East African montane moorlands

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East African montane moorlands
Shira moorlands on Kilimanjaro.jpg
Shira moorlands on Mount Kilimanjaro
AT1005 map.png
Location of the East African montane moorlands
Ecology
Realm Afrotropical
Biome montane grasslands and shrublands
Borders East African montane forests
Geography
Area3,089 km2 (1,193 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Protected2,666 km² (86%) [1]

The East African montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion which occupies several high mountain peaks in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Geography

The ecoregion occupies an area of 3,300 square kilometers (1,300 sq mi), covering several small mountaintop enclaves.[ citation needed ] These include Mount Elgon on the Uganda-Kenya border, the Aberdare Mountains and Mount Kenya in Kenya, and Mount Meru, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

The ecoregion occupies areas higher than 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) in elevation. [ citation needed ]Below the montane moorlands is the East African montane forests ecoregion.

Flora

Plant communities include ericaceous woodland, wooded grassland, Dendrosenecio woodland, wooded grassland, tussock grassland, Helichrysum shrub, and swamps or mires. The flora includes many Afroalpine endemic species which are adapted to the harsh conditions. Adaptations include rosette forms, tussock forms, and silvery leaves. From 3500 to 4500 meters elevation, plants can grow up to eight meters high, and include giant species of Dendrosenecio and Lobelia. Tussock grasslands are found in dry and fire-prone areas. Helichrysum scrub is found on dry and rocky slopes. Above 4500 meters elevation, vegetation is mostly low cushion plants, including Agrostis sclerophylla and Sagina afroalpina, which extend up to the limit of vegetation at around 5000 meters. The East African moorland flora has much in common with that of the Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands. [2]

Fauna

The montane moorlands ecoregion shares several limited-range bird species with the lower-elevation East African montane forests. Hunter's cisticola (Cisticola hunteri) is found on all the mountains in the ecoregion. Jackson's francolin (Pternistis jacksoni) and Sharpe's pipit (Macronyx sharpei) is found on Mount Elgon, the Aberdare Range, and Mount Kenya. The Aberdare cisticola (Cisticola aberdare) is found only in the Aberdare Mountains and the Mau Escarpment. [2]

Protected areas

Protected areas in the ecoregion include Aberdare National Park, Aberdare Forest Reserve, Mount Kenya National Park, Mount Kenya Forest Reserve, Mount Elgon National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, and Kipipiri Forest Reserve. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montane grasslands and shrublands</span> Biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund

Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than the ecological term that denotes the region below the treeline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Highlands</span> Mountain range in Zimbabwe and Mozambique

The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Eastern Highlands extend north and south for about 300 kilometres (190 mi) through Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province and Mozambique's Manica Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberdare Range</span> Mountain range in Kenya

The Aberdare Range is a 160 km (99 mi) long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of 3,500 metres (11,480 ft). It straddles the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Murang'a, Kiambu and Laikipia. The mountain range is in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and lies just south of the Equator. The mountain range is called Nyandarua among the Agikuyu people in whose territory this forest and mountain range is located. The name Nyandarua comes from the Kikuyu word rwandarua meaning a drying hide, due to the distinctive fold of its silhouette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Highlands</span> Mountain range in northern Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa" due to its height and large area. It is the only country in the region with such a high elevated surface. This elevated surface is bisected diagonally by the Great East African Rift System which extends from Syria to Mozambique across the East African Lakes. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Elgon National Park</span> National park in Uganda and Kenya

Mount Elgon National Park is a national park in Kenya and Uganda that lies 140 kilometres (87 mi) northeast of Lake Victoria. The park covers an area of 1,279 square kilometres (494 sq mi). The Ugandan part of the park covers 1,110 km2 (430 sq mi) while the Kenyan part covers 169 km2 (65 sq mi). The Kenyan part of the park was gazetted in 1968, the Ugandan part in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameroonian Highlands forests</span> Forest ecoregion in Cameroon and Nigeria

The Cameroonian Highlands forests, also known as the Cameroon Highlands forests, is a montane tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion located on the range of mountains that runs inland from the Gulf of Guinea and forms the border between Cameroon and Nigeria. This is an area of forest and grassland which has become more populous as land is cleared for agriculture.

<i>Dendrosenecio</i> Genus of flowering plants

Dendrosenecio is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is a segregate of Senecio, in which it formed the subgenus Dendrosenecio. Its members, the giant groundsels, are native to the higher altitude zones of ten mountain groups in equatorial East Africa, where they form a conspicuous element of the flora.

Dendrosenecio johnstonii, formerly Senecio johnstonii, is a species of giant groundsel found in the middle altitudes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. A recent botanical reclassification split off some species formerly in Senecio, putting the giant groundsels in the new genus Dendrosenecio. It also redefined the former species Senecio cottonii, as a subspecies of Dendrosenecio johnstonii. Both genera are in the family Asteraceae. The giant grounsels of the genus Dendrosenecio evolved, about a million years ago, from a Senecio that established itself on Mount Kilimanjaro, with those that survived adapting into Dendrosenecio kilimanjari. As it moved down the mountain, the adaptations necessary for the new environment created the new species, Dendrosenecio johnstonii. Various subspecies are found on other mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural history of Mount Kenya</span>

The flora and fauna of Mount Kenya are diverse, due to the variation in altitude, rainfall, aspect and temperature. The mountain slopes can be divided into vegetation zones, with each zone having different dominant plant species. Although many plants on Mount Kenya have local names, here they are reported only with their English and scientific names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanetti Plateau</span> High plateau in Ethiopia.

The Sanetti Plateau is a major plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands, in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The plateau is the highest part of the Bale Mountains, and is located within Bale Mountains National Park.

The Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Ethiopia. It occupies the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands, between the high-elevation Ethiopian montane moorlands and lowland woodlands, savannas, shrublands, and thickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian montane moorlands</span>

The Ethiopian montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Ethiopia. It lies above 3,000 meters elevation in the Ethiopian Highlands, the largest Afroalpine region in Africa. The montane moorlands lie above the tree line, and consist of grassland and moorland with abundant herbs and shrubs adapted to the high elevation conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Range sub-alpine grasslands</span> Ecoregion in New Guinea

The Central Range sub-alpine grasslands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the highest-elevation portions of the New Guinea Highlands, which extend along the spine of the island. The high elevations support rare tropical sub-alpine and alpine habitats, including many endemic plants and animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southland montane grasslands</span>

The Southland montane grasslands, also known as the South Island montane grasslands, is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on New Zealand’s South Island. The ecoregion covers the middle portion of the Southern Alps, and includes extensive alpine grasslands, fellfields, and montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African montane forests</span>

The East African montane forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate areas above 2000 meters in the mountains of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwenzori–Virunga montane moorlands</span> Montane ecoregion in central Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central American montane forests</span> Ecoregion in Central America

The Central American montane forests are an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, located in mountains of Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Arc forests</span>

The Eastern Arc forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate highland areas above 800 meters in Kenya, and (mostly) Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian montane forests</span> Tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in Ethiopia. It covers the southwestern and southeastern portions of the Ethiopian Highlands. The ecoregion includes distinctive Afromontane evergreen forests. The ecoregion's biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, conversion to agriculture, and overgrazing.

Somali <i>Acacia</i>–<i>Commiphora</i> bushlands and thickets

The Somali AcaciaCommiphora bushlands and thickets is a semi-arid tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in the Horn of Africa. It is home to diverse communities of plants and animals, including several endemic species.

References

  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. 1 2 Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D’Amico Hales, Emma Underwood (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.
  3. "East African Montane Moorlands". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 4 February 2021. https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/31005