Afrotropical realm
It has been suggested that Tropical Africa be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2021. |
The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopian Zone or Ethiopian Region.
Major ecological regions[]
Most of the Afrotropic, with the exception of Africa's southern tip, has a tropical climate. A broad belt of deserts, including the Atlantic and Sahara deserts of northern Africa and the Arabian Desert of the Arabian Peninsula, separate the Afrotropic from the Palearctic realm, which includes northern Africa and temperate Eurasia.
Sahel and Sudan[]
South of the Sahara, two belts of tropical grassland and savanna run east and west across the continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ethiopian Highlands. Immediately south of the Sahara lies the Sahel belt, a transitional zone of semi-arid short grassland and vachellia savanna. Rainfall increases further south in the Sudanian Savanna, also known simply as the Sudan, a belt of taller grasslands and savannas. The Sudanian Savanna is home to two great flooded grasslands, the Sudd wetland in South Sudan, and the Niger Inland Delta in Mali. The forest-savanna mosaic is a transitional zone between the grasslands and the belt of tropical moist broadleaf forests near the equator.
Southern Arabian woodlands[]
South Arabia, which includes Yemen and parts of western Oman and southwestern Saudi Arabia, has few permanent forests. Some of the notable are Jabal Bura, Jabal Raymah and Jabal Badaj in the Yemeni highland escarpment and the seasonal forests in eastern Yemen and the Dhofar region of Oman. Other woodlands scatter the land and are very small and are predominantly Juniperus or Vachellia forests.
Forest zone[]
The forest zone, a belt of lowland tropical moist broadleaf forests, runs across most of equatorial Africa's intertropical convergence zone. The Upper Guinean forests of West Africa extend along the coast from Guinea to Togo. The Dahomey Gap, a zone of forest-savanna mosaic that reaches to the coast, separates the Upper Guinean forests from the Lower Guinean forests, which extend along the Gulf of Guinea from eastern Benin through Cameroon and Gabon to the western Democratic Republic of the Congo. The largest tropical forest zone in Africa is the Congolian forests of the Congo Basin in Central Africa.
A belt of tropical moist broadleaf forest also runs along the Indian Ocean coast, from southern Somalia to South Africa.
East African grasslands and savannas[]
- Serengeti
Eastern Africa's highlands[]
Afromontane region, from the Ethiopian Highlands to the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, including the East African Rift. Distinctive flora, including Podocarpus and Afrocarpus, as well as giant Lobelias and Senecios.
- Ethiopian Highlands
- Albertine rift montane forests
- East African montane forests and Eastern Arc forests
Zambezian region[]
The Zambezian region includes woodlands, savannas, grasslands, and thickets. Characteristic plant communities include Miombo woodlands, drier mopane and Baikiaea woodlands, and higher-elevation Bushveld. It extends from east to west in a broad belt across the continent, south of the rainforests of the Guineo-Congolian region, and north of the deserts of southeastern Africa, the countries are Angola, Botswana, Mozambique,Zambia and Zimbabwe and the subtropical.[1]
Deserts of southern Africa[]
- Namib Desert
- Kalahari Desert
- Karoo
- Tankwa Karoo
- Richtersveld
Cape floristic region[]
The Cape floristic region, at Africa's southern tip, is a Mediterranean climate region that is home to a significant number of endemic taxa, as well as to plant families like the proteas (Proteaceae) that are also found in the Australasian realm.
Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands[]
Madagascar and neighboring islands form a distinctive sub-region of the realm, with numerous endemic taxa like the lemurs. Madagascar and the Granitic Seychelles are old pieces of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, and broke away from Africa millions of years ago. Other Indian Ocean islands, like the Comoros and Mascarene Islands, are volcanic islands that formed more recently. Madagascar contains a variety of plant habitats, from rainforests to mountains and deserts, as its biodiversity and ratio of endemism is extremely high.
Endemic plants and animals[]
Plants[]
The Afrotropical realm is home to a number of endemic plant families. Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands are home to ten endemic families of flowering plants; eight are endemic to Madagascar (Asteropeiaceae, Didymelaceae, Didiereaceae, Kaliphoraceae, Melanophyllaceae, Physenaceae, Sarcolaenaceae, and Sphaerosepalaceae), one to Seychelles (Mesdusagynaceae) and one to the Mascarene Islands (Psiloxylaceae). Twelve plant families are endemic or nearly endemic to South Africa (including Curtisiaceae, Heteropyxidaceae, Penaeaceae, Psiloxylaceae and Rhynchocalycaceae) of which five are endemic to the Cape floristic province (including Grubbiaceae). Other endemic Afrotropic families include Barbeyaceae, Dirachmaceae, Montiniaceae, Myrothamnaceae and Oliniaceae.
