largest freshwater lake in the country. It receives only very small amount of water from feeder rivers and the whole lake or wetland ...
(IUCN category V, 597.8 km²) * Bamou National Park (IUCN category II, 486.8 km²) * Bakhtegan Wildlife Refuge (IUCN category IV, 2004 km²) * Kolahghazi Wildlife Refuge (IUCN category IV, 41.2 km²) *
Dez Wildlife Refuge Dez may refer to: *Dez (tribe), also spelled Diz, one of the Assyrian tribes of Hakkari People Music * Dez Cadena (born 1961), American punk rock singer and guitarist * Dez Dickerson (born 1955), American guitarist and singer, member of Prince's ...
(IUCN category IV, 53 km²) * Bijar Protected Area (IUCN category V, 316.1 km²) * Bahramgor Protected Area (IUCN category V, 4080 km²) * Angoran Protected Area (IUCN category V, 923.2 km²) * Dez Protected Area (IUCN category V, 175.3 km²) * Karkheh Protected Area (IUCN category V, 140 km²)


External link

*


References

{{reflist Zagros Mountains Ecoregions of Iran Ecoregions of Iraq Ecoregions of Turkey Palearctic ecoregions Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests