Magellanic subpolar forests

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Magellanic subpolar forests
Patagonian steppe
  • Valdivian temperate forests
    • Geography
    Area150,500 km2 (58,100 sq mi)
    Countries
    Conservation
    Protected69,938 km² (46%)[1]
    Harberton, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
    Windswept tree, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile – "The wind only blows from the west".

    The Magellanic subpolar forests (

    terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina,[2] and are part of the Neotropical realm. It is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
    ecoregion, and contains the world's southernmost forests.

    Setting

    The Magellanic subpolar forests ecoregion lies to the west of the

    Andes Mountains, which run north-south for most of their length but curve eastward near the southern tip of South America, terminating at the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. The Magellanic ecoregion was covered by glaciers during the last ice age, and the landscape is deeply dissected by fjords, with numerous islands, inlets, and channels, including the Strait of Magellan, which separates Tierra del Fuego from the South American mainland and is the route taken by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan
    from the South Atlantic to the South Pacific. North of roughly 48° south latitude lies the Valdivian temperate forests ecoregion, which shares many affinities with the Magellanic ecoregion in plant and animal life. To the east lie the drier temperate grasslands and shrublands ecoregions of Patagonia, which are in the rain shadow of the Andean and Fuegian mountains.

    Climate

    The Andean and Fuegan mountains intercept moisture-laden westerly winds, creating

    flag trees
    .

    Flora

    Like the Valdivian ecoregion, the Magellanic subpolar forests are a refuge for the

    southern beech (Nothofagus). Species of Nothofagus, including N. betuloides, N. antarctica, and N. pumilio
    , are the characteristic trees of the Magellanic ecoregion. The Magellanic ecoregion does not have the same species richness as the milder Valdivian ecoregion, both on account of its colder climate and its recent glaciation. The advancing glaciers caused the forests to retreat far to the north, and the region was gradually reforested starting about 10,000 years ago when the climate warmed and the glaciers began retreating.

    The Magellanic ecoregion has three main plant communities: the Magellanic moorland, the evergreen Magellanic rainforest, and the deciduous Magellanic forest.

    The Magellanic moorland occurs on the western edge of the region where the oceanic influence is strongest. High rainfall of 5,000 mm/a (197 in/a) is typical of the moorland, as are cool temperatures, strong winds, bad drainage conditions, and rocky ground with generally thin soil. Most of the moorland consists of a mosaic of low-growing plants, including dwarf shrubs and wind-sheared trees, cushion plants, grasses, and mosses. These plants can form an underlayer of blanket peat and boggy areas. In more sheltered areas, small stands of evergreen forest can be found, which include Nothofagus betuloides, Drimys winteri, Lepidothamnus fonkii, and Pilgerodendron uviferum.

    Farther from the ocean, in more moderate areas less exposed to the oceanic wind and rain, moorland yields to evergreen Magellanic rainforest. The Magellanic rainforest is mostly made up

    shrub layer
    may develop. In exposed, rocky, and poorly drained areas, pockets of deciduous Nothofagus antarctica and the typical moorland species can be found.

    As one moves further east, where rainfall decreases to 800–850 mm/a (31.5–33.5 in/a), Nothofagus betuloides becomes less dominant and mixes with deciduous Nothofagus pumilio in the transition to the deciduous forest community. The Magellanic deciduous forest is made up mostly of Nothofagus pumilio and Nothofagus antarctica. When one reaches the drier rain shadow east of the mountains, the forests disappear, transitioning to the grassland ecoregions of Patagonia.

    In open spaces some succulent fruits can be found:

    calafate
    (Berberis buxifolia); they used to complement the nourishment of the (now almost nonexistent) native peoples.

    These forests are peerless in their endurance of cold summers (averaging 9 degrees Celsius or 48.2 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level) and violent subpolar winds. Due to these traits, Magellanic forests' tree species are exported to other parts of the world such as the Faroe Islands and neighboring archipelagos with similar conditions where trees from other biomes in the world cannot grow. The following species from Tierra del Fuego, Drimys winteri, Nothofagus antarctica, Nothofagus pumilio, and Nothofagus betuloides, have been successfully introduced to the Faroe Islands. As a general rule, Fueguian trees show better signs of acclimation than those from Continental Northern Europe to conditions in the Faroe Islands.[3]

    Fauna

    The Magellanic subpolar forests are home to the

    long-clawed mole mouse, and the viscacha
    , a small rodent that looks almost like a rabbit with a long, bushy tail.

    Native

    Patagonian sierra-finch (Phrygilus patagonicus), Patagonian mockingbird (Mimus patagonicus), and Andean condor
    (Vultur gryphus).

    The rich Magellanic coastal waters and numerous rocky islets host many seabirds, including albatrosses, auks, gulls, terns, and penguins.

    Protected areas

    A 2017 assessment found that 69,938 km², or 46%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1]

    Argentina

    Chile

    External links

    • "Magellanic subpolar forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

    References

    1. ^ a b 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. [1]
    2. ^ Hogan, C. Michael; World Wildlife Fund (2014-05-14). Draggan, Sydney (ed.). "Magellanic subpolar forests". Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington DC: National Council for Science and the Environment (published 2010). Archived from the original on 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
    3. ^ Højgaard, A., J. Jóhansen, and S. Ødum (eds) 1989. A century of tree planting in the Faroe Islands. Føroya Frodskaparfelag, Torshavn.
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