Valdivian temperate forests

Coordinates: 41°19′48.39″S 73°39′40.96″W / 41.3301083°S 73.6613778°W / -41.3301083; -73.6613778 (CHECKME)
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404)
Patagonian steppe
  • Southern Andean steppe
    • Geography
    Area248,100 km2 (95,800 sq mi)
    Countries
    Conservation
    Protected24.16%[1]

    The Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404) is an

    Valdivia. The Valdivian temperate rainforests are characterized by their dense understories of bamboos, ferns, and for being mostly dominated by evergreen angiosperm trees with some deciduous specimens, though conifer
    trees are also common.

    Setting

    Temperate rain forests comprise a relatively narrow Chilean coastal strip, between the

    Andes Mountains to the east, from roughly 37° to 48° south latitude. North of 42°, the Chilean Coast Range stretches on, with just the north–south running Chilean Central Valley between it and the Andes. South of 42°, the coast range continues as a chain of offshore islands (including Chiloé Island and the Chonos Archipelago), while the "Central Valley" is submerged and continues as the Gulf of Corcovado. Much of the ecoregion was once covered by the Patagonian Ice Sheet and other glaciers during the peak of the last ice age, with ice descending from the Andes mountains; numerous bodies of water within the Chilean Lake District (in the central part of the ecoregion) are the remnants of ancient glacial valleys. The southern part of the region features many glacier-carved fjords
    .

    Vegetation around Termas Geométricas near Coñaripe. The Andes of Zona Sur host numerous hotsprings.
    An old-grown pure stand of Aextoxicon in Punta Curiñanco at the Pacific coast.

    To the north, the Valdivian forests give way to the

    Patagonian steppe east of the Andes. As a result, the temperate forest regions have evolved in relative isolation, with a high degree of endemic
    species.

    Due to a similar location geographically and geologically (along the

    Southern Alaska, roughly 40°-60° north latitude) exist in similar settings, with the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. East of the Rocky Mountains, the North American prairie grassland stretches from south-central Canada to Texas, not unlike the Argentine grasslands to the east of the Andes. Similar to the Atacama region of Chile, the Baja California and Sonoran deserts in the US/Mexican states of California and Baja California
    act as climatic borders for the northwest’s rainforests.

    Climate

    Since the forest is located at around 40 degrees south, it is strongly influenced by the

    orographic rainfall. Average annual precipitation varies from 1,000 mm at the northern edge of the ecoregion to more than 6,000 mm per year in the south.[2] The northern portion of the ecoregion has a Submediterranean climate, with rainfall concentrated in the winter months. This seasonality decreases towards the south.[2]

    Average annual temperatures are fairly uniform within the area, especially at coastal locations where annual temperature differences between localities never exceed 7 °C.[3] The northward-flowing oceanic Humboldt Current creates humid and foggy conditions near the coast. In the summer the temperature can climb to 16.5 °C (62 °F), while during winter the temperature can drop below 7 °C (45 °F).[4] Winter temperatures are lower at higher elevations. The tree line is at about 2,400 m in the northern part of the ecoregion (35° S), and descends to 1,000 m in the south of the Valdivian region.[2]

    Flora

    Valdivian cloud forest Bosque de Fray Jorge in semi-arid Norte Chico.

    The Valdivian temperate rain forests are

    endemic
    to this ecoregion.

    copihue (Lapageria rosea) is a pioneer species
    that grows in disturbed areas of the Valdivian rain forest.

    The maximum plant species richness is found at latitudes 40 to 43° S.[3]

    Forest ecosystems

    Alerce

    There are four main types of forest ecosystems in the Valdivian ecoregion.

