The Maracaibo dry forests (NT0222) is an ecoregion in Venezuela around
Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo (Spanish: Lago de Maracaibo; Anu: Coquivacoa) is a lagoon in northwestern Venezuela, the largest lake in South America and one of the oldest on Earth, formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains. The fault in the northern se ...
.
It contains the country's main oil fields.
The habitat is criss-crossed by roads and is severely degraded by farming and livestock grazing.
Geography
Location
The Maracaibo dry forests surround
Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo (Spanish: Lago de Maracaibo; Anu: Coquivacoa) is a lagoon in northwestern Venezuela, the largest lake in South America and one of the oldest on Earth, formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains. The fault in the northern se ...
in northwest Venezuela.
The ecoregion has an area of .
Most of the ecoregion is in
Zulia
Zulia State ( es, Estado Zulia, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It ...
state, with some in
Trujillo state.
In many areas the lake is fringed with
Amazon–Orinoco–Southern Caribbean mangroves.
To the north of the lake the western part of the ecoregion merges into
Guajira–Barranquilla xeric scrub, while the eastern part merges into
Paraguana xeric scrub to the north and east.
To the southeast the dry forests are replaced by
Venezuelan Andes montane forests
The Venezuelan Andes montane forests (NT0175) is an ecoregion in the northern arm of the Andes in Venezuela.
It contains montane and cloud forests, reaching up to the high-level Cordillera de Merida páramo high moor ecoregion.
The forests are home ...
.
The ecoregion is bounded by the
Catatumbo moist forests
The Catatumbo moist forests (NT0108) is an ecoregion in Venezuela and Colombia to the west and east of Lake Maracaibo.
It includes four regions of moist forest on slightly higher ground than the dry forest and mangroves that surround the lake.
Th ...
to the south and southwest, and
Cordillera Oriental montane forests
The Cordillera Oriental montane forests (NT0118) is an ecoregion in Venezuela and Colombia along the east slopes of the eastern cordillera of the Andes.
The extensive region of submontane and montane forests includes distinctive flora and fauna in ...
to the west.
There are large patches of Catatumbo moist forests on high land within the Maracaibo dry forests.
Terrain
The Maracaibo dry forests are in the coluvio-alluvial coastal plains around Lake Maracaibo, bordering the
Serranía del Perijá
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch ( Cordillera Oriental), in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), offici ...
to the west, the
Cordillera de Mérida
The Cordillera de Mérida is a series of mountain ranges, or massif, in northwestern Venezuela. The Cordillera de Mérida is a northeastern extension of the Andes Mountains and the most important branch of the Venezuelan Andes. The ranges run south ...
to the south and the
Sierra de Baragua to the northeast.
The terrain of the ecoregion is flat and gives way to transitional moist forests higher in the mountains.
Elevations are above sea level.
Several rivers flow from the surrounding mountains through the ecoregion to Lake Maracaibo.
They include the
Palmar, Negro, Lora and
Catatumbo
The Catatumbo River ( es, Río Catatumbo) is a river rising in northern Colombia, flowing into Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. The Catatumbo River is approximately long. It forms a part of the international boundary between the two countries. The ...
rivers from the Serranía del Perijá, the
Escalante River
The Escalante River is a tributary of the Colorado River. It is formed by the confluence of Upper Valley and Birch Creeks near the town of Escalante in south-central Utah, and from there flows southeast for approximately before joining Lake Po ...
from the
Venezuelan Andes
The Venezuelan Andes (Spanish: ''Andes Venezolanos'') also simply known as the Andes (Spanish: ''Los Andes'') in Venezuela, are a mountain system that form the northernmost extension of the Andes. They are fully identified, both by their geologic ...
and the
Motatán, Misoa and Pachango rivers in the east of the basin.
Climate
Annual temperatures are from .
Less than of rain falls annually, with pronounced dry and wet seasons.
At a sample location at coordinates the
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, notabl ...
is "Aw": equatorial, winter dry.
At this location the temperature is fairly constant throughout the year, ranging from an average mean of in January to in August.
Total yearly rainfall is around .
Rainfall varies from in January to in May, drops to in July then rises again to in October.
Ecology
The ecoregion is in the
neotropical
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 bioge ...
realm, in 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.
Flora
Most of the natural dry forest flora have been destroyed apart from small isolated patches of treed savanna and deciduous forest.
Species in the savanna include ''
Axonopus canascens'', ''
Bowdichia virgilioides
''Bowdichia'' is a genus of flowering plants 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 alternative name for the s ...
'', ''
Spermacoce
''Spermacoce'' or false buttonweed is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It comprises about 275 species found throughout the tropics and subtropics. Its highest diversity is found in the Americas, followed by Africa, Australia a ...
'' species, ''
Byrsonima crassifolia
''Byrsonima crassifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malpighiaceae, native to tropical America. Common names used in English include nance, maricao cimun, craboo, and golden spoon. In Jamaica it is called hogberry.
It's val ...
'', ''
Bulbostylis capillaris
''Bulbostylis capillaris'' is a species of sedge known by the common names densetuft hairsedge and threadleaf beakseed. It is native to much of North America, South America and the West Indies from Canada to Bolivia.
''Bulbostylis capillaris'' g ...
