Ucayali moist forests

Last updated
Ucayali moist forests (NT0174)
Cordillera Azul National Park - ZooKeys-277-069-g005.jpg
Montane rainforest on the mountain ridge between Region de San Martin and Region de Loreto
Ecoregion NT0174.png
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm Neotropical
Biome tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Bird species>600
Mammal species188
Geography
Countries Peru
Coordinates 7°45′07″S75°51′14″W / 7.752°S 75.854°W / -7.752; -75.854 Coordinates: 7°45′07″S75°51′14″W / 7.752°S 75.854°W / -7.752; -75.854
Geology Ucayali Basin
Rivers Marañon, Ucayali
Climate typeAf: equatorial, fully humid

The Ucayali moist forests (NT0174) is an ecoregion in the western Amazon rainforest of Peru.

Contents

Geography

Location

The Ucayali moist forest ecoregion is to the east of the Andes mountains in Peru. It is bounded to the east by the Ucayali River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. To the north it is bounded by the Marañón River. [1]

In the extreme northwest the Ucayali moist forests transition into the Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests. Across the Marañón River valley they transition into the Marañón dry forests, then along most of their western and southern boundary they transition into the Peruvian Yungas. To the east they are separated from the Southwest Amazon moist forests by a belt of Iquitos várzea along the Ucayali River, and to the north they are separated from the Napo moist forests by a belt of Iquitos varzea along the Marañón River. [2]

Terrain

The sub-Andean terrain is generally flat, but is divided by the Cordillera Oriental, highlands that run along the length of the ecoregion. Elevations are 200 to 1,100 metres (660 to 3,610 ft) above sea level. Many rivers and streams flow from the mountains to the west into the upper Amazon basin. [3]

Climate

Annual rainfall is 600–2,500 millimetres (24–98 in). [3] At a sample location at 7°45′S75°45′W / 7.75°S 75.75°W / -7.75; -75.75 the Köppen climate classification is "Af": equatorial, fully humid. Mean temperatures range from 24.7 °C (76.5 °F) in July to 26.1 °C (79.0 °F) in November. Yearly total rainfall is about 1,700 millimetres (67 in). Monthly rainfall ranges from 62.4 millimetres (2.46 in) in August to 205.9 millimetres (8.11 in) in March. [4]

Ecology

The ecoregion is in the Neotropical realm, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. [5]

Flora

Forests are transitional between wet lowland rainforest to the east and premontane moist forests higher up. [3] The ecoregion has diverse flora, with many species of palm. Tropical hardwood species include mahogany, tropical cedar and kapok. [5]

Fauna

188 species of mammals have been recorded. There are over 600 species of birds. There are also large populations of many species of invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles. [5]

Endangered mammals include white-bellied spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth), Peruvian spider monkey (Ateles chamek), Rio Mayo titi (Callicebus oenanthe) and giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). Endangered amphibians include Silverstone's poison frog (Ameerega silverstonei) and Johnson's horned treefrog ( Hemiphractus johnsoni ). [6]

Status

The World Wildlife Fund gives the ecoregion the status of "Vulnerable". [3] The Cordillera Azul National Park protects part of the ecoregion. [5]

Related Research Articles

Japurá–Solimões–Negro moist forests

The Japurá–Solimões–Negro moist forests (NT0132) is an ecoregion of tropical moist broad leaf forest in the Amazon biome.

Marajó várzea

The Marajó várzea (NT0138) is an ecoregion of seasonally and tidally flooded várzea forest in the Amazon biome. It covers a region of sedimentary islands and floodplains at the mouth of the Amazon that is flooded twice daily as the ocean tides push the river waters onto the land. The flooded forests provide food for a wide variety of fruit-eating fish, aquatic mammals, birds and other fauna. It has no protected areas and is threatened by cattle and water-buffalo ranching, logging and fruit plantations.

Gurupa várzea

The Gurupa várzea (NT0126) is an ecoregion of seasonally and tidally flooded várzea forest along the Amazon River in the Amazon biome.

Monte Alegre várzea

The Monte Alegre várzea (NT0141) is an ecoregion of seasonally flooded várzea forest along the Amazon River in the Amazon biome.

Purus várzea

The Purus várzea (NT0156) is an ecoregion of seasonally flooded várzea forest in the central Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion is home to a vegetation adapted to floods of up to 12 metres (39 ft) that may last for eight months. There is a great variety of fish and birds, but relatively fewer mammals. Ground-dwelling mammals must migrate to higher ground during the flood season. Threats include logging, cattle farming, over-fishing and mercury pollution from gold mining.

Purus–Madeira moist forests

The Purus-Madeira moist forests (NT0157) is an ecoregion in the central Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion covers a stretch of flat and relatively infertile land between the Purus and Madeira rivers, extending to the Solimões River in the north. It is isolated from other regions by the seasonally flooded várzea forest along these rivers, and has a high degree of endemism among its flora and fauna. The natural environment is relatively intact. The BR-319 highway was built along the length of the ecoregion in the early 1970s, but rapidly deteriorated and is now closed.

