The Cordillera de Merida páramo (NT1004) is an
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
containing
páramo
Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...
(high moorland) vegetation above the treeline in the
Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
mountain range of Venezuela.
The isolated habitat has many endemic species. It is relatively stable and intact.
Geography
Location
The Cordillera de Merida páramo is to the south of the
Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo () is located in northwestern Venezuela, between the states of Zulia, Trujillo, and Mérida. While Maracaibo is commonly referred to as a lake, its current hydrological characteristics may better classify it as estuary and/or ...
in the
Cordillera de Mérida
The Cordillera de Mérida is a mountain range, or massif, in northwestern Venezuela. The Cordillera de Mérida is a northeastern extension of the Andes Mountains and the most important branch of the Venezuelan Andes. The range runs approximately 4 ...
massif of northeastern Venezuela.
It has an area of .
It is surrounded by the
Venezuelan Andes montane forests ecoregion.
Terrain
Páramos in the southwest of the Cordillera de Merida include Batalló at above sea level and Nariño at .
The highest point in the central section is the
Piedras Blancas peak at , surrounded by extensive páramos, glaciers and lakes.
From the Piedras Blancas páramo the land descends to the Mucuchíes páramo at , then continues to gradually descend towards the northeast.
Climate
The
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
is "ETH": Alpine tundra, with no month with an average temperature in excess of 10 °C (50 °F).
Where the
Northern Andean páramo
The Northern Andean páramo (NT1006) is an ecoregion containing páramo vegetation above the treeline in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador.
In the past, when the climate was cooler, the treeline and the páramo units were lower and the units were c ...
is generally humid throughout the year with moisture delivered in the form of rain, clouds and fog as air masses are lifted up over the mountains, the Cordillera de Merida páramo is similar to the
Costa Rican páramo and
Santa Marta páramo
The Santa Marta páramo (NT1007) is an ecoregion containing páramo (high moorland) vegetation above the treeline in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The isolated position of the range has allowed ...
, where the trade winds create a distinct dry season.
The dominant winds blow northwest from the Amazon region, with a rainy season from around March to November.
Ecology
The Cordillera de Merida páramo ecoregion is in the
neotropical
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 biogeogra ...
realm, in the
montane grasslands and shrublands
Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than t ...
biome.
The ecoregion is part of the Northern Andean Paramo global ecoregion, which also includes the
Cordillera Central páramo, Santa Marta páramo and Northern Andean páramo terrestrial ecoregions.
The plants and animals are adapted to the cold, dry conditions of the high peaks.
There is a high level of local endemism, particularly on the more isolated peaks.
Origins
The Andes began to rise in the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
epoch, but in the north did not reach their present height until the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58[Poaceae
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...](_blank)
'', ''
Cyperecear'', ''
Arteraceae'', ''
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae () are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with about 4,250 known species spread acros ...
'' and other families.
During the later parts of the
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...
epoch a series of short, cold and dry glacial periods alternated with warmer and more humid interglacial periods.
The páramo belts moved lower and joined together in the cold periods, and moved higher into unconnected enclaves when the temperatures rose.
The result is a mix of species of tropical and
boreal origin with the same
genera
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
found in most páramos, but with many
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
species in the individual páramos.
The Cordillera de Mérida is the oldest part of the northern Andes, and has a large connected corridor of páramo.
The range is probably where most of the páramo flora of tropical origin developed, then migrated south into Colombia during cold glacial periods.
Flora

The mountain forest extends up to about in altitude, where the páramos begin,
Above the páramos are replaced by a periglacial zone with very little vegetation, mostly lichens, mosses and some dwarf plants.
No flora or fauna are found above around .
The ecoregion mostly consists of dry páramo habitat, with high-altitude
tussock grass, stands of dwarf bamboo and open meadows
There are also some marshes and bogs, although less than in the wet páramo.
Fauna
''
Redonda chiquinquirana
''Redonda chiquinquirana'' is a butterfly species from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. It is endemic from the Cordillera de Merida páramo in Venezuela, in northern South America. ''R. chiquinquirana'' show high degree of sexu ...
'', a butterfly whose females have limited ability to fly, is endemic to the ecoregion.
A study of Carabid beetles found diverse and numerous specimens, all endemic to the ecoregion although closely related to species in other ranges. ''
Carbonellia ater'' is found between .
The most important Carabid tribes in terms of numbers of species and of individuals belong to the genera ''
Dyscolus'' and ''
Bembidion''.
Endangered amphibians include the Mucubaji stubfoot toad (''
Atelopus mucubajiensis'') and
Tamá harlequin frog (''Atelopus tamaense'').
Endangered mammals include
Musso's fish-eating rat (''Neusticomys mussoi'').
Status
The
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based 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 ...
gives the ecoregion the status "Relatively Stable/Intact".
Protected areas include the
Guaramacal National Park.
The
Sierra La Culata National Park and
Sierra Nevada National Park protect the ''Ruta de los Páramos'', a tourist route through the central páramos.
Notes
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordillera de Merida páramo
Neotropical ecoregions
Ecoregions of Venezuela
Páramos