The Ecuadorian dry forests have an area of 2,123,790 hectares (5,248,000 acres). The ecoregion is mainly along the Pacific coast of central Ecuador to the north and west of Guayaquil, with a section to the east of Guayaquil.[2] The western area is in the Cordillera de la Costa (Coastal Range) mountains.[3] The western portion is bounded to the east by Western Ecuador moist forests. It adjoins South American Pacific mangroves along sections of the coast. The eastern portion is also bounded to the east by Western Ecuador moist forests, but to the west is bounded by Guayaquil flooded grasslands.[4] Further south the similar Tumbes–Piura dry forests extend across the border with Peru.[3]
Physical
The ecoregion covers land that slopes down from the western foothills of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. The higher land receives more rain.[2] The Köppen climate classification is "Aw": equatorial, dry winter.[5] At a sample location at coordinates 1°15′S80°15′W / 1.25°S 80.25°W / -1.25; -80.25 average monthly temperatures ranged from 24.9°C (76.8°F) in June to 26.1°C (79.0°F) in February. Mean annual temperature was about 25.5°C (77.9°F).[5]
Floristic structure of tropical dry forests range from scrub, thorn, deciduous, to semi-evergreen. There are areas along the coast of cactus forest and arid scrub, unusual for the Pacific coast of the Americas. The duration of dry periods as well as mean annual precipitation have a significant impact on habitat suitability for specific taxa, resulting in various habitat types present. Both on the coast and inland there are trees adapted to the dry conditions that last for most of the year, such as acacia, jacaranda, mesquite, fig and cacti.[5] 20% of the plant species are endemic.[3]
Most plants shed their leaves during the dry season to reduce water loss, and stop photosynthesis. The Ceiba trichastandra has a green bark that lets it continue photosynthesis without leaves.[8] This tree, which emerges from the canopy, has wood that rots easily and therefore has often been spared by loggers.[9] Several species of kapok trees (ceiba genus) grow thorns on their trunks when young for protection against animals seeking water, but discard the thorns as they mature.[3] Other adaptations include a waxy layer on leaves to reduce evaporation, closing leaves at night to reduce the exposed area and storing water in thick roots or stems.[8]
The dry forests are used by bird species adapted to dry conditions, as resting places for migrant birds, and as seasonal sources of fruit for birds from the adjoining montane forests.[5] About 30% of the bird species in the Tumbes Region of coastal Ecuador and Peru, or 77 species, are endemic. Most of these mainly inhabit Ecuador. 22 species are thought to be globally at risk of extinction.[10] Species found in the transitional forest on the Pacific slope of the Andes include grey-backed hawk (Pseudastur occidentalis), El Oro parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi), crowned woodnymph (Thalurania colombica), El Oro tapaculo (Scytalopus robbinsi), buffy tuftedcheek (Pseudocolaptes lawrencii) and ochraceous attila (Attila torridus).
The World Wildlife Fund gives the ecoregion the status of "Critical/Endangered".[10] The ecoregion shows the impact of human occupation over several centuries, mostly in the transition zone and along watercourses. The growth of farming in western Ecuador has destroyed 99% of the original dry forest. The present forest consists mostly of secondary growth remnants scattered across the region.[10] Under 25% of the original area is still covered by dry forest.[3] The western Ecuadorian forests, including the Ecuadorian dry forests, has one of greatest risks in the world of biological extinction due to human activities such as deforestation. The main threats come from deforestation, including selective removal of valuable tree species, slashing and burning to clear and for agriculture, planting crops on unstable hillsides and overgrazing. Most vertebrates in the ecoregion, many of which are endemic, face great risks of extinction.[10]
Conservation
Conservation units protecting parts of the forest include the Machalilla National Park, Cerro Blanco Protective Forest, Molleturo Protective Forest and Arenillas Military Reserve.[10] The privately owned 200 hectares (490 acres) Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve in Manabí Province lies in the transition from the very wet northern forests and the very dry southern forests, and has very diverse flora. As of 2017 it was being developed for ecotourism.[12] The Machalilla National Park is the main conservation unit in the west of Ecuador, protecting remnants of dry and moist forests with many endemic plants and animals. 234 birds species have been found in the park, and 81 mammal species including the endemic fraternal fruit-eating bat (Artibeus fraterculus). However, the limited conservation efforts have not been effective. The remaining habitats are isolated, and need to be connected by corridors to support viable populations. New conservation units are needed to protect all the vulnerable bird species.[10]
The grand ceiba, Doug Wechsler, 14 January 2016, retrieved 2017-04-15
WildFinder, WWF: World Wildlife Fund, retrieved 2017-03-25
Related Research Articles
Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena is a biodiversity hotspot, which includes the tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests of the Pacific coast of South America and the Galapagos Islands. The region extends from easternmost Panama to the lower Magdalena Valley of Colombia, and along the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador to the northwestern corner of Peru. Formerly called the Chocó-Darién-Western Ecuador Hotspot, it has been expanded to include several new areas, notably the Magdalena Valley in northern Colombia. It is bounded on the east by the Andes Mountains. The Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena Hotspot is 1,500 km long and encircles 274,597 km². Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena is near the Pacific Ocean. The factors that threaten Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena are farming encroachment, deforestation, illegal crops, and population growth. Whereas the Panamanian and Colombian portion of the hotspot are relatively intact, approximately 98% of native forest in coastal Ecuador has been cleared, rendering it the most threatened tropical forest in the world. The hotspot includes a wide variety of habitats, ranging from mangroves, beaches, rocky shorelines, and coastal wilderness to some of the world's wettest rain forests in the Colombian Chocó. The hotspot includes a number of ecoregions:
The Gulf of Guayaquil–Tumbes mangroves (NT1413) are an ecoregion located in the Gulf of Guayaquil in South America, in northern Peru and southern Ecuador. It has an area of 3,300 km².
