The Sulawesi montane rain forests is a

tropical moist 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, discon ...

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 ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It includes the highlands of

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

Geography

Sulawesi, with an area of 180,681 km², is the fourth-largest island in Indonesia, and the eleventh-largest in the world. The landmass of Sulawesi includes four peninsulas: the northern

Minahasa Peninsula The Minahasa Peninsula, also spelled Minahassa, is one of the four principal peninsulas on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It stretches north from the central part of the island, before turning to the east and forming the northern boundary of th ...

, the East Peninsula, the South Peninsula, and the Southeast Peninsula. The island is mountainous, and the highest peak is

Mount Latimojong Latimojong (Indonesian: Gunung Latimojong), also known by its peak name Rantemario, is a mountain located in the province of South Sulawesi, Sulawesi, Indonesia. At , it is the highest mountain on the island, although some sources state Mount Rant ...

at 3,478 meters. Approximately 40% of Sulawesi's land area is in the montane rain forests ecoregion; the surrounding lowlands are in the

Sulawesi lowland rain forests The Sulawesi lowland rain forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion includes the lowlands of Sulawesi and neighboring islands. Geography Sulawesi is the largest i ...

ecoregion. The islands that make up the ecoregion are part of

Wallacea Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lo ...

, a group of islands that are part of the

Australasian realm The Australasian realm is a biogeographic realm that is coincident with, but not (by some definitions) the same as, the geographical region of Australasia. The realm includes Australia, the island of New Guinea (comprising Papua New Guinea and ...

, but were never joined to either the Australian or Asian continents. The islands of Wallacea are home to a mix of plants and animals from both terrestrial realms, and have many unique species that evolved in isolation. The

Makassar Strait Makassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea. To the northeast, it forms the Sangkulirang Bay south of the Mangkalihat Pe ...

separates Sulawesi from

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

to the west; the strait is part of the

Wallace Line The Wallace Line or Wallace's Line is a faunal boundary line drawn in 1859 by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and named by English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley that separates the biogeographical realms of Asia and Wallacea, a tran ...

, which demarcates the western boundary of Wallacea. Borneo and the other Indonesian islands west of Sulawesi are part of

Sundaland Sundaland (also called Sundaica or the Sundaic region) is a biogeographical region of South-eastern Asia corresponding to a larger landmass that was exposed throughout the last 2.6 million years during periods when sea levels were lower. It ...

, and were connected to the Asian continent when sea levels were lower during the ice ages.

Climate

The ecoregion has a wet tropical montane climate.

Flora

The main plant communities are lower montane rain forest, upper montane rain forest, and sub-alpine forests. The forests generally form a closed canopy, and height decreases with elevation. Lower montane rain forest, or sub-montane forest, ranges from 1000 to 1500 meters elevation. Trees in the beech family (

Fagaceae The Fagaceae are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species occur as evergre ...

) are predominant, including four species of ''

Lithocarpus ''Lithocarpus'' is a genus in the beech family, Fagaceae. Trees in this genus are commonly known as the stone oaks and differ from ''Quercus'' primarily because they produce insect-pollinated flowers on erect spikes and the female flowers have ...

'' and two species of ''

Castanopsis ''Castanopsis'', commonly called chinquapin or chinkapin, is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 140 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total o ...

'' (''

Castanopsis acuminatissima ''Castanopsis acuminatissima'' is an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia and New Guinea. It is known by a variety of common names over its range, including white oak, New Guinea oak, Papua New Guinea oak, ''ki riung, ko-duai, ko-soi, ko-mat, ...

'' and '' C. buruana''). Other trees include ''

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

'', along with trees in the myrtle family (

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

), laurel family (

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

), and tea family (

Theaceae Theaceae (), the tea family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plants comprising shrubs and trees, including the economically important tea plant, and the ornamental camellias. It can be described as having from seven to 40 genus, genera ...

) and the

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s '' Agathis dammara'' and ''

Phyllocladus ''Phyllocladus'', the celery pines, is a small genus of conifers, now usually treated in the family Podocarpaceae.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Timber Press: Portland, OR, USA. .'' ''Species occur mainly in New Zealand, ...

''.

Epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s including

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s are common. In the mid-montane forests (1500-2000 meters elevation) Fagaceae, especially ''Lithocarpus menadoensis'' and ''L. celebicus'', Myrtaceae, and ''Agathis'' are predominant. Upper montane forests are characterized by conifers, including species of ''

Agathis ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely re ...

