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The Venezuelan Guayana Region and the Study Areas: Geo-ecological Characteristics

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Peatlands of the Western Guayana Highlands, Venezuela

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 217))

Abstract

The Venezuelan Guayana region is located in equatorial northeastern South America. It covers approximately 454,000 km2, including the second largest South American mountain system with highest elevation at 3,014 m a.s.l. and several extensive lowland plains and peneplains, all in the Orinoco river watershed. Highland relief consists mainly of flat-topped mesetas of Precambrian sandstones–quartzites reaching elevations of 1,800–2,500 m a.s.l., and rugged mountains of igneous–metamorphic Proterozoic rocks with undulating summits at 1,800–2,200 m a.s.l. On both the meseta and mountain summits, extensive peat deposits have been found during modern scientific explorations. Chapter 3 describes the geologic, geomorphic, hydrologic, and vegetational features of the Guayana region as a whole and the geo-ecological characteristics of the study areas in three different mountain complexes and adjacent lowland areas. All study areas are located in the Venezuelan Amazonas state and represent first samples for pedological and paleoecological research. Likewise, the inventory and description of the montane vegetation types and their associated floristic elements have yielded important new data on these still poorly explored Guayana ecosystems. The flora and vegetation of the peatlands is highly specialized and adapted to the environmental conditions of the Guayana montane habitats, which are included in the biogeographic Pantepui Province. More than 2,000 species of flowering plants are growing there, including 35% of endemic species which have evolved in numerous endemic genera. The predominant vegetation types in the swampy areas are shrublands and herbaceous meadows with peculiar growth forms, such as pitcher plants (genus Heliamphora), tubular rosettes (genus Brocchinia), sclerophyllous shrubs (genus Mycerinus), and paramoid stem rosettes (genus Chimantaea). Small but very dense forests are growing in depressions and rock crevices, dominated by numerous endemic tree species belonging to the genera Bonnetia, Schefflera, Stenopadus, and Gongylolepis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fundaciόn Instituto Botánico de Venezuela (FIBV), Apartado 2156, Caracas, 1010-A, Venezuela

    O. Huber

  2. Urb. San Luis, Empresa EDELCA (Electrificaciόn del Caroní), Av. Principal, Residencias Torreana, El Cafetal, Caracas, 1060, Venezuela

    P. García

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  1. and Earth Observation (ITC), International Institute for Geo-Informat, Enschede, 7500 AA, Netherlands

    Joseph Alfred Zinck

  2. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuel, Apartado 2156, Caracas, 1010, Venezuela

    Otto Huber

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Huber, O., García, P. (2011). The Venezuelan Guayana Region and the Study Areas: Geo-ecological Characteristics. In: Zinck, J., Huber, O. (eds) Peatlands of the Western Guayana Highlands, Venezuela. Ecological Studies, vol 217. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20138-7_3

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