| High Monte | |
|---|---|
 High Monte landscape in Los Cardones National Park | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | Montane grasslands and shrublands |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 116,983 km2 (45,167 sq mi) |
| Country | Argentina |
| Conservation | |
| Protected | 12.88% [1] |
The High Monte is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Argentina.
The High Monte is located on the eastern slopes of the Andes, extending from the vicinity of Salta (24º S) south to Mendoza (32º S). It is a landscape of mountains and closed basins which lie between the Sierras Pampeanas on the east and the main spine of the Andes to the west. The southern portion of the High Monte is drained by the Desaguadero River. The lower limit of soil cryoturbation along the eastern slope of Andes marks the upper boundary of the High Monte, extending up to 3000 meters at the northern end of the ecoregion, and between 1500 and 1700 meters elevation in Mendoza Province further south. The eastern transitions to the Chaco and Low Monte are more gradual. [2] [3]
The climate is temperate and arid to semi-arid. Mean annual rainfall varies with location and relief, from less than 100 mm to 450 mm. Much of the ecoregion is in the rain shadow of the Sierras Pampeanas. Most rain falls during the southern hemisphere summer, when the South American monsoon system brings moist air to the ecoregion. [4]
The High Monte is part of the Arid Diagonal, a belt of arid and semi-arid regions that extend from northwest to southeast across southern South America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans.
The characteristic vegetation is shrubland. Evergreen shrub species of Larrea , known as jarillas, are predominant. There are areas of open algarrobo ( Prosopis ) woodland where groundwater is available. Prosopis alba and Prosopis nigra are the most common algarrobo species, growing 4 to 16 meters in height. [5] Characteristic Chaco shrubs like Bulnesia schickendantzii, Prosopis nigra , and Tragia geraniifolia grow along the eastern boundary with the Chaco. [3]
The High Monte is home to many endemic plants, especially in the transition zone between the Monte and the humid Southern Andean Yungas forests. Of the 505 plant species endemic to northwestern Argentina, 57 to 73 endemic species are found in the Sierra del Aconquija transition zone, the highest concentration of endemic species in Argentina's northwest. [6]
Native mammals include the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), puma (Puma concolor), South American gray fox (Lycalopex griseus), Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus), screaming hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus), pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris), and white-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum (Thylamys pallidior).
The Sierra del Tontal chinchilla rat (Abrocoma shistacea) and golden viscacha rat (Pipanacoctomys aureus) are endemic to the ecoregion. The mountain viscacha rat (Octomys mimax) is a near-endemic, ranging into an adjacent area of the Low Monte. Other native rodents include Akodon albiventer, Akodon simulator, Akodon spegazzinii, Andalgalomys olrogi Ctenomys coludo, Ctenomys famosus, Ctenomys knighti, Eligmodontia bolsonensis, Octodontomys gliroides , and Salinoctomys loschalchalerosorum . [2]
The burrowing parrot (Cyanoliseus patagonus andinus) is native to the ecoregion, where it is an important disperser of algarrobo seeds. [5]
12.88% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. These include Talampaya National Park, El Leoncito National Park, Los Cardones National Park, and San Guillermo National Park. [1]
The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region. This land is sometimes called the Chaco Plain.
The Sierras de Córdoba is a mountain range in central Argentina, located between the Pampas to the east and south and the Chaco to the north and east. Most of the range is located in Córdoba Province, except for the southwestern margin which is in San Luis Province.
The Chaco National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the province of Chaco. It has an area of 150 km2. It was created in 1954 in order to protect a sample of the Eastern Chaco, composed mainly of warm lowlands, with an annual summer rainfall between 750 and 1,300 mm.
Prosopis nigra is a South American leguminous tree species that inhabits the Gran Chaco ecoregion, in Argentina and Paraguay. It is known as algarrobo negro in Spanish, which means "black carob tree". It is also variously called algarrobo dulce, algarrobo morado and algarrobo amarillo.
The burrowing parrot, also known as the burrowing parakeet or the Patagonian conure, is a species of parrot native to Argentina and Chile. It belongs to the monotypic genus Cyanoliseus, with four subspecies that are currently recognized.
The mountain viscacha rat or mountain vizcacha rat, historically viscacha rat or vizcacha rat, is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is endemic to Argentina.
The Environment of Argentina is characterised by high biodiversity.
The Sierras Pampeanas is a geographical region of Argentina.
Algarrobilla, small carob in Spanish, also written algarovilla, may refer to :
The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.
Prosopis flexuosa, commonly known as tortuous mesquite and a variety of Spanish vernacular names including algarrobo dulce and algarrobo negro, is a species of flowering tree in the genus Prosopis of the family Fabaceae. It is found in arid and semi-arid regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, including the western Gran Chaco and the Monte Desert, where it is a conspicuous and characteristic plant of the region. Its timber is used for construction, charcoal and fuel and its fruits are eaten by humans and livestock.
The Espinal (NT0801) is an ecoregion of dry, thorny forest, savanna and steppe in Argentina. It has been extensively modified by large scale cattle ranching, but remnants of the original flora remain. It is threatened by the advance of the irrigation-based agricultural frontier.
The Argentine Monte (NT0802), or Low Monte, is an ecoregion of dry thorn scrub and grasslands in Argentina. It is one of the driest regions in the country. Human settlements are mainly near water supplies such as rivers or oases. Deforestation and over-grazing around these settlements have caused desertification.
The Tumbes–Piura dry forests (NT0232) is an arid tropical ecoregion along the Pacific coasts of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. The ecoregion contains many endemic species of flora and birds adapted to the short wet season followed by a long dry season. Threats include extraction of wood for fuel or furniture, and capture of wild birds for sale.