Caatinga moist-forest enclaves

Last updated
Caatinga enclaves moist forests
Foto de Dihelson Mendonca.jpg
Caatinga enclave moist forest in Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil.
Caatinga Enclaves moist forests.png
Caatinga enclaves moist forests ecoregion as defined by WWF.
Ecology
Biome Atlantic Forest
Borders Caatinga
Mammal species124 [1]
Geography
Area4,800 km2 (1,900 sq mi)
CountryFlag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
State Ceará
Conservation
Habitat loss14.9% [1]
Protected6.59% [1]

The Caatinga enclaves moist forests is an ecoregion of the Tropical moist forests Biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It is located in northeastern Brazil.

Contents

The ecoregion forms a series of discontinuous, island-like enclaves amongst the much larger and dry Caatinga xeric shrubland and thorn forests ecoregion and Cerrado subtropical savannas ecoregion.

Setting

The Caatinga enclaves moist forests cover an area of 4,800 km2 (1,900 sq mi) in the state of Ceará, in northeastern Brazil. The enclaves are found mostly on four major regional plateaus, the Chapada do Araripe, Serra de Ibiapaba, Serra de Baturité, and Serra da Borborema. The enclaves are found on windward slopes and plateaus between 600 and 800 m (2,000 and 2,600 ft) elevation.

Flora

The main vegetation type is semi-deciduous forests with four strata of vegetation and emergent trees taller than 30 m (98 ft). The forest is generally similar in composition to the primary Atlantic Forests further east, but includes species from the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Amazon Rainforest as well.

The emergent and canopy layers are made up mostly of tree species of the families Fabaceae ( Peltophorum dubium ), Meliaceae ( Cedrela fissilis ) and Apocynaceae ( Aspidosperma parvifolium ).

The genus Ameroglossum is endemic to the ecoregion. [2]

Fauna

Fauna associated with this habitat shows a strong connection with both the Amazon Rainforest and the Atlantic Forest, and, to a lesser degree, the Caatinga.

Animals associated with this habitat include birds such as the grey-breasted parakeet (Pyrrhura griseipectus), ochraceous piculet (Picumnus limae), Ceará gnateater (Conopophaga lineata cearae) and Araripe manakin (Antilophia bokermanni), frogs such as Adelophryne baturitensis and A. maranguapensis , and lizards such as Mabuya arajara and Leposoma baturitensis .

In contrast to other groups, only a single species of mammal is endemic to these moist forests enclaves, the recently described Cariri climbing mouse (Rhipidomys cariri). [3]

Satellite picture showing the localization of Caatinga enclaves moist forests in northeastern Brazil (yellow lines enclose the WWF defined limits). Caatinga enclaves moist forests WWF satelite.png
Satellite picture showing the localization of Caatinga enclaves moist forests in northeastern Brazil (yellow lines enclose the WWF defined limits).

Conservation

Most birds endemic to these moist forests enclaves are considered threatened, primarily due to habitat loss, by BirdLife International and, consequently, IUCN. In general the status of other animals is comparably poorly known, but likely to be similar to that of the birds.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Forest</span> South American forest

The Atlantic Forest is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and the Misiones Province of Argentina, where the region is known as Selva Misionera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerrado</span> Tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil

The Cerrado is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are the Brazilian highlands – the Planalto. The main habitat types of the Cerrado consist of forest savanna, wooded savanna, park savanna and gramineous-woody savanna. The Cerrado also includes savanna wetlands and gallery forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Brazil</span> Overview of the wildlife of Brazil

The wildlife of Brazil comprises all naturally occurring animals, plants, and fungi in the South American country. Home to 60% of the Amazon Rainforest, which accounts for approximately one-tenth of all species in the world, Brazil is considered to have the greatest biodiversity of any country on the planet. It has the most known species of plants (60,000), freshwater fish (3,000), amphibians (1,188), snakes (430), insects (90,000) and mammals (775) It also ranks third on the list of countries with the most bird species (1,971) and the third with the most reptile species (848). The number of fungal species is unknown. Approximately two-thirds of all species worldwide are found in tropical areas, often coinciding with developing countries such as Brazil. Brazil is second only to Indonesia as the country with the most endemic species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Araucaria moist forests</span>

The Araucaria moist forests, officially classified as mixed ombrophilous forest in Brazil, are a montane subtropical moist forest ecoregion. The forest ecosystem is located in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. The ecoregion is a southern portion of the Atlantic Forest. The ecoregion also includes select areas of open field called "campos de cima da serra" or "coxilhas".

