The Patagonian grasslands (NT0804) 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 ...

in the south of Chile, Argentina and the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

. The grasslands are home to diverse fauna, including several rare or endemic species of birds. There are few protected areas. The grasslands are threatened by

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

by sheep, which supply high-quality merino wool. Efforts are being made to develop sustainable grazing practices to avoid

desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...

Location

The Patagonian grasslands extend across eastern

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...

in Chile and Argentina from near the southern cone, and cover part of Santa Cruz Province just north of the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...

up to the

Gallegos River The Gallegos River () is a river in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz, on whose estuary lies Río Gallegos city, capital of the province. Given that its basin reaches only the fringes of the Andes mountains it classifies as a sub-Andean r ...

. They also include the Falkland Islands. To the north the grasslands adjoin the

Patagonian steppe The Patagonian Desert, also known as the Patagonian Steppe, is the largest desert in Argentina and is the 8th largest desert in the world by area, occupying 673,000 square kilometers (260,000 mi2). It is located primarily in Argentina and ...

ecoregion. To the west they adjoin the

Magellanic subpolar forests The Magellanic subpolar forests () are a terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina, and are part of the Neotropical realm. It is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, and ...

ecoregion.

Physical

The ecoregion in South America is divided into a northern mainland section and southern Tierra del Fuego Island section by the Strait of Magellan. The grasslands cover terrain of low mountains, plateaus and plains. The soils are rich, with high levels of organic material. Average annual rainfall is . Mean temperatures in the far south of Tierra del Fuego are , but temperatures may fall below . The ecoregion holds important wetlands including the Tero marsh and lagoons, Rio Pelque marsh, Lago Argentino, Puerto Bandera lagoons, Lake Viedma, Meseta del Tobiana lagoons and Escarchados lagoons. In the coastal region important wetlands include Río Santa Cruz, Monte León, Río Coig, Ría Gallegos, Cabo Vígenes, Bahía San Sebastián, Río Grande, Mitre Peninsula, Beagle Canal and Isla of the Estados.

Ecology

The Patagonian Grasslands are 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 ...

, in the

temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The predominant vegetation in this biome consists of grass and/or shrubs. The climate is temperate and ranges from Semi-arid climate ...

biome.

Flora

The northern part of the ecoregion is covered by tundra grasslands. In the center there are high latitude Andean meadows and in the far south there are deciduous thickets. On the Falkland Islands there are swamp forests. The vegetation is mostly grass-steppe with scattered shrubs. Species include '' Festuca pallescens'', '' Senecio patagonicus'' and ''

Plantago maritima ''Plantago maritima'', the sea plantain, seaside plantain or goose tongue, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution in temperate and Arctic regions, native to most of Europe, ...

''. Species found in saline soils near the sea include ''

Atriplex reichei ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family (biology), family Amaranthaceae sensu, ''s.l.''. The genus ...

'' and ''

Lepidophyllum cupressiforme ''Lepidophyllum'' is a genus of South American flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.Adesmia, Anarthrophyllum,

Berberis ''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout Temperateness, temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in S ...

Chuquiraga ''Chuquiraga'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.''Chuquirag ...

Lycium ''Lycium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The genus has a disjunct distribution around the globe, with species occurring on most continents in temperate and subtropical regions. South America has the most spec ...

Mulinum ''Azorella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to South America, New Zealand, southeastern Australia, and the islands of the Southern Ocean. They are low-growing dwarf mat-forming plants growing in high exposure on mo ...

Schinus ''Schinus'' is a genus of flowering trees and tall shrubs in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as pepper trees. The Peruvian pepper tree (''Schinus molle'') is the source of the spice known as pink pepperco ...

and

Verbena ''Verbena'' (), also known as vervain or verveine, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 150 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the Americas a ...

. The dominant species in the steppe of Tierra del Fuego is the perennial grass ''

Festuca gracillima ''Festuca gracillima'' is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. This species is native to southern Argentina, and southern Chile. It is perennial and prefers temperate biomes. ''Festuca gracillima'' was first described in 1847. References ...

''. Other grasses include '' Poa atropidiformis'',

Trisetum ''Trisetum'' is a genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biologica ...

species and ''

Hordeum comosum ''Hordeum comosum'' is a species of wild barley in the family Poaceae. It is native to Chile and western and southern Argentina, and has been introduced to the Falkland Islands. A widespread perennial grass, it is an important forage Forage is ...