Animals[]
The East African Great Lakes (Victoria, Malawi, and Tanganyika) are the center of biodiversity of many freshwater fishes, especially cichlids (they harbor more than two-thirds of the estimated 2,000 species in the family).[2] The West African coastal rivers region covers only a fraction of West Africa, but harbours 322 of West African's fish species, with 247 restricted to this area and 129 restricted even to smaller ranges. The central rivers fauna comprises 194 fish species, with 119 endemics and only 33 restricted to small areas.[3]
The Afrotropic has various endemic bird families, including ostriches (Struthionidae), sunbirds, the secretary bird (Sagittariidae), guineafowl (Numididae), and mousebirds (Coliidae). Also, several families of passerines are limited to the Afrotropics; These include rock-jumpers (Chaetopidae) and rockfowl (Picathartidae).
Africa has three endemic orders of mammals, the Tubulidentata (aardvarks), Afrosoricida (tenrecs and golden moles), and Macroscelidea (elephant shrews). The East-African plains are well known for their diversity of large mammals.
Four species of great apes (Hominidae) are endemic to Africa: both species of gorilla (western gorilla, Gorilla gorilla, and eastern gorilla, Gorilla beringei) and both species of chimpanzee (common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, and bonobo, Pan paniscus). Humans and their ancestors originated in Africa.
Afrotropical terrestrial ecoregions[]
Albertine Rift montane forests | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda |
Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests | Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon |
Cameroonian Highlands forests | Cameroon, Nigeria |
Central Congolian lowland forests | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Comoros forests | Comoros |
Cross–Niger transition forests | Nigeria |
Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests | Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria |
East African montane forests | Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
Eastern Arc forests | Tanzania, Kenya |
Eastern Congolian swamp forests | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Eastern Guinean forests | Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo |
Ethiopian montane forests | Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan |
Granitic Seychelles forests | Seychelles |
Guinean montane forests | Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone |
Knysna–Amatole montane forests | South Africa |
KwaZulu–Cape coastal forest mosaic | South Africa |
Madagascar lowland forests | Madagascar |
Madagascar subhumid forests | Madagascar |
Maputaland coastal forest mosaic | Eswatini (Swaziland), Mozambique, South Africa |
Mascarene forests | Mauritius, Réunion |
Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests | Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea |
Niger Delta swamp forests | Nigeria |
Nigerian lowland forests | Benin, Nigeria |
Northeastern Congolian lowland forests | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of the Congo |
Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic | Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania |
Northwestern Congolian lowland forests | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of the Congo |
São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón forests | Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe |
Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic | Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe |
Western Congolian swamp forests | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo |
Western Guinean lowland forests | Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone |
Cape Verde Islands dry forests | Cape Verde |
Madagascar dry deciduous forests | Madagascar |
Zambezian Cryptosepalum dry forests | Zambia, Angola |
Angolan miombo woodlands | Angola |
Angolan mopane woodlands | Angola, Namibia |
Ascension scrub and grasslands | Ascension Island |
Central Zambezian miombo woodlands | Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia |
East Sudanian savanna | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda |
Eastern miombo woodlands | Mozambique, Tanzania |
Guinean forest–savanna mosaic | Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo |
Itigi–Sumbu thicket | Tanzania, Zambia |
Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands | Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe |
Mandara Plateau mosaic | Cameroon, Nigeria |
Northern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets | Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda |
Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Uganda |
Sahelian Acacia savanna | Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan |
Serengeti volcanic grasslands | Kenya, Tanzania |
Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets | Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia |
South Arabian fog woodlands, shrublands, and dune | Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen |
Southern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets | Kenya, Tanzania |
Southern Africa bushveld | Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe |
Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic | Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Southern miombo woodlands | Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Saint Helena scrub and woodlands | Saint Helena |
Victoria Basin forest–savanna mosaic | Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
West Sudanian savanna | Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,Mali, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal |
Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic | Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo |
Western Zambezian grasslands | Angola, Zambia |
