The Yucatán 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 ...

. It includes the dry forests of the northwestern

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

Geography

The Yucatán dry forests occupy the northwestern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. They cover most of the state of

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

, the northern portion of Campeche, and small areas of northwestern

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...

. It is bounded on the east and south by the Yucatán moist forests ecoregion. The

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

lies to the north and west, and the coast is fringed with

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

s. The region is mostly flat, lying below 400 meters elevation. The underlying rocks are porous limestone and coral, and the region has extensive underground drainage, including caverns and sinkholes, with few surface streams or rivers. The cities of Mérida and Campeche are located in the ecoregion.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is tropical and subhumid. Rainfall is less than 1200 mm per year, with a long dry season.

Flora

The predominant vegetation is open-canopied dry forest and thorn scrub. Most trees and shrubs are deciduous, losing their leaves during the long dry season. Cacti are common, particularly nearer the coast. Grassy and herbaceous understory plants are generally sparse. In the drier central portion of the ecoregion, ('' Lysiloma bahamensis'') and jabín ('' Piscidia piscipula'') are the predominant trees, with ''

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 ...

, Bursera simaruba, Cedrela mexicana, Chlorophora tinctoria, Cordia gerascanthus'', and '' Lonchocarpus rugosus''. Elsewhere '' Vitex gaumeri, Brosimum alicastrum, Caesalpinia gaumeri, Cedrela odorata,

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

'', and '' Sideroxylon foetidissimum'' are common. Along the northern coast tall columnar cacti are abundant. Common species include '' Cephalocereus gaumeri, Pterocereus gaumeri'', and ''

Lemaireocereus 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 ...

''. About 10% of plants are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the ecoregion. The tropical moist forests to the south isolate the Yucatán dry forests from other dry forest ecoregions in Mexico and Central America.

Fauna

Approximately 96 mammal species are native to the ecoregion. These include the jaguar (''Panthera onca''),

white-nosed coati The white-nosed coati (''Nasua narica''), also known as the coatimundi (), is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include ''pizote'', ''antoon'', and ''te ...

(''Nasua narica''), black-handed spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''), and southern opossum (''Didelphis marsupialis''). Over 290 bird species inhabit the ecoregion, with two endemic species. Resident birds include

white-fronted amazon The white-fronted amazon (''Amazona albifrons'') also known as the white-fronted parrot, or spectacled amazon parrot, is a Central American species of parrot. They can imitate a range from 30 to 40 different sounds. Like other large parrots, the ...

(''Amazona albifrons'') and

lesser yellow-headed vulture The lesser yellow-headed vulture (''Cathartes burrovianus'') also known as the savannah vulture, is a species of bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae. It was considered to be the same species as the greater yellow-headed vulture unt ...

(''Cathartes burrovianus''). Native reptiles include the

Mexican beaded lizard The Mexican beaded lizard (''Heloderma horridum'') is a species of lizard in the family Helodermatidae, one of the two species of venomous beaded lizards found principally in Mexico and southern Guatemala. It and the other member of the same gen ...

(''Heloderma horridum'').

Conservation and protected areas

Extensive areas of dry forest have been cleared for cattle ranching and for agriculture, including henequén plantations. A 2017 assessment found that only 278 km², or 3%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include

Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve ( es, Reserva de la Biósfera Ría Lagartos) (established 2004) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. The reserve is located at the eastern end of the coastal strip of the Yucatán Peninsu ...

Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve ( es, Reserva de la Biosfera Los Petenes) is a biosphere reserve in Mexico. It is located on the western Yucatán Peninsula in the state of Campeche. The reserve is home to extensive mangrove wetlands, and rich in bi ...

, Anillo de Cenotes State Reserve, Dzilam State Reserve, and Puuc Biocultural State Reserve.

External links

References

{{reflist Ecoregions of Mexico Natural history of the Yucatán Peninsula Natural history of Yucatán Natural history of Campeche Neotropical dry broadleaf forests