| ANDEAN GRASSLAND (3500 to 4200 mts.) |
Consists on large regions without trees that crown the tops of ridges above the Andean and tropical forests. These regions are cold and wet, suffering abrupt weather changing, and are almost always covered by fog, receive frequent rainfall, and often buffeted by the winds.
Cold and rainy days can be alternate with sunny and warm days; but nights are always cold. The vegetation mostly consist on grass, mosses, lichens, small shrubs, polylepiss trees, of a medium size, native of the Andean areas, as well as many other species of micro flora, orchids, bromeliads, among others.
The fauna of this ecosystem depends on the geographical location. Here is the habitat of species such as the grey deer (Mazama gouazoubira), the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the vizcacha (Lagostumus maximus), the Andean fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus), wild guinea pigs and other animals. There is also a wide variety of birds, like mountain toucans, tanagers, hummingbirds, cara-caras, raptors, and so on.
| ELFIN FOREST (2800 to 3500 mts.) |
It is characterized by vegetation that hardly exceeds 10 meters, with a large number of endemic plants and epiphytes. The trees are almost always covered with lichens, mosses, orchids among others. The leaves of the trees are small and coriaceous. The foliage of the trees condenses the moisture in form of fine droplets that drain toward the base of the plant, thus elfin forests play an important role as a source of water during the dry season.
| CLOUD FOREST (1500 to 2800 mts.) |
Heavy miss and frequent rains support the cloud forests dense, stunted canopy of evergreen trees. In a process called “cloud stripping”, the leaves cause the condensation of the moisture from the clouds. Water is therefore continually forming on a plant surfaces and dripping towards the ground.
The perpetual humidity of the cloud forest makes it an ideal home for lichens, mosses, orchids and epiphytes ferns. The clod forest is also home of a big quantity of birds such as the brilliant Cock of the Rock and numerous iridescent hummingbirds, tanagers and others; in simultaneously the least studied and most biologically diverse habitat in the world.
| HIGH JUNGLE (400 to 1300 mts.) |
Its climate is warm and in austral winter the temperature does not drop ever of 15 ° C, decreasing depending on the altitude. It's the Andean area of greatest rainfall. Its terrain is complex presenting varied vegetation with big trees, orchids, bromeliads, ferns, mosses and lichens, including numerous species of wildlife inhabit such as the woolly monkey (Lagotricha lagothrix), the king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) and others.
| LOWLAND FOREST (Under 400 mts.) |
The crowns of the trees are exposed both to the fierce tropical sun and to winds that frequently snap and topple the tallest trees. To reduce evaporation, the leaves at this level are quite small. Many of the epiphytes here take on the form cacti to reduce their loss of water. As you descend trough the upper canopy, you immediately begin to enter a different world of reduced light. Protected from direct sun and wind, the leaves here are larger in size and the struggle for light has begun.
The flow dynamics of the river can become unstable (typically during the high-water period). During this instability, it is possible that the river will cut new channel. This effectively isolates a meander and creates an “oxbow lakes”. When rivers are subject to a variable flood cycle, these oxbow lakes are common. An oxbow lake is a habitat of essentially standing water, providing yet another kind of riverine habitat, where water stagnates rather than flows rapidly. These lakes are plentifully stocked with fish and rich in nutrients. This enables them to give life to other kind of animals and plants. The most well-known inhabitants of the oxbow – lakes are the giant otters and the black Caimans. Many Bird species live only on the oxbow-lakes: Green Ibis, Purple Gallinule, Rufescent Tiger Heron, Agami Heron, Grakes, are a few examples.
Parrots and Macaw clay licks
An explosion of color and sound erupts at Parrots and Macaw clay licks along exposed banks of the Madre de Dios and other rivers. Macaws and other smaller parrots begin gathering around a lick in the early morning. Medium-sized parrots are the first to arrive, landing in the tree tops above the lick. As hundreds of macaws and other parrots land in the branches and prepare themselves for a descent to the riverbank.
Scientists believe that the minerals in the clay may help macaws and other parrots to neutralize the toxins that they ingest daily while feeding on a diet of chemically –protected seeds and leaves.
Mammal’s clay licks
Mostly nocturnal active for mammals such as the Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), the largest mammal on the Amazon basin, the graceful Red Brocket Deer (Mazama Americana); but also collpas are visited by diurnal active animals as monkeys.
To compensate their wild diet full of toxins, they travel miles to feed at a salt lick, to which they will regularly return |
