Northwestern thorn scrub forests
Encyclopedia
The Northwestern thorn scrub forests are a xeric shrubland
ecoregion of Pakistan
and northwestern India
, a region of extreme temperatures and a very climate that was once covered in deciduous forest.
and Indus Valley Desert
ecoregions. It stretches along the border lowlands and hills between India and Pakistan and includes: the western half of Gujarat (excluding the mountain of Girnar
), and extending through Rajasthan, where it is bounded on the southeast by the Aravalli Range
; most of Haryana
and Punjab states of India as well as the Jammu
region of Jammu and Kashmir
, extending to the foothills of the Himalayas; in Pakistan, most of Punjab province
, extending into easternmost Northwest Frontier
and Baluchistan
provinces and western Sindh
.
This ecoregion, together with the Thar Desert and Indus Valley Desert ecoregions, form Miklos Udvardy
's "Thar Desert" Biogeographic province.
that have been degraded through intensive agriculture and grazing into stunted and open thorn scrub, dominated by species such as Acacia senegal
and Acacia leucophloea
, as well as Prosopis cineraria
, Capparis zeylandica, and species of Salvadora, Gymnosporia
, Grewia
, and Gardenia
. However the region also contains patches of semi-desert where the soil is particularly saline.
The temperature is dork degrees!
and their prey such as chinkara
(Gazella bennettii) and the threatened species chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), and blackbuck
(Antilope cervicapra). The scrubland is also home to another large cat, the caracal
, which preys on mice, birds, and reptiles. There are two endemic mammals, both bats: Triaenops persicus
and the Small Mouse-tailed Bat
(Rhinopoma muscatellum)
There are more than 400 species of birds in the region including the endemics Rufous-vented Prinia
(Prinia burnesii), the near-endemic White-winged Tit
(Parus nuchalis) and the threatened Great Indian Bustard
(Ardeotis nigriceps) and Lesser Florican
(Eupodotis indica).
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
ecoregion of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and northwestern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, a region of extreme temperatures and a very climate that was once covered in deciduous forest.
Location and description
The ecoregion encircles the Thar DesertThar Desert
The Thar Desert |Punjab]] province. The Cholistan Desert adjoins the Thar desert spreading into Pakistani Punjab province.-Location and description:...
and Indus Valley Desert
Indus Valley Desert
The Indus Valley Desert is an almost uninhabited desert ecoregion of northern Pakistan.-Location and description:The Indus Valley desert covers an area of in northwestern Punjab Province between the Chenab and Indus rivers...
ecoregions. It stretches along the border lowlands and hills between India and Pakistan and includes: the western half of Gujarat (excluding the mountain of Girnar
Girnar
Girnar is a collection of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India, situated near Junagadh at a distance of 327 km from Ahmedabad. It is a holy place and an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Jains. There are a number of temples located here. Amidst the lush green Gir...
), and extending through Rajasthan, where it is bounded on the southeast by the Aravalli Range
Aravalli Range
The Aravalli Range literally meaning 'line of peaks', is a range of mountains in western India and eastern Pakistan running approximately 800 km from northeast to southwest across states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat and Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh...
; most of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and Punjab states of India as well as the Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
region of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
, extending to the foothills of the Himalayas; in Pakistan, most of Punjab province
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, extending into easternmost Northwest Frontier
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
and Baluchistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
provinces and western Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
.
This ecoregion, together with the Thar Desert and Indus Valley Desert ecoregions, form Miklos Udvardy
Miklos Udvardy
Miklos Dezso Ferenc Udvardy was a biologist and biogeographer. He was born on March 23, 1919 in Debrecen, Hungary to Miklos Udvardy and Elizabeth Komlossy. Despite an early interest in birds, his father encouraged him to study law, but later went on to earn a doctorate in biology from the...
's "Thar Desert" Biogeographic province.
Flora
The Northwestern thorn scrub forests are thought to be tropical dry forestsTropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
that have been degraded through intensive agriculture and grazing into stunted and open thorn scrub, dominated by species such as Acacia senegal
Acacia senegal
is a small deciduous Acacia tree known by the common names Rfaudraksha, Gum Acacia, Gum Arabic Tree, or Gum Senegal Tree. It is native to semi-desert regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Oman, Pakistan, and northwestern India. It grows to a height of 5-12m, with a trunk up to 30 cm in...
and Acacia leucophloea
Acacia leucophloea
Acacia leucophloea , also called reonja, is a moderate sized tree sometimes mistaken for prosopis cineraria with spreading crown and somewhat malformed and crooked trunk....
, as well as Prosopis cineraria
Prosopis cineraria
Prosopis cineraria is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to arid portions of Western and South Asia, such as the Arabian and Thar Deserts...
, Capparis zeylandica, and species of Salvadora, Gymnosporia
Gymnosporia
Gymnosporia is a genus of plant in family Celastraceae.Species include:* Gymnosporia bachmannii, Loes.* Gymnosporia heterophylla...
, Grewia
Grewia
The large flowering plant genus Grewia is today placed by most authors in the mallow family Malvaceae, in the expanded sense as proposed by in the APG. Formerly, it was placed in either the linden family or the Sparrmanniaceae...
, and Gardenia
Gardenia
Gardenia is a genus of 142 species of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania....
. However the region also contains patches of semi-desert where the soil is particularly saline.
The temperature is dork degrees!
Fauna
Despite the large scale forest clearance large mammals still have fun remain in the ecoregion including leopardLeopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
and their prey such as chinkara
Chinkara
The Chinkara is a species of gazelle found in south Asia.-Habitat and Distribution:It lives in grasslands and desert areas in India, Bangladesh and parts of Iran and Pakistan...
(Gazella bennettii) and the threatened species chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), and blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....
(Antilope cervicapra). The scrubland is also home to another large cat, the caracal
Caracal
The caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.The word caracal comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", meaning "black ear". In North India and Pakistan, the caracal is locally known as syahgosh or shyahgosh, which is a Persian term...
, which preys on mice, birds, and reptiles. There are two endemic mammals, both bats: Triaenops persicus
Triaenops persicus
Triaenops persicus, also known as the Persian Trident Bat or Triple Nose-leaf Bat, is a species of bat in the genus Triaenops. It occurs in southwestern Pakistan, southern Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. In the last country, it occurs together with the much smaller Triaenops parvus...
and the Small Mouse-tailed Bat
Small Mouse-tailed Bat
The Small Mouse-tailed Bat is a species of bat in the Rhinopomatidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, and possibly Ethiopia....
(Rhinopoma muscatellum)
There are more than 400 species of birds in the region including the endemics Rufous-vented Prinia
Rufous-vented Prinia
The Rufous-vented Prinia or Long-tailed Grass Warbler is a small warbler.-Range, habitat, and status:As treated here, this prinia is found only in the plains of the Indus in Pakistan and adjacent in Punjab...
(Prinia burnesii), the near-endemic White-winged Tit
White-winged Tit
The White-winged Tit sometimes called the White-naped Tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to India where it is found in dry thorn scrub forest in two disjunct populations, in western India and southern India...
(Parus nuchalis) and the threatened Great Indian Bustard
Great Indian Bustard
The Great Indian Bustard or Indian Bustard is a bustard found in India and the adjoining regions of Pakistan. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds...
(Ardeotis nigriceps) and Lesser Florican
Lesser Florican
The Lesser Florican , also known as the Likh, is a large bird in the bustard family and the only member of the genus Sypheotides. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent where it is found in tall grasslands and is best known for the leaping breeding displays made by the males during the Monsoon...
(Eupodotis indica).