The Chiapas Depression dry forests form one of the

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 ...

s that belong to 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 ...

, as defined 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 ...

, in northwestern

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

This ecoregion is located in the central Chiapas Depression, which lies between the Chiapas Highlands on the north and the

Sierra Madre de Chiapas The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is a major mountain range in Central America. It crosses El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that consists of an almos ...

to the south. The Chiapas Depression is mostly within

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, ...

state of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and extends into northwestern

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 ...

. The depression is drained by the

Grijalva River Grijalva River, formerly known as ''Tabasco River'', ( es, Río Grijalva, known locally also as Río Grande de Chiapas, Río Grande and Mezcalapa River) is a long river in southeastern Mexico."Grijalva." ''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Diction ...

. It covers an area of around 13,900 km². It lies at an altitude of .

Climate

The Chiapas Depression dry forests ecoregion has a hot, seasonally dry climate - warm sub-humid in the lowlands, transitioning to semi-warm humid on mountain slopes. It lies 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 Chiapas Highlands to the north and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south, and is drier than the surrounding highlands and nearby lowlands. Much of the rainfall occurs in the summer, and there is a long dry season lasting four to six months. Average annual precipitation can be less than 800 mm in the driest areas.

Flora

Tropical deciduous dry forest is the predominant plant community. Many trees lose their leaves during the long dry season, and the appearance of the forest changes dramatically between wet and dry seasons. The forests are generally low-canopied, and characteristic trees include ''

Lysiloma divaricatum ''Lysiloma divaricatum'' is a flowering tree native to Mexico and Central America. Common names include mauto, quitaz, and tepemesquite in Mexico, quebracho in Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, and quebracho negro, tepemisque, and yaje in El Salv ...

'', Mexican alvaradoa (''

Alvaradoa amorphoides ''Alvaradoa amorphoides'', the Mexican alvaradoa, is a species of plant in the Picramniaceae family. It is a common native plant in Mexico but is also native to southern Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of t ...

''), peacock flower (''

Caesalpinia pulcherrima ''Caesalpinia pulcherrima'' is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas. It could be native to the Caribbean, West Indies, but its exact origin is unknown due to widespread cult ...

''), ceiba or kapok (''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

''), buttercup tree (''

Cochlospermum vitifolium ''Cochlospermum vitifolium'' is a tree in the family Bixaceae. It is native to the Americas: from Mexico to Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South ...

''), ''

Comocladia engleriana ''Comocladia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It is native to the Americas, where it is distributed in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.Atha, D. E., et al. (2011)A new species of ''Comocladia'' (Ana ...

'', butterfly orchid tree (''

Bauhinia divaricata ''Bauhinia divaricata'', the bull hoof or Mexican orchid tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,

'') and ''

Bursera ''Bursera'' is a genus with about 100 described species of flowering shrubs and trees varying in size up to high. It is the type genus for Burseraceae. The trees are native (often for many species endemic) to the Americas, from the southern Uni ...

'' spp. Cactus and other succulent plants are common. Wiken, Ed, Francisco Jiménez Nava, and Glenn Griffith. 2011. ''North American Terrestrial Ecoregions—Level III''. Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Canada. Semi-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of medium height are found in canyons and other areas with higher soil moisture, and in the northwestern transition to the

Petén–Veracruz moist forests The Petén–Veracruz moist forests is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest biome found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. Setting The Petén–Veracruz moist forests cover an area of , extending from central Veracr ...

Montezuma cypress ''Taxodium mucronatum'', commonly known as Montezuma bald cypress, Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, is a species of ''Taxodium'' that is primarily native to Mexico and Guatemala, with a few populations in the southwestern United States. Ahuehuet ...

(''Taxodium mucronatum'') and fig (''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

'' spp.) grow in riverine forests. There are areas of savanna in the central and northwestern parts of the ecoregion. Grasslands, including many introduced grasses, and palm groves are found in areas disturbed by human activity and livestock grazing. Its

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

is high, with about 980 plant species, and includes 40% of the endemic species of dry ecosystems found in Mexico. It also forms a corridor that connects two major biogeographic region, the Gulf of Mexico on the east and the Pacific in the west.

Fauna

Native mammals include the

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon littora ...

(''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''),

hooded skunk The hooded skunk (''Mephitis macroura'') is a species of mammal in the family Mephitidae. ''Mephītis'' in Latin means "foul odor", μακρός (''makrós'') in Greek translates to "long" and οὐρά (''ourá'') translates to "tail". Morphol ...

(''Mephitis macroura''), and

hog-nosed skunk The hog-nosed skunks belong to the genus ''Conepatus'' and are members of the family Mephitidae (skunks). They are native to the Americas. They have white backs and tails and black underparts. Species Extinct species †''Conepatus robustus'' ...

(''Conepatus mesoleucos''), particularly in isolated sierras and canyons less disturbed by human activity. Characteristic birds include the plain chachalaca (''Ortalis vetula''),

mottled owl The mottled owl (''Strix virgata'') is a medium-sized owl found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The head and back are mottled brown and the underparts whitish, with vertical bars on the chest and throat. The eyes ...

(''Strix virgata''),

lesser roadrunner The lesser roadrunner (''Geococcyx velox'') is a large, long-legged member of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from Mesoamerica. The Latin name means "swift earth-cuckoo". Along with the greater roadrunner, it is one of two species in the genus ''Ge ...

(''Geococcyx velox''), and

white-throated magpie-jay The white-throated magpie-jay (''Calocitta formosa'') is a large Central American species of magpie-jay. It ranges in Pacific-slope thorn forest from Jalisco, Mexico to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Magpie-jays are noisy, gregarious birds, often tr ...

(''Calocitta formosa''). Native snakes include the

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...

(''Boa constrictor'') and

neotropical rattlesnake ''Crotalus durissus'', known as the South American rattlesnake, tropical rattlesnake,Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. and by other names, is a highly venomous pit viper species foun ...

(''Crotalus durissus'').

Conservation and threats

The ecoregion has been seriously threatened by cattle grazing, which is the main cause of its destruction, along with the effects of logging and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. Much of the ecoregion has been converted to cropland, including corn, beans, and peanuts, with sugarcane and corn in irrigated areas. Large areas have been cleared for pasturing cattle, which graze on introduced grasses.

Tuxtla Gutiérrez Tuxtla Gutiérrez (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Mexican southeastern state of Chiapas. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name, the most developed and populated in the state. A busy government, commercial and servi ...

is the largest city in the ecoregion.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 309 km², or 2%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas in the ecoregion include

Sumidero Canyon National Park Sumidero is a barrio in the municipality of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 8,008. In Sumidero barrio is part of the Aguas Buenas urban zone and the Santa Clara community. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the afte ...

and a portion of

La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve La Sepultura is a biosphere reserve in southern Mexico. It protects a portion of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas range in the state of Chiapas. Geography La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve covers the western end of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. The Zona d ...

References

External links

* * {{Clear Neotropical dry broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Guatemala Ecoregions of Mexico * * Sierra Madre de Chiapas San Marcos Department Grijalva River