The Puerto Rican moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest

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 ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. They cover an area of .

Lowland forests

Lowland forests are found throughout the island's coastal lowlands except for the dry southwest. Characteristic tree species include ''

Hymenaea courbaril ''Hymenaea courbaril'', the courbaril or West Indian locust, is a tree common in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring, and decoration. Its hard fruit pods have edible dry pulp ...

'', Palma de Coroso (''

Acrocomia media ''Acrocomia media'' is a species of palm which is native to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Description ''Acrocomia media'' is a pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features aris ...

''), '' Nectandra coriacea'', and '' Zanthoxylum martinicense''. Trees reach a height of in the northern portions, but are shorter elsewhere. Several species are adapted to dry periods by being

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

semi-deciduous Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical woody spe ...

Montane forests

Montane forests cover the

Sierra de Luquillo The Sierra de Luquillo is a mountain range located in the northeastern part of Puerto Rico. Also known as the Luquillo Mountains, these are steep-sided, densely-forested mountains rising to elevations of around , the highest point being the summit ...

and the higher peaks of the Cordillera Central. Trees at middle elevations reach a height of and a diameter of . Common trees of the Sierra de Luquillo include ''

Cyathea arborea ''Cyathea arborea'' (vernacular English: West Indian treefern, vernacular Spanish: ''helecho gigante'' or ''palo camarón'') is a plant of the family Cyatheaceae in the order Cyatheales. Tree ferns are an ancient growth form of plant, although Cy ...

'', '' Prestoea acuminata'', ''

Cecropia peltata ''Cecropia peltata'' is a fast-growing tree in the genus ''Cecropia''. Common names include trumpet tree, trumpet-bush, bacano and snakewood. It is listed as one of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species. Description ''Cecropia peltata'' ...

'', and ''

Ocotea ''Ocotea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. Many are evergreen trees with lauroid leaves. There are over 520 species currently accepted within the genus, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical areas of ...

'' species. ''

Weinmannia pinnata ''Weinmannia pinnata'', commonly known as the bastard briziletto, is a species of tree in the family Cunoniaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, South America and the West Indies. It typically grows in wet habitats at high altitudes, a ...

'', ''

Brunellia comocladifolia ''Brunellia comocladifolia'', commonly known as the West Indian sumac, is a species of tree in the family Brunelliaceae. It is native to Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America. Description ''Brunellia comocladifolia'' is a ...

'', and ''

Podocarpus coriaceus ''Podocarpus coriaceus'', commonly known as the yucca plum pine, is a species of conifer, an evergreen tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, and Saint Kitts and N ...

'' are found in the cloud forests of the highest peaks.

Fauna

Puerto Rican moist forests are home to a variety of endemic animal species such as the critically endangered

Puerto Rican amazon The Puerto Rican amazon (''Amazona vittata''), also known as the Puerto Rican parrot (Puerto Rican Spanish: ''cotorra puertorriqueña'') or ''iguaca'', is the only extant parrot endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico, and belongs to the Neo ...

(''Amazona vittata'') and coquís (''Eleutherodactylus'' spp.). Limestone forests are rich in land snail diversity, with many species restricted to small areas.

Ecological processes

As with most mountainous areas, the forest types change with elevation, exposure and rock type. Superimposed upon these physical factors are forms of natural disturbance such as landslides and hurricanes that allow light-demanding plant species to regenerate. A study in the Luqillo Mountains found that between 1936 and 1988, there were 46 landslides associated with heavy rain, and these created gaps that allowed ferns such as '' Dicranopteris pectitnata'' to proliferate.

Conservation and protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 406 km², or 5%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Forty-two percent of the unprotected area is still forested. Protected areas include

El Yunque National Forest El Yunque National Forest ( es, Bosque Nacional El Yunque), formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest (or ''Bosque Nacional del Caribe''), is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rainforest in the United Sta ...

, Cambalache Forest Reserve, Maricao State Forest, Monte Choca State Forest, Río Abajo State Forest, and

Toro Negro State Forest Toro Negro State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro'') is one of the 21 forests that make up the public forests system in Puerto Rico. It is also Puerto Rico's highest cloud forest. It is in the Cordillera Central region of the is ...

. The Northeast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve includes both lowland moist forest and

dry forest Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medical) * ...

References

External links

* {{Coord, 18.2, N, 66.5, W, display=title Moist Ecoregions of Puerto Rico