Zambezian and mopane woodlands | Botswana, eSwatini (Swaziland), Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands | Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Al Hajar montane woodlands | Oman, United Arab Emirates |
Amsterdam and Saint-Paul Islands temperate grasslands | Amsterdam Island, Saint-Paul Island |
Tristan da Cunha–Gough Islands shrub and grasslands | Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island |
East African halophytics | Kenya, Tanzania |
Etosha Pan halophytics | Namibia |
Inner Niger Delta flooded savanna | Mali |
Lake Chad flooded savanna | Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria |
Saharan flooded grasslands | South Sudan |
Zambezian coastal flooded savanna | Mozambique |
Zambezian flooded grasslands | Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia |
Zambezian halophytics | Botswana |
Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic | Angola |
Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands | Angola |
Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands | Lesotho, South Africa |
Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests | Lesotho, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland) |
East African montane moorlands | Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda |
Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic | Mozambique, Zimbabwe |
Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands | Ethiopia, Sudan |
Ethiopian montane moorlands | Ethiopia, Sudan |
Highveld grasslands | Lesotho, South Africa |
Jos Plateau forest-grassland mosaic | Nigeria |
Madagascar ericoid thickets | Madagascar |
Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets | Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland) |
Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands | Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda |
South Malawi montane forest-grassland mosaic | Malawi, Mozambique |
Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaic | Malawi, Tanzania |
Albany thickets | South Africa |
Lowland fynbos and renosterveld | South Africa |
Montane fynbos and renosterveld | South Africa |
Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert (or Southwestern Arabian coastal xeric scrub) | Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen |
Aldabra Island xeric scrub | Seychelles |
East Saharan montane xeric woodlands | Chad, Sudan |
Eritrean coastal desert | Djibouti, Eritrea |
Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands (or Djibouti xeric shrublands) | Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan |
Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert | Oman, United Arab Emirates |
Hobyo grasslands and shrublands | Somalia |
Ile Europa and Bassas da India xeric scrub | Bassas da India, Europa |
Kalahari xeric savanna | Botswana, Namibia, South Africa |
Kaokoveld desert | Angola, Namibia |
Madagascar spiny thickets | Madagascar |
Madagascar succulent woodlands | Madagascar |
Masai xeric grasslands and shrublands | Ethiopia, Kenya |
Nama Karoo | Namibia, South Africa |
Namib desert | Namibia |
Namibian savanna woodlands | Namibia |
Socotra Island xeric shrublands | Yemen |
Somali montane xeric woodlands | Somalia |
Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna (or Southwestern Arabian Escarpment shrublands and woodlands) | Saudi Arabia, Yemen |
Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands | Saudi Arabia, Yemen |
Succulent Karoo | South Africa |
Central African mangroves | Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Niger Delta |
East African mangroves | Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania |
Guinean mangroves | Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast |
Madagascar mangroves | Madagascar |
Southern Africa mangroves | Mozambique, South Africa |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Linder, H. Peter, Helen M. de Klerk, Julia Born et al. (2012). "The partitioning of Africa: statistically defined biogeographical regions in sub‐Saharan Africa". Journal of Biogeography, Volume 39, Issue 7 May 2012. [1]
- ^ I.P.Farias et al., Total Evidence: Molecules, Morphology, and the Phylogenetics of Cichlid Fishes, Journal of Experimental Zoology (Mol Dev Evol) 288:76–92 (2000)
- ^ T.Moritz and K. E. Linsenmair, West African fish diversity – distribution patterns and possible conclusions for conservation strategies (in African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems, Springer, 2001)
- ^ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, Anup Joshi, Carly Vynne, Neil D. Burgess, Eric Wikramanayake, Nathan Hahn, Suzanne Palminteri, Prashant Hedao, Reed Noss, Matt Hansen, Harvey Locke, Erle C Ellis, Benjamin Jones, Charles Victor Barber, Randy Hayes, Cyril Kormos, Vance Martin, Eileen Crist, Wes Sechrest, Lori Price, Jonathan E. M. Baillie, Don Weeden, Kierán Suckling, Crystal Davis, Nigel Sizer, Rebecca Moore, David Thau, Tanya Birch, Peter Potapov, Svetlana Turubanova, Alexandra Tyukavina, Nadia de Souza, Lilian Pintea, José C. Brito, Othman A. Llewellyn, Anthony G. Miller, Annette Patzelt, Shahina A. Ghazanfar, Jonathan Timberlake, Heinz Klöser, Yara Shennan-Farpón, Roeland Kindt, Jens-Peter Barnekow Lillesø, Paulo van Breugel, Lars Graudal, Maianna Voge, Khalaf F. Al-Shammari, Muhammad Saleem, An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545, [2].
Bibliography[]
- Burgess, N., J.D. Hales, E. Underwood, and E. Dinerstein (2004). Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington, D.C., [3].
- Thieme, M.L., R. Abell, M.L.J. Stiassny, P. Skelton, B. Lehner, G.G. Teugels, E. Dinerstein, A.K. Toham, N. Burgess & D. Olson. 2005. Freshwater ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A conservation assessment. Washington D.C.,: WWF, [4].
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afrotropic. |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for African wildlife. |
- Afrotropical realm
- Biogeographic realms
- Ecoregions of Asia
- Ecoregions of Africa
- Tropics
- Biogeography
- Natural history of Asia
- Natural history of Africa