The Mesopotamian shrub desert is an

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 ...

deserts and xeric shrublands Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (Ancient Greek 'dry') shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this habitat ...

located in Western Asia. It extends across portions of Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

Geography

The Mesopotamian shrub desert is a transitional region between the semi-arid steppes of northern Mesopotamia and the Levant to the north, and the

Arabian Desert The Arabian Desert () is a vast desert wilderness in West Asia that occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula with an area of . It stretches from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It is the fourth largest desert in the ...

to the south. The western portion of the ecoregion consists of rocky or sandy plateaus, including the

Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( ''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 about of West Asia, including parts of northern Saudi Arabia, ea ...

in southern Syria and northern Jordan, and a portion of the Harrat al-Sham black

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, 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 planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

desert in eastern Jordan. The eastern portion of the ecoregion includes central Mesopotamia, and the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern 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 Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

and

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

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 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''), ...

'', and '' Haloxylon''. Perennial herbaceous plants include '' Achillea fragrantissima'' and ''

Astragalus Astragalus may refer to: * ''Astragalus'' (plant), a large genus of herbs and small shrubs *Astragalus (bone) The talus (; Latin for ankle or ankle bone; : tali), talus bone, astragalus (), or ankle bone is one of the group of foot bones known ...

'' 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''), 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 the common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Eurasia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter. It is smaller a ...

(''Canis aureus''), Rüppell's fox (''Vulpes rueppellii''), and

striped hyena The striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena'') is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Hyaena''. It is listed by the IU ...

(''Hyaena hyaena''). Small populations of sand cat (''Felis margarita''),

Arabian oryx The Arabian oryx or white oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') 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 area ...

(''Oryx leucoryx''),

Dorcas gazelle The dorcas gazelle (''Gazella dorcas''), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about at the shoulder, with a head and body length of and a weight of . The numerous subspecies survive on veget ...

, and Arabian sand gazelle (''Gazella marica'') are found as well. 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 prese ...

(''Equus hemionus hemippus'') once ranged across the ecoregion, but was hunted to extinction by the early 20th century. Similarily, the

Arabian ostrich The Arabian ostrich (''Struthio camelus syriacus''), Syrian ostrich, or Middle Eastern ostrich is an extinct subspecies of the ostrich that lived on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Near East until the mid-20th century. Distribution The Arabia ...

, Syrian elephant, and the Arabian wolf are hypothesised to have inhabited the region in the past. The former have been extinct for millenia, and the latter's presence has receded to the Arabian Desert. Native birds include the mourning wheatear (''Oenanthe lugens''), and the Mesopotamian hooded crow (''Corvus cornix capellanus'') in Mesopotamia. The area around

Lake Tharthar Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar (), is an artificial lake created in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Baghdad between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. History In 1956, the southern ...

, a reservoir between the Tigris and Euphrates, is a wintering ground for several threatened birds, including the Saker falcon (''Falco cherrug'') and Houbara bustard (''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

External links

* {{Palearctic desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions Ecoregions of Iran Ecoregions of Iraq Ecoregions of Israel Ecoregions of Jordan Ecoregions of Palestine Ecoregions of Syria Deserts and xeric shrublands Palearctic ecoregions