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The Mesopotamian shrub desert 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 ...
in Western Asia. It extends across portions of Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.


Geography

The Mesopotamian shrub desert is a transitional region between the semi-arid steppes of the northern Mesopotamia and Levant to the north, and the Arabian Desert to the south. The western portion of the ecoregion consists of rocky or sandy plateaus, including the
Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( ar, بادية الشام ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert and steppe covering of the Middle East, including parts of so ...
in southern Syria and northern Jordan, and a portion of the
Harrat al-Sham The ''Ḥarrat al-Shām'' ( ar, حَرَّة ٱلشَّام), also known as the Black Desert, is a region of rocky, basaltic desert straddling southern Syria and the northern Arabian Peninsula. It covers an area of some in the modern-day Syria ...
black
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
desert in eastern Jordan. The eastern portion of the ecoregion includes central Mesopotamia, and the
Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
and
Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
rivers run through it."Mesopotamian Shrub Desert". ''One Earth'', UNEP-WCMC Author Team. Accessed 29 October 2020

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Climate

The ecoregion has an arid subtropical climate. Rainfall averages 120 mm per year, concentrated in the winter months. Daytime temperatures often exceed 40° C in the summer months. Winters are cooler, and temperatures can fall below freezing on winter nights.


Flora

Typical vegetation is dry shrubland. Shrubs include species of '' Artemisia (genus), Artemisia,
Anabasis Anabasis (from Greek ''ana'' = "upward", ''bainein'' = "to step or march") is an expedition from a coastline into the interior of a country. Anabase and Anabasis may also refer to: History * ''Anabasis Alexandri'' (''Anabasis of Alexander''), a ...
'', and ''
Haloxylon ''Haloxylon'' is a genus of shrubs or small trees, belonging to the plant family Amaranthaceae. ''Haloxylon'' and its species are known by the common name saxaul. According to Dmitry Ushakov, the name borrowed from the Kazakh "seksevil". In moder ...
''. Perennial herbaceous plants include '' Achillea fragrantissima'' and ''
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 the grass '' Stipagrostis plumosa''. Fast-growing ephemeral herbs sprout after rains, and quickly set seed before the succumbing to the summer drought. Poplar trees (''
Populus euphratica ''Populus euphratica'', commonly known as the Euphrates poplar, desert poplar, diversiform-leaved poplar, or poplar diversifolia, is a species of poplar tree in the willow family. Description The Euphrates poplar is a medium-sized deciduous ...
''), reeds, and bulrushes are found in the seasonal and permanent wetlands along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.


Fauna

Native mammals include
golden jackal The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy ...
(''Canis aureus''),
Rüppell's fox Rüppell's fox (''Vulpes rueppellii''), also called Rüppell's sand fox, is a fox species living in desert and semi-desert regions of North Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List ...
(''Vulpes rueppellii''), and striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena''). Small populations of
sand cat The sand cat (''Felis margarita'') is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. With its sandy to light grey fur, it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. Its head-and-body length ranges from with a ...
(''Felis margarita''),
Arabian oryx The Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') or white oryx is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of the genus ''Oryx'', native to desert and steppe areas o ...
(''Oryx leucoryx'') and Arabian sand gazelle (''Gazella marica'') are found in a few areas. The
Syrian wild ass The Syrian wild ass (''Equus hemionus hemippus''), less commonly known as a hemippe, an achdari, or a Mesopotamian or Syrian onager, is an extinct subspecies of onager native to the Arabian peninsula and surrounding areas. It ranged across present ...
(''Equus hemionus hemippus'') once ranged across the ecoregion, but was hunted to extinction by the early 20th century. Native birds include the mourning wheatear (''Oenanthe lugens''), and the Mesopotamian hooded crow (''Corvus cornix capellanus'') in Mesopotamia. The area around Lake Tharthar, a reservoir between the Tigris and Euphrates, is a wintering ground for several threatened birds, including the
Saker falcon The saker falcon (''Falco cherrug'') is a large species of falcon. This species breeds from central Europe eastwards across the Palearctic to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia ...
(''Falco cherrug'') and
Houbara bustard The houbara bustard (''Chlamydotis undulata''), also known as African houbara, is a relatively small bustard native to North Africa, where it lives in arid habitats. The global population is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2014. ...
(''Chlamydotis undulata'').


Protected areas

Less than 1% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Azraq Wetland Reserve and Burqu Nature Reserve in Jordan, and Al-Talila Reserve in Syria.


References

{{reflist Ecoregions of Iran Ecoregions of Iraq Ecoregions of Israel Ecoregions of Jordan Ecoregions of Syria deserts and xeric shrublands Palearctic ecoregions