Baja California Desert

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Baja California Desert
Baja California Desert.jpg
Baja California Desert near Cataviña
Baja California Desert map.svg
Location of the Baja California Desert
Ecology
Realm Nearctic
Biome Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders California coastal sage and chaparral, Gulf of California xeric scrub, Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests, and Sonoran Desert
Geography
Area76,296 km2 (29,458 sq mi)
Country Mexico
States Baja California and Baja California Sur
Conservation
Conservation status Relatively stable/intact
Global 200 Yes
Protected45,940 km2 (60%) [1]

The Baja California Desert (Spanish : Desierto de Baja California) is a desert ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. [2] 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 (30,000 square miles). 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.

Contents

Geography

The Baja California Desert ecoregion lies on the western portion of the Baja California Peninsula and occupies most of the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. The ecoregion covers 77,700 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) and includes most of the Peninsula's western slope. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the Peninsular Ranges, and extends from approximately 31º to 24º north. Elevations vary, and include mountain ranges on the western central part (1,000 to 1,500 metres or 3,300 to 4,900 feet), plains of middle elevation (300 to 600 metres or 1,000 to 2,000 feet), and vast extensions of coastal dunes.

North of 30° north latitude on the Pacific slope, the Baja California desert transitions to the California coastal sage and chaparral. The Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine-oak forests occupy the higher Peninsular Ranges to the north, where a number of tree species are found including the near-threatened California fan palm. [3] The Sonoran Desert lies to the northeast. The Gulf of California xeric scrub lies east of the Peninsular Ranges and to the south.

Climate

The climate is dry and mostly subtropical with the southernmost parts being tropical. Although rainfall is low, the Pacific Ocean provides some humidity and moderates the temperature compared to the Sonoran desert, which lies on the east slope of the Peninsular Ranges.

Flora

The ecoregion is mostly covered by xeric shrubs, which create varying associations based on elevation and soil conditions. The ecoregion has close to 500 species of vascular plants, of which a number are endemic, for example the Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris) or Creeping Devil (Stenocereus eruca).

Fauna

Red diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber), a common reptile native to the desert Crotalus ruber 42613167.jpg
Red diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber), a common reptile native to the desert

The ecoregion has about 50 species of mammals. Large mammals include mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), puma (Puma concolor), and the critically endangered Baja California pronghorn (Antilocapra americana peninsularis). The San Quintin kangaroo rat (Dipodomys gravipes) and Baja California rock squirrel (Otospermophilus atricapillus) are endemic to the ecoregion. [4]

There are about 200 native bird species, including golden eagle (Aguila chrysaetos), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), crested caracara (Caracara cheriway), osprey (Pandion haliaeutus), and burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia). Millions of ducks and geese over-winter in the coastal lagoons, including Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, San Ignacio Lagoon, and Magdalena Bay. [4]

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 45,940 kilometers squared, or 60 percent, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [1] Protected areas include El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve and Valle de los Cirios Flora and Fauna Protection Area; both protected areas extend into the adjacent Gulf of California xeric scrub ecoregion.

See also

Related Research Articles

Baja California Peninsula Peninsula of North America on the Pacific Coast of Mexico

The Baja California Peninsula is a peninsula in Northwestern Mexico. It separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The peninsula extends 1,247 km from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south. It ranges from 40 km at its narrowest to 320 km at its widest point and has approximately 3,000 km of coastline and approximately 65 islands. The total area of the Baja California Peninsula is 143,390 km2 (55,360 sq mi), roughly the same area as the country of Nepal.

Sonoran Desert Desert in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States

The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert and ecoregion that covers large parts of the southwestern United States, as well as Sonora in northwestern Mexico in, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is the hottest desert in Mexico. It has an area of 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 sq mi).

Peninsular Ranges Group of mountain ranges in Southern California and northern Mexico

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 Coast Ranges, which run along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Mexico. Elevations range from 500 to 10,834 feet.

Ecology of California

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.

East Saharan montane xeric woodlands desert ecoregion in Africa

The East Saharan montane xeric woodlands is an ecoregion of central Africa, a number of high mountains in the middle of the huge area of savanna on the edge of the Sahara Desert.

Sierra de Juárez

The Sierra de Juárez, also known as the Sierra Juarez, is a mountain range located in Tecate Municipality and northern Ensenada Municipality, within northern Baja California state of northwestern Mexico.

Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in Baja California, 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.

Sierra de la Laguna dry forests Ecoregion in Mexico

The Sierra de la Laguna dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion of the southern Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.

Sierra de la Giganta

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.

Tamaulipan matorral Xeric shrubland ecoregion in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, Mexico

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.

Gulf of California xeric scrub Xeric shrubland ecoregion of the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico

The Gulf of California xeric scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.

San Lucan xeric scrub Xeric shrubland eoregion of Baja California Sur, Mexico

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.

Balsas dry forests Tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in Mexico

The Balsas dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in western and central Mexico.

Chilean Matorral Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in central Chile

The Chilean Matorral (NT1201) is a terrestrial ecoregion of central Chile, located on the west coast of South America. It is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, part of the Neotropical realm.

California coastal sage and chaparral Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in Mexico and the United States

The California coastal sage and chaparral is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion located in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California (Mexico). It is part of the larger California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion.

Sinaloan dry forests Tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in Mexico

The Sinaloan dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in western Mexico. It is the northernmost ecoregion of the Neotropical realm.

Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna

The Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna, also known as the Southwestern Arabian Escarpment shrublands and woodlands, is a desert and xeric shrubland ecoregion of the southern Arabian Peninsula, covering portions of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman.

Northwest Mexican Coast mangroves

The Northwest Mexican Coast mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion of the southern Baja California Peninsula and coastal Sonora and northern Sinaloa states in northwestern Mexico. They are the northernmost mangroves on the Pacific Coast of North America and the region is transitional between tropical and temperate seas.

Southern California Coastal–Baja California is a freshwater ecoregion in Western North America. It covers portions of central and southern California and west of the Coast Ranges as well as most of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, extending from the southern end of Monterey Bay to the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula.

References

  1. 1 2 Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. Taylor H. Ricketts, Eric Dinerstein, David M. Olson, Colby J. Loucks, et al. 1999. Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.
  3. C. Michael Hogan. 2009. California Fan Palm: Washingtonia filifera, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
  4. 1 2 "Baja California desert". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.