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Mount Roraima
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==Ecology== Due to the late exploration of this part of South America and the discovery of new species every year, the flora and fauna here are largely unknown.<ref name="PNUD"/> The currently identified species are strongly endemic, especially the fauna, which also puts them at a high risk of extinction.<ref name="inparques Ambiente"/> The bottom of the cliff at the foot of the mountain is an evergreen rainforest composed of trees {{cvt|25|–|45|m|sigfig=2}} high, and some can reach {{cvt|60|m}}.<ref name="inparques Ambiente"/> Vegetation is dominated by [[Palmaceae|Arecaceae]] and [[Astragalus (plant)|Astragalus]].<ref name="PNUD">{{cite book |title=Canaima National Park Venezuela |year=2011 |publisher=Programme des Nations unies pour l'environnement |page=8 |url=http://www.unep-wcmc.org/world-heritage-information-sheets_271.html |access-date=2022-03-21 |archive-date=2013-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206220831/http://www.unep-wcmc.org/world-heritage-information-sheets_271.html }}</ref> The soils on the cliffs are more sandy, the climate is cooler, and the vegetation consists of [[bromeliad]]s very similar to the Andes.<ref name="PNUD"/> The vegetation on the plateau is still largely unknown and consists mainly of bare rocks, forests of trees and [[epiphytes]], and wet and dry savannas in the form of swamps.<ref name="PNUD"/> It is marked by numerous endemic species, especially carnivorous plants that capture insects, living in sandstone and leaching soils which lack the nitrates necessary for their development.<ref name="summitpost"/><ref name="Elms"/><ref name="inparques Ambiente"/> There are fewer species in the vicinity of streams and ravines, and the trees are {{cvt|8|–|15|m}} tall and have hard leaves that can adapt to harsh environmental conditions.<ref name="PNUD"/> The exposed rocks are occupied by [[lichen]]s, [[algae]] and [[cyanobacteria]].<ref name="Audy"/> Endemic flora includes plants like the [[Orectanthe sceptrum]],<ref>{{Citation |title=Orectanthe sceptrum |date=2017-11-11 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orectanthe_sceptrum&oldid=170901490 |access-date=2024-08-01 |language=de}}</ref> [[Sauvagesia imthurnii]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sauvagesia imthurniana |url=https://uk.inaturalist.org/taxa/1168270-Sauvagesia-imthurniana |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=iNaturalist United Kingdom |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Celiantha imthurniana]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celiantha imthurniana (Oliv.) Maguire {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:51128-2 |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}</ref> [[Pitcher plant|Roraima marsh pitchers]] ([[Heliamphora nutans]]), Gran Sabana sundew ([[Drosera felix]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Killerpflanzen - Killerpflanzen - Drosera felix |url=http://www.killerpflanzen.com/drosera_felix/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=www.killerpflanzen.com}}</ref> Roraima bladderworts ([[Utricularia quelchii]]), Roraima "azaleas" ([[Bejaria imthurnii]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bejaria imthurnii description |url=https://www.nybg.org/bsci/res/lut2/bejaria_imthurnii.html |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=www.nybg.org}}</ref> and many more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Homepage of Vladimir Dinets - Mount Roraima, Part 7 |url=http://dinets.info/roraima7.htm |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=dinets.info}}</ref> The fauna at the foot of the mountain are composed of a variety of mammals, and this huge diversity is particularly prominent in the Amazon rainforest, such as [[sloths]], [[anteater]]s, [[tapir]]s, [[armadillo]]s, [[capybara]]s, [[opossum]]s, [[agouti]], [[weasel]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[deer]], [[cougar]]s, and [[primates]] such as [[howler monkeys]] and [[Capuchin monkey|capuchin]]s. There are hundreds of species of birds, the most common of which include [[falcon]]s, [[parrot]]s, and [[owl]]s. Some hummingbirds are endemic to the region.<ref name="PNUD"/> Due to low mobility relative to other species, reptiles and amphibians show large differences between individuals found at the bottom and top of Mount Roraima.<ref name="PNUD"/> While species inhabiting forests at the foot of the plateau are common, such as [[green iguana]]s, [[pit viper]]s, [[coral snake]]s and [[Pythonidae|python]]s, those found at the top are even rarer.<ref name= "lagransabana"/> Cave fauna consists of many species of [[bat]]s, [[grasshopper]]s, [[spider]]s and [[centipede]]s,<ref name= "PNUD"/><ref name="Carreño"/><ref name="Audy"/> but this fragile subterranean ecosystem is being disturbed by surface hikers, organic matter produced by tourists, and explorers over the years. Pollutants such as fuel are washed into the ground by rainwater, which leads to the proliferation of microorganisms and causes ecological imbalance.<ref name="Carreño"/> Endemic species include rodents such as the Roraima climbing mouse ([[Rhipidomys macconnelli roraimae]])<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wilson |first=Don E. |last2=Reeder |first2=DeeAnn |date=2005-12-31 |title=Rhipidomys macconnelli De Winton 1900 |url=https://zenodo.org/records/11325694 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.11325694}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Campos |first=Bruno Augusto Torres Parahyba |last2=Percequillo |first2=Alexandre Reis |last3=Miranda |first3=Gustavo |last4=Langguth |first4=Alfredo |date=2022-05-31 |title=Two new species of Rhipidomys (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from Eastern Brazil, with comments on the taxonomy of the genus |url=http://www.italian-journal-of-mammalogy.it/Two-new-species-of-Rhipidomys-Rodentia-Sigmodontinae-from-Eastern-Brazil-with-comments,149709,0,2.html |journal=Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy |language=english |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=139–157 |doi=10.4404/hystrix-00443-2021 |issn=0394-1914}}</ref> or the rarer [[Roraima mouse]] ([[Roraima mouse|Podoxymys roraimae]]),<ref name=":0" /> as well as many birds such as the [[Greater flowerpiercer]] ([[Greater flowerpiercer|Diglossa major]]) or the two subspecies of sparrow, the [[Zonotrichia capensis roraimae]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Zonotrichia capensis (Rufous-collared Sparrow) - Avibase |url=https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=A7280FF0F3B5EC81 |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=avibase.bsc-eoc.org}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> and the [[Zonotrichia capensis macconelli]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> One of the most well known endemic species is the [[Oreophrynella quelchii|Roraima toad]] ([[Oreophrynella quelchii]]).<ref name=":0" />
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