Eastern Mediterranean conifer–sclerophyllous–broadleaf forests

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests
)
Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests
Turkish Pines (Pinus brutia) near Kessab, Syria
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmPalearctic
BiomeMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Borders
List
Geography
Area142,284 km2 (54,936 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered
Protected1,147 km² (1%)[1]

The Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-forests, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-forests,

ecoregion in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. It covers portions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia
.

The ecoregion has a Mediterranean climate, and is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

Geography

The ecoregion covers an area of 143,800 square kilometers (55,500 sq mi). In southern Turkey, it occupies the coastal

Iskenderun and including the Çukurova plain in between. It then extends eastwards through southern Turkey to where the borders of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey meet, and southwards along the eastern Mediterranean through the Levant
– western Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and the

The ecoregion is bounded by forest ecoregions to the north in

Anti-Lebanon Mountains which run parallel to the Eastern Mediterranean coast, are in the Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests
ecoregion.

Several large cities are in the ecoregion, including Adana, Gaziantep, Antalya, and Mersin in Turkey; Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Latakia in Syria; Beirut and Tripoli in Lebanon; Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa in Israel; Gaza, Hebron and Nablus in Palestinian territories; and Amman in Jordan.

Climate

The ecoregion has a Mediterranean climate, with a mild, rainy winter and hot dry summer. Rainfall varies across the ecoregion. It is generally higher on coastal-facing slopes, ranging from 1,000-1,250 mm annually near Antalya to 650-850 mm in Mersin, Adana, Iskendurun, and coastal Syria and Lebanon. Rainfall is lowest in the eastern and southernmost parts of the ecoregion, with less than 450 mm annually in eastern Anatolia, the interior of Syria, southern Israel and Palestinian territories, and the Jordanian Highlands.[3]

Flora

Major plant communities in the ecoregion include broadleaf

Aleppo pine
(Pinus halepensis)), and dry oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands and steppes.

Turkish pine is more common in the Turkish coastal region, and Aleppo pine in the Levant. Neither pine is found naturally in the eastern Mesopotamian part of the ecoregion.

Maquis is found on coastal slopes in southern Anatolia and along the Levantine coast. Maquis is an open-canopied evergreen woodland, with an understory of shrubs, herbs, grasses, and

lentisk (P. lenticus), and Arbutus andrachne. Much of the maquis has been degraded by frequent fires and over-grazing.[3]

The eastern and southernmost portions of the ecoregion are mostly low shrubland and grassland with a semi-desert character.

Fauna

The

Persian gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa).[3]

The large predators lion (Panthera leo), Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus), wolf (Canis lupus), and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) have been mostly or completely extirpated from over-hunting and habitat loss.[4][3]

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 1,147 km², or less than 1%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Another 1% of the ecoregion had relatively intact habitat but is outside protected areas.[1]

Some protected areas include:

External links

  • "Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  • World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

References

  1. ^ a b c Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
  2. ^ "Eastern Mediterranean conifer-broadleaf forests". Ecoregions 2017. Accessed 25 April 2020. [2]
  3. ^ a b c d "Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  4. ^ Horowitz, Aharon (2014). The Quaternary of Israel. Academic Press, May 10, 2014.