The Southern Pacific dry forests is a tropical dry 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 ...

in southern

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 ...

Geography

The Southern Pacific dry forests occupy the coastal lowlands and foothills along the Pacific coast of Southern Mexico. 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 Alta ...

marks the western boundary of the ecoregion. The ecoregion extends inland to include the

Oaxaca Valley The Central Valleys ( es, Valles Centrales) of Oaxaca, also simply known as the Oaxaca Valley, is a geographic region located within the modern-day state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. In an administrative context, it has been defined as comprising ...

. The ecoregion ranges from sea level to 1400 meters elevation. Higher-elevation areas of the northern mountains, including the Sierra Madre del Sur,

Sierra Madre de Oaxaca The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It is primarily in the state of Oaxaca, and extends north into the states of Puebla and Veracruz. Geography The mountain range begins at Pico de Orizaba, and extends in a southeas ...

, and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, are home to montane pine-oak forests and moist forests. Cities in the ecoregion include

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, Acapulco, and

Zihuatanejo Zihuatanejo (), or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was known by 18th century English mariners as Chequetan or Seguataneo. Politically the city belongs to the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azue ...

Climate

The climate is tropical and semi-arid to sub-humid. Rainfall averages 800 mm per year, falling mostly during the summer rainy season.

Flora

The typical vegetation in the ecoregion is tropical dry deciduous forest. Most trees lose their leaves during the winter dry season. Characteristic trees of the lowlands, typically on limestone-derived soils, are '' Brosimum alicastrum,

Sideroxylon persimile ''Sideroxylon'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. They are collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος (''sideros''), meaning "iron", and ...

, Godmania aesculifolia,

Manilkara zapota ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the ...

Pterocarpus acapulcensis ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus ...

Licania arborea ''Licania'' is a genus of over 200 species of trees and shrubs in the family Chrysobalanaceae. Species are found naturally occurring in Neotropical forests from southern Mexico to Brazil and the Lesser Antilles. Due to increased deforestation and ...

, Tabebuia palmeri, Pseudobombax palmeri, Bombax ellipticum'', and ''

Plumeria rubra ''Plumeria rubra'' is a deciduous plant species belonging to the genus ''Plumeria''."Botanica. The Illustrated AZ of over 10000 garden plants and how to cultivate them", p. 691. Könemann, 2004. Originally native to Mexico, Central America, Col ...

''. Foothill forests on soils derived from igneous rocks 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 ...

, Bursera excelsa'', and ''

Bursera fagaroides ''Bursera fagaroides'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Bursera'' known by the common names torchwood copal and fragrant bursera.

'', with ''

Ceiba aesculifolia ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, ...

Comocladia macrophylla ''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'' (Anac ...

'', and '' Trichilia americana''. The southeastern portion of the ecoregion, along the border of Oaxaca and Chiapas, has a subhumid climate, and average annual rainfall of 1040-1600 mm per year. Characteristic trees of the subhumid forests are plumajillo (''

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 ...

''), cacho de toro ('' Bucida macrostachya''), brasil (''

Haematoxylum brasiletto ''Haematoxylum brasiletto'', or Mexican logwood, is a species of tropical hardwood tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is known in its native Mexico and Guatemala as "palo de brasil" or "palo de tinto". The timber is used to make bows for s ...

''), carnero ('' Coccoloba floribunda''), mulato ('' Bursera simaruba''), copalillo (''

Bursera bipinnata ''Bursera bipinnata'' is a Mesoamerican species of trees widespread across Mexico and Central America from Chihuahua to Honduras. ''Bursera bipinnata'' is one of two species commonly referred to as copal. Copal is the wood most commonly used by ...

'') and mezquite (''

Prosopis juliflora ''Prosopis juliflora'' ( es, bayahonda blanca, Cuji Venezuela, Trupillo Colombia, Aippia Wayuunaiki and long-thorn kiawe in Hawaii) is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite. It is native to Mexico, South America and th ...

'').

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 6,459 km², or 10%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Approximately 28% of the unprotected area is still forested. Protected areas include

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 ...

, Huatulco National Park, and

Lagunas de Chacahua National Park The Lagunas de Chacahuan National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua), created in 1937, is a national park located in the Municipality of ChineseVilla de Tututepec de Melchor Ocampo in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 54 km w ...

External links

References

{{coord missing, Mexico Ecoregions of Mexico Forests of Mexico Natural history of Chiapas Natural history of Guerrero Natural history of Oaxaca Neotropical dry broadleaf forests