Neotropical Region

OVERVIEW

     The Neotropical Ecozone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozone. this ecozone includes South America, Central America, the Caribbean islands, the Mexican lowlands and South Florida. 

The Neotropical Ecozone is delimited by its fauna and flora. Its fauna and flora are distinct from the Nearctic (which includes most of the North America) region because of the long separation of these two continent. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama joined them about two to three millions ago, participating the Great American Interchange. 

This ecozone includes more tropical rainforest than any other ecozone. Extending from Southern Mexico through Central America and northern South America to South Brazil, including Vast Amazon Rainforest. These rainforests are very much important to our biodiversity. This rainforests are also home to a diverse array of indigenous people who to varying degrees persist in their autonomous and traditional culture and 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 and dialect are still living, in 37 distinct language families and a further number of unclassified and isolated languages. Many of these languages and their cultures are also endangered. Accordingly, conservation in the Neotropic zone is a hot political concern, and raises many arguments about development versus indigenous versus ecological rights and access to or ownership of natural resources.

 

HISTORY

      South America was originally part of the super continent Gondwanaland which includes Australia, Africa, India, New Zealand and Antarctica, and the Neotropic shares many plant and animal lineages with these other continents, including Marsupial mammals and Antarctic flora.

     After the final breakup of the Gondwanaland about 110 million years ago, South America was separated from Africa and drifted north and west. 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 and the armadillo moved into North America, and North Americans like the ancestors of South America's camelid's including the llamas, move south. The long-term effect of the exchange was the extinction of many South American species, mostly by losing the competition of survival by northern species.

ANIMALS

Example of groups which are strictly or mainly restricted in this ecozone - 

• New World Monkeys
• Sloth
• Tinamous
• Hummingbirds
• Toucans
• Ovenbirds
• Antbirds
• Tanagers
• Caimans
• New World Coral Snakes
• Poison Dart Frog
• Gonyleptidae
• Sphaerodactylus
• Gonatodes
• Anolis
• Andean Brown Butterflies
• Agrias Butterflies
• Morpho Butterflies
• Ithomiinae
• Heliconius Butterflies
• catagramma Butterflies
• Riodinidae
• Eumaeini Butterflies
• Firetips
• Pronophilina Butterflies
• Polybia occidentalis

PLANTS

• Potato
• Tomato
•  Cacao Tree
• Maize
• Lima Bean
• Cotton
• Cassava
• Sweet Potato
• Amarnth
• Quinoa