The Altai alpine meadow and tundra

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

(WWF ID: PA1001) is a

terrestrial ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

covering the higher elevation of the

Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The ...

at the center of the "X" formed by the borders separating

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. The mountain peaks are the farthest north in Central Asia, separating the plains of Siberia to the north from the hot, dry deserts to the south. Altitudes above 2,400 meters display characteristics of tundra, with patches of alpine meadows and some trees immediately below the treeline. The ecoregion is in the

montane grasslands and shrublands Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than t ...

biome, and the

Palearctic realm 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 ...

, with a humid continental climate. It covers an area of .

Location and description

The ecoregion covers the high-peak ranges of mountains across the meeting of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, stretching about 700 km from northwest-to-southeast, and a similar distance from southwest-to-northeast. The ecoregion is scattered, capturing the higher elevations above the treeline; the lower elevations in this area are mostly in the

Altai montane forest and forest steppe The Altai montane forest and forest steppe ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0502) covers patches of the subalpine forest belt on the Altai Mountains, crossing the border region where Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China meet. The region has high biodiversi ...

ecoregion, with warmer temperatures. The Altai are broken into a number of ranges, with the Southern Altai in Kazakhstan, and the Mongolian Altai and Gobi Altai stretching away to the southeast. Because these mountains are at a relatively high latitude compared to other Central Asian mountains, the alpine regions begin at lower altitudes. The treeline at its highest is , and the zone of rocks and glaciers at .

Climate

The region has a

Tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

(Koppen classification ET). This climate is defined as having at least one month warm enough to melt snow (average greater than 0 degrees C), but no month averaging over . The high Altai region receives mean precipitation of about 294 mm/year. The mean temperature is in January, and in July.

Flora and fauna

Overall, the plant life of the Altai show more closeness to Arctic species than do the more southerly mountains of Central Asia (the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

, the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

, and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

an). One study of 300 species in the region found that 39% had Arctic affinities. Within the region, plant life is highly dependent on altitude zonation and the elevation levels. There are few species in the highest, "nival" zone, where glaciers and exposed bare rock make life difficult. The sub-nival (high-alpine) zone features moss, lichen, and creeping plants over broad areas of the high plateaus. The low-alpine zone, above full treeline, is a zone of alpine meadows featuring

dwarf birch ''Betula nana'', the dwarf birch, is a species of birch in the family Betulaceae, found mainly in the tundra of the Arctic region. Description It is a monoecious, deciduous shrub growing up to high. The bark is non-peeling and shiny red-copper ...

(''Betula rotundifolia'') in the wetter northern areas, and sedge-meadows of ''

Kobresia ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' may ...

'' (bog sedge) and ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...

''. Because of its remoteness, the mountains of this ecoregion support many vulnerable species of mammals, including significant populations of the endangered

Snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because ...

(''Panthera uncia''), the

Eurasian lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is one of the four wikt:extant, extant species within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. It is widely distributed from Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe to Cent ...

(''Lynx lynx''), and the vulnerable

Siberian musk deer The Siberian musk deer (''Moschus moschiferus'') is a musk deer found in the mountain forests of Northeast Asia. It is most common in the taiga of southern Siberia, but is also found in parts of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and the Korean ...

(''Moschus moschiferus'').

Protections

There are a number of nationally protected areas that are at least partially in the ecoregion: *

Katun Nature Reserve Katun Nature Reserve () (also Katunsky) is a Russian zapovednik (strict nature reserve) located in the highlands of the central Altai Mountains of south Siberia. The Katun River runs down through a valley in the reserve, serving as the primary so ...

, follows the Katun Ridge of the Altai Mountains, mostly in Russia along the border with Kazakhstan. * Katon-Karagay National Park, includes a portion of

Belukha Mountain Belukha Mountain (; rus, Белуха, p=bʲɪˈɫuxəl, also known as Beluga Mountain, Icemount Peak ( / ), or The Three Peaks ( / ), is the highest peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia and the highest of the South Siberian Mountains syste ...

, shared with Russia and reaching an altitude of 4,506 meters. *

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park Altai Tavan Bogd National Park (, ''Altai five saints nature complex'') is a national park in Bayan-Ölgii Province of western Mongolia. The park includes the Mongolian side of the Tavan Bogd massif, which is divided by the triple border with R ...

, south of Tavan Bogd, at 4,374 meters the highest mountain in Mongolia.

External links

References