'', ''
Curatella americana
''Curatella americana'', commonly known as the wild cashew tree, sambaı́ba, and the sandpaper tree, is a species of tree in the family Dilleniaceae. It is the sole accepted species in genus ''Curatella''.
Description
''Curatella americana'' is ...
'', ''
Copernicia tectorum'', ''
Galactia jussieuana'' and ''
Xylopia aromatica
''Xylopia aromatica'' is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family and the accepted name of ''Xylopia xylopioides''.
It is a tree native to Cerrado grassland vegetation, particularly in the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais, in eastern Brazil ...
''.
There are very small fragments of deciduous dry forest to the west of the lake with species such as ''
Acacia glamerosa'', ''
Bulnesia arborea
''Bulnesia arborea'' is a species of flowering plant in the creosote subfamily (Larreoideae) of family Zygophyllaceae. It is native to Colombia and Venezuela. Related to the true ''lignum vitae'' trees (''Guaiacum''), it is known as Maracaibo ' ...
'', ''
Bourreria cumanensis
''Bourreria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as strongbark or strongback. The generic name was chosen by Patrick Browne to honour German pharmacist Johann Ambrosius Beur ...
'', ''
Copaifera venezuelana'', ''
Gyrocarpus americanus
''Gyrocarpus americanus'' is a flowering plant in the ''Hernandiaceae'' family, with a wide pantropical distribution. Its common names include the helicopter tree, propeller tree, whirly whirly tree, stinkwood or shitwood.
Description
''Gyrocar ...
'', ''
Jacquinia pungens
''Jacquinia pungens'' (syn. ''Jacquinia macrocarpa'' subsp. ''pungens'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to southern Mexico. It is a shrub growing to 4 m tall, with lanceolate to oblong evergreen leaves 4–7&n ...
'', ''
Malpighia glabra
''Malpighia glabra'' is a tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narr ...
'', ''
Myrospermum frutescens'', ''
Piptadenia flava'' and ''
Stenocereus griseus
''Stenocereus griseus'', also known as the Mexican organ pipe, dagger cactus, pitaya, and pitayo de mayo, is a species of cactus.
Description
This tree-like cactus can grow up to 9 m tall, with stems up to 12 cm in diameter. Depending on t ...
''.
Secondary growth in abandoned areas includes ''
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 speci ...
'' species, ''
Jacaranda copaia'' and ''
Xylopia aromatica
''Xylopia aromatica'' is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family and the accepted name of ''Xylopia xylopioides''.
It is a tree native to Cerrado grassland vegetation, particularly in the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais, in eastern Brazil ...
''.
Fauna
Endemic terrestrial mammals found in this and other dry forest ecoregions in Colombia and Venezuela include the
Guajira mouse opossum
The Guajira mouse opossum (''Marmosa xerophila'') is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
References
Opossums
Marsupials of South America
Mammals of Colombia
Mammals of Venezuela
Mammals ...
(''Marmosa xerophila'') and
Hummelinck's vesper mouse (''Calomys hummelincki'').
Endangered mammals include
Geoffroy's spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi'').
Endemic birds include the
pygmy palm swift
The pygmy palm swift (''Tachornis furcata''), also known as the pygmy swift, is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Bi ...
(''Tachornis furcata''),
buffy hummingbird (''Leucippus fallax''),
chestnut piculet (''Picumnus cinnamomeus''),
white-whiskered spinetail
The white-whiskered spinetail (''Synallaxis candei'') is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland ...
(''Synallaxis candei''),
black-backed antshrike
The black-backed antshrike (''Thamnophilus melanonotus'') is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
The black-backed antshrike wa ...
(''Thamnophilus melanonotus''),
slender-billed inezia (''Inezia tenuirostris''),
Tocuyo sparrow
The Tocuyo sparrow (''Arremonops tocuyensis'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae that is found in Colombia and cities like Tocuyo and Lara of Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical ...
(''Arremonops tocuyensis'') and
vermilion cardinal
The vermilion cardinal (''Cardinalis phoeniceus'') is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The vermilion cardinal is monotypic. It a ...
(''Cardinalis phoeniceus'').
Endangered birds include
recurve-billed bushbird
The recurve-billed bushbird (''Clytoctantes alixii'') is an Endangered species of Thamnophilid antbird that inhabits dense stands of secondary vegetation at the northern end of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela. It is named for its extraordi ...
(''Clytoctantes alixii'') and
plain-flanked rail
The plain-flanked rail (''Rallus wetmorei'') is an Endangered species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is endemic to Venezuela.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of ...
(''Rallus wetmorei'').
Status
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 ...
gives the ecoregion the status of "Critical/Endangered".
As with other neotropical dry forests the habitat has been severely damaged by livestock and agriculture and is at risk of complete destruction.
The ecoregion is cut up by a large network of roads, including the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
.
It contains the
Bolivar Coastal Field
The Bolivar Coastal Fields (BCF), also known as the Bolivar Coastal Complex, is located on the eastern margin of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Bolivar Coastal Field is the largest oil field in South America with its 6,000-7,000 wells and forest of ...
on the northeastern shore of the lake.
The oil fields in and around the lake produce most of Venezuela's oil.
Some of the rivers are polluted with pesticides and fertilizers
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maracaibo dry forests
Neotropical dry broadleaf forests
Ecoregions of Venezuela