The Magellanic subpolar forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina, and is part of the Neotropic ecozone. It is a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, and contains the world's southernmost forests. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Neotropic ecozone is a terrestrial ecoregion which includes South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. ... An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earths surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns of plants and animals. ... Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests are a temperate and humid biome. ...

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 as 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 48º south latitude lies the Valdivian temperate rain 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. See also architecture with non-sequential dynamic execution scheduling (ANDES). ... Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for Land of Fire) (English pronunciation ; Spanish ) is an archipelago, 28,476 sq mi (73,753 km²), separated from the southernmost tip of the South American mainland by the Strait of Magellan. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Fjord in Sunnmøre, Norway Fjords are very long inlets from the sea with high steeply sloped walled sides. ... A true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite image, the entire Strait is visible A map of the Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan is a navigable route immediately south of mainland Chile, South America and north of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. ... Ferdinand Magellan, see Ferdinand Magellan Railcar. ... The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. ... Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a biome in which the climate is temperate and semi-arid to semi-humid. ... Patagonia, as most commonly defined (in orange). ...

Climate

The Andean and Fuegan mountains intercept moisture-laden westerly winds, creating temperate rain forest conditions, while the cold oceanic Humboldt Current, which runs up the west coast of South America, and the cold Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which runs from west to east through the Southern Ocean, keep the Magellanic ecoregion cool and wet, and the strong oceanic influence moderates seasonal temperature extremes. Averages temperatures a year vary from 6°C in the north to 3°C in the south and rainfalls a year from 4000 mm in the west to 450 mm in the east. Snowfalls can occur even in summer. Fog is very frequent. Very strong winds whip the region. Temperate rain forest in the Mount Hood Wilderness, Oregon, United States. ... ... The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica. ...

Flora

Like the Valdivian ecoregion, the Magellanic subpolar forests are a refuge for the Antarctic flora, and share many plant families with the temperate forest ecoregions of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia, especially 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 retreated. 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... Capital Hobart Government Const. ... Species   Nothofagus alpina - Rauli Beech   Nothofagus antarctica - Antarctic Beech   Nothofagus betuloides - Magallanes Beech   Nothofagus cunninghamii - Myrtle Beech   Nothofagus dombeyi - Coigüe Beech   Nothofagus fusca - Red Beech   Nothofagus gunnii - Tanglefoot Beech   Nothofagus menziesii - Silver Beech   Nothofagus moorei - Negrohead Beech   Nothofagus obliqua - Roble Beech   Nothofagus pumilio - Lenga Beech   Nothofagus solanderi - Black Beech...

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 5000 mm/year 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. Nothofagus betuloides (Magellanes beech). ... Binomial name Drimys winteri J.R. Forst. ... species Lepidothamnus is a genus of conifers belonging to the Podocarp family, Podocarpaceae. ... species Pilgerodendron uviferum Pilgerodendron uviferum is a species of conifer belonging to the Cypress family, Cupressaceae. ...

Further 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 Nothofagus betuloides, together with other evergreen trees, most often Drimys winteri and Pilgerodendron uviferum, and occasionally Embothrium coccineum and Maytenus magellanica. In the better established forest stands, a species-rich shrub layer may develop. In exposed, rocky, and poorly drained areas, pockets of deciduous Nothofagus antarctica and the typical moorland species can be found. Species See text Embothrium is a genus of two to eight species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) in the plant family Proteaceae, native to southern South America, in Chile and adjacent western Argentina and southern Peru; the genus occurs as far south as Tierra del Fuego. ...

As one moves further east, where rainfall decreases to 800-850 mm/year, 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 delicious fruits can be found: Chilean strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis var. chiloensis forma chiloensis) and calafate (berberis buxifolia), they help to complement nourishment of native people. Binomial name Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duchesne The Beach Strawberry, Chilean Strawberry, Sand Strawberry, or Coastal Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) is one of two species of strawberry that were hybridized to create the modern Garden Strawberry. ... Binomial name Berberis buxifolia Lam. ...

