Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic
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The southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is an ecoregion that covers a large area of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and northeastern Angola. Its rich blend of habitats provides key insights into the biogeography of central Africa with the extensive climatic variation that it has been experiencing for the last 10 million years. The human population is not high.


Geography

The Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is a transitional region between the equatorial Congolian forests region to the north and the woodlands and savannas of the
Zambezian region The Zambezian region is a large biogeographical region in Africa. The Zambezian region includes woodlands, savannas, grasslands, and thickets, extending from east to west in a broad belt across the continent. The Zambezian region lies south of the ...
to the south. The Central Congolian lowland forests lie to the north, west of the Congo River, and the
Northeastern Congolian lowland forests The Northeastern Congolian lowland forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that spans the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Geography The Northeastern Congolian lowland forests lie in the northeast ...
are east of the Congo. In the highlands to the east are the
Albertine Rift montane forests The Albertine Rift montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in east-central Africa. The ecoregion covers the mountains of the northern Albertine Rift, and is home to distinct Afromontane forests with high biodiversity. Geo ...
. The
Central Zambezian miombo woodlands The Central Zambezian miombo woodlands ecoregion spans southern central Africa. Miombo woodland is the predominant plant community. It is one of the largest ecoregions on the continent, and home to a great variety of wildlife, including many large ...
lie to the southeast, and the Angolan miombo woodlands to the southwest. To the west across the Kwango River is the
Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic The Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. Geography The forest–savanna mosaic covers a region of dissected plateaus lying between the Congo Basin ...
.Burgess, Neil, Jennifer D'Amico Hales, Emma Underwood, et al. (2004). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment". World Wildlife Fund. Island Press, 2004, pp. 294-296. Elevations range from 300–400 m in the southern Congo Basin to plateaus of 1000 meters or more. Central Africa is familiar with repeated climatic variation that have caused rain forest and savanna expansion and deflation in consideration of the late Pleistocene tectonics defined the
Congo Basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...
. Important climatic shifts have occurred more than 20 times in less than 10 million years. Plants and animals adapt, change, and go extinct with any climatic oscillation. Widespread and immensely resilient organisms that lived through in islands of habitat and accustomed to spatial fluidity were favored. During dry periods, savanna communities breached far into the
Congo Basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...
. The relatively moist riparian forests become detached from one another and compose forest island localities in the savanna matrix.


Climate

The climate is tropical. Mean maximum temperature ranges from 27º to 30º C, and annual mean minimum temperature ranges from 18º to 21º C. Average annual rainfall is 1400 mm across most of the ecoregion, decreasing to 1200 mm in the drier southeast and increasing to 1600 mm along the northern boundary with the Congolian rainforests.


Flora

The ecoregion is a mosaic of forest, savanna, and grassland. Semi-evergreen rainforest is found along the rivers that drain northwards into the Congo Basin, with open woodland, savanna, and grassland in the uplands. Rainforest flora is typically Guineo-Congolian species, while the woodland, savanna, and grassland species are mostly Zambezian.


Fauna

Large forest mammals include the lowland bongo (''Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus''),
blue duiker The blue duiker (''Philantomba monticola'') is a small antelope found in central, southern and eastern Africa. It is the smallest duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. 12 subspecies are ident ...
(''Philantomba monticola''), and
yellow-backed duiker The yellow-backed duiker (''Cephalophus silvicultor'') is a forest dwelling antelope in the order Artiodactyla from the family Bovidae. Yellow-backed duikers are the most widely distributed of all duikers. They are found mainly in Central and West ...
(''Cephalophus silvicultor''). Large mammals of the savannas and grasslands include
African bush elephant The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to and a body ...
(''Loxodonta africana''), African buffalo (''Syncerus caffer''), waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus''), and
southern reedbuck The southern reedbuck, rietbok or common reedbuck (''Redunca arundinum'') is a diurnal antelope typically found in southern Africa. It was first described by Pieter Boddaert, a Dutch physician and naturalist, in 1785. It is placed in the genus ...
(''Redunca arundinum''). Hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius'') are found along rivers.
Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
s (''Panthera leo'') are the ecoregion's top predators.
Bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...
s (''Pan paniscus'') are found in the northern part of the ecoregion, including Lukuru area. Several small mammals are endemic to the ecoregion, including
Gallagher's free-tailed bat Gallagher's free-tailed bat (''Mops gallagheri'') is a free-tailed bat endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Only one individual has ever been documented. Taxonomy and etymology It was described as a new species in 1975 by David Harri ...
(''Chaerephon gallagheri''), greater Congo shrew (''Congosorex polli''), Lukolela swamp rat (''Malacomys lukolelae''), and
least soft-furred mouse The least soft-furred mouse or least praomys (''Praomys minor'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical ...
(''Praomys minor''). Endemic and near-endemic reptiles include the African bighead snake (''Hypotophis wilsonii''), Kabinda worm lizard (''Monopeltis kabindae'') and the skink ''
Feylinia macrolepis ''Feylinia macrolepis'' is an African lizard in the Family (biology), family Scincidae commonly known as skinks. It is found in Republic of the Congo, and Central African Republic. References External links

Feylinia Skinks of Africa Tax ...
''. The Tshimbulu reed frog (''Hyperolius polli'') is endemic, and the reed frog '' Hyperolius obscurus'' is a near-endemic. The Lomami screeching frog (''Arthroleptis phrynoides'') is a near-endemic which is also found in the Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic.


Conservation and threats

The political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unstable; until the country is stable, no important conservation work is likely.


Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 19,841 km2, or 4%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b

/ref> Protected areas include
Lomami National Park Lomami National Park (french: Parc National de la Lomami) is a national park located in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa. Situated within the middle basin of the Lomami River, it straddles the Provinces of Tshopo and Maniema wit ...
,
Mangai Nature Reserve Mangai Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It covers in eastern Kwilu Province. The International Union for Conservation of Nature list the reserve as a protected area with sustainable use of natural resou ...
(1903.33 km2), Bushimaie Hunting Reserve (4368.7 km2), and Luama-Kivu Hunting Area (3,900.28 km2)."Southern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 6 November 2021

/ref>


External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic Southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic, Afrotropical ecoregions Ecoregions of Angola Ecoregions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands