The Central American dry forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

, of the

tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

, is located in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Geography

The ecoregion covers a total area of approximately 68,100 km². It extends along the Pacific coast of Central America, from southern

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

in southeastern Mexico through

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

to the northeast of

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. Pockets of dry forest are also found in inland valleys among the Central American mountains. The dry forests extend from sea level up to 800 meters elevation.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is tropical. Average annual rainfall is between 1000 and 2000 mm, and is highly seasonal. 5 to 8 months of the year are dry, generally with one longer and one shorter dry period per year. The Central American mountains generally run from northwest to southeast, and Central America's prevailing winds generally blow from northeast or east to southwest or south. This weather and geologic pattern leaves much the Pacific slope of Central America, and some interior valleys, in the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...

of the mountains, and generally drier than the Caribbean side and the mountains.

Flora

The main natural plant community is low-stature dry forest. The forest structure consists of a canopy of trees up to 30 meters in height, and an understory of small trees, large shrubs, and woody

liana 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 ta ...

s. Most canopy trees are deciduous, losing their leaves during the dry season. Many canopy tree species belong to the bean family (

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

) of flowering plants, and have

compound leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

. Common canopy trees in the southern portion of the ecoregion include ''

Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

'', ''Bonellia macrocarpa'' subsp. ''pungens'', ''

Calycophyllum candidissimum ''Calycophyllum candidissimum'', the degami, dagame or lemonwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Calycophyllum, native to southern Mexico, Cuba, Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is the national tree of Nicaragua N ...

Casearia arguta ''Casearia'' is a plant genus in the family Salicaceae. The genus was included in the Flacourtiaceae under the Cronquist system of angiosperm classification, and earlier in the Samydaceae. Recent research indicates that the latter group might b ...

Chomelia spinosa ''Chomelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and much of South America as far south as Argentina. Species *'' Chomelia albicaulis'' ( Rusby) Steyerm. - Bolivia *' ...

Croton reflexifolius Croton may refer to: Biology *Crotoneae, a tribe of the flowering plant subfamily Crotonoideae * ''Croton'' (plant), a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae **''Croton capitatus'', also known as the woolly croton **''Croton hancei'', a species ...

Enterolobium cyclocarpum ''Enterolobium cyclocarpum'', commonly known as guanacaste, caro caro, monkey-ear tree, or elephant-ear tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas, from central Mexico ...

, Eugenia salamensis, Erythroxylum havanense,

Guazuma ulmifolia ''Guazuma ulmifolia'', commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, is a medium-sized tree normally found in pastures and disturbed forests. This flowering plant from the family Malvaceae grows up to 30m in height and 30–40cm in diameter. I ...

, Handroanthus ochraceus,

Tabebuia rosea ''Tabebuia rosea'', also called pink poui, and rosy trumpet tree is a neotropical tree that grows up to and can reach a diameter at breast height of up to . The Spanish name ''roble de sabana'', meaning "savannah oak", is widely used in Costa R ...

, Thouinidium decandrum,

Trichilia americana ''Trichilia'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Meliaceae. These plants are particularly diverse in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Several species are used in folk medicine and shamanism – e.g. '' T. rubescens'' ag ...

'', and ''

Zanthoxylum setulosum ''Zanthoxylum'' is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and climbers in the family Rutaceae that are native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. It is the type genus of the tribe Zanthoxyleae in ...

''. The understory includes more evergreen trees and shrubs, often thorny, with members of the

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...

family prominent. At least 50 plant species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the ecoregion. Endemic

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

include ''

Myrospermum ''Myrospermum frutescens'', the cercipo, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable ...

'' and '' Rehdera'', which is endemic to northern

Guanacaste Province Guanacaste () is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Province to the southeast. I ...

of Costa Rica.

Fauna

Native mammals include

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

(''Felis onca''), puma (''Puma concolor''),

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

(''Leopardus pardalis''),

margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal cat, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wildlife ...

(''Leopardus wiedii''),

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-sized ...

(''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''),

Baird's tapir The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...

(''Tapirus bairdii''),

northern tamandua The northern tamandua (''Tamandua mexicana'') is a species of tamandua, an anteater in the family Myrmecophagidae. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes ...

(''Tamandua mexicana''), and Central American spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''). Near-endemic and limited-range bird species native to the ecoregion include the white-bellied chachalaca (''Ortalis leucogastra''),

blue-tailed hummingbird The blue-tailed hummingbird (''Saucerottia cyanura'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Taxonomy and sy ...

(''Saucerottia cyanura''),

giant wren The giant wren (''Campylorhynchus chiapensis'') is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Mexico and Guatemala.Kroodsma, D. E. and D. Brewer (2020). Giant Wren (''Campylorhynchus chiapensis''), version 1.0. In Birds of th ...

(''Campylorhynchus chiapensis''), and Pacific parakeet (''Psittacara strenuus'').

Conservation

Much of the ecoregion has been cleared and converted into pastures for cattle grazing, which is the main cause of its destruction. It is ranked critical/endangered by the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

Protected areas

6.75% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include: * Agalta National Park, Honduras * Azul Meámbar National Park, Honduras *

Barra Honda National Park Barra Honda National Park is a national park in the western part of Costa Rica, which forms part of the Tempisque Conservation Area about from the Tempisque River. It was created in 1974 to protect its famous cave systems, under the Barra Honda ...

, Costa Rica *

Carara National Park Carara National Park is a national park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It was established on 27 April 1978 as a biological reserve, but its growing popularity after 1990 forced the government ...

, Costa Rica * El Imposible National Park, El Salvador * Guanacaste National Park, Costa Rica *

La Tigra National Park La Tigra National Park ( es, Parque Nacional La Tigra) was the first national park in Honduras, by decree No. 976-80 whose principal objective is "The Conservation, Ecologic Preservation and Maintenance of The Hydrologic Potential of this Reserve ...

, Honduras * Las Baulas de Guanacaste Marine National Park, Costa Rica * Montaña de Botaderos Carlos Escaleras Mejía National Park, Honduras * Montaña de Comayagua National Park, Honduras *

Palo Verde National Park Palo Verde National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Palo Verde), is a national park of Costa Rica, part of the Arenal Tempisque Conservation Area, that contains much of the area of the valley of the Tempisque River and covers an area of 45,492 acres i ...

, Costa Rica *

Pico Bonito National Park Pico Bonito National Park is a national park in Honduras. It was established on January 1, 1987 and covers an area of . It has an altitude ranging between 60 and 2,480 meters. Description Pico Bonito National Park is located on the northern area ...

, Honduras * Pico Píjol National Park, Honduras * San Diego and San Felipe Las Barras National Park, El Salvador *

Santa Bárbara National Park Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

, Honduras *

Santa Rosa National Park Santa Rosa National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa), is a national park, in Guanacaste Province, northwestern Costa Rica, it was created in 1966 by decree 3694. Geography The main entrance of Santa Rosa National Park is north of Liberia ...

, Costa Rica * Sipacate-Naranjo National Park, Guatemala

References

* {{Clear Neotropical dry broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Central America Natural history of Mesoamerica Ecoregions of Costa Rica Ecoregions of El Salvador Ecoregions of Guatemala Ecoregions of Honduras Ecoregions of Mexico Ecoregions of Nicaragua * * * * * * * * Forests of Costa Rica Forests of El Salvador Forests of Mexico Forests of Nicaragua * *