Espinal habitats in Central Chile are dominated by a single species of tree, Acacia caven, which grows alongside many introduced annuals such as black mustard. Image credit: Phil Rundel
Temperate central Chile is surrounded by the Atacama desert, the high-elevation Andes Mountains, and the severe cold of Patagonia. Although its biota is descended from the ancient supercontinent of Gondwanaland, the recent rise of the Andean Cordillera has left native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation from the rest of South America.