East Asian Biomes

• Main Author: MacKinnon, John
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2013
• Subjects: Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199830060-0124

East Asian biomes include the major biological ecosystems that make up the land area of East Asia, specifically China with Taiwan, Mongolia, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. These vary from northern tundra and boreal to southern tropical and subtropical ecosystems, include several major mountain ranges, and comprise forest ecosystems, grasslands, deserts, and also important wetland systems. One literally outstanding globally unique feature of the region is the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau, which forms the source of many of Asia’s major rivers and also drives the monsoon climatic patterns of the entire region. The region includes the world’s most populated country, China, and some of the most densely populated areas but also some of the least populated areas of the planet, including Mongolia with the lowest density. The region is unusually rich in both flora and fauna and has many distinctive endemic features and relic species. The biome has been a great source of domesticated species and economically important species but faces severe conservation challenges as a result of rapid development and changing climate.