Editing Neotropical realm

{{Short description|One of Earth's eight biogeographic realms}}
{{For|the musical artist|Riz Maslen{{!}}Neotropic (band)}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2024}}
[[Image:Ecozone Neotropic.svg|thumb|320px|The Neotropical realm (in purple)]]

The '''Neotropical realm''' is one of the eight [[biogeographic realm]]s constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the [[tropics|tropical]] [[Ecoregion#Terrestrial|terrestrial ecoregions]] of the [[Americas]] and the entire [[South America]]n [[temperate climate|temperate]] zone.

==Definition==
In [[biogeography]], the Neotropic or Neotropical realm is one of the eight [[terrestrial realm]]s. This realm includes South America, [[Central America]], the [[Caribbean Islands]], and southern North America.  In Mexico, the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] and southern lowlands, and most of the east and west coastlines, including the southern tip of the [[Baja California Peninsula]] are Neotropical.  In the United States [[southern Florida]] and coastal [[Central Florida]] are considered Neotropical.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neotropical Region - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/neotropical-region |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}</ref>

The realm also includes temperate southern South America. In contrast, the Neotropical [[Phytochorion|Floristic Kingdom]] excludes southernmost South America, which instead is placed in the [[Antarctic Floristic Kingdom|Antarctic kingdom]].

The Neotropic is delimited by similarities in [[fauna]] or [[flora]]. Its fauna and flora are distinct from the [[Nearctic realm]] (which includes most of North America) because of the long separation of the two continents. The formation of the [[Isthmus of Panama]] joined the two continents two to three million years ago, precipitating the [[Great American Interchange]], an important [[biogeography|biogeographical]] event.

{{multiple image
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The Neotropic includes more [[tropical rainforest]] ([[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]) than any other realm, extending from southern Mexico through Central America and northern South America to southern Brazil, including the vast [[Amazon rainforest]]. These rainforest ecoregions are one of the most important reserves of [[biodiversity]] on Earth. These rainforests are also home to a diverse array of [[indigenous peoples]], who to varying degrees persist in their autonomous and traditional cultures and [[subsistence economy|subsistence]] within this environment. The number of these peoples who are as yet relatively untouched by external influences continues to decline significantly, however, along with the near-exponential expansion of [[urbanization]], roads, [[pastoralism]] and [[forest industries]] which encroach on their customary lands and environment. Nevertheless, amidst these declining circumstances this vast "reservoir" of human diversity continues to survive, albeit much depleted. In South America alone, some 350–400 [[indigenous languages of the Americas|indigenous languages and dialects]] are still living (down from an estimated 1,500 at the time of [[European colonization of the Americas|first European contact]]), in about 37 distinct [[Language family|language families]] and a further number of [[unclassified language|unclassified]] and [[language isolate|isolate languages]]. Many of these languages and their cultures are also endangered. Accordingly, [[conservation (ethic)|conservation]] in the Neotropical realm is a hot political concern, and raises many arguments about development versus indigenous versus ecological rights and access to or ownership of [[natural resource]]s.

== Major ecological regions ==
The [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] (WWF) subdivides the realm into ''[[bioregion]]s'', defined as "geographic clusters of ecoregions that may span several habitat types, but have strong biogeographic affinities, particularly at taxonomic levels higher than the species level (genus, family)."

[[Laurel forest]] and other [[cloud forest]] are subtropical and mild temperate [[forest]], found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. [[Tropical rainforest]], [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]] are highlight{{clarify|date=March 2013}} in Southern North America, Amazonia, Caribbean, Central America, Northern Andes and Central Andes.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

=== Amazonia ===
The [[Amazonia bioregion]] is mostly covered by [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical moist broadleaf forest]], including the vast [[Amazon rainforest]], which stretches from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, and the lowland forests of the [[The Guyanas|Guianas]]. The bioregion also includes [[tropical savanna]] and [[tropical dry forest]] ecoregions.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

