The Paraná flooded savanna (NT0908) is an

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

that borders the southern

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

in Argentina. It has largely been converted to agriculture or occupied by urban development, but scattered patches of the original habitat remain along the river.

Location

The Paraná flooded savanna ecoregion has an area of . It extends along the Paraná River valley from

Resistencia, Chaco Resistencia () is the capital and largest city of the province of Chaco in north-eastern Argentina. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city proper was 291,720 inhabitants. It is the anchor of a larger metropolitan area, Greater R ...

, south to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. It includes the middle and lower Paraná floodplains, and those of the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters in ...

, a major tributary of the Paraná. In the south it includes the Paraná delta and the basin of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

. The ecoregion consists of a strip of land that runs through the

Humid Chaco The Humid Chaco (Spanish: ''Chaco Húmedo'' or ''Chaco Oriental'') is tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in South America. It lies in the basin of the Paraná River, covering portions of central Paraguay and northern Argenti ...

ecoregion in the north. Further south it runs through the Espinal ecoregion and then the

Humid Pampas The Humid Pampas ( es, Pampa Húmeda) is an extensive ecoregion of flat, fertile grassland of loessic origin in Argentina. It has a precipitation average of 900 mm per year, in contrast with the Dry Pampas to the west, which average less than ...

ecoregion before reaching the Río de la Plata estuary.

Physical

The region contains wide coastal lowlands, and low islands subject to flooding between the channels of the rivers. The large bodies of water give high humidity and temper the daily and seasonal temperature extremes. The

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

is "Cfa": warm temperate, fully humid, hot summer. At a sample location at coordinates average annual temperature is . It is coolest in July with a mean temperature of and warmest in January with a mean temperature of . Total rainfall averages about . Monthly rainfall ranges from in July to in March.

Ecology

The Paraná flooded savanna is in the

Neotropical realm The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

and in the

flooded grasslands and savannas Flooded grasslands and savannas is a terrestrial biome of the WWF biogeographical system, consisting of large expanses or complexes of flooded grasslands. These areas support numerous plants and animals adapted to the unique hydrologic regimes ...

biome. At one time it was one of the largest areas of wetland and riverine habitat in South America.

Flora

Vegetation is characteristic of the Argentina's northeastern humid subtropical regions. It includes narrow strips of forest and shrub on land emerging from the water, scrub and pasture on islands, hydrophilic and aquatic flora on the river banks and in the channels, and lagoons within the islands. Tree species include '' Salíx humboldtiana'', ''

Tessaria integrifolia ''Tessaria'' is a genus of South American plants in the tribe Inuleae within the family Asteraceae.Ruiz López, Hipólito & Pavón, José Antonio. 1794. Florae Peruvianae, et Chilensis Prodromus 112, t. 24, center ; Species

'' and ''

Erythrina crista-galli ''Erythrina crista-galli'', often known as the cockspur coral tree, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, not ...

''. Water plants include species of the

Eichhornia ''Eichhornia'', commonly called water hyacinths, was a polyphyletic genus of the aquatic flowering plants family Pontederiaceae. Since it was consistently recovered in three independent lineages, it has been sunk into ''Pontederia'', together w ...

and Paederia genera, ''

Victoria cruziana ''Victoria cruziana'' (Santa Cruz water lily, water platter, yrupe, synonym ''Victoria argentina'' Burmeist.) is a tropical species of flowering plant, of the Nymphaeaceae family of water lilies native to South America, primarily Bolivia, Argent ...

'', ''

Cyperus giganteus ''Cyperus giganteus'' (also known as piripiri) is a perennial herbaceous plant. It belongs to the genus ''Cyperus''. Its native range extends from Jalisco in west-central Mexico as far south as Uruguay, and also grows on some islands in the Car ...

'', ''

Typha latifolia ''Typha latifolia'' (broadleaf cattail, bulrush, common bulrush, common cattail, cat-o'-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper's reed, cumbungi) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus '' Typha''. It is found as a native plant species in North a ...

'', ''

Typha domingensis ''Typha domingensis'', known commonly as southern cattail or cumbungi, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus '' Typha''. Distribution and habitat It is found throughout temperate and tropical regions worldwide. It is sometimes found as a ...