These forests are peerless in the world for having emerged in a climate with such cold summers (average around 9° in the south) and those violent subpolar winds. Due to this amazing quality, magellanic forests have been source from which trees have been planted in other parts of the world that lack from them, trees have been directly imported from the southern forests of Tierra del fuego from provenances most alike to the climatic conditions of Faroe Islands and neighboring archipelagos, focusing on places from the coast and tundra borders. As a result of it, the following species from Tierra del Fuego: Drimys winteri, Nothofagus antarctica, Nothofagus pumilio, and Nothofagus betuloides, have been successfully introduced in Faroe. As a general rule, fueguian trees show good signs of acclimation in Faroe, while those from northern Europe not so much.^[1] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Mergui Archipelago An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for Land of Fire) (English pronunciation ; Spanish ) is an archipelago, 28,476 sq mi (73,753 km²), separated from the southernmost tip of the South American mainland by the Strait of Magellan. ... Binomial name Drimys winteri J.R. Forst. ... The Nothofagus Antarctica is commonly called the Southern or Antarctic Beech or the nire. ... Binomial name Nothofagus lenga (Forster) Oerst. ... Nothofagus betuloides (Magellanes beech). ... The Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroyar, meaning Sheep Islands) are a group of islands in the north Atlantic Ocean between Scotland and Iceland. ...

Fauna

The Magellanic subpolar forests are home to the Southern Pudu, the world's smallest deer, which stands only 35-45 cm (14-18 inches) high at the shoulder. Other animal species include the Cougar (Puma concolor) and the endangered Southern River Otter (Lontra provocax). Endemic rodents include the Patagonian rat, the mole mouse, and the viscacha, a small rodent that looks almost like a rabbit with a long, bushy tail. The pudu (Pudu pudu), considered to be the worlds smallest deer, is a native of South America. ... “Fawn” redirects here. ... Binomial name Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) Cougar range map Synonyms Felis concolor The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as the puma or mountain lion, is a New World mammal of the Felidae family. ... Binomial name Lontra provocax The Southern river otter (Lontra provocax) is a species of otter that lives in Chile and Argentina. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ...

Native bird species include the Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus), Patagonian sierra-finch (Phrygilus patagonicus), Patagonian mockingbird (Mimus patagonicus), and Andean condor (Vultur gryphus). “Aves” redirects here. ... Genera Melanerpes Sphyrapicus Xiphidiopicus Dendropicos Dendrocopos Picoides Veniliornis Campethera Geocolaptes Dinopium Meiglyptes Hemicircus Micropternus Picus Mulleripicus Dryocopus Celeus Piculus Colaptes Campephilus Chrysocolaptes Reinwardtipicus Blythipicus Gecinulus Sapheopipo For other uses, see Woodpecker (disambiguation). ... Genera Melanotis Mimodes Mimus Nesomimus Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds, often loudly and in rapid succession. ... Genera Vultur Gymnogyps Condor is the name for a species of New World vultures. ...

The rich Magellanic coastal waters and numerous rocky islets host many seabirds, including albatrosses, auks, gulls, terns, and penguins. Genera Diomedea Thalassarche Phoebastria Phoebetria Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). ... Genera Uria Alle Alca Pinguinus Synthliboramphus Cepphus Brachyramphus Ptychoramphus Aethia Cerorhinca Fratercula Extinct genera, see Systematics Auks are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. ... Look up gull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Genera Sterna (Gelochelidon) (Hydroprogne) (Thalasseus) Chlidonias Phaetusa Anous Procelsterna Gygis Larosterna Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily Sterninae of the gull family Laridae. ... Modern genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus For prehistoric genera, see Systematics Some penguins are curious. ...

References

External link

• Magellanic subpolar forests (World Wildlife Fund)