The Zacatonal is a

montane grassland and shrubland Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

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 l ...

of central

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 Zacatonal consists of several enclaves of grassland and shrubland occupying the highest peaks of the

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...

, covering about . Zacatonal is found above 3500 meters elevation on the volcanoes

Popocatépetl Popocatépetl (; Nahuatl: ) is an active stratovolcano located in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico in central Mexico. It lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. At it is the second highest peak in Mexico, after C ...

Iztaccihuatl Iztaccíhuatl (alternative spellings include Ixtaccíhuatl, or either variant spelled without the accent) ( or, as spelled with the x, ), is a dormant volcanic mountain in Mexico located on the border between the State of Mexico and Puebla wit ...

Malinche Marina or Malintzin ( 1500 – 1529), more popularly known as La Malinche , a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, became known for contributing to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521), by acting as an interpreter, advi ...

Nevado de Toluca Nevado de Toluca () is a stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. It is the fourth highest of Mexico's peaks, after Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. The volcano and the area ar ...

Cofre de Perote Cofre de Perote, also known by its Nahuatl names Naupa-Tecutépetl (from ''Nāuhpa-Tēuctēpetl'') and Nauhcampatépetl, both meaning something like "Place of Four Mountains" or "Mountain of the Lord of Four Places", is an inactive volcano locat ...

, Pico de Tancítaro, and

Pico de Orizaba Pico de Orizaba, also known as Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl = star, and = mountain), is an inactive stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America, after Denali of Alaska in the United States and Mount Loga ...

.Brown, David E., and Markings, Elizabeth (2014). "A Guide to North American Grasslands" ''Desert Plants'', Volume 29, Number 2, 2014. Zacatonal is surrounded by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion at lower elevations.

Climate

The climate is temperate and subhumid at lower elevations, becoming alpine and subhumid at the highest elevations.

Flora

The predominant plant community is grassland, ranging from subalpine to alpine. Open forest of

Hartweg's pine ''Pinus hartwegii'' ( syn. ''P. rudis'', ''P. donnell-smithii''), Hartweg's pine or pino de las alturas, is a pine native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America east to Honduras. It is named after Karl Theodor Hartweg, who described it i ...

(''Pinus hartwegii'') and/or

Montezuma pine ''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 known as ocote. The tree grows about 35 m high and 80 cm in diameter; occasional ...

(''Pinus montezumae'') marks the transition between the lower-elevation pine-oak forests and the subalpine grasslands at about 3500 meters elevation. Grassland dominated by Toluca fescue (''Festuca tolucensis'') and Toluca reedgrass (''Calamagrostis tolucensis'') grows as an understory among the pines, in open ''

Juniperus monticola ''Juniperus monticola'', or mountain juniper, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is found only in Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, ...

'' woodland, or as open grassland. Other grasses and forbs include '' Arenaria bryoides, Descurainia impatiens, Draba jorullensis,

Lupinus montanus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

, Muhlenbergia pusilla, M. quadridentata,

Oxalis ''Oxalis'' ( (American English) or (British English)) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the Polar region, polar are ...

'' sp., '' Pedicularis orizabae, Penstemon gentianoides,

Poa annua ''Poa annua'', or annual meadow grass (known in America more commonly as annual bluegrass or simply poa), is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Notwithstanding the reference to annual plant in its name, perennial bio-types ...

, Potentilla staminea, Sicyos parviflorus'', and '' Trisetum spicatum''. At 3800 meters elevation ''Muhlenbergia quadridentata'' becomes the dominant grass, with ''Calamagrostis tolucensis'' dominant between 3800 and 4200 meters. The transition from subalpine to alpine grasslands occurs between 4200 and 4300 meters elevation. Alpine grasslands are dominated by the grasses '' Festuca livida'' and ''Arenaria bryoides''. Other alpine zone plants include ''Festuca tolucensis'' and species of ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

Cerastium ''Cerastium'' is a genus of annual, winter annual, or perennial plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They are commonly called mouse-ear chickweed. Species are found nearly worldwide but the greatest concentration is in the northern tem ...

Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera ('' Carduus'', ''Silyb ...

Draba ''Draba'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, commonly known as whitlow-grasses (though they are not related to the true grasses). Species There are over 400 species: *'' Draba abajoensis'' Windham & Al-Shehbaz *'' ...

Eryngium ''Eryngium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. There are about 250 species.Wang, P., et al. (2012)Phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities of ''Eryngium'' L. (Apiaceae). ''Pharmaceutical Crops'' 3 99-120. The ...

Gnaphalium ''Gnaphalium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly called cudweeds. They are widespread and common in temperate regions, although some are found on tropical mountains or in the subtropical regions of the world. Cudw ...

Lupinus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

Luzula ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropic ...

, Oxylobus,

Phacelia ''Phacelia'' (phacelia, scorpionweed, heliotrope) is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the borage family, native to North and South America. California is particularly rich in species with over 90 recorded ...

Plantago ''Plantago'' is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a ...

Potentilla ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 300Guillén, A., et al. (2005)Reproductive biology of the Iberian species of ''Potentilla'' L. (Rosaceae).''Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid'' 1(62) 9–21. species of annual, biennial and perenni ...

Ranunculus ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe ...

'', and ''

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Morp ...

'', together with ferns, mosses, and lichens. The flora of the Zacatonal is distinct from both temperate North America's alpine grasslands and the alpine

páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

of Central and South America, and includes many endemic species.

Fauna

The Sierra Madre sparrow (''Xenospiza baileyi'') is found in the transition zone between the Zacatonal and pine forests. Native mammals include the

Mexican volcano mouse The Mexican volcano mouse (''Neotomodon alstoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae endemic to high elevation areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Taxonomy and systematics Merriam originally described the Mexican volcano mous ...

(''Neotomodon alstoni''), volcano harvest mouse (''Reithrodontomys chrysopsis''), and

volcano rabbit The volcano rabbit (''Romerolagus diazi''), also known as teporingo or zacatuche, is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico.Hoth, J., A. Velázquez F. Romero, L. León, M. Aranda and D. Bell, 1987. The Volcano Rabbit- a Shrinking ...

(''Romerolagus diazi''), and ''Cryptotis goldmani alticola'', a subspecies of

Goldman's broad-clawed shrew Goldman's broad-clawed shrew (''Cryptotis goldmani'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern porti ...

Conservation and threats

Many of the grasslands are in a degraded state from overgrazing by livestock or unregulated burning. In 1935 the Mexican government placed nearly 4,000 km² of the mountains surrounding the Valley of Mexico under protection, including both Zacatonal and lower-elevation pine-oak forests.

References