Araucaria moist forests

The Araucaria moist forests are a subtropical moist forest ecoregion of southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina.

etting

The Araucaria moist forests cover an area of 216,100 square kilometers (83,400 square miles), encompassing a region of mountains and plateaus in the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, and extending into Misiones Province of Argentina.

The ecoregion lies above 500m, rising to 1600 meters elevation on the high slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira.

The ecoregion is bounded by the Paraná-Paraíba interior forests to the north, west, and south, the Cerrado savannas and shrublands to the northeast, The Serra do Mar coastal forests to the east, and the Uruguayan savanna to the southwest.

Climate

The Araucaria moist forests have a subtropical climate, with frequent frosts during the winter months. Annual precipitation is high, ranging from 1300-3000 mm, without a dry season.

Flora

The ecoregion mostly consists of evergreen subtropical moist forests, with a canopy made up of "Ocotea pretiosa" and "O. catharinense" (Lauraceae), "Campomanesia xanthocarpa" (Myrtaceae), and "Parapiptadenia rigida" (Leguminosae). Brazilian Araucaria "(Araucaria angustifolia)" forms an emergent layer, growing up to 45 meters in height. The forests are significant from an evolutionary perspective, as a relict of mixed coniferous and broad-leafed forests that were once much more widespread, and are home to many taxa characteristic of the Antarctic flora.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to several threatened species endemic to the Atlantic forests, including the Brown Howler Monkey "(Alouatta guariba)" and the Red-spectacled Parrot "(Amazona pretrei)". The Araucaria moist forests is recognized as an important endemic bird area.

Conservation and threats

The Araucaria moist forests are part of the Atlantic Forests, which are recognized as a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International, and as a Global 200 ecoregion by the World Wildlife Fund.

External links

[http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0101_full.html Araucaria moist forests (World Wildlife Fund)]