The Flora and Fauna of the Armenian Highlands

Geological features of the Armenian Highlands. The complex mountainous relief of the Armenian Highlands, along with the resulting diversity of climatic conditions and the distribution of the river network, has led to a great variety of soils, plant and animal life, and landscapes.

Soils

Soils in the Armenian Highlands vary in age, meaning they formed at different times. Initially, red and yellow soils developed along the coast of the Black Sea, followed by forest brown and gray soils in the Pontic Mountains, the Lesser Caucasus, and the Taurus. Later, soils of the fold-and-thrust systems of the Mesozoic formed, and the youngest are the soils of volcanic covers and river valleys. Buried and hidden soils are also found. In river floodplains, between paired alluvial layers, “burnt soils” — “lithomargs” — are often observed.

In the lowland basins of the Highlands (Ararat, Nakhichevan, Kharberd) and their foothills, up to 1000–1100 m in elevation, types of semi-desert gray soils and irrigated meadow soils have formed. On the foothills of intermountain basins, up to 1800 m, brown soils are widespread. At elevations of 1800–2500 m, especially on the volcanic plateaus and ridges of the Mesozoic, mountain black soils are formed, which at higher altitudes transform into mountain meadow soils. In the Black Sea coastal areas of the Eastern Pontic Mountains, under humid subtropical climatic conditions, red and yellow soils have developed. On the outer slopes of other peripheral mountain ranges, forest brown and gray soils are formed.

Above 2500 m, in cold mountain climatic conditions, high mountain meadow soils with 11–15% humus content develop. At even higher elevations, under extremely cold mountain climates, almost vegetation-free zones are occupied by poorly developed, so-called “skeletal” soils.

Flora

The Armenian Highlands are notable for their exceptional plant diversity. This is influenced not only by local factors but also by the region’s location at the intersection of several botanical zones — Iranian, Caucasian, and Geograpediterranean. Of the approximately 4,000 plant species growing here, 200 are endemic, meaning they are found only in the Armenian Highlands. It has been proven that the Armenian Highlands and Western Asia are the native regions of several cultivated plants, including wheat, barley, grape, apricot, peach, pomegranate, and mulberry.

Like climate and soils, vegetation changes with altitude. Two disArmeniatinct types of altitudinal zonation stand out: on the outer wind-exposed mountain slopes and in closed basins.

About 40% of the Armenian Highlands is covered by steppes, which include many subtypes: feather grass, fescue, feathered grass, bluegrass, bushy, osindr, annuals, and others. The climate of this zone is dry, especially in the southern and central parts of the region. The most widespread is the montane-steppe zone, which occupies a significant part of the region at elevations of 1200–2500 m. Forested “islands” are occasionally found within this zone.

Forest areas of the Highlands were once more extensive, but part of them has been destroyed by human activity. Forest vegetation is characteristic of the outer windward slopes of the peripheral mountain ranges. The northern slopes of the Eastern Pontic Mountains, from the coast up to 2000 m, are forested. In the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus and Armenian Taurus, forests rise up to 2500 m. In the lower canopy, broad-leaved trees dominate, while the upper canopy is composed of conifers.

In the lowest parts of the region (up to 1000–1500 m), there is a zone where halophyte and sand-loving plants are common. In the foothills of the Ararat, Nakhichevan, and Urmia basins, drought-tolerant “friganoid” plants are widespread (thyme, wormwood, astragalus, saksaul).

Above forest and steppe vegetation lie the subalpine and alpine zones, forming ground-covering, flower-rich “alpine carpets.”

The Armenian Highlands host more than 130 species of aromatic plants (thyme, anise, osindr, etc.), about 120 species of decorative plants (mallow, geranium, toron, etc.), and numerous vitamin-rich species — around 140, as well as resinous plants and others.