Global ecosystem typology

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T2.3 Oceanic cool temperate rainforests

Biome: T2. Temperate-boreal forests and woodlands biome

Contributors:
(texts)

Oceanic cool temperate rainforests have evergreen or semi-deciduous, small-leaved trees, with conifers in some regions. These forests occupy a cooler, wetter climate than warm temperate forests (T2.4), but ocean influence promotes very high precipitation and limits persistence of winter snow (compared with T2.1 or T2.2). Tree diversity is low, but abundant epiphytic and terrestrial mosses and liverworts, ferns, lichens, and conspicuous fungi contribute to seasonal productivity. Foodwebs are simple, with low vertebrate diversity and fewer large herbivores and predators than T2.1 and T2.2, but with many species found nowhere else.

Key Features

Closed canopy evergreen or semi-deciduous forests in cool wet climates, high endemism with low tree diversity and abundant epiphytes.

Overview of distribution

Cool temperate coasts of Chile, Patagonia, New Zealand, Tasmania and Pacific Northwest.

Profile versions

  • v1.0 (2020-01-20): DA Keith; SK Wiser; NA Brummitt; F Essl; D Faber-Langendoen
  • v2.0 (2020-05-31): DA Keith; SK Wiser; N Brummit; F Essl; MS McGlone; D Faber-Langendoen
  • v2.01 ():
  • v2.1 (2022-04-06): DA Keith; SK Wiser; N Brummit; F Essl; MS McGlone; D Faber-Langendoen Full profile available at official site

Main references

Selected references for this functional group:

  • DallaSala DA, Alaback P, Spribille T, von Wehrden H, Nauman RS (2011) Just what are temperate and boreal rainforests? Temperate and boreal rainforests of the world: ecology and conservation (Ed. DA DellaSala), pp1-41. Island Press, Washington DC

  • McGlone MS, Buitenwerf R, Richardson SJ (2016) The formation of the oceanic temperate forests of New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Botany 54:128-155

  • McGlone MS, Lusk CH, Armesto JJ (2016) Biogeography and ecology of south-temperate forests New Zealand Journal of Botany 54: 94-99

Diagrammatic assembly model

Diagrammatic assembly model of T2.3 Oceanic cool temperate rainforests. See general notes on diagrams. Open image full size.

Maps

Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (coloured red) or minor occurrences (coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. See general notes on maps.

There are 2 alternative versions of the indicative map for this functional group, please compare description and sources below.

T2.3.IM.orig_v1.0

Datasets

  • Resolve-Ecoregions-2017

Map references

  • Dinerstein E, Olson D, Joshi A, Vynne C, Burgess ND, Wikramanayake E, Hahn N, Palminteri S, Hedao P, Noss R, Hansen M, Locke H, Ellis EE, Jones B, Barber CV, Hayes R, Kormos C, Martin V, Crist E, Sechrest W, Price L, Baillie JEM, Weeden D, Suckling K, Davis C, Sizer N, Moore R, Thau D, Birch T, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Tyukavina A, de Souza N, Pintea L, Brito JC, Llewellyn Barnekow Lillesø JP, van Breugel P, Graudal L, Voge M, Al-Shammari KF, Saleem M (2017) An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience 67: 534–545. DOI:10.1093/biosci/bix014. Data-set available on-line

T2.3.web.orig_v1.0

Terrestrial ecoregions containing major or minor occurrences of this ecosystem functional group were identified by consulting available ecoregion descriptions (Dinerstein et al. 2017), global and regional reviews, national and regional ecosystem maps, locations of relevant examples, and proofed by expert reviewers. Consequently they are coarse-scale indicative representations of distribution, except where they occupy small ecoregions. Ecoregions were mapped at 30 arc second spatial resolution. Open image full size.

Datasets

  • Resolve-Ecoregions-2017

Map references

  • Dinerstein E, Olson D, Joshi A, Vynne C, Burgess ND, Wikramanayake E, Hahn N, Palminteri S, Hedao P, Noss R, Hansen M, Locke H, Ellis EE, Jones B, Barber CV, Hayes R, Kormos C, Martin V, Crist E, Sechrest W, Price L, Baillie JEM, Weeden D, Suckling K, Davis C, Sizer N, Moore R, Thau D, Birch T, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Tyukavina A, de Souza N, Pintea L, Brito JC, Llewellyn Barnekow Lillesø JP, van Breugel P, Graudal L, Voge M, Al-Shammari KF, Saleem M (2017) An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience 67: 534–545. DOI:10.1093/biosci/bix014. Data-set available on-line

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