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Paramo redirects here. For the butterfly genus, see Paramo (genus). A butterfly is an Insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Paramo is a Butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae.
Espeletia (Frailejón) plant in the Venezuelan páramo.
Espeletia (Frailejón) plant in the Venezuelan páramo. Espeletia, commonly known as Frailejón or Fraylejón is a Genus of perennial subshrubs in the family Asteraceae. Espeletia, commonly known as Frailejón or Fraylejón is a Genus of perennial subshrubs in the family Asteraceae. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the

Páramo is a neotropical ecosystem. In Biogeography, Neotropic or Neotropical refers to one of the world's eight terrestrial Ecozones This ecozone includes South and Central America the An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( It is located in the high elevations, between the upper forest line (about 3100 m altitude) and the permanent snow line (about 5000 m). The ecosystem consists of accidented, mostly glacier formed valleys and plains with a large variety of lakes, peat bogs and wet grasslands intermingled with shrublands and forest patches. Nearly 57% of this ecosystem worldwide is found in Colombia. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

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Location

The páramo covers the upper parts of the northern Andes, roughly between 11° north and 8° south latitude. They form a discontinuous belt between the Cordillera de Mérida in Venezuela to the Huancabamba Depression in northern Peru. The Cordillera de Mérida is a series of Mountain ranges or massif in northwestern Venezuela. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the The Huancabamba Depression is an east-west depression through the Andes Mountains of northern Peru. Two separate complexes exist, one in the Cordillera de Talamanca of Costa Rica and Panama, and another in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia. The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies on the border between Costa Rica and Panama. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. The biggest páramo in the world is Sumapaz, is located in Colombia about 30 km of Bogotá and it is part of the Capital District. History The area was an important pilgrimage site for the Muisca indigenous peoples in pre-Columbian times as the goddess Bachue was believed to be submerged Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. One of the best examples of relatively undisturbed páramo can be found at the Guandera Biological Station in northern Ecuador. The Guandera Biological Station was established in 1994 and is situated in the northern inter-Andean valley of Ecuador

The total area covered by páramo is estimated between 35000 and 77000 km². This discrepancy is primarily due to uncertainties in the lower limit of the páramo. The natural forest line is severely altered by human activity (logging, intensive grazing), which makes the difference between natural and artificial grasslands difficult to distinguish.

Tropical alpine grasslands similar to the páramo are abundantly present in other continents, such as the Afroalpine belt, stretching from Ethiopia and Uganda to Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. Afromontane is a term used to describe the plant and animal species common to the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa To a smaller extent, they occur in New Guinea and Indonesia. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia.

Vegetation

Typical páramo vegetation around Lake Caricocha, Mojanda, Ecuador.
Typical páramo vegetation around Lake Caricocha, Mojanda, Ecuador. Mojanda is an inactive Stratovolcano of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes in northern Ecuador. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics.

The isolated and fragmented occurrence of the páramo over the Andean highlands promotes high speciation and an exceptionally high endemism. Speciation is the Evolutionary process by which new biological Species arise Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere The ecosystem hosts about 5000 different plant species. About 60% of these species are endemic, adapted to the specific physio-chemical and climatic conditions, such as the low atmospheric pressure, intense ultra-violet radiation, and the drying effects of wind. The vegetation consists mainly of tussock grasses, ground rosettes, dwarf shrubs cushion plants and conspicuous giant rosettes such as Espeletia and Puya. Espeletia, commonly known as Frailejón or Fraylejón is a Genus of perennial subshrubs in the family Asteraceae.

In some areas, a clear altitudinal vegetation gradient is present. In the subpáramo, 2500-3100 m altitude, mosaics with shrubs and small trees alternate with grasslands. Extensive cloud forests may develop at certain places, consisting of small, twisted and gnarled trees with small and thick, notophyllous leaves and many epiphytes. A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally Tropical or Subtropical evergreen Montane moist forest characterized by a In the páramo proper(3100 - 4100 m), grasslands dominate and patches of woody species such as Polylepis and Gynoxys occur only in sheltered locations and along water streams. Polylepis is a genus of trees and shrubs restricted to the Andes of South America. UserPolbot. --> Gynoxys is a genus of Flowering plant in the Asteraceae family The superpáramo is a narrow zone with scarce vegetation between the grass páramo and the snow line. In all vegetation belts, azonal vegetation types (cushion bogs, mires, aquatic vegetation) occur in flat, perhumid areas.

The World Wildlife fund has identified five distinct páramo ecoregions:

Socio-economic relevance

Despite the remoteness and the cold and wet climate, human activity in the páramo is not uncommon. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. The Costa Rican páramo, also known as the Talamanca páramo, is a montane grassland and shrubland of Costa Rica and western Panama. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. Human presence in the upper Andes dates from prehistorial times, but is mostly limited to extensive cattle grazing by free ranging animals. However, the páramo provides a variety of environmental services. The most important services are organic C storage and water supply. Rivers descending from the páramo are characterized by a high and sustained base flow. Given the difficulties in extracting groundwater, surface water from the páramo is intensively used for consumption, irrigation and hydropower generation.

References

External links

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