'' and ''

Pontederia lanceolata ''Pontederia cordata'', common name pickerelweed (USA) or pickerel weed ( UK), is a monocotyledonous aquatic plant native to the American continents. It grows in a variety of wetlands, including pond and lake margins across an extremely large ...

''.

Fauna

This ecoregion has considerable biodiversity. Mammals include

agile gracile opossum The agile gracile opossum (''Gracilinanus agilis''), is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is nocturnal, arboreal and frequents the forest understory, ...

(''Gracilinanus agilis''),

coypu The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...

(''Myocastor coypus'') and

Argentine swamp rat The Argentine swamp rat (''Scapteromys aquaticus'') is a semiaquatic rodent species from South America. It is found in northeastern Argentina and Paraguay, where it lives in freshwater marshes and along the southern coast of the Río de la Plata ...

(''Scapteromys aquaticus''). Reptiles include the leopard keelback (''

Helicops leopardinus ''Helicops leopardinus'', the leopard keelback, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with ...

'') and common green racer (''

Philodryas aestiva ''Philodryas aestiva'' is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is commonly known as the Brazilian green racer and the common green racer. Geographic range The snake is found in South America South America is a continent enti ...

'') snakes, Hilaire’s toadhead turtle (''

Phrynops hilarii ''Phrynops hilarii'', commonly known as Hilaire’s toadhead turtle or Hilaire’s side-necked turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to South America. Etymology The specific name, ''hilarii'', ...

'') and

Argentine snake-necked turtle The Argentine snake-necked turtle (''Hydromedusa tectifera''),Zipcodezoo.com
URL acce ...

(''Hydromedusa tectifera''). The Venezuela snouted treefrog (''

Scinax x-signatus ''Scinax x-signatus'' (common name: Venezuela snouted treefrog or Venezuelan snouted treefrog) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is found in Brazil, the Guyanas (Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname), Venezuela and Colombia. Introduced po ...

'') is present. Rare, endemic or endangered species include

polka-dot tree frog The polka-dot tree frog (''Boana punctata''), also known as the dotted tree frog, is a frog species in the family (biology), family Hylidae found in much of South America and also in Trinidad and Tobago. It is fairly small with a snout–to–Clo ...

(''Hypsiboas punctatus''),

marsh deer The marsh deer (''Blastocerus dichotomus'') is the largest deer species from South America reaching a length of and a shoulder height of . It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Formerly found in much of tropical ...

(''Blastocerus dichotomus''),

neotropical otter The Neotropical otter or Neotropical river otter (''Lontra longicaudis'') is an otter species found in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the island of Trinidad. It is physically similar to the northern and southern river otter, which o ...

(''Lontra longicaudis'') and

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

(''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris''). Endangered amphibians include blunt-headed salamander (''Ambystoma amblycephalum'') and red-spotted Argentina frog (''

Argenteohyla siemersi ''Nyctimantis'' is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae. The genus is found in south-eastern Brazil as well as in the Orinoco Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. These are tree-dwelling species usually hiding in the cisterns of epiphytic ...

''). Birds include biguá (''Phalacrocórax olivaceus''),

rufescent tiger heron The rufescent tiger heron (''Tigrisoma lineatum'') is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It is found in wetlands from Central America through much of South America. Taxonomy The rufescent tiger heron was described by the French polymat ...

(''Tigrisoma lineatum''),

striped owl The striped owl (''Asio clamator'') is a medium-sized owl with large ear tufts and a brownish-white facial disk rimmed with black. Its beak is black, and it has cinnamon-colored eyes. It has shorter, rounder wings than most of its close relative ...

(''Pseudoscops clamator''),

green kingfisher The green kingfisher (''Chloroceryle americana'') is a species of "water kingfisher" in subfamily Cerylinae of family Alcedinidae. It is found from southern Texas in the United States south through Central America, in every mainland South Ameri ...

(''Chloroceryle americana''),

great black hawk The great black hawk (''Buteogallus urubitinga'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Taxonomy The great black hawk was Species description, formally described in 1788 by t ...

(''Buteogallus urubitinga''),

roadside hawk The roadside hawk (''Rupornis magnirostris'') is a relatively small bird of prey found in the Americas. This vocal species is often the most common raptor in its range. It has many subspecies and is now usually placed in the monotypic genus ''Ru ...