=== Caribbean ===
{{main|Caribbean bioregion}}

===Central America===
{{main|Central America bioregion}}

=== Central Andes ===
{{main|Andes}}

The Central Andes lie between the gulfs of [[Gulf of Guayaquil|Guayaquil]] and [[Gulf of Penas|Penas]] and thus encompass southern Ecuador, Chile, Peru, western Bolivia, and northwest and western Argentina.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-Andes | title= Central Andes mountains, South America |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>

===Eastern South America===
Eastern South America includes the [[Caatinga]] [[deserts and xeric shrublands|xeric shrublands]] of northeastern Brazil, the broad [[Cerrado]] grasslands and savannas of the [[Brazilian Plateau]], and the [[Pantanal]] and [[Gran Chaco|Chaco]] grasslands. The diverse [[Atlantic forests]] of eastern Brazil are separated from the forests of Amazonia by the Caatinga and Cerrado, and are home to a distinct flora and fauna.

=== Northern Andes ===
{{main|Andes}}

North of the Gulf of Guayaquil in Ecuador and Colombia, a series of accreted oceanic terranes (discrete allochthonous fragments) have developed that constitute the Baudo, or Coastal, Mountains and the Cordillera Occidental.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://www.britannica.com/place/South-America/The-Northern-Andes |title= Northern Andes mountains, South America |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>

===Orinoco===
The Orinoco is a region of humid forested broadleaf forest and wetland primarily comprising the [[drainage basin]] for the [[Orinoco]] River and other adjacent lowland forested areas. This region includes most of Venezuela and parts of Colombia, as well as [[Trinidad and Tobago]].

=== Southern South America ===
{{See also|Southern South America}}The temperate forest ecoregions of southwestern South America, including the [[temperate rain forest]]s of the [[Valdivian temperate rain forests]] and [[Magellanic subpolar forests]] ecoregions, and the [[Juan Fernández Islands]] and [[Desventuradas Islands]], are a refuge for the ancient [[Antarctic flora]], which includes trees like the [[southern beech]] (''Nothofagus''), [[Podocarpaceae|podocarps]], the [[Fitzroya|alerce]] (''Fitzroya cupressoides''), and [[Araucaria]] pines like the monkey-puzzle tree (''Araucaria araucana''). These rainforests are endangered by extensive logging and their replacement by fast-growing non-native pines and [[eucalyptus]].

== History ==
{{See also|History of South America}}

South America was originally part of the supercontinent of [[Gondwana]], which included Africa, Australia, India, New Zealand, and Antarctica, and the Neotropic shares many plant and animal lineages with these other continents, including [[marsupial]] mammals and the [[Antarctic flora]].

After the final breakup of the Gondwana about 110 million years ago, South America was separated from Africa and drifted north and west. 66 million years ago, the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]] altered local flora and fauna.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dinosaur-killing asteroid strike gave rise to Amazon rainforest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56617409 |access-date=9 May 2021 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=2 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="10.1126/science.abf1969">{{cite journal |last1=Carvalho |first1=Mónica R. |last2=Jaramillo |first2=Carlos |last3=Parra |first3=Felipe de la |last4=Caballero-Rodríguez |first4=Dayenari |last5=Herrera |first5=Fabiany |last6=Wing |first6=Scott |last7=Turner |first7=Benjamin L. |last8=D’Apolito |first8=Carlos |last9=Romero-Báez |first9=Millerlandy |last10=Narváez |first10=Paula |last11=Martínez |first11=Camila |last12=Gutierrez |first12=Mauricio |last13=Labandeira |first13=Conrad |last14=Bayona |first14=German |last15=Rueda |first15=Milton |last16=Paez-Reyes |first16=Manuel |last17=Cárdenas |first17=Dairon |last18=Duque |first18=Álvaro |last19=Crowley |first19=James L. |last20=Santos |first20=Carlos |last21=Silvestro |first21=Daniele |title=Extinction at the end-Cretaceous and the origin of modern Neotropical rainforests |journal=Science |date=2 April 2021 |volume=372 |issue=6537 |pages=63–68 |doi=10.1126/science.abf1969 |pmid=33795451 |bibcode=2021Sci...372...63C |s2cid=232484243 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350569900 |access-date=9 May 2021 |language=en |issn=0036-8075}}</ref> Much later, about two to three million years ago, South America was joined with North America by the formation of the [[Isthmus of Panama]], which allowed a biotic exchange between the two continents, the [[Great American Interchange]]. South American species like the ancestors of the [[Virginia opossum]] (''Didelphis virginiana'') and the [[armadillo]] moved into North America, and North Americans like the ancestors of South America's [[camelid]]s, including the [[llama]] (''Lama glama''), moved south. The long-term effect of the exchange was the extinction of many South American species, mostly by outcompetition by northern species.

