The Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

in the

Sierra Madre del Sur The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca. Geography The Sierra Madre del Sur joins with the Eje Volcánico Transv ...

mountain range of southern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Setting

The Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests occupy an area of , within the states of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

, and

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

. The pine–oak forests occupy the higher slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur range, which runs east and west parallel to Mexico's southern Pacific Coast. The forests are surrounded by tropical dry forests at lower elevations; the

Jalisco dry forests The Jalisco dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southwestern Mexico. Geography The Jalisco dry forests occupy the coastal lowlands and foothills of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán states. The ecoregion mostly ...

to the west; the

Balsas dry forests The Balsas dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in western and central Mexico. Geography The Balsas dry forests occupy the basin of the Balsas River. The ecoregion covers an area of . The Balsas basin, and the Balsa ...

to the north, in the basin of the

Balsas River The Balsas River (Spanish Río Balsas, also locally known as the Mezcala River, or Atoyac River) is a major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Guerrero, México, Morelos, and Puebla. Downstream of Ciudad Alt ...

, and the

Southern Pacific dry forests The Southern Pacific dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southern Mexico. Geography The Southern Pacific dry forests occupy the coastal lowlands and foothills along the Pacific coast of Southern Mexico. The Balsas River ...

to the south and east along the Pacific coast.

Flora

The chief plant communities are oak forests, cloud forests, pine–oak forests, and fir forests. The plant communities vary with elevation and rainfall."Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests" WWF. Accessed 26 April 2015
/ref> The oak forests occur between 1900 and 2500 metres elevation (6,200-8,200 feet). ''

Quercus magnoliifolia ''Quercus magnoliifolia'', also known as encino amarillo, encino avellano, encino bermejo, encino blanco, encino napis, encino prieto, and roble, is a Mexican species of oak. It is widespread along the Pacific Coast of Mexico from Sinaloa to ...

'' and ''

Quercus castanea ''Quercus castanea'' is a species of oak tree. It is widespread across much of Mexico, from Sonora to Chiapas, and in Central America. Description It is a deciduous tree up to tall with a trunk as much as in diameter. The leaves are thick and ...

'' are the predominant tree species, with individuals of ''

Pinus montezumae ''Pinus montezumae'', known as the Montezuma pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America, where it is one of many pines known as ocote. Description The tree grows about 35 m high and 80& ...

''.

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s and

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and on ...

s grow as

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

s. Cloud forests grow at 2300 metres (7,500 feet). Predominant tree species are ''

Abies guatemalensis ''Abies guatemalensis'', the Guatemalan fir or ''pinabete'', is an evergreen tree native to Central America and is the southernmost member of the genus '' Abies'' being spread to the south lower than 14° N. Its range is from southern (less from ...

Abies religiosa ''Abies religiosa'', the oyamel fir or sacred fir, (known as in Spanish) is a fir native to the mountains of central and southern Mexico ( Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre del Sur) and western Guatemala. It grows at high elevations o ...

Quercus uxoris ''Quercus uxoris'' is an uncommon species of oak. The tree is endemic to Mexico. It has been found in the states of Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, and Oaxaca in southern Mexico.Pinus ayacahuite ''Pinus ayacahuite'', also called ayacahuite pine and Mexican white pine, (family Pinaceae) is a species of pine native to the mountains of southern Mexico and western Central America, in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains and the eastern end o ...

'', and ''

Cupressus lusitanica ''Hesperocyparis lusitanica'', the Mexican cypress, cedar-of-Goa or Goa cedar, is a species of Cupressaceae, cypress native to Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras). It has also been introduced to Belize, Costa Rica a ...

''. Pine–oak forests grow at 2400–2500 metres (7,900-8,200 feet). Predominant tree species are ''Quercus magnoliifolia, Q. castanea, Q. obtusata,

Pinus herrerae ''Pinus herrerae'', Herrera's pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found only in Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, a ...

, P. pseudostrobus, P. pringlei, P. ayacahuite, P. rzedowskii,'' and ''

Arbutus xalapensis ''Arbutus xalapensis'', commonly known as the Texas madrone, Amazaquitl, or Texas madroño, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family. It is native to Central America, the southwestern United States (western Texas and New Mexico), an ...

''. Fir forests grow above 3,000 metres (9,800 feet). 31 species of oaks are native to the ecoregion, including '' Q. mulleri, Q. nixoniana, Q. rubramenta, Q. salicifolia, Q. uxoris'', and '' Q. martinezii''.Valencia Avalos, Susana (2010). "Notes on the Genus ''Quercus'' in Mexico". ''International Oak Journal'' No. 21 Spring 2010 The trees ''

Aiouea cinnamomoidea ''Aiouea cinnamomoidea'' is a species of tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero in southern Mexico. Description ''Aioueia cinnamomoidea'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing 2 to 10 mete ...

, Magnolia guerrerensis, Magnolia krusei, Magnolia vazquezii'', and '' Quercus mulleri'' are endemic to the ecoregion.

Fauna

There are 160 native species of birds in the ecoregion, of which 28 are endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur. Endemic birds include the short-crested coquette (''Lophornis brachylophus''), white-tailed hummingbird (''Eupherusa poliocerca''), Oaxaca hummingbird (''Eupherusa cyanophrys'') and white-throated jay or Omiltemi jay (''Cyanolyca mirabilis''). Other native birds include the amethyst-throated hummingbird (''Lampornis amethystinus''),

Steller's jay Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay (''C. cristata'') found in eastern North America. It is the only crest (feathers), crested jay ...

(''Cyanocitta stelleri''), ruddy foliage-gleaner (''Clibanornis rubiginosus''),

russet nightingale-thrush The russet nightingale-thrush (''Catharus occidentalis'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Taxonomy Its closest relative is the hermit ...

(''Catharus occidentalis''), and

collared towhee The collared towhee (''Pipilo ocai'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae that is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist pine-oak montane forest and heavily degraded former forest. It occupies mou ...

(''Pipilo ocai'').

Protected areas

2.9% of the ecoregion is in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s. Protected areas in the ecoregion include the Zicuirán-Infiernillo and Tehuacán-Cuicatlán

biosphere reserves Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments. MAB engages w ...

General Juan Álvarez National Park A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. Mar ...

, Boquerón de Tonalá Flora and Fauna Protection Area,

Omiltemi Ecological State Park Omiltemi Ecological State Park is a protected area in southern Mexico. It is located in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero. The park includes well-preserved pine–oak forests and cloud forests. Geography Omiltemi Ecological State Park is loc ...

, and the Campo Verde, Iliatenco, Cafetal San Juanito (Pluma Hidalgo), Cafetal Soconusco, Cerro Azul, Concepción Vista Hermosa, El Corozal, and El Borbollón, La Pandura y La Yerbabuena voluntary conservation areas.

References

External links