Restingas () are a distinct type of coastal
tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Description
TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...
in eastern
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
[Restinga.net](_blank)
/ref> They form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium-sized tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s and shrubs
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
adapted to the drier and nutrient-poor conditions. One of the most notable restingas is the Restinga da Marambaia (in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
), which is owned and kept by the Brazilian Army.
Ecoregions
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 ...
distinguishes two ''Restinga'' 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 ...
s.
* Atlantic Coast restingas — found in several enclaves along Brazil's east coast from Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", re ...
state in northeastern Brazil to Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil, covering an area of that extends from the tropics to the subtropics. Its flora and fauna shares affinities with the humid Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil.
* Northeastern Brazil restingas — found along the northern coast of Brazil, in Maranhão
Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of . Clockwise from north, it borders on the Atlantic Ocean for 2,243 km and the states of Piauí, Tocantins and ...
, Piauí, and Ceará states. Its flora and fauna are distinct from that of the Atlantic Coast ''restingas'', with greater affinities to the moist forests of the Amazon biome.
See also
* List of plants of Atlantic Forest vegetation of Brazil
* Ecoregions of the Atlantic Forest biome
References
*
External links
*
Restinga Net — Information about the restingas in Brazil
Ecoregions of Brazil
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Atlantic Forest
Forests of Brazil
.
Neotropical ecoregions
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