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Windward Islands Moist Forests
The Windward Islands moist forests ecoregion (WWF ID: NT0179) covers forested, high-precipitation areas of the volcanic Windward Islands. The forested areas are mostly at higher elevations in the interior of the islands, surrounded by dry forests, dry shrubland, or mangroves on the flat coastal lowlands. Closed forest of this ecoregion cover the majority of the islands. Species diversity is very high. Location and description The Windward Islands are a volcanic island arc, with mountainous interiors in which steep slopes and difficulty converting the land to agriculture has provided some protection from human settlement and development. Moist forests are found on the islands of Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, and Grenada. Climate The climate of the ecoregion is ''Tropical rainforest climate'' (Köppen climate classification (Af)). This climate is characterized as hot, humid, and having at least 60 mm of precipitation every month. The rainy season occ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Pelée
Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée ( ; french: Montagne Pelée, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Montann Pèlé, meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain") is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas department in the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the Caribbean. Its volcanic cone is composed of stratified layers of hardened ash and solidified lava. Its most recent eruption was in 1932. The stratovolcano's 1902 eruption destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre, killing 29,000 to 30,000 people in the space of a few minutes, in the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. The main eruption, on 8 May 1902, left only two survivors in the direct path of the blast flow: Ludger Sylbaris survived because he was in a poorly ventilated, dungeon-like jail cell, and Léon Compère-Léandre, living on the edge of the city, escaped with severe burns. Geographical setting and description Mount Pelée is the result of a typical subduction zone. The subd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dacryodes Excelsa
''Dacryodes excelsa'' is a tree native to Puerto Rico with a habitat that extends into the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean region. Its English vernacular names include gommier and candlewood. Its Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ... common name is ''tabonuco''. According to Richards, "it is the most conspicuous large emergent tree" in the Luquillo mountains of Puerto Rico. It is also found in Toro Negro State Forest, in Puerto Rico Cordillera Central. Hojas de Nuestro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neotropical Ecoregions
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical realm is one of the eight terrestrial realms. This realm includes South America, Central America, the Caribbean islands, and southern North America. In Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula and southern lowlands, and most of the east and west coastlines, including the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula are Neotropical. In the United States southern Florida and coastal Central Florida are considered Neotropical. The realm also includes temperate southern South America. In contrast, the Neotropical Floristic Kingdom excludes southernmost South America, which instead is placed in the Antarctic kingdom. The Neotropic is delimited by similarities in fauna or flora. Its fauna and flora are distinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cecropia
''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees. The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the species being myrmecophytic.Berg, Rosselli & Davidson (2005) Berg and Rosselli state that the genus is characterized by some unusual traits: spathes fully enclosing the flower-bearing parts of the inflorescences until anthesis, patches of dense indumentums (trichilia) producing Mullerian (food) at the base of the petiole, and anthers becoming detached at anthesis. ''Cecropia'' is most studied for its ecological role and association with ants. Its classification is controversial; in the past, it has been placed in the Cecropiaceae, Moraceae (the mulberry family), or Urticaceae (the nettle family).Burger (1977) The modern Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system places the "cecropiacean" group in the Urticaceae. The genus is native to the American tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miconia
''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name honours Catalan physician and botanist Francesc Micó. Some species are known by the common name johnnyberry. Many species are threatened by habitat destruction in their native range, and some are feared to be on the brink of extinction. On the other hand, '' M. calvescens'' is a contributing factor in the decline and maybe even extinction of other plants: it has become a highly invasive weed on a number of Pacific Islands where it was introduced, including Hawaii and Tahiti. It is often referred to as the "purple plague" or the "green cancer" in reference to its habit of overgrowing native ecosystems, and its leaves which are bright green above and bright purple below. ''Miconia'' fruit are a favorite food of many birds (invasive ''M. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tapura