    Deciduous forests. At the northern end of the ecoregion are deciduous forests, dominated by deciduous species of

    southern beech, including rauli (Nothofagus alpina) and roble (N. obliqua). This is a transitional zone to the Mediterranean-climate region to the north. It grows from 35 to 36º S latitude along Chilean Coast Range, where it is known as Maulino forest. Nothofagus glauca and N. Alessandrii are predominant trees in Maulino forest.[5] Deciduous Nothofagus forests also grow along the Andes of central Chile as far north as 33º S latitude, from approximately 1,200 meters elevation up to the tree line at 2,400 meters elevation.[2] A krummholz of Nothofagus antarctica and N. pumilio grows near the tree line. The southern limit of these forests is 38º S latitude. Tall coniferous pehuén monkey-puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) grow at the southern edge of the deciduous forests, from the coast at Nahuelbuta National Park to the Andes.[5]

    Valdivian laurel-leaved forests. Valdivian

    Caldcluvia paniculata, and Weinmannia trichosperma, with an understory of Myrceugenia planipes, the arrayán (Luma apiculata) and other plants. Old-growth Valdivian evergreen forest (siempreverde) tend to form stratified canopy made up of two or three layers.[6]

    Patagonian Andean forests. The third forest type is the

    giant sequoia, and is a rival in longevity to the bristlecone pine, some with growth rings recording 3,625 years of local weather cycles. Closer to the treeline, the conifers give way to Andean scrublands of deciduous Nothofagus antarctica
    .

    Northern Patagonian forests. The fourth and last type is the Northern Patagonian forests, which dominate the southern half of the ecoregion, with evergreen species such as the broadleaf Nothofagus dombeyi, Nothofagus betuloides and Drimys winteri and the coniferous podocarps, including Podocarpus nubigenus.

    Distribution of plants follow Rapoport's rule with plant species distribution increasing at higher latitudes and decreasing at those closer to the equator, incidents of endemism becoming more frequent as one moves equatorward.[3]

    Lowland soils near the coast contain more available nutrients than more inland soils.[7]

    Origin and evolution

    The flora of the forests has inherited and developed its characteristics due to a variety of causes. Its Neotropical affinities reflect its current geographic connection to the remaining South America.

    boreal" components in the Valdivian temperate rain forest which arrived by long-distance transport.[3] Yet another component are the species from nearby South American ecosystems that adapted to the temperate rainforest.[3]

    During the

    periglacial disturbance through the glaciation.[9][10]

    Fauna

    Pudú

    Some of the threatened mammals of the Valdivian forests include the

    Chilean shrew opossum (Rhyncholestes raphanurus) are endemic to the ecoregion.[11]

    Most mammal genera in Valdivian forests are also found in semi-arid parts of Patagonia.[12] Relative to similar forest in North America there is a low diversity of mammals in Chilean temperate forests.[12]

    The

    copihue
    .

    Conservation

    UACh
    in the Valdivian forests of San Pablo de Tregua, Chile
    See also:
    Ecotourism in the Valdivian Temperate Rainforest

    The Valdivian forests include stands of huge trees, especially

    ecotourism industry
    .

    Protected areas

    24.16% of the Valdivian temperate forests ecoregion is in protected areas.[1]

    List of protected areas

    Argentina

    Chile

    Public:
    Private:
    Nalcas at Cuesta Queulat in Queulat National Park

    See also

    Notes and references

    1. ^ a b "Valdivian temperate forests". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 7 March 2022. [1]
    2. ^ a b c d "Valdivian temperate forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
    3. ^
      ISBN 9561112841
      .
    4. ^ Di Castri F di & E. Hajek 1976. "Bioclimatología de Chile" 163 pages with english summary Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
    5. ^ a b Moreira-Munoz, Andres (2011). Plant Geography of Chile. Springer Dordrecht, January 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8748-5
    6. doi:10.4067/S0717-92002019000300355
      .
    7. ISBN 9561112841
      .
    8. ^ Adams, Jonathan. "South America during the last 150,000 years". Archived from the original on 2010-01-30.
    9. ^ Villagrán, Carolina; Hinojosa, Luis Felipe (2005). "Esquema biogeográfico de Chile". In Llorente Bousquests, Jorge; Morrone, Juan J. (eds.). Regionalización Biogeográfica en Iberoámeríca y tópicos afines (in Spanish). Mexico: Ediciones de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Jiménez Editores.
    10. ISBN 9561112841
      .
    11. ^ a b "Valdivian temperate forests". Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed 3 March 2023.
    12. ^
      ISBN 9561112841
      .
    13. ^ BirdLife International (2023). Endemic Bird Areas factsheet: Chilean temperate forests. Accessed 4 March 2023.

    External links

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