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, “foot”) + καρπός (karpós, “fruit”). ''Podocarpus'' species ...

Dacrycarpus ''Dacrycarpus'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the family Podocarpaceae.Christopher N. Page. 1990. "Podocarpaceae" pages 332-346. In: Klaus Kubitzki (general editor); Karl U. Kramer and Peter S. Green (volume editors) ''The Families and Gene ...

Dacrydium ''Dacrydium'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. Sixteen species of evergreen dioecious trees and shrubs are presently recognized. The genus was first described by Solander in 1786, and formerly included many m ...

'', and ''Phyllocladus'', together with Myrtaceae and the shrubs ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

Vaccinium ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whort ...

Gaultheria ''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 135 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his '. These pla ...

'', and '' Tasmannia piperita''. Fagaceae are less common than in the lower-elevation forests. Mosses become abundant over 2000 meters elevation. Sub-alpine communities form above 3200 meters elevation, with low trees and shrubs, principally ''Rhododendron,

Decaspermum ''Decaspermum'' is a genus of the botanical family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1776. It is native to China, Southeast Asia, Queensland, and various islands of the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ...

'', and ''

Hedyotis ''Hedyotis'' (starviolet) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. Many species of this genus such as ''Hedyotis biflora, H. corymbosa'' and ''H. diffusa'' are well known medicinal plants. ''Hedyotis'' is native to tropical and su ...

'', along with the lower shrubs ''Gaultheria'' and '' Styphelia suaveolens''. The trees and shrubs are festooned with lichens. Herbs include the daisy '' Keysseria'', the ginger ''

Alpinia ''Alpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is named for Prospero Alpini, a 17th-century Italian botanist who specialized in exotic plants. Species are native to Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, whe ...

'', ''Potentilla leuconata'' and ''P. parvus'', and the grasses '' Poa'' and ''

Agrostis ''Agrostis'' (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world. It has been bred as a GMO creeping bent grass. Species * '' Agrostis aequivalvi'' ...

''.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to 102 mammal species, a third of which are endemic or near-endemic. 24 mammal species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the ecoregion, and 10 are near-endemic. Larger mammals include two pigs, the

Celebes warty pig The Celebes warty pig (''Sus celebensis''), also called Sulawesi warty pig or Sulawesi pig, is a species in the pig genus ('' Sus'') that lives on Sulawesi in Indonesia. It survives in most habitats and can live in altitudes of up to . It has bee ...

(''Sus celebensis'') and

North Sulawesi babirusa The North Sulawesi babirusa (''Babyrousa celebensis'') is a pig-like animal native to Sulawesi and some nearby islands (Lembeh, Buton and Muna) in Indonesia. It has two pairs of large tusks composed of enlarged canine teeth. The upper canines p ...

(''Babyrousa celebensis''). The Celebes warty pig lives in the lower montane and lowland rain forests of Sulawesi and other islands of Wallacea. The North Sulawesi babirusa lives in both the montane and lowland rain forests of northern and central Sulawesi. The endemic Mountain anoa (''Bubalus quarlesi'') is a dwarf buffalo which stands only 70 cm (28 in) high. The Celebes rusa deer (''Rusa timorensis macassaricus'') is a subspecies of the Javan rusa, which may have been introduced from Sundaland to Sulawesi by humans in ancient times. There are two endemic arboreal primates,

Dian's tarsier Dian's tarsier (''Tarsius dentatus''), also known as the Diana tarsier, is a nocturnal primate endemic to central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its head-body length is and it has a tail of . Dian's tarsier lives in rainforests. It was formerly called ...

(''Tarsius dentatus'') and the

Pygmy tarsier The pygmy tarsier (''Tarsius pumilus''), also known as the mountain tarsier or the lesser spectral tarsier, is a nocturnal primate found in central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in an area with lower vegetative species diversity than the lowland tropica ...

(''Tarsius pumilus)''. The majority of endemic species are rodents, including three

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

s and 17 Murid rodents: *

montane long-nosed squirrel The montane long-nosed squirrel (''Hyosciurus heinrichi'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. It was discovered dur ...

(''Hyosciurus heinrichi'') *

secretive dwarf squirrel The secretive dwarf squirrel (''Prosciurillus abstrusus'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is found on the Mengkoka Mountains in southeastern Sulawesi. Its natural habitat is montane ...

