The Araucaria moist forests are a subtropical moist forest ecoregion of southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known as tropical wet forests and tropical rainforests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Setting

The Araucaria moist forests cover an area of 216,100 square kilometers (83,400 square miles), encompassing a region of mountains and plateaus in the Brazilian states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, and extending into Misiones Province of Argentina. Flag of Paraná See other Brazilian States Capital Curitiba Largest City Curitiba Area 199,544 km² Population   - Total   - Density 9,150,000 48 inh. ... Flag of Santa Catarina See other Brazilian States Capital Florianópolis Largest City Joinville Area 95,442. ... Flag of Rio Grande do Sul See other Brazilian States Capital Porto Alegre Largest City Porto Alegre Area 282,062 km² Population   - Total   - Density 10. ... Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. ...

The ecoregion lies above 500m, rising to 1600 meters elevation on the high slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mantiqueira Mountains. ...

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. The cerrado (Portuguese: thick, dense) is a vast area of savanna-like grasslands in Brazil. ... NT0160 (in blue) stretching along eastern Brazilian coast. ... The Uruguayan savanna, also known as the Brazilian-Uruguayan savanna, is a subtropical grassland and savanna ecoregion which includes all of Uruguay and southernmost Brazil. ...

Climate

The Araucaria moist forests have a subtropical climate, with frequent frosts during the winter months. Annual precipitation is high, ranging from 1300-3000 mm, without a dry season. Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ...

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 meters 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. Genera Many; see text The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. ... Genera 130; see list The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. ... Leguminosae is one of two scientific names allowed for a plant family of close to twenty thousands species. ... ... Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale Minke whale...

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. This article is a parent page for a series of articles providing information about endemism among birds in the Worlds various zoogeographic zones. ...

Conservation and threats

The Araucaria moist forests are part of the Atlantic Forests, which are recognized as a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International, and as a Global 200 ecoregion by the World Wildlife Fund. A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and is threatened with destruction. ... Conservation International (CI) is a nonprofit organization headquarted in Washington, D.C., that seeks to protect Earths biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Note: After losing a court case in 2002 on the use of the initials WWF, the organization previously known as the World Wrestling Federation has rebranded itself as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. WWF - The Conservation Organization was formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and Worldwide Fund for Nature. ...

External link

Araucaria moist forests (World Wildlife Fund)