Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe

Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe
Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe
	Palearctic
Biome	Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Geography
Area	291,700 km2 (112,600 sq mi)
Countries	Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

The Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion of North Africa. It occupies interior plateaus and mountain ranges of the Maghreb region, lying generally between the coastal Mediterranean woodlands and forests to the north and the Sahara to the south.

Setting

The Mediterranean woodlands and forests occupy an area of 291,700 square kilometers (112,600 sq mi) in

Gulf of Gabes. In Algeria, it lies south of the coastal Tell Atlas, covering the high plateau and Saharan Atlas. Further east, several enclaves of the ecoregion lie nearer the coast. In western Tripolitania it lies to the Mediterranean shore, and on the Cyrenaica peninsula it forms a belt between the Mediterranean woodlands and forests and the Sahara. The easternmost portion of the ecoregion is a small coastal enclave lying just west of the Nile Delta in Egypt, near the city of Alexandria.^[1]

Climate

The climate of the region is arid and annual rainfall is between 100 and 300 mm. The rainfall occurs mainly during the winter months, normally as intermittent storms. It can get as cold as 0°C during the winter and temperatures can climb to 40 °C during the summer months, the mean annual temperature is around 18 °C.[1]

Settlement

The human population of these regions is low, settled agriculture is only viable in valleys where there is a supply of water, such as dayas, depressions with good quality soil, and the beds of wadis. In these areas it is possible to cultivate fodder and food crops. Such agriculture may not be possible every year and thus farmers shift to follow the rainfall. Pupulation densities are low and most of the population is somewhat nomadic, however, there are some permanent settlements in coastal towns where the main economic activity is fishing.^[1]

Habitat

At higher elevations on the plateau, different types of steppe vegetation dominate depending on soil conditions, for example in the slopes and foothills of the

tamarisks Tamarix spp. In depressions the vegetation includes a scrub consisting of the Mount Atlas mastic tree Pistacia atlantica, Ziziphus lotus, Asterichus graveolens and mallows Malva spp.^[1]

Fauna

The fauna lacks

Amietophrynus regularis. The North African ostrich Struthio camelus camelus occurred in this region but is now largely extirpated.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2016-11-27.

External links

"Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

[WWF-1] "Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2016-11-27.

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