== Endemic animals and plants ==
===Animals===
The Neotropical realm has 31 endemic bird families, which is over twice the number of any other realm. They include [[tanager]]s, [[rhea (bird)|rheas]], [[tinamou]]s, [[curassow]]s, [[antbird]]s, [[ovenbird (family)|ovenbirds]], [[toucan]]s, and [[seriema]]s. Bird families originally unique to the Neotropics include [[hummingbird]]s (family Trochilidae) and [[wren]]s (family Troglodytidae).

[[Mammal]] groups originally unique to the Neotropics include:
* Order ''[[Xenarthra]]'': [[anteater]]s, [[sloth]]s, and [[armadillo]]s
* [[New World monkey]]s
* [[Solenodontidae]], the [[solenodon]]s
* [[Caviomorpha]] [[rodent]]s, including [[capybara]]s, [[guinea pig]]s, [[hutia]]s, and [[chinchilla]]s
* American opossums (order ''[[Didelphimorphia]]'') and shrew opossums (order ''[[Paucituberculata]]'')

The Neotropical realm has 63 endemic [[fish]] families and subfamilies, which is more than any other realm.<ref>van der Sleen, Peter, and James S. Albert, eds. (2018) ''Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas''. Princeton University Press, 2017. {{ISBN|9780691170749}}</ref> [[Neotropical fish]]es include more than 5,700 species, and represent at least 66 distinct lineages in continental freshwaters (Albert and Reis, 2011). The well-known [[red-bellied piranha]] is endemic to the Neotropic realm, occupying a larger geographic area than any other piranha species. Some [[fish]] groups originally unique to the Neotropics include:
* Order [[Gymnotiformes]]: Neotropical electric fishes
* Family [[Characidae]]: tetras and allies
* Family [[Loricariidae]]: armoured catfishes
* Subfamily [[Cichlinae]]: Neotropical cichlids
* Subfamily [[Poeciliinae]]: guppies and relatives

Examples of other animal groups that are entirely or mainly restricted to the Neotropical region include:
* [[Caiman]]s
* New World [[coral snake]]s
* [[Poison dart frog]]s
* [[Dactyloidae]] ("anoles")
* [[Rock iguana]]s (''Cyclura'')
* [[Preponini]] and [[Anaeini]] butterflies (including ''[[Agrias]]'')
* [[Brassolini]] and [[Morphini]] butterflies (including ''[[Caligo]]'' and ''[[Morpho (genus)|Morpho]]'')
* [[Callicorini]] butterflies
* [[Heliconiini]] butterflies
* [[Ithomiini]] butterflies
* [[Riodininae]] butterflies
* [[Eumaeini]] butterflies
* [[Firetips]] or firetail skipper butterflies
* [[Euglossini]] bees
* [[Halictinae#Augochlorini|Augochlorini]] bees
* [[Pseudostigmatidae]] ("giant damselflies")
* [[Mantoididae]] (short-bodied mantises)
* [[Canopidae]], [[Megarididae]], and [[Phloeidae]] (pentatomoid bugs)
* [[Aetalionidae]] and [[Melizoderidae]] (treehoppers<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://treehoppers.insectmuseum.org/public/site/treehoppers/home|title=Treehoppers: Aetalionidae, Melizoderidae, and Membracidae (Hemiptera)|website=treehoppers.insectmuseum.org}}</ref>)
* [[Gonyleptidae]] (harvestmen)

