Madagascar spiny forests: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Madagascar spiny thickets.png|thumb|250px|Approximate extent of the spiny thickets of [[Toliara Province]], Madagascar.]] |
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The '''Madagascar spiny thickets''' (also known as the Madagascar spiny forests) is an [[ecoregion]] in [[Madagascar]]. The vegetation type is found on poor substrates with low, erratic winter rainfall. An estimated 14,000 to 17,000 square miles is covered with this habitat, all in the southwest of the country. The ecoregion contains an outstanding proportion of endemic plant species. |
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==Plant diversity== |
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Many constituent plants show extreme adaptations to drought. Spiny plants of the endemic family [[Didiereaceae]] form a conspicuous component, especially towards the east. They are woody but distantly related to the [[Cactus|Cacti]] (See [[Caryophyllales]]). The remaining component of the thickets is dominated by members of the [[Burseraceae]], [[Euphorbiaceae]], [[Anacardiaceae]] and [[Fabaceae]] families of plants, all which have representatives elsewhere. |
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==Conservation== |
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Existing reserves protect a maximum of 3% of remaining vegetation. The [[Andohahela National Park]] offers limited protection through its 'parcel 3' section. Elsewhere the spiny thicket habitat is under pressure from human exploitation. The main impacting activities are: |
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* Burning for conversion to grazing land |
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* Harvesting for charcoal and firewood |
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* Logging for construction |
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==References== |
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* For extent, fragmentation and intact sections, see: ''A refined classification of the primary vegetation of Madagascar based on the underlying geology'', Du Puy and Moat, 1996. |
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* For dominant plant families, see: ''Structure and floristic composition of the vegetation in the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d’Andohahela, Madagascar'', Rakotomalaza and Messmer, 1999. |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at1311_full.html Madagascar spiny thickets (World Wildlife Fund)] |
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== Gallery == |
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<gallery> |
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Image:Alluaudia montagnacii.jpg|''Alluaudia montagnacii'' of the [[Didiereaceae]]. The family's endemnism is centered on the spiny thickets. They resemble the unrelated [[Ocotillo]]. |
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Image:Propithecus verreauxi.JPG|[[Verreaux's Sifaka]], a species occurring, in part, in the spiny thickets. |
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Image:Lemur walking.jpg|The [[Ring-tailed Lemur|Maki]], another lemur species found in the spiny thickets. |
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</gallery> |
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==See also== |
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{| |
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* Genus [[Moringa]] |
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* [[Ecoregions of Madagascar]] |
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* [[Lake Tsimanampetsotsa]] |
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* [[List of national parks of Madagascar]] |
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* [[Berenty Reserve]] |
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* [[Ebenavia maintimainty]] |
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|} |
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[[Category:Ecoregion stubs]] |
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[[Category:Afrotropic]] |
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[[Category:Deserts and xeric shrublands]] |
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[[Category:Flora of Madagascar]] |
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[[Category:Geography of Madagascar]] |
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[[Category:Environment of Madagascar]] |
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[[Category:Toliara Province]] |
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{{ecoregion-stub}} |
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[[es:Matorral espinoso de Madagascar]] |
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[[it:Foresta spinosa]] |
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