Maranhão Babaçu forests
Encyclopedia
The Maranhão Babaçu forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest
ecoregion
of north-central Brazil
.
state and northern Piauí
state. The forests form a transition between the equatorial forests of Amazonia to the west and the drier savannas and xeric shrublands to the south and east. The ecoregion is bounded by the Maranhão mangroves
and the Northeastern Brazil restingas
along the coast to the north, the Tocantins-Araguaia-Maranhão moist forests of Amazonia across the Pindaré River
to the northwest and west, the Cerrado
tropical savanna
to the south, and the Caatingas xeric shrublands
to the east.
The dominant tree in the region is the Babaçu palm (Attalea speciosa), an oil palm that occurs naturally along the southern edge of the Amazonian forests, but whose predominance has been extended by its tolerance to human-caused fires and forest clearing.
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of north-central Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Setting
The Maranhão Babaçu forests cover an area of 142300 square kilometres (54,942.3 sq mi), extending across northeastern and central MaranhãoMaranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
state and northern Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
state. The forests form a transition between the equatorial forests of Amazonia to the west and the drier savannas and xeric shrublands to the south and east. The ecoregion is bounded by the Maranhão mangroves
Maranhão mangroves
-Setting:The ecoregion covers and area of on the Atlantic coast of Maranhão and eastern Pará states. The ecoregion is divisible into eastern and western parts. The western part extends from near Belém on the Pará River along the coast of eastern Pará and western Maranhão states to the Baía de São...
and the Northeastern Brazil restingas
Northeastern Brazil restingas
The Northeastern Brazil restingas are an ecoregion of northeastern Brazil. Restingas are coastal forests which form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium sized trees and shrubs adapted to the dry and nutrient-poor conditions found there.-Setting:The ecoregion...
along the coast to the north, the Tocantins-Araguaia-Maranhão moist forests of Amazonia across the Pindaré River
Pindaré River
The Pindaré River is a river in Maranhão state of north-central Brazil. The Pindaré rises in the low hills which separate its basin from that of the Tocantins River to the south, and flows north into the Baía de São Marcos...
to the northwest and west, the Cerrado
Cerrado
The Cerrado, is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Gioas and Minas Gerais...
tropical savanna
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are a grassland terrestrial biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. Grasslands are dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees...
to the south, and the Caatingas xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
to the east.
Flora
The Flora of the ecoregion is varied, with the western portion of the region hosting tall and diverse moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, while the eastern portion is a mosaic of open woodlands and shrublands, with patches of dry savanna. Seasonally wet savannas are found on the lower reaches of the major rivers.The dominant tree in the region is the Babaçu palm (Attalea speciosa), an oil palm that occurs naturally along the southern edge of the Amazonian forests, but whose predominance has been extended by its tolerance to human-caused fires and forest clearing.