| Sierra de la Laguna dry forests | |
|---|---|
 | |
 location of the Sierra de la Laguna dry forests ecoregion | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 3,968 km2 (1,532 sq mi) |
| Country | Mexico |
| States | Baja California Sur |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable |
| Global 200 | Mexican dry forests |
| Protected | 839 km2 (21%) [1] |
The Sierra de la Laguna dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion of the southern Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.
The dry forests cover the lower elevations of the Sierra de la Laguna, from 250 to 800 m (820 to 2,620 ft) elevation. They are surrounded at lower elevations by the San Lucan xeric scrub, which lies between sea level and 250 m (820 ft) elevation. Above 800 meters elevation, the dry forests transition to the subhumid and temperate Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests.
The ecoregion has a warm and dry subtropical climate. Annual precipitation is generally less than 500 mm. The highest-rainfall months are late summer, from August to October with peak annual precipitation in September. [2]
The characteristic vegetation is dry forest, composed of low trees and shrubs with an herbaceous understory. Many of the trees are deciduous, dropping their leaves during the dry season. The predominant tree species of the dry forests are the mauto ( Lysiloma divaricatum ), palo blanco ( L. candidum ), cajalosucho ( Bursera microphylla ) and palo zorrillo ( Hesperalbizia occidentalis ). [3]
Herbaceous plants are less prominent and include caribe ( Cnidoscolus angustidens ), buena mujer ( Chloracantha spinosa ), Solanum spp., and biznaga ( Ferocactus spp). [3]
The endemic palm here is Brahea brandegeei, that occurs in washes and along streams.
Bats in the ecoregion include the peninsular myotis (Myotis peninsularis), found only in the southern Baja Peninsula, and the Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) and lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), which are important pollinators for some desert plants. [4]
Other native animals include the peninsular mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus peninsulae), white-tailed antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus), acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), red-spotted toad (Anaxyrus punctatus), and Baja California chorus frog (Pseudacris hypochondriaca). [5]
Dalquest's pocket mouse (Chaetodipus dalquesti), the Baja California slider (Trachemys nebulosa), and the Cape arboreal spiny lizard (Sceloporus licki) are restricted to the southern Baja California Peninsula. The San Lucan gecko (Phyllodactylus unctus) is restricted to the southern peninsula and adjacent islands in the gulf.
A 2017 assessment found that 839 km2, or 21%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [1] Protected areas in the ecoregion include the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve.
The Baja California peninsula is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. It separates the Gulf of California from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California, in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, in the south.
The Sonoran Desert is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States. It is the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States. It has an area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi).
The Peninsular Ranges are a group of mountain ranges that stretch 1,500 km (930 mi) from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Pacific Coast Ranges, which run along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. Elevations range from 150 to 3,300 m.
The ecology of California can be understood by dividing the state into a number of ecoregions, which contain distinct ecological communities of plants and animals in a contiguous region. The ecoregions of California can be grouped into four major groups: desert ecoregions, Mediterranean ecoregions, forested mountains, and coastal forests.
The Baja California desert is a desert ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. This ecoregion occupies the western portion of the Baja California peninsula, and occupies most of the Mexican states of Baja California Sur and Baja California. It covers 77,700 square kilometers. The climate is dry, but its proximity of the Pacific Ocean provides humidity and moderates the temperature. The flora mostly consists of xeric shrubs and over 500 species of recorded vascular plants.
The Madrean pine–oak woodlands are subtropical woodlands found in the mountains of Mexico and the southwestern United States. They are a biogeographic region of the tropical and subtropical coniferous forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biomes, located in North America.
The Sierra de Juárez, also known as the Sierra Juarez, is a mountain range located in Tecate Municipality and northern Ensenada Municipality, within the northern Baja California state of northwestern Mexico.
The Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests is a Nearctic temperate coniferous forests ecoregion that covers the higher elevations of the Sierra Juárez and Sierra San Pedro Mártir ranges of the Peninsular Ranges, of the northern Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. The pine–oak forests extend throughout the central portion of the Mexican state of Baja California and terminate near the border with the U.S. state of California.
The Sierra de la Laguna is a mountain range at the southern end of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico, and is the southernmost range of the Peninsular Ranges System.
The Sierra de la Laguna pine–oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion, found in the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.
The Sierra de la Giganta is a mountain range of eastern Baja California Sur state, located on the southern Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico.
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine–oak forests is a tropical and subtropical coniferous forests ecoregion in Southern Mexico.
The Venezuelan Coastal Range, also known as Venezuelan Caribbean Mountain System, is a mountain range system and one of the eight natural regions of Venezuela, that runs along the central and eastern portions of Venezuela's northern coast. The range is a northeastern extension of the Andes, and is also known as the Maritime Andes. It covers around 48,866 km2, being the 4th largest natural region in Venezuela.
The Tamaulipan matorral is an ecoregion in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico. It is a transitional ecoregion between the Tamaulipan mezquital and the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests to the west and the Veracruz moist forests to the south.
Mexican dry forest describes a number of ecoregions of Mexico within the dry broadleaf forest Biome. Together they constitute a World Wildlife Fund Global 200 priority ecoregions area for conservation.
The Gulf of California xeric scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.
The San Lucan xeric scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of the southernmost Baja California Peninsula, in Los Cabos Municipality and eastern La Paz Municipality of southern Baja California Sur state, Mexico.
The Balsas dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in western and central Mexico.
The Central American pine–oak forests is a tropical and subtropical coniferous forests ecoregion in the mountains of northern Central America and Chiapas state in southern Mexico.
The California coastal sage and chaparral is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, located in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California (Mexico). It is part of the larger California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. The ecoregion corresponds to the USDA Southern California ecoregion section 261B, and to the EPA Southern California/Northern Baja Coast ecoregion 8.