''. The most common plant in the valley floors and plains is ''Hordeum comosum'', interspersed with '' Alopecurus antarticus'', '' Phleum conmutatus'', ''

Poa pratensis ''Poa pratensis'', commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass (or blue grass), smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to practically all of Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. Altho ...

'' and Agrosti species.

Fauna

The region holds very diverse fauna. Mammals include

Patagonian mara The Patagonian mara (''Dolichotis patagonum'') is a relatively large rodent in the mara genus ''Dolichotis''. It is also known as the Patagonian cavy, Patagonian hare, or dillaby. This herbivorous, somewhat rabbit-like animal is found in open an ...

(''Dolichotis patagonum''),

southern viscacha The southern viscacha (''Lagidium viscacia'') is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It is a Colony (biology), colonial animal living in small groups in rocky mountain areas. I ...

(''Lagidium viscacia''), Wolffsohn's viscacha (''Lagidium wolffsohni''),

Patagonian weasel The Patagonian weasel (''Lyncodon patagonicus'') is a small mustelid that is the only member of the genus ''Lyncodon''. Its geographic range is the Pampas of western Argentina and sections of Chile. An early mention of the animal is in the Journa ...

(''Lyncodon patagonicus''),

Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk (''Conepatus humboldtii''), also known as the Patagonian hog-nosed skunk, is a type of hog-nosed skunk indigenous to the open grassy areas in the Patagonian regions of South Argentina and Chile. It belongs to the order ...

(''Conepatus humboldtii''),

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

(''Puma concolor''),

Falkland Islands wolf Falkland may refer to: * Falkland, British Columbia, a community in Canada * Falkland, Nova Scotia, a community in Canada * Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the south Atlantic Ocean * Falkland, Fife, a former burgh in Fife, Scotland ** Falklan ...

(''Dusicyon australis'') and

guanaco The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The guanaco g ...

(''Lama guanicoe''). Threatened species include

(''Dolichotis patagonum''), guanaco,

South American gray fox The South American gray fox (''Lycalopex griseus''), also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or the gray zorro, is a species of ''Lycalopex'', the "false" foxes. It is endemic to the southern part of South America. Description The South A ...

(''Lycalopex griseus'') and

South American fur seal The South American fur seal (''Arctocephalus australis'') breeds on the coasts of Peru, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The total population is around 250,000. However, population counts are sparse and outdated. Althou ...

(''Arctophoca australis''). Bird include

Darwin's rhea Darwin's rhea or the lesser rhea (''Rhea pennata'') is a large flightless bird, the smaller of the two extant species of rheas. It is found in the Altiplano and Patagonia in South America. Description The lesser rhea stands at tall. Length ...

(''Rhea pennata''),

Patagonian tinamou The Patagonian tinamou (''Tinamotis ingoufi'') also known as Ingouf's tinamou is a member of one of the most ancient groups of paleognath birds, the tinamous. This species is native to southern South America.Clements, J. (2007) Taxonomy The Pa ...

(''Tinamotis ingoufi''),

black-chested buzzard-eagle The black-chested buzzard-eagle (''Geranoaetus melanoleucus'') is a bird of prey of the hawk and eagle family (Accipitridae). It lives in open regions of South America. This species is also known as the black buzzard-eagle, the gray buzzard-eag ...

(''Geranoaetus melanoleucus''),

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

(''Falco peregrinus''),

band-winged nightjar The band-winged nightjar or greater band-winged nightjar (''Systellura longirostris'') is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is widespread in South America, where it is found in the Andes, Venezuelan Coastal Range, Santa Mart ...

(''Systellura longirostris''),

Patagonian mockingbird The Patagonian mockingbird (''Mimus patagonicus'') is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is found in much of Argentina and locally in Chile. Taxonomy and systematics The Clements taxonomy and BirdLife International consider the Pat ...

(''Mimus patagonicus'') and

Patagonian yellow finch The Patagonian yellow finch (''Sicalis lebruni'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Argentina and Tierra del Fuego; also Chile. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and temperate grassland. R ...

(''Sicalis lebruni''). Endemic birds found north of the strait include

hooded grebe The hooded grebe (''Podiceps gallardoi''), is a medium-sized grebe found in the southern region of Argentina. It grows to about in length, and is black and white in color. It is found in isolated lakes in the most remote parts of Patagonia and s ...

