Biogeographical characterisation of Esteros del Iberá

Abstract

Biogeography recognises patterns of distribution of living organisms in time and space, and proposes hypotheses about the processes that caused these patterns. It also identifies biogeographical units to provide a hierarchical system of biotic regionalisation of the planet, delimiting natural areas. The aim of the present contribution is to present the evolutionary biogeographical regionalisation of the Esteros del Iberá, with an update integrating various sources of information, describing their fundamental characteristics, the characteristic species, the endemisms of each evolutionary biogeographical unit, and also discussing their biotic relationships and geobiotic evolution. According to the International Code of Area Nomenclature (ICAN), type-localities, with their respective geographical coordinates, are proposed for the Esteros del Iberá province and the districts of Delta of Paraná, Uruguay River and Paraná Flooded Savannas.