Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests

The Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests is an ecoregion that covers most of the island of Taiwan, with the exception of the southern tip of the island, which constitutes the South Taiwan monsoon rain forests ecoregion. The island's concentrated steep mountains host a range of forest types, from subtropical forests in the lowlands to temperate and alpine or montane forests.

Flora

The coastal plains and lower elevations are covered by evergreen laurel-Castanopsis forests, dominated by Chinese Cryptocarya (Cryptocarya chinensis) and Castanopsis hystrix, with scattered stands of the subtropical pine Pinus massoniana. At higher elevations, Japanese blue oak (Quercus glauca) replaces Cryptocarya and Castanopsis as the dominant tree.

As elevation further increases, the evergreen broadleaf trees are gradually replaced by deciduous broadleaf trees and conifers. Above 3,000 meters, deciduous broadleaf trees like Formosan alder (Alnus formosana) and maple (Acer spp.) mix with Taiwan hemlock (Tsuga chinensis). At the highest elevations, subalpine forests are dominated by conifers, including Taiwan hemlock (Tsuga chinensis), spruces (Picea spp.), and firs (Abies spp.).

Fauna

Mammals: there are sixty types of species of animals in Taiwan. Birds: there are over 500 species of birds in Taiwan. The migratory birds in Taiwan are famous all over the world. Reptiles: there are ninety kinds of reptiles found in Taiwan. Amphibians: over thirty species of amphibians are found in Taiwan. Fishes: there are around 150 kinds of fishes in Taiwan. This excludes the sea fishes. Insects: there are 17,600 kinds of insects that have been already recognized and named in Taiwan. Butterflies: there are 400 kinds of butterflies that are found in Taiwan.

There are some rare species of animals in Taiwan that are found no where else on otherwise in less numbers. They are namely species of Swinhoe and Mikado pheasants that are almost extinct in the rest of the the world. The Formosan rock macaque, a monkey species, is found only in Taiwan.

See also

External links

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