''Tapura'' is a genus of plant in family Dichapetalaceae.Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ Species include: * '' Tapura africana'' Oliv. * '' Tapura arachnoidea'' Breteler * '' Tapura carinata'' Breteler * '' Tapura ivorensis'' Breteler * '' Tapura letestui'' Pellegr. * '' Tapura magnifolia'' Prance * '' Tapura neglecta'' N.Hallé & Heine * '' Tapura orbicularis'' Ekman ex Urb. Ignatz Urban (7 January 1848 – 7 January 1931) was a German botanist. He is known for his contributions to the flora of the Caribbean and Brazil, and for his work as curator of the Berlin Botanical Garden. Born the son of a brewer, Urban sho ... References Malpighiales genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Malpighiales-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Licania
''Licania'' is a genus of over 200 species of trees and shrubs in the family Chrysobalanaceae. Species are found naturally occurring in Neotropical forests from southern Mexico to Brazil and the Lesser Antilles. Due to increased deforestation and loss of habitat, several species have declined, some markedly so, and '' L. caldasiana'' from Colombia appears to have gone extinct in recent years. Many species are either rare or restricted in distribution and therefore potentially threatened with future extinction. Several species are used as ornamental plants. ''Licania'' fruit are important food for many animals and can also be eaten by humans. Caterpillars of a possible new taxon of the ''Astraptes fulgerator'' cryptic species complex were found on '' L. arborea'' but do not seem to eat them regularly. Like other members of its family, the genus is known for producing a diverse array of flavonoid compounds. Selected species Species include: * ''Licania arborea'' * ''Licania c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lianas
A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a taxonomic grouping, but rather a habit of plant growth – much like ''tree'' or ''shrub''. It comes from standard French ''liane'', itself from an Antilles French dialect word meaning to sheave. Ecology Lianas are characteristic of tropical moist broadleaf forests (especially seasonal forests), but may be found in temperate rainforests and temperate deciduous forests. There are also temperate lianas, for example the members of the ''Clematis'' or ''Vitis'' (wild grape) genera. Lianas can form bridges amidst the forest canopy, providing arboreal animals with paths across the forest. These bridges can protect weaker trees from strong winds. Lianas compete with forest trees for sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil. Forests without lian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epiphytes
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phorophytes. Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species. Typically, the older parts of a plant will have more epiphytes growing on them. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively. An organism that grows on another organism that is not a plant may be called an epibiont. Epiphytes are usually found in the temperate zone (e.g., many mosses, liverworts, lichens, and algae) or in the tropics (e.g., many ferns, cacti, orchids, and bromeliads). Epiphyte species make good houseplants due to their minimal wat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sloanea
''Sloanea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae, comprising about 150 species. Species include: * '' Sloanea acutiflora'' Uittien * '' Sloanea assamica'' Rehder & E. Wilson * ''Sloanea australis'' Benth. & F.Muell., an Australian rainforest tree * ''Sloanea berteroana'' Choisy ex DC. * '' Sloanea caribaea'' Krug & Urb. ex Duss * '' Sloanea gracilis'' Uittien * '' Sloanea lepida'' Tirel * '' Sloanea shankii'' Standl. & L.O.Williams * '' Sloanea suaveolens'' Tirel * '' Sloanea tomentosa'' Rehder & E. Wilson * ''Sloanea woollsii'' F.Muell., an Australian rainforest tree Fossil record †''Sloanea olmediaefolia'' has been described from many fossil leaves collected from lower Oligocene strata from 1857 to 1889 in Santa Giustina and Sassello in Central Liguria, Italy. Fossil leaves of this species have also been collected from the continental ( fluvial and limnic) beds of the Csatka Formation near Oroszlány (western Hungary, northeastern Transdanubia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amanoa Caribaea
:''See also Queen Amanoa, a fictional character from the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe.'' ''Amanoa'' is a genus from the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1775. It is native to South America, Central America, the West Indies, and tropical Africa.Stevens, W. D., C. Ulloa Ulloa, A. Pool & O. M. Montiel. 2001. Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in systematic botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i–xlii,. ;Species ;Formerly included moved to other genera: ''Bridelia ''Bridelia'' is a plant genus of the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1806.Cleistanthus Gonatogyne [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notably in 1918 and 1936. Later, the climatologist Rudolf Geiger (1894–1981) introduced some changes to the classification system, which is thus sometimes called the Köppen–Geiger climate classification system. The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (temperate), ''D'' (continental), and ''E'' (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the ''E'' group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For example, ''Af'' indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
