The unique location of Japan and the complex of natural and climatic factors have led to the absence of fertile land on the islands. The country has no land communication with the mainland. Due to prolonged isolation, some animals in Japan are so modified that they are classified as subspecies.
Japan Islands Plants
About 60% of Japan is forested. On the islands, there are about 2750 species of plants, of which 168 are tree-like. Despite the compact size of the territory, the country's climate is heterogeneous. Within the islands, plant species characteristic of the tropics, subtropics, and temperate latitudes are noted.
Plants and animals of Japan for a long time developed in isolation from the mainland. This led to some differences in species evolution.
Tropical and subtropical vegetation
Tropical rainforests are typical of the Ryukyu Islands. Of the tree forms, the following are common: palm trees, cycad, ficus, etc. Pine and fir are found in mountainous regions. There are many vines and epiphytes on the islands, among which ferns predominate. O. Yaku is known for having preserved trees about 2 thousand years old. They have a length of up to 50 m and a trunk diameter of up to 5 m.
Sea coast about. Kyushu also occupies tropical vegetation. Forests from subtropical trees can be found on this island up to a height of 1 km. The same representatives of the flora are typical of Shikoku and Honshu (southern part). The dominant species are evergreen oaks, cypresses, pines, arborvitae, and other endemic species. In the undergrowth, magnolias and azaleas can be distinguished. In ancient times, the southern part of the Japanese islands was occupied by laurel forests, where camphor laurel, tea bush and Japanese camellia mainly grew. Today, these forest communities are only on about. Honshu. The species composition in them has changed somewhat. In the subtropic zone in some places one can find bamboo and ginkgo groves.
Deciduous forests
Northern part of about. Honshu and the southern half of Fr. Hokkaido is occupied by these forests. Oaks, beeches, chestnuts, maples, linden, ash, hornbeam and other woody plants dominate in them. The slopes of the mountains are a zone of deciduous and coniferous forests. The latter are represented by cryptomeria, tsuga, yew, etc.
On about. Hokkaido at an altitude of 0.5 km above sea level, this plant community is replaced by fir-spruce with an admixture of bamboo. Part of the mountain peaks is located outside the forest zone. They are occupied by special plant communities, which include cedar elfin, rhododendron, heather, etc.
The anthropogenic impact on the flora and fauna of Japan is quite large, due to limited territory and densely populated areas. The plain forests are reduced and farmland created in their place.
