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Central Asian Riparian Woodlands
The Central Asian riparian woodlands ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1311) is spread out across the deserts and plains of central Asia between the Aral Sea and the mountains to the east. The long narrow components of the ecoregion follow the large rivers fed by snowmelt, and provide critical habitat for migratory birds as they travel through the arid region. The vegetation is referred to as tugai, characterized by low tangles of trees and brush along the edges of the rivers and associated wetlands, and fed by groundwater instead of precipitation. Location and description Major river systems that support habitat for this ecoregion include: * The Syr Darya (River), which flows westward for over from the Tian Shan Mountains across eastern Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan to the Aral Sea. * The Amu Darya (River), which runs parallel to and south of the Syr Darya; the Amu Darya flows out of Afghanistan and Tajikistan northwest along the border of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. * The Mur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Mediterranean Basin; North Africa; North Arabia; Western, Central and East Asia. The Palaearctic realm also has numerous rivers and lakes, forming several freshwater ecoregions. Both the eastern and westernmost extremes of the Paleartic span into the Western Hemisphere, including Cape Dezhnyov in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug to the east and Iceland to the west. The term was first used in the 19th century, and is still in use as the basis for zoogeographic classification. History In an 1858 paper for the ''Proceedings of the Linnean Society'', British zoologist Philip Sclater first identified six terrestrial zoogeographic realms of the world: Palaearctic, Aethiopian/ Afrotropic, Indian/ I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ili River
The Ili River (, , ; ; ; zh, 伊犁河, ; , ; , ) is a river in Northwest China and Southeastern Kazakhstan. It flows from the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region to the Almaty Region in Kazakhstan. It is long (including its source river the Tekes),Или of which is in Kazakhstan. The river originates from the Tekes and Künes rivers in Eastern . The Ili drains the basin between the Tian Shan and the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cotoneaster
''Cotoneaster'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region (temperate Asia, Europe, north Africa), with a strong concentration of diversity in the genus in the mountains of southwestern China and the Himalayas.Flora of China''Cotoneaster''(includes most of the world's ''Cotoneaster'' species) ''www.efloras.org'' They are related to hawthorns (''Crataegus''), firethorns (''Pyracantha''), photinias (''Photinia''), and rowans (''Sorbus''). Depending on the species definition used, between 70 and 300 different species of ''Cotoneaster'' are described, with many apomictic microspecies treated as species by some authors, but only as varieties by others.Bean, W. J. (1976). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'' 8th edition. John Murray . The majority of species are shrubs from tall, varying from ground-hugging prostrate plants to erect shrubs; a few, notably ''C. frigidus'', are small trees up to tall and trunk diamet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely known species include ''Lonicera periclymenum'' (common honeysuckle or woodbine), ''Lonicera japonica'' (Japanese honeysuckle, white honeysuckle, or Chinese honeysuckle) and ''Lonicera sempervirens'' (coral honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle, or woodbine honeysuckle). ''L. japonica'' is a highly invasive species considered a significant pest in parts of North America, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa. Some species are highly fragrant and colorful, so are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. In North America, hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers, especially ''L. sempervirens'' and ''L. ciliosa'' (orange honeysuckle). Honeysuckle derives its name from the edible sweet nectar obtainable from its tubular flowers. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berberis
''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America and Asia; Europe, Africa and North America have native species as well. The best-known ''Berberis'' species is the European barberry, '' Berberis vulgaris'', which is common in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, and has been widely introduced in North America. Many of the species have spines on the shoots and all along the margins of the leaves. Description The genus ''Berberis'' has dimorphic shoots: long shoots which form the structure of the plant, and short shoots only long. The leaves on long shoots are non-photosynthetic, developed into one to three or more spines long. The bud in the axil of each thorn-leaf then develops a short shoot with several normal, photosynthetic leaves. These leaves are long, simple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hippophae Rhamnoides
