The Qinling ( Chinese : 秦岭 ) or Qin Mountains , formerly known as the Nanshan ("Southern Mountains"), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow River systems, providing a natural boundary between North and South China and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on earth.
32-525: To the north is the densely populated Wei River valley, an ancient center of Chinese civilization. To the south is the Han River valley. To the west is the line of mountains along the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau . To the east are the lower Funiu and Dabie Mountains, which rise out of the coastal plain. The northern side of the range is prone to hot weather, the rain shadow cast by
64-581: A central storage facility in the Qinling mountain range, though some are kept at smaller regional storage facilities." Wei River The Wei River ( Chinese : 渭 河 ; pinyin : Wèi Hé ; Wade–Giles : Wei Ho ) is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization . In ancient times, such as in
96-533: A continental climate, with hot summers and cool, dry winters. It sits between the arid steppes and deserts to the north and the forests of the Qingling mountains. Its natural vegetation would be a steppe-forest, but it has been transformed by human activity and is mostly agricultural. In Chinese mythology , the giant Kua Fu drained the Yellow River and the Wei River to quench his burning thirst as he pursued
128-667: A headwater of Manba River, a main tributary of the Tao River , which is the second-largest tributary of the Yellow River (behind the Wei River itself). The head of the Wei River proper — formed by confluence of the Qingyuan River with two small tributaries to its northwest — is less than 110 km (68 mi) from the Yellow River at Lanzhou , but due to the sharp north turn the Yellow River takes in Lanzhou to form
160-526: A peak in the 18th century in the Qinling Mountains. The region is home to the endemic Qinling panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis ), a brown-and-white subspecies of the giant panda ( A. melanoleuca ), which is protected with the help of the Changqing and Foping nature reserves . An estimated 250 to 280 pandas live in the region, which is thought to represent around one-fifth of
192-483: A species is a binomial or binomen, and comprises two Latin words, the first denoting the genus and the second denoting the species. The scientific name of a subspecies is formed slightly differently in the different nomenclature codes. In zoology, under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the scientific name of a subspecies is termed a trinomen , and comprises three words, namely
224-426: A species. Botanists and mycologists have the choice of ranks lower than subspecies, such as variety (varietas) or form (forma), to recognize smaller differences between populations. In biological terms, rather than in relation to nomenclature, a polytypic species has two or more genetically and phenotypically divergent subspecies, races , or more generally speaking, populations that differ from each other so that
256-417: A subspecies. A common criterion for recognizing two distinct populations as subspecies rather than full species is the ability of them to interbreed even if some male offspring may be sterile. In the wild, subspecies do not interbreed due to geographic isolation or sexual selection . The differences between subspecies are usually less distinct than the differences between species. The scientific name of
288-586: Is a deciduous forest ecoregion . The Qin Mountains form the watershed of the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins; historically, the former was home to deciduous broadleaf forests, while the latter has milder winters with more rainfall, and was generally covered in warmer, temperate, evergreen broadleaf forests. Thus, the Qin Mountains are commonly used as the demarcation line between northern and southern China . The low-elevation forests of
320-469: Is a subspecies or a full species, the species name may be written in parentheses. Thus Larus (argentatus) smithsonianus means the American herring gull ; the notation within the parentheses means that some consider it a subspecies of a larger herring gull species and therefore call it Larus argentatus smithsonianus , while others consider it a full species and therefore call it Larus smithsonianus (and
352-712: Is abbreviated as subsp. or ssp. and the singular and plural forms are the same ("the subspecies is" or "the subspecies are"). In zoology , under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature , the subspecies is the only taxonomic rank below that of species that can receive a name. In botany and mycology , under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , other infraspecific ranks , such as variety , may be named. In bacteriology and virology , under standard bacterial nomenclature and virus nomenclature , there are recommendations but not strict requirements for recognizing other important infraspecific ranks. A taxonomist decides whether to recognize
