The Windward Islands xeric scrub

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 ...

(WWF ID: NT1317) covers the relatively small areas of the

Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean Sea No ...

that receive low levels of precipitation. The dry areas of these islands are the low coastal areas that receive less precipitation. Because the dry scrub land is generally flat, near the coast, and not as obviously in need of conservation as the upland forests of the interior, they are more vulnerable to human settlement and development for agriculture.

Location and description

The ecoregion is represented mostly in the low coastal zones of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

, Dominica, and

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

; also the northern tip of Saint Lucia and the southern shores of

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea w ...

. These islands are part of a volcanic arc, and the soils of the low coastal areas are mostly alluvial and ash, not the harder volcanic rocks of the mountainous areas.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Tropical savanna climate - dry winter'' (

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 ...

(Aw)). This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year, and a pronounced dry season in the winter and spring. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, and is drier than the average month. Precipitation in the ecoregion ranges from 1,000 mm/year (Dominica) to 1,600 mm/year (Saint Vincent).

Flora and fauna

Common species of trees and shrubs are lancepots of genus ''

Lonchocarpus ''Lonchocarpus'' is a plant genus in the legume family ( Fabaceae). The species are called lancepods due to their fruit resembling an ornate lance tip or a few beads on a string. ''Cubé'' resin is produced from the roots of '' L. urucu'' an ...

'' (such as '' Lonchocarpus pentaphyllus'', '' Pisonia fragrans'', blackwood ('' Haematoxylon campechianum''), '' Myrsia atrifolia'', '' Chrysophyllum argenteum'', flowering plants of genus ''

Erythroxylum ''Erythroxylum'' (''Erythroxylon'') is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the substance cocaine,Bieri S, Brachet A, Veuthey J, Christen P. Cocaine distribution in wil ...

'', '' Opuntia dilenii'' (type of prickly pear), and Royen's tree cactus ('' Pilosocereus royenii''). There are relatively few endemic species because of the small size of the dry areas. A significant threat to local fauna is posed by introduced species such as the mongoose ('' Urva auropunctata''), feral cats, and rodents.

References

{{reflist Neotropical ecoregions Deserts and xeric shrublands