Subtropical forests and shrubs in Eurasia


Subtropical forests and shrubs cover the natural zones of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs in southern Europe and variable-moist forests in the east of Asia.

The zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs is common on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a dry, hot summer and a rainy winter. Brown soil soils are fertile. Plants have hard, often shiny or narrow leaves that help them withstand the summer heat. The prevailing type of vegetation is maquis – drought-resistant prickly low trees and shrubs. Grow wild olive, pine, cypress, cork and stone oak, strawberry tree, laurel, citrus. From animals there are lizards, snakes, turtles. There are deer, porcupine, jackal. Here lives the only monkey of Europe – the tailless macaque of the Magot.

Variable-humid forests are widespread in the southeast of China and the Japanese islands. Here, in a monsoon climate, the winter is cool and dry, and the summer is warm and humid. On fertile red and yellow soils in these forests grow oak, walnut, cedar, pine, tree ferns. They are entwined with lianas vine of Chinese magnolia and wild grapes. Enchant with their flowers magnolias, camellias, Japanese cherry – sakura, Chinese rose – hibiscus, kiwi, the fruits of which are rich in vitamins. In the variable-moist forests, the highest grass in the world grows – bamboo. It grows very fast, adding up to 1 m per day, and reaches 40 m in height. From the animal zone, the most famous large and small panda, raccoon dog, deer, leopard, from monkeys Japanese macaques and gibbons.

The zone of variable-moist forests is very changed by human activity. On the site of cut down forests grown tea bushes, citrus, rice.


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Subtropical forests and shrubs in Eurasia