(''Podiceps gallardoi''),

Magellanic plover The Magellanic plover (''Pluvianellus socialis'') is a rare wader found only in southernmost South America. Taxonomy It was long placed in with the other plovers in the family Charadriidae; however, behavioural evidence suggested they were disti ...

(''Pluvianellus socialis''), chocolate-vented tyrant (''Neoxolmis rufiventris''),

white-bridled finch The white-bridled finch (''Melanodera melanodera''), also known as the canary-winged finch or black-throated finch, is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus '' Melanodera'' together with the yellow-bridled finch (''M. xanthogramma''). Fo ...

(''Melanodera melanodera''),

short-billed miner The short-billed miner (''Geositta antarctica'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae, probably the most southerly breeding passerine in the world. It weighs around and is typically around in length including the tail, which when in ...

(''Geositta antarctica''),

ruddy-headed goose The ruddy-headed goose (''Chloephaga rubidiceps'') is a species of waterfowl in tribe Tadornini of subfamily Anserinae. It is found in Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of th ...

(''Chloephaga rubidiceps'') and

striated caracara The striated caracara (''Phalcoboenus australis'') is a bird of prey of the family Falconidae. In the Falkland Islands, it is known as the Johnny rook, probably named after the Johnny penguin (gentoo penguin). Description The adults' plumage is ...

(''Phalcoboenus australis''). The

(''Phalcoboenus australis'') and

blackish cinclodes The blackish cinclodes (''Cinclodes antarcticus'') is a passerine bird of the genus ''Cinclodes'' belonging to the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is native to the southern tip of South America including the Falkland Islands where it is known as ...

(''Cinclodes antarcticus'') are found in Tierra del Fuego. Endemic birds in the Falklands are the

Falkland steamer duck The Falkland steamer duck (''Tachyeres brachypterus'') is a species of flightless duck found on the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. The steamer ducks get their name from their unconventional swimming behaviour in which they flap the ...

(''Tachyeres brachypterus'') and

Cobb's wren Cobb's wren (''Troglodytes cobbi'') is a fairly small (12-13.5 cm) wren which is endemic to the Falkland Islands. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the house wren (''Troglodytes aedon'') but is now commonly considered to be a sep ...

(''Troglodytes cobbi''). The Falklands are also important for seabirds such as

gentoo penguin The gentoo penguin ( ) (''Pygoscelis papua'') is a penguin species (or possibly a species complex) in the genus ''Pygoscelis'', most closely related to the Adélie penguin (''P. adeliae'') and the chinstrap penguin (''P. antarcticus''). The ear ...

(''Pygoscelis papua'').

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 a status of "Vulnerable". Few people live in the ecoregion. However, grazing livestock and introduced animals have destroyed the natural grassland, particularly tussock grass. Where the sparse vegetation has been damaged the soil is exposed to erosion. Overgrazing by

merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

sheep is turning the grassland into a desert. In the past Guanacos were the only large grazing animal, and imposed little stress on the semi-arid grasslands. Commercial sheep farming, which began at the end of the 19th century, has had a drastic impact. Palatable grasses have been progressively eliminated, replaced by unpalatable woody plants. The natural tussock grass is an important resource for endemic birds. Three birds species at risk are the critically endangered

(''Podiceps gallardoi''), the rare

(''Chloephaga rubidiceps'') and the near threatened

(''Phalcoboenus australis''), which has suffered from over-hunting.

Conservation

The ecoregion has few protected areas. They include Dicky Private Wildlife Reserve (''Refugio Privado de Vida Silvestre Dicky'') and

Magallanes National Reserve Magallanes National Reserve () is a national reserve of southern Chile's Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region ( es, Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica ...

on the mainland, and Reserva Costa Atlántica in Tierra del Fuego. The Patagonian Grasslands of Argentina Conservation Project, organized by

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, is trying to develop sustainable grazing practices in partnership with scientists and landowners, but it is a challenge to find economic incentives. An Argentine company has worked with The Nature Conservancy to develop protocols and measurements for sustainable grazing, which can be used in branding clothes made of Patagonian wool. The theory, which is controversial, is that if sheep are moved frequently to emulate herds of wild animals avoiding predators they may actually help regenerate the grasslands. The decisions on where and how fast to move them depend on many ecological factors, and some academics are skeptical about whether real benefits can be achieved.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Patagonian Grasslands Ecoregions of South America Ecology of Patagonia Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Ecoregions of Argentina Ecoregions of Chile * * Grasslands of Argentina Grasslands of Chile Grasslands of South America Neotropical ecoregions