The Manchurian mixed forests

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: PA0426) covers the forested hills surrounding the river plains of northern China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. The ecoregion supports a number of rare species due to the relative isolation, the diversity of habitat, with mixed forests of deciduous Mongolian oak and conifers of Korean pine. Because mountains rise above the region on three sides, with plains and wetlands below, the area supports high biodiversity as a transition zone.

Location and description

The ecoregion occupies the middle-elevation slopes of three surrounding mountain ranges: the eastern slopes of the

Greater Khingan The Greater Khingan Range or Da Hinggan Range ( zh, s=大兴安岭, t=大興安嶺, p=Dà Xīng'ān Lǐng; IPA: ) is a volcanic mountain range in the Inner Mongolia region of Northeast China. It was originally called the Xianbei Mountains, whi ...

Mountains, the southern slopes of the

Lesser Khingan Lesser Khingan ( zh, c=小兴安岭, p=Xiǎo Xīng'ān Lǐng; , ''Maly Khingan'') is a mountain range in China's Heilongjiang province and the adjacent parts of Russia's Amur Oblast and Jewish Autonomous Oblast.

, and the western slopes of the Changbai Mountains. The southern section of the ecoregion surrounds the higher Changbai Mountains mixed forests ecoregion, while the middle section encircles most of the lower-elevation Northeast China Plain deciduous forests ecoregion, and the northern half of the ecoregion surrounds the lower western sector of the Amur meadow steppe ecoregion.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Humid continental climate, warm summer'' (

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 ...

(Dwb)), with a dry winter. This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over , but no month averaging over , and cold winters having monthly precipitation less than one-tenth of the wettest summer month. Precipitation varies by location, ranging from 500 to 1000 mm/year. Summer and Fall are the wet season.

Flora and Fauna

Because the ecoregion ranges from 37 to 53 degrees north latitude, its forests contain more conifers than the deciduous forests to the south. On the eastern side, the most common conifers are

Korean pine ''Pinus koraiensis'' is a species of pine known commonly as the Korean pine. It is a relic species of the Tertiary, identified as a rare tree species by United Nations. It is native to eastern Asia: Korea, northeastern China, Mongolia, the tempe ...

(''Pinus koraiensis''), Manchurian fir (''Abies holophylla''), and Siberian spruce (''Picea obovata''). Deciduous trees include Mongolian oak ('' Quercus mongolica''), Manchurian ash ('' Fraxinus mandschurica''), Amur linden ('' Tilia amurensis''), and Manchurian elm ('' Ulmus laciniata''). On the western side, common conifers include Scots pine (''

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native plant, native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly s ...

''). The forests are home to wildlife such as the Ussuri brown bear (''Ursus arctos lasiotus''), Ussuri black bear (''Ursus thibetanus ussuricus''),

Manchurian wapiti The Manchurian wapiti (''Cervus canadensis xanthopygus'') is a putative subspecies of the wapiti native to East Asia. It may be identified as its own species, ''Cervus xanthopygus''. Description The Manchurian wapiti's coat is reddish brown dur ...

(''Cervus canadensis xanthopygus''), Manchurian sika deer (''Cervus nippon mantchuricus''), common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides''),

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

(''Canis lupus''),

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

es (''Vulpes vulpes''), and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

(''Sus scrofa''). The endangered

Siberian tiger The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies ''Panthera tigris tigris'' native to Northeast China, the Russian Far East, and possibly North Korea. It once ranged throughout the Korea, Korean Peninsula, but currently ...

(''Panthera tigris tigris'') and Amur leopard (''Panthera pardus orientalis'') are also found here.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 57,139 km², or 11%, of the ecoregion is in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s. Little forest remains outside the protected areas. Supplemental material 2 table S1b. Protected areas include Heishan Scenic Area, Huazishan Scenic Area, Jiguan Mountain Scenic Area, Laozumu Peak Scenic Area, Menggu Mountain Scenic Area, Wanfo Mountain Scenic Area, Xiangmoshan Scenic Area, and Xinglong National Forest Park in China, Land of the Leopard National Park in Russia, and Seoraksan National Park in South Korea.

References

External links