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#1732764962953384-540: Is one of the largest amphibians in the world, and is critically endangered ; it is locally pursued for food, and for use of its body parts in traditional Chinese medicine . An environmental education program is being undertaken to encourage sustainable management of wild populations in the Qin Mountains, and captive-breeding programs have also been set up. According to the Nuclear Information Project, China "keeps most of its nuclear warheads at
416-619: The Ordos Loop , the Wei and the Yellow River do not meet for more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi) further along the Yellow River's course. After being joined by numerous other tributaries just east of the Weiyuan County town center , the Wei River turns slightly southeast until it reaches Wushan County , continuing east for 20 km (12 mi) before turning slightly southeast again at Gangu County and curves north of Tianshui ,
448-700: The Records of the Grand Historian , the river was called Wei Shui ( 渭水 ; Wèishuǐ ; 'Wei water'). The total length of the Wei River is 818 km (508 mi), covering a drainage area of 135,000 km (52,000 sq mi). Some of the major tributaries include the Luo River , Jing River , Niutou River , Feng River and the Chishui River . In a direct line, it travels due east for 700 km (430 mi) before draining into
480-534: The capital of China ) to the west via Baoji , Tianshui at the Wei's headwaters, Lanzhou , Dunhuang , and the Wushao Ling Mountain , before looping north of the Taklamakan on its way to Kashgar and the routes into Parthia . The Wei River Bridge (Weihe Qiao 渭河桥) featured in the design of the 5000-yuan note of the first series of the renminbi , dated 1953, and shows a train passing over
512-425: The understory . The region is home to a large number of rare plants, of which around 3,000 have been documented. Plant and tree species native to the region include ginkgo ( Ginkgo biloba —thought to be one of the oldest species of tree in the world), as well as Huashan or Armand pine ( Pinus armandii ), Huashan shen ( Physochlaina infundibularis ), Acer miaotaiense and Chinese fir . Timber harvesting reached
544-489: The Qin foothills are dominated by temperate deciduous trees, like oaks ( Quercus acutissima , Q. variabilis ), elm ( Ulmus spp.), common walnut ( Juglans regia ), maple ( Acer spp.), ash ( Fraxinus spp.) and Celtis spp. Evergreen species of these low-elevation forests include broadleaf chinquapins ( Castanopsis sclerophylla ), ring-cupped oaks ( Quercus glauca ), and conifers , like Pinus massoniana . At
576-608: The Sun. The valley of the Wei was one of the early cradles of Chinese civilization, along which the capitals of the Zhou , Qin , Han , and Tang dynasties were situated. The area of Dingxi around its headwaters in Gansu has numerous Stone Age sites from various early cultures. The Wei Valley is likely the earliest center of Chinese civilization, and also the location of China's first major irrigation works. Some Chinese historians now believe
608-572: The Wei River have been examined with respect to flow rates in the Wei River. 34°36′42″N 110°17′20″E / 34.61167°N 110.28889°E / 34.61167; 110.28889 Subspecies In biological classification , subspecies ( pl. : subspecies) is a rank below species , used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology ), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species have subspecies, but for those that do there must be at least two. Subspecies
640-596: The Wei is the ancient Jiang River that gave its name to the families of Shennong and the Yan emperor , two Chinese legendary heroes credited with the early development of agriculture there. As "China's natural gateway" to the west, the headwaters of the Wei River are also notable in the development of the Northern Silk Road . The Chinese segment of the Northern Silk Road connected Chang'an (then
672-496: The Yellow River at Tongguan County near the tri-provincial boundary between Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan provinces , with a series of major cities along its course including Tianshui , Baoji , Xianyang , Xi'an and Weinan . The source of the Wei River starts in the mountainous region in southern Weiyuan County (literally meaning "Wei's source"), Gansu province , with the westernmost headwater of its mainstem Qingyuan River (清源河) less than 1.6 km (0.99 mi) away from
