The Central Asian southern desert

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: PA1312) is an arid but ecologically active region between the east coast of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

and steppes at the base of the mountains of central Asia. Most of Turkmenistan and eastern Uzbekistan is in this ecoregion. The winters are milder than in the cold desert to the north (the Central Asian northern desert ecoregion), and a large number of endemic species have adapted to living in the particular climate and soil of the region. As with sandy deserts in general, the region is notable for high numbers of endemic species of reptiles and insects.

Location and description

The ecoregion covers the arid territory from the Caspian Sea on the west, almost to the

Pamir-Alay The Pamir-Alay is a mountain system in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, encompassing four main mountain ranges extending west from the Tian Shan Mountains, and located north of the main range of Pamir. They are variously considered part of ...

Mountains to the east. Most of Turkmenistan and the eastern half of Uzbekistan is this region. Covered are the coastal plains of the Caspian, the Krasnovodsk and Ustyurt Plateaus of northwest Turkmenistan, the Karakum Desert ('Black Sand' desert) of central Turkmenistan, and the Kyzylkum Desert ('Red Sand' desert) of eastern Uzbekistan and a portion of southern Kazakhstan between the

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

and

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

Rivers. The ecoregion is bisected by the thin ecoregion of the Central Asian riparian woodlands of the Amu Darya River.

Climate

The climate in the surrounding region is ''

Cold 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 ...

'' (

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'' (te ...

(BWk)). This climate features hot desert conditions in the summer, but cooler than hot deserts. Winters are cold and dry. At least one month averages below . Precipitation is 125–170 mm/year, with the little precipitation occurring in the winter and spring.

Flora and fauna

Soil type and quality is one of the main drivers of plant species across the ecoregion. Sandy areas typically feature White saxaul ('' Haloxylon persicum'') and Black saxaul ('' Haloxylon ammodendron''), which are short hardy trees that are tolerant of drought and poor soils. They have extensive root systems to hold in the sand. Thin sandy and loamy soils support many species of sagebrush and salt-tolerate saltworts ('' Salsola''). Saline solonchak soils support salt-tolerant succulent semi-shrubs such as '' Halostachys'', '' Halocnemum strobilaceum'' and Seepweeds ('' Suaeda''). Common mammals include the long-earned hedgehog ('' Hemiechinus auritus''), Brandt's hedgehog ('' Paraechinus hypomelas''), and Tolai hare ('' Lepus tolai''). Also common are gerbils and ten species of

jerboa Jerboas () are the members of the family Dipodidae. They are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on by little owls (''A ...

Protections

Significant protected areas in the ecoregion include: * Gaplaňgyr Nature Reserve, on the Gaplaňgyr Plateau spur of the Ustyurt Plateau in the northwest of the ecoregion. (Area: ) * Repetek Biosphere State Reserve, in the eastern Karakum Desert, established for the study of desert ecological recovery. It features the Desert monitors ('' Desert monitor''), and the Vulnerable Goitered Gazelle ('' Gazella subgutturosa''). (Area: ) * Badhyz State Nature Reserve, in the southern Karakum Desert, known for ungulate populations, including the Near-Threatened Onager (Asiatic Wild Ass, '' Equus hemionus''). (Area: )

References

External links

* {{Palearctic desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions Ecoregions of Kazakhstan Ecoregions of Turkmenistan Ecoregions of Uzbekistan Deserts and xeric shrublands Palearctic ecoregions