The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests are a
temperate broadleaf and mixed forest
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions.
Thes ...
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 ...
of northeastern and Central
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 ...
, extending into the state of
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
in the United States.
Setting
The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests are found at elevations of above sea level in the
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...
range, which runs north and south between the
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.
This coastal plain reaches from the Florida Panhandle, southwest Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the southern two-thirds of Alabama, over m ...
to the east along the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, and the
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano (), is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. Averaging above sea level, it extends from the United States border in the north to the T ...
to the west. They are also found in the
Sierra Norte de Puebla
The Sierra Norte de Puebla is a rugged mountainous region accounting for the northern third of the state of Puebla, Mexico. It is at the intersection of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Sierra Madre Oriental, between the Mexican Plateau a ...
, adjacent to the southern Sierra Madre Oriental. The ecoregion covers an area of .
The southernmost forests transition to the
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests in central
Puebla
Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
state, near the southern end of the Sierra Madre Oriental. The forests extend almost continuously along the range through the states of
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
,
Hidalgo,
Querétaro
Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...
,
Guanajuato
Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...
,
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí.
It ...
,
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities.
It is located in nor ...
,
Nuevo León
Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...
, and northern Puebla. North of
Monterrey
Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...
, the forests become discontinuous, extending as a series of
sky island
Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau and has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests. The isolation has s ...
s through the states of Nuevo León and
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
, and on into the
Chisos and
Davis mountains of the
Big Bend region of western Texas. Just across the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
from the Big Bend is the
Sierra del Carmen
The Sierra del Carmen, also called the Sierra Maderas del Carmen, is a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. The Sierra begins at the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park and extends southeast for about , ...
.
Other sky islands can be found on the higher peaks of the mountain ranges rising from the Mexican Plateau to the west. The pine–oak forests extend along a discontinuous line of folded mountains, including the Sierra de Arteaga,
Sierra de Zapalinamé, Sierra La Concordia, Sierra de Parras, and
Sierra de Jimulco that reach westwards across the plateau. The Sierra del Rosario, west of
Torreón
Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Coahuila. The city's population is 720,848 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the state of Coahuila. Also Torreón is par ...
, is the westernmost extent of the ecoregion.
Enclaves of pine–oak forest also occur at the highest elevations of the
Sierra de San Carlos and
Sierra de Tamaulipas
The Sierra de Tamaulipas is an isolated, semi-tropical mountain range in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Its highest point is . There are no cities or towns in the Sierra and the small population is largely agricultural. The higher elevations o ...
, smaller ranges which rise from the Gulf Coastal Plain east of the main line of the Sierra.
Flora
The dominant species are many species of
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae.
''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...
including Nelson pinyon (''
Pinus nelsonii
''Pinus nelsonii'', Nelson's pinyon, is a species of pine native to the mountains of northeastern Mexico, in Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas at 1,800–3,200 m altitude. Description
It is a small tree growing to 10 m tall with ...
''),
Mexican pinyon
''Pinus cembroides'', also known as pinyon pine, Mexican pinyon, Mexican nut pine, and Mexican stone pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group.
It is a small pine growing to about with a trunk diameter of up to . It is native to western North Am ...
(''P. cembroides''), smooth-bark Mexican pine (''
P. pseudostrobus''), and
Arizona pine (''P. arizonica''), and the oaks ''
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 ...
'' and ''
Q. affinis''. On the wetter slopes facing the ocean the most common trees are Mexican pinyon and ''
Juniperus deppeana
''Juniperus deppeana'' (alligator juniper or checkerbark juniper) is a small to medium-sized tree reaching in height. It is native to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Description
The tree reaches , rarely , in he ...
'', while on the drier western slopes weeping pinyon (''
Pinus pinceana
''Pinus pinceana'', with the common names weeping pinyon and Pince's pinyon pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae.
Distribution
This pine species is endemic to Mexico, in the states of: Durango; northern Coahuila, Nuevo León, and ...
'') is more common. The forests are home to a great variety of other flora including
agave
''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The genus is primarily known for its succulent and xerophytic species that typically form large Rosette (botany), rosettes of strong, fleshy leaves.
Many plan ...
and traditional food plants.
The Sierra Madre Oriental is home to Mexico's greatest diversity of oaks. There are 55 native species, including 19 endemic species. 32 are red oaks (section ''Lobatae''), of which 14 are endemic, and 23 are white oaks (section ''Quercus''), with 5 endemic species. Endemic species include ''
Quercus ariifolia,
Q. edwardsiae,
Q. flocculenta,
Q. furfuracea,
Q. galeanensis,
Q. hirtifolia,
Q. hypoxantha,
Q. miquihuanensis,
Q. runcinatifolia,
Q. rysophylla'', ''
Q.saltillensis'', and ''
Q. verde''. ''
Quercus canbyi'' is native to the northern Sierra, with an outlier population in the Chisos Mountains of Texas. ''
Quercus germana'' and ''
Q. pinnativenulosa'' are endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental and the northern
Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southeastern 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 sout ...
