Araucaria moist forests

Araucaria moist forests
300px Araucaria moist forest in Aparados da Serra National Park, Brazil.
240px Araucaria moist forests ecoregion as defined by WWF.
Ecology
Biome	Atlantic Forest
Borders	Alto Paraná Atlantic forests, Cerrado, Pampas and Serra do Mar coastal forests
Bird species	440
Mammal species	141
Geography
Area	216,100 km2 (83,400 sq mi)
Countries	Brazil and Argentina
States	São Paulo (state), Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Misiones Province
Conservation
Habitat loss	87.0%
Protected	0.62%

The Araucaria moist forests are a coniferous forest ecoregion of the Atlantic Forest Biome. The forest ecosystem is located in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina.

Setting

The moist forests cover an area of 216,100 square kilometres (83,400 sq mi), encompassing a region of mountains and plateaus in the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, and extending into Misiones Province of Argentina.

The ecoregion lies above 500 metres (1,600 ft), rising to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) elevation on the high slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira.

The ecoregion is bounded by the Paraná-Paraíba interior forests to the north, west, and south, the Cerrado savannas and shrublands to the northeast, The Serra do Mar coastal forests to the east, and the Uruguayan savanna to the southwest.

Climate

The Araucaria moist forests have an oceanic temperate climate (Cfb), with frequent frosts during the winter months and considerable snowfalls (generally light) in the highest areas. Annual precipitation is high, ranging from 1,300 to 3,000 millimetres (51 to 118 in), without a dry season.

Flora

The ecoregion mostly consists of evergreen subtropical moist forests, with a canopy made up of Ocotea pretiosa and O. catharinense (Lauraceae), Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Myrtaceae), and Parapiptadenia rigida (Leguminosae). Brazilian araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia) forms an emergent layer, growing up to 45 metres (148 ft) in height. The forests are significant from an evolutionary perspective, as a relict of mixed coniferous and broad-leafed forests that were once much more widespread, and are home to many taxa characteristic of the Antarctic flora.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to several threatened species endemic to the Atlantic forests, including the brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba) and the red-spectacled parrot (Amazona pretrei). The Araucaria moist forests is recognized as an important endemic bird area.

Conservation and threats

The Araucaria moist forests are within the Atlantic Forest Biome (Mata Atlântica), which is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International, and as a Global 200 ecoregion by the World Wildlife Fund.