Cerros de Amotape National Park is a protected area located in the regions of Piura and Tumbes in northern Peru.
The pale-browed tinamou is a type of tinamou found in tropical dry forests in Peru and Ecuador.
The Cauca Valley dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in Colombia.
Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian non-governmental environmental organization. It was established to purchase and protect land important to the conservation of endangered birds in Ecuador.
The Pacific Equatorial Forest is a tropical forest ecosystem located along Ecuador's coastal mountain range at 0° latitude, primarily concentrated in northwestern Manabí. The ecosystem is most notable for its high diversity of forest types in unusually close proximity. Tropical rainforest, moist evergreen forest, premontane cloud forest, and tropical deciduous forest can all be encountered over the course of a one-day hike, and the transition from one forest type to another can occur in as little as 500 meters.
The Guianan moist forests (NT0125) is an ecoregion in the east of Venezuela, north of Brazil and the Guyanas. It is in the Amazon biome. The climate is hot and humid, with two rainy seasons each year. As of 1996 the tropical rainforest habitat was relatively intact, although there were mounting threats from illegal logging and gold mining.
The Guayaquil flooded grasslands (NT0905) is an ecoregion near the Pacific coast of the Ecuador. The ecoregion is critically endangered due to conversion into agricultural land.
The Tumbes–Piura dry forests (NT0232) is an arid tropical ecoregion along the Pacific coasts of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. The ecoregion contains many endemic species of flora and birds adapted to the short wet season followed by a long dry season. Threats include extraction of wood for fuel or furniture, and capture of wild birds for sale.
The Marañón dry forests (NT0223) is an ecoregion in northern Peru. It covers the lower valley of the Marañón River and its tributaries along the eastern edge of the Andes. It has a dry climate due to rain shadow from mountains further east. The habitat has long been modified by farming, ranching and logging and is now threatened by construction of hydroelectric and irrigation dams.
The Patía Valley dry forests (NT0225) is an ecoregion in southwestern Colombia. It covers a dry valley surrounded by mountains. The original habitat has mostly been destroyed by human activity, although a few pockets remain.
The Magdalena Valley dry forests (NT0221) is an ecoregion in Colombia along the upper Magdalena River, a large river that runs from south to north between the two main cordilleras of the Andes. There are many endemic species, but much of the original habitat has been destroyed by agriculture and over-grazing, mainly by goats. The habitat is not protected by any national park, and is at risk of complete destruction.
The Venezuelan Andes montane forests (NT0175) is an ecoregion in the northern arm of the Andes in Venezuela. It contains montane and cloud forests, reaching up to the high-level Cordillera de Merida páramo high moor ecoregion. The forests are home to many endemic species of flora and fauna. Their lower levels are threatened by migrant farmers, who clear patches of forest to grow crops, then move on.
The Chocó–Darién moist forests (NT0115) is an ecoregion in the west of Colombia and east of Panama. The region has extremely high rainfall, and the forests hold great biodiversity. The northern and southern parts of the ecoregion have been considerably modified for ranching and farming, and there are threats from logging for paper pulp, uncontrolled gold mining, coca growing and industrialisation, but the central part of the ecoregion is relatively intact.
The Northwestern Andean montane forests (NT0145) is an ecoregion on the Andes mountains in the west of Colombia and Ecuador. Both flora and fauna are highly diverse due to effect of ice ages when the warmer climate zones were separated and the cooler ones combined, and interglacial periods when the reverse occurred. Because the environment is hospitable to humans, the habitat has been drastically modified by farming and grazing since the Pre-Columbian era.
The Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests (NT0121) is an ecoregion in the eastern range of the Andes of southern Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru. The ecoregion covers the eastern slopes of the Andes, and includes montane forest that rises from the Amazonian rain forest, with cloud forest and elfin forest at higher elevations. It is rich in species, including many endemics. It is threatened by logging and conversion for pasturage and subsistence agriculture.
The Western Ecuador Moist Forests (NT0178), also known as the Pacific Forest of Ecuador, is an ecoregion in the plains and western foothills of the Andes of southern Colombia and Ecuador. At one time this region contained dense forests with highly diverse flora and fauna, and many endemic species. Most of the original habitat has now been destroyed, and the ecoregion is one of the most threatened in the world.
The South American Pacific mangroves, or Panama Bight mangroves, is an ecoregion along the Pacific coast of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
The Manabí mangroves (NT1418) is an ecoregion along the Pacific coast of Ecuador. The mangroves serve important functions in the marine and terrestrial ecology. They have been severely degraded and fragmented, particularly in the northern region. Construction of shrimp farms caused much damage in the past, but is now banned. Sedimentation caused by overgrazing in higher lands is an issue, as are human activities such as port and highway construction, urbanization, waste disposal and so on.
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