Rwenzori–Virunga montane moorlands

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Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands
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Lower Bigo Bog at 3400m in the Rwenzori Mountains with giant lobelia in foreground.
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Location of the Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands
Ecology
Realm Afrotropical
Biome montane grasslands and shrublands
Borders Albertine Rift montane forests
Geography
Area516 km2 (199 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Conservation status Relatively stable/intact [1]
Protected513 km² (99%) [2]

The Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of the Rwenzori Mountains and Virunga Mountains in central Africa.

Contents

View of the Rwenzori peaks, with giant groundsel plants (Dendrosenecio) in the foreground 1172 ruwenzori.jpg
View of the Rwenzori peaks, with giant groundsel plants (Dendrosenecio) in the foreground

Setting

The ecoregion lies above 3000 meters elevation, and is divided into two areas: the Rwenzori Mountains on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the volcanic Virunga Mountains to the south, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda meet. It is surrounded at lower elevations by the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion. [3]

The Afroalpine flora of the higher altitudes have much in common with the East African montane moorlands of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and Mount Meru.

Flora and fauna

The ecoregion is home to a distinctive Afroalpine vegetation. Habitat types include lakes, marshy deltas and peat bogs, open montane grasslands, shrublands, enclaves of high elevation forest, snow fields, and glaciers. Giant rosette plants, including various species of lobelias and senecios, are characteristic of the ecoregion. Vegetation varies with elevation, soils, and exposure.[ citation needed ]

The upper montane forest of the Albertine Rift montane forests, composed of cloud forests with Hagenia abyssinica and Hypericum revolutum , or bamboo forests of Sinarundinaria alpina , extends up to 3,000–3,300 m (9,800–10,800 ft).[ citation needed ]

Ericaceous forests form a transition zone between the montane forests and alpine moorlands, extending up to 3,800 m (12,500 ft). Erica arborea is the dominant species. [4] The ericaceous vegetation varies in growth habit, in places forming a dense forest of single-trunked trees, thickets of multi-trunked shrubs, or open shrubland reaching only 1 meter high. The ericaceous forest supports many epiphytes. [5]

Alpine grasslands and alpine shrublands extend up to 4,500 m (14,800 ft) altitude. Tussock grasslands include Festuca abyssinica and Carex runssoroensis. The giant rosette plants Lobelia wollastonii and Dendrosenecio johnstonii are found on both the Rwenzoris and the Virungas, while Lobelia stuhlmannii grows only on the Virungas.[ citation needed ]

In the portion of the Rwenzoris above 4,500 m (14,800 ft) altitude, the alpine grasslands and shrublands yield to upper alpine dwarf scrub, also known as subnival shrub, where Helichrysum stuhlmanii forms isolated thickets. [4]

The Virunga Mountains provide habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), although these spend most of their time in lower zones.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 513 km2 (198 sq mi), or 99%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [2] Virunga National Park protects the Congolese portion of moorlands in both the Rwenzori and Virunga ranges. Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains National Park protects the Ugandan portion of the Rwenzori moorlands, and Rwanda's Volcans National Park protects the Rwandan portion of the Virunga moorlands.[ citation needed ]

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">Rwenzori Mountains</span> Mountain range of eastern equatorial Africa

The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, or Rwenzururu are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches 5,109 metres (16,762 ft), and the range's upper regions are permanently snow-capped and glaciated. Rivers fed by mountain streams form one of the sources of the Nile. Because of this, European explorers linked the Ruwenzori with the legendary Mountains of the Moon, claimed by the Greek scholar Ptolemy as the source of the Nile. Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in southwestern Uganda are located within the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcanoes National Park</span> National park in Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers 160 km2 (62 sq mi) of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. It borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. It is home to the mountain gorilla and the golden monkey, and was the base for the primatologist Dian Fossey.

<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">Virunga National Park</span> National park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m (16,762 ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains. From north to south it extends approximately 300 km (190 mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. It covers an area of 8,090 km2 (3,120 sq mi).

<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 Northeastern 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">Mgahinga Gorilla National Park</span> National Park in Uganda

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It was created in 1991 and covers an area of 33.9 km2 (13.1 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afromontane</span> Subregion of the Afrotropical realm

The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of Africa are discontinuous, separated from each other by lower-lying areas, and are sometimes referred to as the Afromontane archipelago, as their distribution is analogous to a series of sky islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albertine Rift</span> Western branch of the East African Rift

The Albertine Rift is the western branch of the East African Rift, covering parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. It extends from the northern end of Lake Albert to the southern end of Lake Tanganyika. The geographical term includes the valley and the surrounding mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albertine Rift montane forests</span> Ecoregion in east-central Africa

The Albertine Rift montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in east-central Africa. The ecoregion covers the mountains of the northern Albertine Rift, and is home to distinct Afromontane forests with high biodiversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet-tufted sunbird</span> Species of bird

The scarlet-tufted sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectarinia of the family Nectariniidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It is also known as the red-tufted sunbird and the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harenna Forest</span> Forest in Ethiopia

The Harenna Forest is a montane tropical evergreen forest in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. The forest covers the southern slope of the mountains, extending from 1450 to 3200 meters in elevation. The Bale Mountains are in Ethiopia's Oromia Region and form the southwestern portion of the Ethiopian Highlands.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands</span>

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-altitude Ethiopian montane moorlands and the lower-elevation Ethiopian montane forests.

<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">East African montane moorlands</span>

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.

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.

Erica trimera is a species of flowering plant. It is a shrub or tree which grows in the mountains of eastern and central Africa.

References

  1. "Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  2. 1 2 Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. "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. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014.
  3. Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D’Amico Hales, Emma Underwood (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.
  4. 1 2 Bussmann, R. W. (2006). "Vegetation zonation and nomenclature of African Mountains - An overview". Lyonia. 11 (1): 41–66.
  5. Wesche, Karsten; Georg Miehe, and Meinhard Kaeppeli (2000). "The Significance of Fire for Afroalpine Ericaceous Vegetation". Mountain Research and Development 20(4):340-347. 2000