Chilean Ecosystems: Flora, Fauna, and Climate Zones
Despite pests, the development of various ecosystems is favored by environmental conditions. These include:
- Shrubs: chilcas, foxtail
- Trees: chan, carob
- Animals: snakes, lizards, foxes, birds, insects
Xero Tropical Forest Region
Located within the absolute desert, this region features possible groundwater reservoirs and the Prosopis Tamarugo tree. Sheep and cattle are also present.
Andean Highlands
North of 23 degrees latitude, this region is influenced by a monsoon climate with summer rainfall. The landscape is characterized by the Puna, which is cold and dry with variable winds, low clouds, low humidity, high radiation, and strong temperature contrasts. The soil is Mollisols (gray) with little organic matter and lots of minerals.
Flora Stratification:
- 3000 – 3500 m: Tolar: Tola Baccharis, Fabiana sp. (tolilla)
- 3500 – 4000 m: Low vegetation: Senecio eriophyton (chachacoma)
- 3900 m – Andes Prairie: Perennial Paja Brava-Bofedales
- 4500 – 5000 m: Pajonal. Laretia acaulis (llareta), queñoa
Fauna:
Llama, Vicuna, Alpaca (associated with bofedales), Guanaco, Huemul (in the high mountains), Chilean Flamingo (big or heparin), rheas, Tagua giant phallic, Eagle, Hawk, Condor.
Semi-arid Environment
Located between the Copiapo and Aconcagua Rivers, water availability is influenced by summer rains and occasional paramazónica influence of frontal systems. Water is stored in dams such as Lautaro (Copiapo), Ponds (Huasco), Recoleta, Cogoti, Paloma (Limarí), and Puclaro (Elqui). Vegetation is characterized by its tolerance and latency. The climate is predominantly steppe, with optimum conditions in valleys with water availability. Regions include semiarid coastal cloud forests and semiarid interior desert steppes with spring rain.
Semiarid Coastal Region
This region has a coastal semi-arid climate with abundant cloud cover, influencing coastal plains and valleys up to 50 km inland. The ground is coastal prairie (Mollisols), brown in color, with a fine sandy loam texture. Vegetation includes coastal prairie grasses and mesophyte shrubs adapted to salinity and drought.
Vegetation:
- Trees: Colliguay, peumo, molle, liter
- Herbs: chamicilla, sage, sigh of campo
Fauna:
Seabirds: zarapato, gull, among others.
Fog Forest Region
This region has a cloudy semi-arid climate with abundant coastal fog. It is located in the coastal Farellón, with rain forests and a brown swamp forest floor. Precipitation is 130 mm, with condensation in the leaves of trees adding 1000 mm. Main examples include Fray Jorge (Talinay), Huentelauquén (Pichidangui), Palo Colorado (IV Region), Quebrada El Tigre (squash), Quebrada El Roble (Quintero), Mantagua, and Cerro Marco (Peñuelas) in the V Region.
Example: Fray Jorge Vegetation Stratification:
- 100 – 200 m: semiarid steppe with pichana domain, huañil
- 200 – 300 m: thorny matorral with guayacanes, rod, brava
- Over 300 m: matorral of cacti and barbs
- About 420 meters: xerophytic scrub with Vautro, chagual
- About 500 m: hydrophilic temperate forest with olivillo spots, cinnamon myrtle, ferns, and vines
Semi-arid Interior Region
This region has warm and cold steppe climates, located in the central depression between the leeward slopes of the Coast Range and western margins of the Andean Cordillera. The divergence of sunshine is accentuated by the narrowness of the valleys. The soils are calcic brown, Alfisols, neutral or slightly alkaline, with a yellowish-brown coloration.