. Several species, including ''
Quercus laeta'' and ''
Q. xalapensis'', reach northern limits of their ranges in the Sierra.
[Valencia Avalos, Susana (2010). "Notes on the Genus ''Quercus'' in Mexico". ''International Oak Journal'' No. 21 Spring 2010]
Fauna
Mammals that inhabit this ecoregion include the
American black bear
The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...
(''Ursus americanus''), which migrate along the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
from northern Coahuila to the Chisos Mountains in Texas,
mule deer
The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.
Unlike the related whit ...
(''Odocoileus hemionus''),
cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
(''Puma concolor''),
cliff chipmunk (''Tamias dorsalis''),
collared peccary
The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a peccary, a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Peccary, Tayassuidae found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the gen ...
(''Pecari tajacu''),
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 ''antoon'', ''gato solo'', ''pi ...
(''Nasua narica''),
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
(''Panthera onca'') and
coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...
(''Canis latrans'').
The
maroon-fronted parrot (''Rhynchopsitta terrisi'') is endemic to this ecoregion. The
Colima warbler (''Vermivora crissalis'') breeds only in the Sierra Madre Oriental.
Wild turkey
The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. dom ...
s (''Meleagris gallapavo''),
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...
s (''Falco peregrinus'') and
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...
(''Aquila chrysaetos'') are also resident.
Pine–oak forests in Coahuila are part of the migration route of monarch butterflies (''
Danaus plexippus'').
Protected areas
32.22% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include
El Chico National Park,
El Potosí National Park
El Potosí National Park is a protected area in northwestern Mexico. It is located in San Luis Potosí.It has an area of 20 km2.
The park was established in 1936 by president Lázaro Cárdenas.
Geography
The park is located in the Serrania de R ...
,
Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
The Cumbres de Monterrey (, ; English: "Summits of Monterrey") is a national park of Mexico located in the northern portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the states of Nuevo León and Coahuila, near the city of Monterrey. The park protects more ...
Los Mármoles National Park,
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topograph ...
,
Cerro de la Silla Natural Monument,
El Cielo Biosphere Reserve
The El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (''Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo'' in Spanish) is located in the Sierra Madre Oriental in the southern part of the Mexico, Mexican state of Tamaulipas near the town of Gómez Farías, Tamaulipas, Gómez Farias. The ...
,
Sierra de Tamaulipas Biosphere Reserve,
Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve
The Sierra Gorda () is an ecological region centered on the northern third of the Mexican state of Querétaro and extending into the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. Within Querétaro, the ecosystem extends from ...
,
Sierra Gorda de Guanajuato Biosphere Reserve,
Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphere Reserve
Barranca (Spanish for "canyon" or "ravine"), may refer to:
Geography
Argentina
* Barranca Yaco, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Argentina
Chile
* Barrancas, Pichilemu, a village in Pichilemu
Colombia
* Barrancas, La Guajira, town an ...
,
Maderas del Carmen Flora and Fauna Protection Area,
Cañón de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Area,
Sierra de Álvarez Flora and Fauna Protection Area,
Serranía de Zapalinamé ecological reserve,
Cuenca Alimentadora del Distrito Nacional de Riego 026 Bajo Río San Juan, and
Cuenca Alimentadora del Distrito Nacional de Riego 004 Don Martín.
[
]
See also
* List of ecoregions in Mexico
The following is a list of ecoregions in Mexico as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). A different system of ecoregional analysis is used by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a trilateral body linking Mexican, Canadian ...
* List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)
The following is a list of United States ecoregions as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The United States is a megadiverse country with a high level of endemism across a wide variety of ecosystems.
Terrestrial ecoregions
The ...
* Conifers of Mexico
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
*Pine
Ecoregions of Mexico
Ecoregions of the United States
*
*
*
Forests of Mexico
Forests of Texas
Montane forests
Natural history of Chihuahua (state)
Natural history of Coahuila
Natural history of Durango
Natural history of Hidalgo (state)
Natural history of Nuevo León
Natural history of Puebla
Natural history of Querétaro
Natural history of San Luis Potosí
Natural history of Tamaulipas
Natural history of Texas
Natural history of Zacatecas
Nearctic ecoregions
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests of the United States
Pine–oak forests