![]() The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion supports one of the richest alpine floral displays of the world, which becomes vividly apparent during the spring and summer. The meadows explode into a riot of colour from the contrasting blue, purple, yellow, pink, and red flowers of alpine herbs, during that period. The species like Rhododendrons characterise the alpine scrub habitat closer to tree line and the tall, bright-yellow flower stalk of the Noble Rhubarb, Rheum Nobile, stands above all the low herbs. The plant richness in this ecoregion is estimated to be at more than 7,000 species, which is three times better than what is estimated for the other alpine meadows in the Himalayas. In fact, only the famous rain forests of Borneo are estimated to have a richer flora than this ecoregion, among all the Indo-Pacific ecoregions. ![]() The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion receives rainfall due to the southwest monsoon that occurs during the months of May to September. The water it brings from the Bay of Bengal is first intercepted and expended in this ecoregion. However, the complex topography creates rain shadows within this general trend, which results in much localised climatic variations. The annual rainfall in different parts of the ecoregion ranges from 300-3,500 mm. Apart from the annual rainfall, aspect is another important criterion that determines local climatic variation in this ecoregion. The north-facing slopes remain less exposed to sunlight and are thus cooler and retain more moisture. For this reason, they are more likely to harbour a specialised Himalayan flora adapted to these moist, microclimatic conditions. The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion is primarily dominated by colourful Rhododendron species that exhibit high species turnover. Some of the common species of this ecoregion include the Rhododendron campanulatum, R. wallichi, R. campylocarpum, R. thomsonii, R. wightii, R. bhutanense, R. aeruginosum, R. succothii, R. fragariiflorum, R. pumilum, R. baileyi, R. pogonophyllum, R. calciphila, R. crebriflorum, R. chryseum, R. riparium, R. sanguineum, and R. saluenense, etc. On the other hand, the herbs lend springtime colour to the alpine meadows ecoregion. These herbs include hundreds of species from the genera like Alchemilla, Androsace, Primula, Diapensia, Impatiens, Draba, Anemone, Gentiana, Leontopodium, Meconopsis, Saxifraga, Sedum, Saussurea, Rhododendron, Potentilla, Pedicularis, and Viola, etc. Several of these species are considered as valuable medicinal herbs. ![]() The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion is also home to the avian predators like the Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Black Eagle, and Northern Goshawk. About 115 bird species can be found in different parts of this ecoregion, out of which, one is considered as near-endemic. This species is the Chestnut-breasted partridge and it is mainly limited to the eastern Himalayas. This species can also be found in the adjacent Himalayan Subtropical Broadleaf Forests, Eastern Himalayan Broadleaf Forests, and Eastern Himalayan Sub-Alpine Conifer Forests. Some of the other important bird species include the Himalayan Snowcock, Tibetan Partridge, Snow Partridge, Satyr Tragopan, etc. |
More ArticlesEastern Himalayan Alpine Shrub and Meadows (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Himalayan Alpine Shrub and Meadows