(''Prosciurillus abstrusus'') * Weber's dwarf squirrel (''Prosciurillus weberi'') *

little soft-furred rat The little soft-furred rat (''Rattus mollicomulus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on the upper slopes of Mount Lampobattang in Bantaeng Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It gets its name from its soft, silky f ...

(''Rattus mollicomulus'') *

opossum rat The opossum rat (''Rattus marmosurus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in northern and central Sulawesi, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Ocean ...

(''Rattus marmosurus'') *

Dollman's spiny rat Dollman's spiny rat (''Maxomys dollmani'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pac ...

(''Maxomys dollmani'') * Watts's spiny rat (''Maxomys wattsi'') * Celebes shrew-rat (''Crunomys celebensis'') *

long-headed hill rat The long-headed hill rat (''Bunomys prolatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is only known from Mount Tambusisi. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It ...

(''Bunomys prolatus'') *

fraternal hill rat The fraternal hill rat (''Bunomys fratrorum'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in northeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is tropical dry forest. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destru ...

(''Bunomys fratrorum'') * Heinrich's hill rat (''Bunomys heinrichi'') * inland hill rat (''Bunomys penitus'') *

Sulawesi soft-furred rat The Sulawesi soft-furred rat (''Eropeplus canus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus ''Eropeplus''. It is found only in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest. It is t ...

(''Eropeplus canus'') *

elegant margareta rat The elegant margareta rat (''Margaretamys elegans'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and O ...

(''Margaretamys elegans'') * little margareta rat (''Margaretamys parvus'') *

Salokko rat The Salokko rat (''Taeromys arcuatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Salokko rat has been found in the Mekongga Mountains of southeastern Sulawesi, and Lore Lindu National Park, Ce ...

) (''Taeromys arcuatus'') * Sulawesi montane rat (''Taeromys hamatus'') * Sulawesian shrew rat (''Melasmothrix naso'') *

Tate's shrew rat Tate's shrew rat (''Tateomys rhinogradoides'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in central Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it has been recorded on Mount Latimodjong (Mount Rantemario), Mount Tokala, and Mount Nokilalaki. ...

(''Tateomys rhinogradoides'') *

long-tailed shrew rat The long-tailed shrew rat (''Tateomys macrocercus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceani ...

(''Tateomys macrocercus'') Another ten species are Sulawesi endemics, which live in both the montane and lowland rain forests ecoregions: *

Sulawesi palm civet The Sulawesi palm civet (''Macrogalidia musschenbroekii''), also known as Sulawesi civet, musang and brown palm civet is a little-known palm civet endemic to Sulawesi. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to population decline es ...

(''Macrogalidia musschenbroekii'') * Elongated shrew (''Crocidura elongata'') * Sulawesi shrew (''Crocidura lea'') *

Sulawesi tiny shrew The Sulawesi tiny shrew (''Crocidura levicula'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oc ...

(''Crocidura levicula'') * Crested roundleaf bat (''Hipposideros inexpectatus'') * Minahassa pipistrelle (''Pipistrellus minahassae'') * Gaskell's false serotine (''Hesperoptenus gaskelli'') *

Yellow-tailed rat The yellow-tailed rat (''Rattus xanthurus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in northeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania ...

(''Rattus xanthurus'') *

Celebes crested macaque The Celebes crested macaque (''Macaca nigra''), also known as the crested black macaque, Sulawesi crested macaque, or the black ape, is an Old World monkey that lives in the Tangkoko reserve in the northeastern tip of the Indonesian island of Su ...

(''Macaca nigra'') *

(''Babyrousa celebensis'') The

Bola Batu babirusa ''Babyrousa bolabatuensis'', the Bola Batu babirusa,Grubb, 2005, p. 637 is a species of babirusa from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It was first described in 1950 as a subspecies of ''Babyrousa babyrussa'', then the only recognized sp ...

(''Babyrousa bolabatuensis''), known only from bones, is recognized as a separate species. No living individuals have been recorded, and the species may be extinct. The ecoregion is home to 168 bird species. 19 species are endemic to the ecoregion, and another 23 are near-endemic.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 9,066 km², or 12%, 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>

External links

Sulawesi endemic bird area (Birdlife International)

References

{{reflist Australasian ecoregions Ecoregions of Indonesia Ecoregions of Malesia Flora of Sulawesi Montane forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Wallacea