Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands
Encyclopedia
The Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands is a xeric woodland
ecoregion
of the Arabian Peninsula
.
of southwestern Saudi Arabia
and the Western Highlands of Yemen
.
and Tarchonanthus camphoratus
the predominant trees. Above 2500 meters elevation, cloud forests, composed of large shrubs and small trees, can be found on wetter north-facing slopes, mostly made up of Juniperus procera
and Euryops arabicus, covered with the lichen
Usnea articulata. On the drier south-facing slopes dwarf-shrub forests of Rubus petitianus, Rosa abyssinica, Alchemilla crytantha, Senecio
spp., Helichrysum abyssinicum, Aloe sabae, and Euphorbia ssp. are common.
(Panthera pardus ssp. nimr) and Arabian Wolf
(Canis lupus ssp. Arabs) are critically endangered. Other mammals include the Hamadryas Baboon
(Papio hamadryas), Caracal
(Caracal caracal ssp. schmitzi), Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis ssp. jayakari), and Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena).
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
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
.
Setting
The ecoregion covers an area of 86900 square kilometres (33,552.3 sq mi), lying above 2000 meters elevations in the Asir MountainsAsir Mountains
The Asir mountains is a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia running parallel to the Red Sea. It comprises primarily areas in Asir within Saudi Arabia, however it also generally includes areas near the Yemen border...
of southwestern Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and the Western Highlands of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
.
Flora
The flora changes with elevation. Evergreen woodland and scrub lies between 2000 and 2500 meters elevation, with Olea europaea subsp. cuspidataOlea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata is a subspecies of olive previously described as Olea cuspidata and Olea africana. It is has various local common names, including African olive, wild olive, iron tree, Indian olive or zambujeiro da India....
and Tarchonanthus camphoratus
Tarchonanthus camphoratus
Tarchonanthus camphoratus , is a shrub or small tree, native to eastern and Southern Africa and Arabia....
the predominant trees. Above 2500 meters elevation, cloud forests, composed of large shrubs and small trees, can be found on wetter north-facing slopes, mostly made up of Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera
Juniperus procera, commonly known in English as African Juniper or East African Juniper, is a coniferous tree native to the mountains of eastern Africa from eastern Sudan south to Zimbabwe, and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula...
and Euryops arabicus, covered with the lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
Usnea articulata. On the drier south-facing slopes dwarf-shrub forests of Rubus petitianus, Rosa abyssinica, Alchemilla crytantha, Senecio
Senecio
Senecio is a genus of the daisy family that includes ragworts and groundsels. The flower heads are normally rayed, completely yellow, and the heads are borne in branched clusters...
spp., Helichrysum abyssinicum, Aloe sabae, and Euphorbia ssp. are common.
Fauna
The Arabian LeopardArabian leopard
The Arabian leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Arabian Peninsula and classified as critically endangered by IUCN since 1996. Less than 200 animals remained in 2006...
(Panthera pardus ssp. nimr) and Arabian Wolf
Arabian Wolf
The Arabian wolf is a subspecies of Gray Wolf which was once found throughout the Arabian Peninsula, but now only lives in small pockets in Southern Israel, Southern and western Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and probably in some parts of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.-Features and...
(Canis lupus ssp. Arabs) are critically endangered. Other mammals include the Hamadryas Baboon
Hamadryas Baboon
The Hamadryas baboon is a species of baboon from the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons; being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. These regions provide habitats with the advantage for this species of fewer natural...
(Papio hamadryas), 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...
(Caracal caracal ssp. schmitzi), Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis ssp. jayakari), and Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena).