Table 1. Annual temperature, precipitation, and dominant plant species within the five vegetation zones.

Ecoregion	Temperature (°C)			Precipitation (mm)	Dominant Species	Major Soil Types	Parent Material
	Mean	Maximum	Minimum
Forest	-3.2	28.6	-31.2	450~500	Forest (Larix gmelinii, Larix sibirica, + Betula platyphylla Suk)	Black soil + Dark brown forest soil	Granite + Basalt
Meadow Steppe	-2.2	28.5	-31.6	350~500	Grass (Leymus chinensis + Stipa baicalensis)	Chernozem + Chestnut soil	Granite + Basalt
Typical Steppe	3	31.2	-24.5	300~400	Grass (Stipa grandis + Stipa sareptana var. krylovii)	Chestnut soil	Granite, Basalt, Gneiss, + Conglomerate
Desert Steppe	5.1	32.1	-23	135~311	Grass+shrub (Stipa tianschanica var. klemenzii, Stipa breviflora, Stipa glareosa + sparsely distributed Caragana sinica)	Chestnut soil + Brown calcic soil	Granite, Gneiss, Diorite, + Limestone
Desert	7.2	33.6	-19.2	45~215	Shrub (Caragana sinica + Nitraria sphaerocarpa)	Gray desert soil + Grey-brown desert soil	Granite, Diorite, Gneiss, Gabbro, + Sandstone