=== Plants ===
According to Simberloff. as of 1984 there were a total of 92,128 species of [[flowering plants]] (Angiosperms) in the Neotropics.<ref>{{cite journal | last= Simberloff | first= Daniel | date= March–April 1984 | title= The Next Mass Extinction | journal= Garden | volume= 8 | issue= 2 | pages= 4–5}}</ref>
Plant families endemic and partly subendemic to the realm are, according to Takhtajan (1978), [[Hymenophyllopsidaceae]], [[Marcgraviaceae]], [[Caryocaraceae]], [[Pellicieraceae]], [[Quiinaceae]], [[Peridiscaceae]], [[Bixaceae]], [[Cochlospermaceae]], [[Tovariaceae]], Lissocarpaceae (''[[Lissocarpa]]''), [[Brunelliaceae]], [[Dulongiaceae]], [[Columelliaceae]], [[Julianiaceae]], [[Picrodendraceae]], [[Goupiaceae]], [[Desfontainiaceae]], [[Plocospermataceae]], [[Tropaeolaceae]], Dialypetalanthaceae (''[[Dialypetalanthus]]''), Nolanaceae (''[[Nolana]]''), [[Calyceraceae]], [[Heliconiaceae]], [[Cannaceae]], [[Thurniaceae]] and [[Cyclanthaceae]].<ref>Тахтаджян А. Л. Флористические области Земли / Академия наук СССР. Ботанический институт им. В. Л. Комарова. — Л.: Наука, Ленинградское отделение, 1978. — 247 с. — 4000 экз. [http://herba.msu.ru/shipunov/school/books/takhtajan1978_flor_oblasti_zemli.djvu DjVu], [https://books.google.com/books?id=9gylTK3CsScC Google Books].</ref><ref>Takhtajan, A. (1986). ''Floristic Regions of the World''. (translated by T.J. Crovello & A. Cronquist). University of California Press, Berkeley, [http://www.gbv.de/dms/bs/toc/024192430.pdf PDF], [http://herba.msu.ru/shipunov/school/books/takhtajan1986_flor_regions.djvu DjVu].</ref>

Plant families that originated in the Neotropic include [[Bromeliaceae]], [[Cannaceae]] and [[Heliconiaceae]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Neotropic Ecozone|date=July 2009|url=https://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/earth/geography/2582792/neotropic_ecozone/}}</ref>

Plant species with economic importance originally unique to the Neotropic include:{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
* [[Potato]] (''Solanum tuberosum'')
* [[Tomato]] (''Solanum lycopersicum'')
* [[Theobroma cacao|Cacao]] tree (''Theobroma cacao''), source of [[Cocoa solids|cocoa]] and [[chocolate]]
* [[Maize]] (''Zea mays'')
* [[Passion fruit]] (''Passiflora edulis'')
* [[Guava]] (''Psidium guajava'')
* [[Lima bean]] (''Phaseolus lunatus'')
* Cotton (''[[Gossypium barbadense]]'')
* [[Cassava]] (''Manihot esculenta'')
* [[Sweet potato]] (''Ipomoea batatas'')
* Amaranth (''[[Amaranthus caudatus]]'')
* [[Quinoa]] (''Chenopodium quinoa'')

