NCCnovel Chapter 158 The Disappearance of the Forest Rangers (Part )
Chapter 158 The Disappearance of the Forest Rangers (Part )
In the Greater Khingan Range, due to differences in site conditions and altitudes, the Dahurian larch forest presents different forest types, among which the widely distributed and representative ones are rhododendron-Dahliae forest, blueberry-Dahliae forest, Leptospermum olgensis-Dahliae forest, grass-Dahliae forest and birch-larch forest.
Daxinganling is a famous mountain range in northeastern China and one of the most important forestry bases in China.
It starts from the banks of the Heilongjiang River in the north and ends at the upper valley of the Xilinmu River in the south. It is more than 1200 kilometers long, 200-300 kilometers wide, and 1100-1400 meters above sea level. It is the largest forest area in China, and its timber reserves account for half of China's total.
The southeast slope of Daxinganling is steeper, while the northwest slope slopes gently toward the Inner Mongolia Plateau. After long-term erosion, the top of the mountain is rounded, with Huanggangliang at an altitude of 2029 meters as the highest. In summer, the southeast slope is affected by the ocean monsoon, with more rain, while the northwest slope is drier, becoming the dividing line between forest and grassland. The northern part of Daxinganling is covered with dense, virgin forests that block out the sun. The forest belt is wide in the north and narrow in the south, spanning 7° latitude, covering an area of about 25 square kilometers, and a forest coverage rate of about 62%. There are many high-quality woods in Daxinganling, such as red pine and ash. Larch, birch, and poplar are the main tree species here. Because the trees here are very dense, they can only receive the maximum amount of sunlight by growing upwards desperately. Therefore, the trees here are generally straight and tall, and are top-quality building materials. Some big trees grow to more than 60 meters, and their trunks are still straight.
The Greater Khingan Range has 730 million hectares of forest land, with a forest coverage rate of 74.1%. In the vast green ocean, there are more than 400 species of rare birds and animals, such as cold-temperate red deer, reindeer, moose (An Da An), sika deer, brown bears, sables, flying dragons, pheasants, stick chickens, swans, musk deer, elk (commonly known as four-unlike animals), wild boars, black chickens, snow rabbits, roe deer (dwarf deer, wild sheep), and more than 1000 species of wild plants, making it a rare paradise for wild animals and plants in China's high-latitude areas. More than large and small rivers, such as Gan River, Dobukur, Naduli, Huma, and Emur, flow through the Greater Khingan Range, and eventually flow into the mother river of the border people, the Heilongjiang River. Precious cold-water fish such as sturgeon, trevally, fine-scaled, big salmon, and river snowfish are abundant here.
Birds: The most representative species of Greater Khingan Range are the Grouse. Although there are also Grouse in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan, this area ranks first in the country in terms of species and quantity. There are three main species: black-billed grouse (Bangji), black grouse (Wuji), and hazel grouse (Feilong). They are not afraid of severe cold and stay in Greater Khingan Range all year round. They mostly live on the ground, but also often move around in trees. In spring and summer, they eat tree buds, leaves, insects, etc. In autumn and winter, they eat bright red blueberry fruits, larch twigs, birch and hazelnut inflorescences, buds, etc. At night, they crawl into snow nests to spend the night. They build nests on the ground, but their nests are well hidden and extremely difficult to find problems. They are typical winter migratory birds in this area.
Among some bird species, except for the Capridae, there are three species in the Phasianidae. Pheasants are only found in the south of the Yilehuli Mountains, and there are a certain number of spotted-winged mountain partridges.
In addition to chickens, there are also mountain doves, which are common summer migrants here. Rock pigeons are found near the cliffs.
Waterfowl occupy a considerable position among the birds in Greater Khingan Range, including 13 orders of geese and ducks. Greater Khingan Range is a natural breeding ground for many geese and ducks, among which the magpie duck and the spotted-headed merganser only breed in this area.
Wading birds include Ciconiiformes, Gruiformes, and Charadriiformes, with a total of 40 species, among which Charadriiformes has the most species. They are residents of swamp wetlands and riverine waters and are all migratory birds.
Raptors account for a large proportion of the birds in Greater Khingan Range, including 19 species of Falconiformes and 10 species of Strigiformes. They play an important role in controlling the number of rodents and maintaining the ecological balance of nature.
The climbing birds include 13 species of Cuculiformes, Nighthawks, Psoralea, and Eurasian storks, which are important insectivorous birds. Among them, there are 7 species of Eurasian storks, which are common birds in the forest in winter.
There are 114 species of songbirds, which is the ecological group with the largest number of bird species in the Greater Khingan Range. Except for a few species of Corvidae, Paridae, Munia, and Passeriformes, most of the passerine birds are migratory birds. Except for Passeriformes, Munia, and Larks, most of the passerine birds are animal feeders, which is an important factor in controlling pests and maintaining ecological balance.
Compared with other places in China, the endemic species in this area include the Great Black Owl, Fiery Owl, Ghost Owl, Snow Owl, Snow Bunting, etc. In addition, although they can be seen in other places in China, the breeding areas of these species are limited to or mainly in this area, including the Magpie Duck, Woodcock, Spotted Merganser, Short-eared Owl, Northern Laughing Duck, etc.
Mammals: The fauna of Daxinganling occupies an important position in China's zoogeographical division. According to the national zoogeographical division, Daxinganling belongs to the Daxinganling sub-region of the Palearctic and Northeastern regions. From the perspective of ecological distribution, the mammals of Daxinganling belong to the cold temperate coniferous forest fauna. The vast forest vegetation provides good shelter conditions for mammals, and the food resources and habitats are superior to those of grasslands. In addition, there is less human interference, which provides a large area of suitable habitat for large ungulates and forest rodents. There are a large number of moose, red deer, roe deer, musk deer and wild boars. Due to the cold and dry climate in the area, there are fewer types and numbers of insects, so there are not many species of insectivores and chiropterans.
据调查：大兴安岭地区哺乳动物总计6目16科56种。兽类资源十分丰富，已知56种中有许多属于稀有珍贵的兽类，已列入国家重点保护动物有9种。
Resources of amphibians and reptiles: The Greater Khingan Range has a cold temperate climate, with long and cold winters and harsh living conditions. As cold-blooded animals, there are relatively few species of amphibians and reptiles distributed here. The existing species are relatively cold-resistant and have the ecological habit of hibernation. Affected by the high-altitude cold climate conditions, the species of amphibians and reptiles in the Greater Khingan Range are single and small in number. According to the survey, there are 4 species of amphibians and reptiles in the Greater Khingan Range, with the main common species being the Amur forest frog, viviparous lizard, and pit viper.
The high-altitude and cold climate conditions in the Greater Khingan Range have become the main limiting factor for the northward distribution of amphibians and reptiles. There are more than 30 species of Hynomianidae in the world, 13 of which are found in China, but only one species is distributed in this area, namely the Arctic Salamander, which is the most cold-resistant species in this family and can reach 1° north latitude of the Arctic Circle. There are many tailless amphibians in this area, with 65 species, 6 species of toads, and 2 species of wood frogs.