''Hippophae rhamnoides'', also known as sea buckthorn, sandthorn, sallowthorn or seaberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeagnaceae, native to cold-temperate regions of Eurasia. It is a spiny deciduous shrub. The plant is used in the food and cosmetics industries, in traditional medicine, as animal fodder, in horticulture, and for ecological purposes. Description and biology ''Hippophae rhamnoides'' is a hardy, deciduous shrub that can grow between 2 and 4 m high (between 7 and 13 ft). It has a rough, brown or black bark and a thick, grayish-green crown. The leaves are alternate, narrow and lanceolate, with silvery-green upper faces. It is dioecious, meaning that the male and female flowers grow on different shrubs. The sex of seedlings can only be determined at the first flowering, which mostly occurs after three years. The male inflorescence is built up of four to six apetalous flowers, while the female inflorescence normally consists of only on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamarix
The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tamaris River in Hispania Tarraconensis (Spain). Description They are evergreen or deciduous shrubs or trees growing to in height and forming dense thickets. The largest, ''Tamarix aphylla'', is an evergreen tree that can grow to tall. They usually grow on saline soils, tolerating up to 15,000 ppm soluble salt, and can also tolerate alkaline conditions. Tamarisks are characterized by slender branches and grey-green foliage. The bark of young branches is smooth and reddish brown. As the plants age, the bark becomes gray-brown, ridged and furrowed. The leaves are scale-like, almost like that of junipers, long, and overlap each other along the stem. They are often encrusted with salt secretions. The pink to white flowers appear in dense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elaeagnus
''Elaeagnus'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Elaeagnaceae. Some species of the genus are commonly known as silverberry or oleaster, Description ''Elaeagnus'' plants are deciduous or evergreen shrubs or small trees. The alternate leaf, leaves and the shoots are usually covered with tiny silvery to brownish scales, giving the plants a whitish to grey-brown colour from a distance. The flowers are small, with a four-lobed sepal, calyx and no petals; they are often fragrant. The fruit is a fleshy drupe containing a single seed; it is edible in many species. Several species are cultivated for their fruit, including ''E. angustifolia'', ''E. umbellata'', and ''E. multiflora'' (gumi). ''E. umbellata'' contains the carotenoid lycopene. Taxonomy The genus ''Elaeagnus'' was erected in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus, who attributed the name to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. There is agreement that the name is based on Theophrastus's use of the Ancient Greek (, l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (temperate), ''D'' (continental), and ''E'' (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the ''E'' group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, ''Af'' indicates a tropical rainforest climate. The system assigns a temperature subgroup for all groups other than those in the ''A'' group, indicated by the third letter for climates in ''B'', ''C'', ''D'', and the second letter for climates in ''E''. Other examples include: ''Cfb'' indicating an oceanic climate with warm summers as indicated by the ending ''b.'', while ''Dwb'' indicates a semi-Monsoon continental climate, monsoonal continental climate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desert Climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert climates are dry and hold little moisture, quickly evaporating the already little rainfall they receive. Covering 14.2% of Earth's land area, hot deserts are the second-most common type of climate on Earth after the Polar climate. There are two variations of a desert climate according to the Köppen climate classification: a hot desert climate (''BWh''), and a cold desert climate (''BWk''). To delineate "hot desert climates" from "cold desert climates", a mean annual temperature of is used as an isotherm so that a location with a ''BW'' type climate with the appropriate temperature above this isotherm is classified as "hot arid subtype" (''BWh''), and a location with the appropriate temperature below the isotherm is classified as "cold a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naryn River
The Naryn (, ) rises in the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, flowing west through the Fergana Valley into Uzbekistan. Here it merges with the Kara Darya (near Namangan) to form the Syr Darya. It is long (together with its upper course Chong-Naryn) and drains a basin area of . It has an annual flow of . The river contains many reservoirs which are important in the generation of hydroelectricity. The largest of these is the Toktogul Reservoir in Kyrgyzstan containing of water. Dams downstream of the Toktogul in Kyrgyzstan include: Kürpsay, Tash-Kömür, Shamaldy-Say and Üch-Korgon. Upstream of Toktogul in Kyrgyzstan are the Kambar-Ata-2 and At-Bashy Dams while the Kambar-Ata-1 Dam is in planning stages. Some places along the river: Kyrgyzstan: Kara-Say (see Barskoon), Naryn Region, Naryn, Dostuk, Jalal-Abad Region Jalal-Abad (; ) is a region (''oblast, oblus'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is the city of the same name, Jalal-Abad. It is surrounded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vakhsh River
The Vakhsh ( ; Tajik and ), also known as the Surkhob () in north-central Tajikistan and as the Kyzyl-Suu () in Kyrgyzstan, is a Central Asian river and one of the main rivers of Tajikistan. It is a tributary of the Amu Darya river."Tajikistan - Topography and Drainage" in Tajikistan: a Country Study (Washington: Library of Congress, 1996) Geography The Vakhsh flows through the , passing through very mountainous territory that frequently restricts its flow to narrow channels within deep gorges. Some of the largest glaciers in Tajikistan, including the[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