<i>Campos rupestres</i>

The campo rupestre is a discontinuous montane subtropical ecoregion occurring across three different biomes in Brazil: Cerrado, Atlantic Forest and Caatinga. Originally, campo rupestre was used to characterize the montane vegetation of the Espinhaço Range, but recently this term has been broadly applied by the scientific community to define high altitudinal fire-prone areas dominated by grasslands and rocky outcrops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alto Paraná Atlantic forests</span>

The Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, also known as the Paraná-Paraíba interior forests, is an ecoregion of the tropical moist forests biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It is located in southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and eastern Paraguay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maranhão Babaçu forests</span>

The Maranhão Babaçu forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of north-central Brazil. The forests form a transition between the equatorial forests of the Amazon biome to the west and the drier savannas and xeric shrublands to the south and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pernambuco coastal forests</span>

The Pernambuco coastal forests is an ecoregion of the Tropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It is located in northeastern Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic dry forests</span> Tropical dry forest ecoregion of the Atlantic Forest Biome

The Atlantic dry forests are a tropical dry forest ecoregion of the Atlantic Forest Biome, located in eastern Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahia interior forests</span> Ecological zone in Brazil

The Bahia interior forests is an ecoregion of eastern Brazil. It is part of the larger Atlantic forests biome complex, and lies between the Bahia coastal forests and the dry shrublands and savannas of Brazil's interior.

Manilkara rufula is a species of tree in the Sapodilla family. It is endemic to the northeastern submontane forests of Bahia, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Ceará and Piauí states of Brazil. Although this species exists in many places, where it occurs it is either not numerous, or its numbers are declining due to loss of habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pernambuco interior forests</span> Ecoregion in eastern Brazil

The "Pernambuco" interior forests is an ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, and the South American Atlantic Forest biome. It lies in eastern Brazil between the coastal Pernambuco coastal forests and the dry Caatinga shrublands of Brazil's interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caatinga</span> Type of desert vegetation and an ecoregion in northeastern Brazil

Caatinga is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" . The Caatinga is a xeric shrubland and thorn forest, which consists primarily of small, thorny trees that shed their leaves seasonally. Cacti, thick-stemmed plants, thorny brush, and arid-adapted grasses make up the ground layer. Most vegetation experiences a brief burst of activity during the three-month long rainy season.

The Cariri climbing mouse is a partly arboreal rodent species from South America. It is known from two mesic localities in Ceara, northeastern Brazil, within the semiarid caatinga ecoregion. It has been found in areas under cultivation. Cariri is the name of an administrative microregion within the state of Ceará.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon biome</span> Ecological region of South America

The Amazon biome contains the Amazon rainforest, an area of tropical rainforest, and other ecoregions that cover most of the Amazon basin and some adjacent areas to the north and east. The biome contains blackwater and whitewater flooded forest, lowland and montane terra firma forest, bamboo and palm forest, savanna, sandy heath and alpine tundra. Some areas of the biome are threatened by deforestation for timber and to make way for pasture or soybean plantations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biomes in Brazil</span>

According to IBGE (2004), Brazil has its territory occupied by six terrestrial biomes and one marine biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serra da Ibiapaba Environmental Protection Area</span>

The Serra da Ibiapaba Environmental Protection Area is an environmental protection area in the states of Piauí and Ceará, Brazil. It contains fragments of cerrado, caatinga and Atlantic Forest, and is home to the endangered red-handed howler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tocantins–Araguaia–Maranhão moist forests</span>

The Tocantins–Araguaia–Maranhão moist forests (NT0170), also called the Tocantins/Pindaré moist forests, is an ecoregion in the north of Brazil to the south of the mouth of the Amazon River. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion contains the city of Belém, capital of the state of Pará. It is the most developed part of the Amazon region, and is one of the most severely degraded natural habitats of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mato Grosso tropical dry forests</span> Ecoregion in central Brazil

The Mato Grosso tropical dry forests (NT0140), also called the Mato Grosso seasonal forests, is an ecoregion in central Brazil to the south of the Amazon region. It contains vegetation in the transition between the Amazon rainforest to the north and the cerrado savanna to the south. The opening of highways through the region has caused rapid population growth, deforestation and pollution.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference . University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-26256-0.
  2. ↑ Maia Wanderley, A., Mendonça de Almeida, E. & Pessoa Félix, L. 2014. Ameroglossum pernambucense . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T56726171A56726230. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T56726171A56726230.en. Accessed 13 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Tribe, C. J. (2005). A new species of Rhipidomys (Rodentia, Muroidea) from north-eastern Brazil. Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, 63(1): 131-146

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.