Madeira–Tapajós moist forests

The Madeira-Tapajós moist forests (NT0135) is an ecoregion in the Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion extends southwest from the Amazon River between its large Madeira and Tapajós tributaries, and crosses the border into Bolivia. In the south it transitions into the cerrado biome of Mato Grosso. In the state of Rondônia it contains some of the most degraded land of the Amazon basin.

Tapajós–Xingu moist forests

The Tapajós–Xingu moist forests (NT0168) is an ecoregion in the eastern Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion extends southwest from the Amazon River between its large Tapajós and Xingu tributaries.

Xingu–Tocantins–Araguaia moist forests

The Xingu–Tocantins–Araguaia moist forests (NT0180) is an ecoregion in the eastern Amazon basin. It is part of the Amazon biome. The ecoregion is one of the most severely degraded of the Amazon region, suffering from large-scale deforestation and selective extraction of timber, particularly along the Trans-Amazonian Highway and in the higher and more populated southern portions.

Tocantins–Araguaia–Maranhão moist forests

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.

Solimões–Japurá moist forests

The Solimões-Japurá moist forests (NT0163) is an ecoregion in northwest Brazil and eastern Peru and Colombia in the Amazon biome. It has a hot climate with high rainforest throughout the year, and holds one of the most diverse collections of fauna and flora in the world. The ecoregion is relatively intact.

Iquitos várzea

The Iquitos várzea (NT0128) is an ecoregion of flooded forest along rivers in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia in the west of the Amazon biome. The forest is seasonally flooded up to 7 metres (23 ft) by whitewater rivers carrying nutrient-rich sediment from the Andes. The meandering rivers often shift course, creating a complex landscape of oxbow lakes, marshes, levees and bars, with grasslands, shrubs and forests in different stages of succession. During the extended flood periods fish enter the forest in search of fruit. The várzea is accessible by the navigable rivers that run through it, and has suffered from extensive deforestation to extract timber and create pasture for livestock.

Juruá–Purus moist forests

The Juruá–Purus moist forests (NT0133) is an ecoregion in northwest Brazil in the Amazon biome. The terrain is very flat and soils are poor. The rivers flood annually. There are no roads in the region, and the dense rainforest is relatively intact, although plans to extend the Trans-Amazonian Highway through the region would presumably cause widespread damage to the habitat.

Uatuma–Trombetas moist forests

The Uatuma–Trombetas moist forests (NT0173) is an ecoregion in northwest Brazil in the Amazon biome. It covers the Amazon basin north of the Amazon River from close to the Atlantic Ocean to the Rio Negro west of Manaus. The ecoregion is relatively intact, although it has been damaged along the main rivers and around population centers.

Amazon–Orinoco–Southern Caribbean mangroves

The Amazon–Orinoco–Southern Caribbean mangroves (NT1401) is an ecoregion along the coasts of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil.

Marañón dry forests

The Marañón dry forests (NT0223) is an ecoregion in northern Peru. It covers the lower valley of the Marañón River and its tributaries along the eastern edge of the Andes. It has a dry climate due to rain shadow from mountains further east. The habitat has long been modified by farming, ranching and logging and is now threatened by construction of hydroelectric and irrigation dams.

Cordillera Central páramo Ecoregion in the Andes Mountains

The Cordillera Central páramo (NT1004) is an ecoregion containing páramo vegetation above the treeline in the Andes mountain range of northern Peru and southern Ecuador. Due to its isolation there are high levels of endemism. Despite many human settlements and some destruction of habitat by agriculture and mining, the ecoregion is relatively intact.

Napo moist forests

The Napo moist forests (NT0142) is an ecoregion in the western Amazon rainforest of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Sinú Valley dry forests

The Sinú Valley dry forests (NT0229) is an ecoregion in the north of Colombia.

Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests

The Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests (NT0121) is an ecoregion in the eastern range of the Andes of southern Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru. The ecoregion covers the eastern slopes of the Andes, and includes montane forest that rises from the Amazonian rain forest, with cloud forest and elfin forest at higher elevations. It is rich in species, including many endemics. It is threatened by logging and conversion for pasturage and subsistence agriculture.

References

    1. ↑ Ucayali moist forests – Myers, WWF Abstract (map).
    2. ↑ WildFinder – WWF.
    3. 1 2 3 4 Sears & Schipper.
    4. ↑ Ucayali moist forests – Myers, Climate Data.
    5. 1 2 3 4 Ucayali moist forests – Myers, WWF Abstract.
    6. ↑ Ucayali moist forests – Myers, All Endangered.

    Bibliography

    • Sears, Robin; Schipper, Jan, Eastern South America: Central Peru (NT0174), WWF: World Wildlife Fund, retrieved 2017-04-30
    • "Ucayali moist forests", Global Species, Myers Enterprises II, retrieved 2017-04-30
    • WildFinder, WWF: World Wildlife Fund, retrieved 2017-04-26
    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.