(''Rupornis magnirostris''),

dusky-legged guan The dusky-legged guan (''Penelope obscura'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Uruguay, northeastern Argentina and southernmost areas of Paraguay and Brazil. In early 2021, the form ...

(''Penelope obscura''),

checkered woodpecker The checkered woodpecker (''Veniliornis mixtus'') is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Taxonomy and systematics The checkered woodpecker ...

(''Veniliornis mixtus''), greater thornbird (''Phacellodomus ruber''),

rufous-bellied thrush The rufous-bellied thrush (''Turdus rufiventris'') is a songbird of the thrush family (Turdidae). It occurs in most of east and southeast Brazil from Maranhão south to Rio Grande do Sul states, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and central regions of A ...

(''Turdus rufiventris'') and

straight-billed reedhaunter The straight-billed reedhaunter (''Limnoctites rectirostris'') is a South American bird species in the family Furnariidae. Taxonomy Formerly it was placed in ''Limnornis'' with the curve-billed reedhaunter (''Limnornis curvirostris'') which l ...

(''Limnoctites rectirostris''). Endangered birds include

yellow cardinal The yellow cardinal (''Gubernatrix cristata'') is a species of South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of its genus, ''Gubernatrix''. It is very rare and can only be found on one continent. Taxonomy The yell ...

(''Gubernatrix cristata''),

Chaco eagle The Chaco eagle (''Buteogallus coronatus'') or crowned solitary eagle, is an endangered bird of prey from eastern and central South America. Typically it is known simply as the crowned eagle which leads to potential confusion with the African ''S ...

(''Buteogallus coronatus'') and

Eskimo curlew The Eskimo curlew (''Numenius borealis''), also known as northern curlew, is a species of curlew in the family Scolopacidae. It was one of the most numerous shorebirds in the tundra of western Arctic Canada and Alaska. Thousands of birds were th ...

(''Numenius borealis''). There are more than 300 species of fish, mostly

Characiformes Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationshi ...

and

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. Species of fish that attract tourists for sports fishing include spotted sorubim (''

Pseudoplatystoma corruscans ''Pseudoplatystoma corruscans'', the spotted sorubim, is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to the São Francisco and Paraná—Paraguay River The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái i ...

''), barred sorubim (''

Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum ''Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum'' or barred sorubim or barred catfish is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to the Suriname, Corantijn and Essequibo. The nocturnal predator feeds mainly on other fish and crabs. Females reach a more notable ...

''), paulicea Amazon catfish (''Paulicea lutkeni''), dorado (''

Salminus brasiliensis ''Salminus brasiliensis'' (dourado, dorado, golden dorado, river tiger or jaw characin) is a large, predatory characiform freshwater fish found in central and east-central South America. Despite having ''Salminus'' in its name, the dorado is not r ...

'') and pirapitá ('' Brycon orbiginianus''). Other economically valuable species include the streaked prochilod (''

Prochilodus lineatus ''Prochilodus lineatus'', the streaked prochilod, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Prochilodontidae. It is native to the Paraná—Paraguay and Paraíba do Sul river basins in South America. It performs long breeding migrations an ...

'') fish; pearly clams for ornaments; and the coypu, neotropical otter, capybara,

caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...

species and

gold tegu The gold tegu, also known as the golden tegu, common tegu, black tegu, Colombian black and white tegu and tiger lizard (in Trinidad), is a species of tegu. Its old scientific name (synonym) was ''Tupinambis nigropunctatus'', but it has since rena ...

(''Tupinambis teguixi'') for their skins and hides, and to a lesser extent their meat.

Status

The

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

gives the ecoregion the status of "Critical/Endangered". The Paraná flooded savanna is now heavily populated and has mostly been converted to farmland or urban areas. There are scattered areas of the original habitat along the edge of the river in inaccessible area. Protected areas include the Cayastá Provincial Reserve, Del Medio-Los Caballos Provincial Reserve, Colonia Benitez Strict Natural Reserve and Vire-Pitá Provincial Reserve. The main threat comes from dams and levees. Urban growth, pollution and illegal commercial hunting for skins are also concerns.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parana flooded savanna Ecoregions of Argentina Ecoregions of Paraguay Flooded grasslands and savannas Neotropical ecoregions