| Jalisco dry forests | |
|---|---|
 dry forest in Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve | |
 Ecoregtion territory (in green) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 25,445 km2 (9,824 sq mi) |
| Country | Mexico |
| States | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered |
| Global 200 | Mexican dry forests |
| Protected | 9% [1] |
The Jalisco dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southwestern Mexico.
The Jalisco dry forests occupy the coastal lowlands and foothills of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán states. The ecoregion mostly lies close to the coast, from San Blas in Nayarit to the mouth of the Balsas River in Michoacán, however the dry forests follow the valleys of the Armería and Tuxpan rivers far inland. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west and south, and the ecoregion includes the Islas Marías off the west coast of Nayarit. The higher-elevation pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre del Sur and Trans-Mexican volcanic belt lie inland. The Sinaloan dry forests lie to the north, and the Southern Pacific dry forests lie to the southeast across the Balsas River.
Cities in the ecoregion include Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and Colima.
The climate is tropical and subhumid. Rainfall averages 730–1200 mm per year, falling mostly during the June through October rainy season. [2]
The principal vegetation in the ecoregion is tropical dry forest. Many trees lose their leaves during the winter dry season. The mature forests have a multi-layered structure, with a middle layer of trees from 15–20 meters high, and an upper layer 20–30 meters high. The layers are characterized by different species, with Astronium graveolens, Bernoullia flammea, Sideroxylon cartilagineum, Bursera arborea, Calophyllum brasiliense, Dendropanax arboreus, Ficus cotinifolia , and Swietenia humilis in the middle layer, and Cordia alliodora, Croton pseudoniveus, Lonchocarpus lanceolatus, Trichilia trifolia , and Caesalpinia eriostachys in the upper layer. Columnar and arborescent cacti are common, including Opuntia excelsa and species of Pachycereus, Stenocereus , and Cephalocereus . Creepers are common in the understory, and there are few epiphytes. Palm forests of Attalea guacuyule occur along the coast. [2]
The forests are among the most diverse in the Neotropics, with about 1200 species of plants, of which 16% are endemic. [2] Magnolia vallartensis is a Critically Endangered endemic tree which inhabits humid streamside gallery forests around Puerto Vallarta.
Of the ecoregion's 724 species of vertebrates, 233, or 29%, are endemic. [2]
20% of the mammal species are endemic to the ecoregion, and 27% are endangered. Endemic species include Mexican shrew (Megasorex gigas), trumpet-nosed bat (Musonycteris harrisoni), Michoacan deer mouse (Osgoodomys banderanus), Chamela rat (Hodomys alleni), and Magdalena rat (Xenomys nelsoni). [2]
The ecoregion in home to 300 bird species. There are several near-endemic species, including the Mexican parrotlet (Forpus cyanopygius), rufous-bellied chachalaca (Ortalis wagleri), and San Blas jay (Cyanocorax sanblasianus). 55% of the bird species are year-round residents, and 45% are winter migrants from the Nearctic. [2]
51% of reptile species and 58% of amphibians are endemic.
Currently 9% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [1] A 2017 assessment found that 1,713 km2, or 7%, of the ecoregion was in protected areas, and approximately 29% of the unprotected area is still forested. [3] Protected areas include Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve, Islas Marías Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de San Juan Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de Vallejo Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, Sierra de Quila Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and Cuenca Alimentadora del Distrito Nacional de Riego 043 Estado de Nayarit natural resources protection area. [1]
Nayarit, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.
The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca.
The Sierra de la Laguna dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion of the southern Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.
The Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Sierra Madre Occidental range from the southwest USA region to the western part of Mexico. They are home to a large number of endemic plants and important habitat for wildlife.
The San Blas jay is a species of bird in the family Corvidae. It is endemic to Mexico where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests; it is a common species and has been rated as "least concern" by the IUCN.
The Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion of northeastern and Central Mexico, extending into the state of Texas in the United States.
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of central Mexico.
The Balsas dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in western and central Mexico.
The Tehuacán Valley matorral is a xeric shrubland ecoregion, of the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, located in eastern Central Mexico.
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by six states, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Colima. Jalisco is divided into 125 municipalities, and its capital and largest city is Guadalajara.
The Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range of southern Mexico.
The Chiapas Depression dry forests form one of the ecoregions that belong to the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, in northwestern Central America.
The forests of Mexico cover a surface area of about 64 million hectares, or 34.5% of the country. These forests are categorized by the type of tree and biome: tropical forests, temperate forests, cloud forests, riparian forests, deciduous, evergreen, dry, moist, etc.. The agency in charge of Mexico's forests is the National Forestry Commission. Despite major reforms to the Constitution in 1992 regarding private land, Mexico enacted major forest regulation laws in 1998 and 2003. Though no longer required to enforce land regulation in Mexico, Article 27 of the Constitution also still permits the Government to enact land regulation.
The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve is a protected natural area located in southeastern Mexico. Its name derives from its two main locations: Cuicatlán and Tehuacán, in the latter are their administrative offices, covers 490,186 hectares distributed among 21 municipalities in the state of Puebla and Oaxaca.
The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the states of Colima and Jalisco, Mexico. The 139,577 hectares (538.91 sq mi) reserve is located in the transition of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The effects of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve.
The Sinaloan dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in western Mexico. It is the northernmost ecoregion of the Neotropical realm.
The Southern Pacific dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southern Mexico.
The Yucatán dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southern Mexico. It includes the dry forests of the northwestern Yucatán Peninsula.
The Sierra de San Juan Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in Nayarit state of western Mexico. It was established in 2003, and has an area of 198.01 km2. It lies just southwest of the city of Tepic. It protects a portion of the Sierra de San Juan, a mountain range which lies between Tepic and the Pacific Ocean.
The biosphere reserves of Mexico are protected natural areas. Some are designated by the national government, while others are internationally designated by UNESCO.