Difference between revisions of "Atlantic Forest" - New World Encyclopedia

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Part of Atlantic Forest seen from SPOT satellite

The Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese) is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savannas, and mangrove forests that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and inland as far as Paraguay and the Misiones Province of Argentina.

The Atlantic Forest region includes several variations of forests.

Coastal restingas—low forests growing on stabilized coastal dunes.
Coastal forests, also known as Atlantic moist forests_evergreen tropical forests with structures.
Interior (inland) forests, also known as the Atlantic semi-deciduous forests—where many trees drop their leaves during the dry season.
Atlantic dry forests farther inland—forming a transition between the arid Caatinga to the northeast and the Cerrado savannas to the east.
Montane moist forests—occur in the Serra do Mar and across the mountains and plateaus of southern Brazil; are home to Araucaria and evergreen trees of the laurel (Lauraceae) and myrtle (Myrtaceae) families.
Shrubby montane savannas—occur at the highest elevations.

The Atlantic Forest is unusual in that it extends as a true tropical rainforest to latitudes as high as 24°S. This is because the trade winds produce precipitation throughout the southern winter. In fact, the northern Zona da Mata of northeastern Brazil receives much more rainfall between May and August than during the southern summer.

The Atlantic Forest is now designated a World Biosphere Reserve because it contains a large number of highly endangered species, including the well-known marmosets and lion tamarins. It has been extensively cleared since colonial times, mainly for the farming of sugar cane and for urban settlements. What remains is estimated to be less than 10 percent of the original and is often broken into hilltop islands.

The Amazon Institute is active in reforestation efforts in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil. During 2007, Joao Milanez and Joanne Stanulonis planted 5,500 new trees in the mountains, adding to the what little remainsof the ancient forest.

During glacial periods, however, the Atlantic Forest is known to have shrunk to extremely small refugia in highly sheltered gullies, with most of the land area more recently occupied by the characteristic Atlantic Forest being occupied by dry forest or even semi-desert. Some maps even suggest the forest actually survived in moist pockets well away from the coastline, where its endemic rainforest species mixed with much cooler-climate species. Unlike refugia for equatorial rainforests, the refuges for the Atlantic Forest have never been the product of detailed identification.

Ecoregions

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Araucaria moist forests
Atlantic Coast restingas
Bahia coastal forests
Bahia interior forests
Caatinga enclaves moist forests
Paraná-Paraíba interior forests
Pernambuco coastal forests
Pernambuco interior forests
Serra do Mar coastal forests

Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests

Atlantic dry forests

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Campos Rupestres montane savanna

Mangroves

Bahia mangroves
Ilha Grande mangroves
Rio Piranhas mangroves
Rio São Francisco mangroves

External links

Credits

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History of "Atlantic Forest"

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 [[Image:Atlantic Forest SPOT 1233.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Part of Atlantic Forest seen from [[SPOT]] satellite]]
-The '''Atlantic Forest''' (''Mata Atlântica'' in Portuguese) is a region of [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical and subtropical moist forest]], [[tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|tropical dry forest]], [[tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|tropical savanna]]s, and [[Mangrove|mangrove forests]] which extends along the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast of [[Brazil]] from [[Rio Grande do Norte]] state in the north to [[Rio Grande do Sul]] state in the south, and inland as far as [[Paraguay]] and the [[Misiones Province]] of [[Argentina]].
+The '''Atlantic Forest''' (''Mata Atlântica'' in Portuguese) is a region of tropical and subtropical moist [[forest]], tropical dry forest, tropical [[savanna]]s, and [[mangrove]] forests that extends along the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast of [[Brazil]] from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and inland as far as [[Paraguay]] and the Misiones Province of [[Argentina]].
-The Atlantic Forest region includes forests of several variations.
+The Atlantic Forest region includes several variations of forests.
-* The coastal ''[[restingas]]'' are low forests which grow on stabilized coastal dunes.
+* Coastal ''restingas''—low forests growing on stabilized coastal dunes.
-* The coastal forests, also known as [[Atlantic moist forests]], are evergreen tropical forests with  structures.
+* Coastal forests, also known as Atlantic moist forests_evergreen tropical forests with  structures.
-* Inland are the interior forests, also known as the [[Atlantic semi-deciduous forests]], where many trees drop their leaves during the dry season.
+* Interior (inland) forests, also known as the Atlantic semi-deciduous forests—where many trees drop their leaves during the dry season.
-* Further inland are the [[Atlantic dry forests]], which form a transition between the arid [[Caatinga]] to the northeast and the [[Cerrado]] savannas to the east.
+* Atlantic dry forests farther inland—forming a transition between the arid Caatinga to the northeast and the Cerrado savannas to the east.
-* Montane moist forests occur in the [[Serra do Mar]] and across the mountains and plateaus of southern Brazil, and are home to ''[[Araucaria]]'' and evergreen trees of the laurel ([[Lauraceae]]) and myrtle ([[Myrtaceae]]) families.
+* Montane moist forests—occur in the Serra do Mar and across the [[mountain]]s and plateaus of southern Brazil; are home to ''Araucaria'' and [[evergreen]] trees of the [[laurel]] (Lauraceae) and [[myrtle]] (Myrtaceae) families.
-* Shrubby montane savannas occur at the highest elevations.
+* Shrubby montane savannas—occur at the highest elevations.
-The Atlantic Forest is unusual in that it extends as a true ''tropical'' rainforest to latitudes as high as ''24°S''. This is because the [[trade winds]] produce precipitation throughout the southern winter. In fact, the northern [[Zona da Mata (coastal)|Zona da Mata]] of northeastern Brazil receives much more rainfall between May and August than during the southern summer.
+The Atlantic Forest is unusual in that it extends as a true ''tropical'' [[rainforest]] to latitudes as high as ''24°S''. This is because the [[trade wind]]s produce precipitation throughout the southern winter. In fact, the northern Zona da Mata of northeastern Brazil receives much more rainfall between May and August than during the southern summer.
-The Atlantic Forest is now designated a [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves|World Biosphere Reserve]], which contains a large number of highly [[endangered species]] including the well known [[marmoset]]s and [[lion tamarin]]s. It has been extensively cleared since colonial times, mainly for the farming of [[sugar cane]] and for urban settlements. The remnant is estimated to be less than 10% of the original and that is often broken into hilltop islands.
+The Atlantic Forest is now designated a World Biosphere Reserve because it contains a large number of highly [[endangered species]], including the well-known [[marmoset]]s and [[lion tamarin]]s. It has been extensively cleared since colonial times, mainly for the [[agriculture|farming]] of [[sugar cane]] and for urban settlements. What remains is estimated to be less than 10 percent of the original and is often broken into hilltop islands.
-The Amazon Institute is active in reforestation efforts in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil.  During 2007, Joao Milanez and Joanne Stanulonis have planted 5,500 new trees in the mountains commencing with Gravata, adding to the precious little, ancient forest left.
+The Amazon Institute is active in [[reforestation]] efforts in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil. During 2007, Joao Milanez and Joanne Stanulonis planted 5,500 new trees in the mountains, adding to the what little remainsof the ancient forest.
 During [[glaciation|glacial periods]], however, the Atlantic Forest is known to have shrunk to extremely small [[refugia]] in highly sheltered gullies, with most of the land area more recently occupied by the characteristic Atlantic Forest being occupied by [[dry forest]] or even [[semi-desert]]. Some maps even suggest the forest actually survived in moist pockets well away from the coastline, where its endemic rainforest species mixed with much cooler-[[climate]] species. Unlike refugia for [[equatorial rainforest]]s, the refuges for the Atlantic Forest have never been the product of detailed identification.