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#1732764962953704-453: The binomen followed by the name of the subspecies. For example, the binomen for the leopard is Panthera pardus . The trinomen Panthera pardus fusca denotes a subspecies, the Indian leopard . All components of the trinomen are written in italics. In botany , subspecies is one of many ranks below that of species, such as variety , subvariety , form , and subform. To identify the rank,
736-714: The bridge. Construction of the Sanmenxia Dam in 1960 caused extensive sedimentation problems in the lower reaches of the Wei river. The construction of the Baojixia diversion works in 1972 and the creation of the Baojixia Irrigation District, with 128,000 hectares (490 sq mi) of cropland under irrigation have resulted in reduced flows. In September 2003 extensive rainfall led to flooding that caused over 30 fatalities, and temporarily displaced over 300,000 people. Ecological aspects of
768-566: The entire wild giant panda population. The Qinling Mountains are also home to many other species of wildlife, including numerous birds , like the crested ibis , Temminck's tragopan , golden eagle , black throat and golden pheasants , as well as mammals like the Asiatic golden cat , Asiatic black bear , clouded leopard , golden takin , golden snub-nosed monkey , yellow-throated marten , and leopard . The Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus ), at 1.8 meters (5 ft 11 in),
800-450: The middle elevations, conifers, like Pinus armandii , are mixed with broadleaf birch ( Betula spp.), oaks ( Quercus spp.), and hornbeams ( Carpinus spp.); from about 2,600 to 3,000 meters (8,500 to 9,800 ft), these mid-elevation forests give way to a subalpine forest of firs ( Abies fargesii , A. chensiensis ), Cunninghamia , and birch ( Betula spp.), with rhododendrons ( Rhododendron fastigiatum ) abundant in
832-447: The physical barrier of the mountains dictating that the land to the north has a semi-arid climate, and is consequently somewhat impoverished in regard to fertility and species diversity. Furthermore, the mountains have also acted in the past as a natural defense against nomadic invasions from the north, as only four passes cross the mountains. In the late 1990s a railway tunnel and a spiral were completed, thereby easing travel across
864-411: The range. The highest mountain in the range is Mount Taibai at 3,767 meters (12,359 ft), which is about 100 kilometers (62 mi) west of the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an . Three culturally significant peaks in the range are Mount Hua (2,155 meters or 7,070 feet), Mount Li (1,302 meters or 4,272 feet), and Mount Maiji (1,742 meters or 5,715 feet). The environment of the Qin Mountains
896-467: The rank of variety are taken to be names of subspecies (see International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes ). As in botany, subspecies is conventionally abbreviated as "subsp.", and is used in the scientific name: Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii . In zoological nomenclature , when a species is split into subspecies, the originally described population is retained as the "nominotypical subspecies" or "nominate subspecies", which repeats
928-418: The same name as the species. For example, Motacilla alba alba (often abbreviated M. a. alba ) is the nominotypical subspecies of the white wagtail ( Motacilla alba ). The subspecies name that repeats the species name is referred to in botanical nomenclature as the subspecies " autonym ", and the subspecific taxon as the "autonymous subspecies". When zoologists disagree over whether a certain population
960-672: The second-largest city of Gansu. After picking up the Ji River (耤河, the urban river of Tianshui) east of the city, the Wei River enters the Mount Long and emerges to become the principal river in the Guanzhong Basin . It drains into the Yellow River south of the boundary between Dali County and Tongguan County , just as the Yellow River bends sharply east to enter the North China Plain . The Wei River valley has
992-563: The subspecific name must be preceded by "subspecies" (which can be abbreviated to "subsp." or "ssp."), as in Schoenoplectus californicus subsp. tatora . In bacteriology , the only rank below species that is regulated explicitly by the code of nomenclature is subspecies , but infrasubspecific taxa are extremely important in bacteriology; Appendix 10 of the code lays out some recommendations that are intended to encourage uniformity in describing such taxa. Names published before 1992 in
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1024-425: The user of the notation is not taking a position). A subspecies is a taxonomic rank below species – the only such rank recognized in the zoological code, and one of three main ranks below species in the botanical code. When geographically separate populations of a species exhibit recognizable phenotypic differences, biologists may identify these as separate subspecies; a subspecies is a recognized local variant of
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