== Neotropical terrestrial ecoregions ==
[[File:Neotropic biomes.svg|thumb|600px|center|The outlined ecoregions of the Neotropical realm, each of a colored biome. Note that this realm has 11 of [[Biome#Olson_&_Dinerstein_(1998)_biomes_for_WWF_/_Global_200|14 biomes]], or major habitat types, as defined by Olson & Dinerstein, et al. (2001).<ref name="Olson2001">Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. (2001). Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. ''Bioscience'' 51(11):933–938, [http://wolfweb.unr.edu/~ldyer/classes/396/olsonetal.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917072415/http://wolfweb.unr.edu/~ldyer/classes/396/olsonetal.pdf|date=2012-09-17}}.</ref>
{{Legend|#447821|01. [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]}}
{{Legend|#D4AA00|02. [[Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests]]}}
{{Legend|#66FF00|03. [[Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests]]}}
{{Legend|#71C837|04. [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]}}
{{Legend|#005500|05. [[Temperate coniferous forests]]}}
{{Legend|#2CA05A|06. [[Taiga|Taiga and Boreal forest]]}}
{{Legend|#FFDD55|07. [[Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]]}}
{{Legend|#CDDE87|08. [[Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]]}}
{{Legend|#80B3FF|09. [[Flooded grasslands and savannas]]}}
{{Legend|#C6AFE9|10. [[Montane grasslands and shrublands]]}}
{{Legend|#87DECD|11. [[Tundra]]}}
{{Legend|#C87137|12. [[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub]]}}
{{Legend|#FFF6D5|13. [[Deserts and xeric shrublands]]}}
{{Legend|#D400AA|14. [[Mangrove forest|Mangroves]]}}
{{Legend|#ECECEC|Rock and Ice, or Abiotic Land Zones}}]]

{{Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical tropical and subtropical grassland, savanna, and shrubland ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical temperate grassland, savanna, and shrubland ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical flooded grassland and savanna ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical montane grassland and shrubland ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical mediterranean forest, woodland, and scrub ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions}}
{{Neotropical mangrove ecoregions}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General and cited bibliography ==
* Albert, J. S., and R. E. Reis (2011).  [http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520268685 ''Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes'']. University of California Press, Berkeley. 424 pp. {{ISBN|978-0-520-26868-5}}.
* Bequaert, Joseph C. "An Introductory Study of Polistes in the United States and Canada with Descriptions of Some New North and South American Forms (Hymenoptera; Vespidæ)". ''Journal of the New York Entomological Society'' 48.1 (1940): 1–31.
* Cox, C. B.; P. D. Moore (1985). ''Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach'' (Fourth Edition). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
* Dinerstein, E., Olson, D. Graham, D. J. et al. (1995). [http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/957541468270313045/pdf/multi-page.pdf ''A Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean'']. World Bank, Washington, D.C.
* Olson, D. M., B. Chernoff, G. Burgess, I. Davidson, P. Canevari, E. Dinerstein, G. Castro, V. Morisset, R. Abell, and E. Toledo. 1997. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/137774 ''Freshwater biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean: a conservation assessment'']. Draft report. World Wildlife Fund-U.S., Wetlands International, Biodiversity Support Program, and United States Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C.
* Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander, and C. J. Ferraris Jr. 2003. ''Check List of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America''. Edipucrs, Porto Alegre. 729 pp.
* Udvardy, M. D. F. (1975). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110811210836/http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/udvardy.pdf ''A classification of the biogeographical provinces of the world'']. IUCN Occasional Paper no. 18. Morges, Switzerland: IUCN.
* van der Sleen, Peter, and James S. Albert, eds. ''Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas''. Princeton University Press, 2017.

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Central and South American wildlife}}
{{commons|Neotropic}}
* [[List of terrestrial ecoregions (WWF)|List of terrestrial ecoregions]]
* [http://www.eco-index.org Eco-Index], a bilingual searchable reference of conservation and research projects in the Neotropics; a service of the Rainforest Alliance
* [http://www.neotropic.ru NeoTropic]
* Acosta, Guillermo et al., 2018. [http://boletinsgm.igeolcu.unam.mx/bsgm/index.php/component/content/article/368-sitio/articulos/cuarta-epoca/7001/1857-7001-1-acosta "Climate change and peopling of the Neotropics during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition"]. ''Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana''. {{doi|10.18268/BSGM2018v70n1a1}}.

{{Biomes}}
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