Madagascar dry deciduous forests

Coordinates: 17°36′S 45°12′E / 17.600°S 45.200°E / -17.600; 45.200
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Madagascar dry deciduous forests
Uroplatus guentheri
Bird speciesBernier's teal, Madagascar fish eagle, Sakalava rail
Mammal speciesGolden-crowned sifaka, mongoose lemur, golden-brown mouse lemur
Geography
Area152,100 km2 (58,700 sq mi)
CountryMadagascar
Elevation0–600 metres (0–1,969 ft)
Coordinates17°36′S 45°12′E / 17.600°S 45.200°E / -17.600; 45.200
Geologyvaried
Climate typeTropical savanna climate (Aw)
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/Endangered
Global 200included
Protected5.79%[1]

The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a

tsingy, including the World Heritage Site of Bemaraha
.

Geography

There are two separate areas within the ecoregion: the western side of Madagascar from the Ampasindava peninsula in the north to

tsingy limestone massifs.[2]

These dry deciduous forests span the coastal plain with its limestone plateaus emanating virtually at sea level to higher altitudes to roughly 600 metres (2,000 ft). The area includes wetlands and grasslands (mostly created by forest clearance for agriculture) as well as dry forests characterized by a deciduous canopy extending to a height of 10 to 15 metres (33 to 49 ft).[2]

Climate is tropical, with summer daytime temperatures commonly exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), and a wet season between October and April.

spiny thickets and succulent woodlands, but lower than in the eastern lowland rainforests.[2]

Flora

While the absolute number of plant species is lower than in the eastern rainforests of the island, the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar have a higher ratio of

flamboyant tree (Delonix regia), Pachypodium species, and several Fabaceae and Rubiaceae. Forest understory plants include Lissochilus orchids [2] such as Oeceoclades calcarata, a large, cool growing, showy, terrestrial orchid which grows at medium elevation (1000 to 2000 meters) in western Madagascar. Its habitat is semi-arid and it is found growing in sandy or rocky soils in dry moss and lichen forests.[3]

Fauna

Verreaux's sifaka

One characteristic in common with other

carnivorans.[2]

The lakes and rivers of the dry forest region are homes to most of Madagascar's bird species. Among reptiles, many

ploughshare tortoise.[2]

Threats and conservation

Most dry forests have already been destroyed by human action, especially near the Central Highlands. The remaining forest is severely fragmented. Burning, grazing, and logging are the major threats, and siltation, overfishing and invasive species impact the wetlands. Some species such as lemurs suffer from hunting.[2]

5.79% of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1] They include:[2][1]

Particular localities

Ankarana Special Reserve

Main article: Ankarana Special Reserve

The

tsingy" locally.[4] The name derives from the Malagasy word which means "walk on tiptoe", used by the earliest settlers from around 1500 years ago to describe the sharpness of the rugged limestone shelves. There are an abundance of limestone caves and virgin forests that shelter the diverse wildlife
of the Ankarana region. In places the cave roofs have collapsed to form isolated forests and the vegetation of the gorges is also protected by the topography. Subterranean rivers provide a natural perennial irrigation system.

The Ankarana Special Reserve is one of the northernmost reaches of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, and is very hot from December through March with this equatorial proximity. Access to wildlife viewing is through strenuous hiking, given the elevation differences, complex terrain and heat, but four-wheel drive vehicles can reach most of the actual campsites. Below the massif, and to the west, is a grassy savannah-with-palms that leads to the Indian Ocean. Within the massif, Lac Vert is found among tsingy formations.

Mammals found in this forest include the

Oustalet's chameleon
, the world's largest chameleon, which can attain 68 centimetres in length.

Some bird species commonly seen are the

Madagascar scops owl. Other avafauna occurring here include red-capped coua and Coquerel's coua, and the vangas Van Dam's vanga, rufous vanga and sickle-billed vanga. Vangas are significant in Madagascar, as 15 of the 16 vanga species are endemic to Madagascar. The greater vasa parrot and Madagascar green pigeon are also indigenous. An important endangered species, the Madagascar fish eagle, has a number of breeding pairs located in the Ankarana Reserve.[8]

Anjajavy Forest

Main article: Anjajavy Forest
Anjajavy Forest on Tsingy rocks juts into the Indian Ocean.

Anjajavy Forest is an example of a purely lowland dry deciduous forest in northwest Madagascar. It is punctuated with numerous tsingy outcroppings and limestone karst caves, and in many locations abuts the Indian Ocean, especially where the dramatic tsingy formations jut out into the ocean. The canopy height is typically 15 to 25 meters high, and is at its lowest at the coastal verge, where growth may be impeded by saline rocky soils. The forest resides on a small peninsula of land poking into the Indian Ocean, that is bounded on the north and part of its eastern extent by the Bay of Narinda and on the south by the Bay of Majajamba. Access to this forest is difficult since there are no roads connecting this peninsula to the Madagascar highway system; however, arrival by sea and by air are accomplished with some effort.[9]

In many places at the ocean edge as well as forest interior, several tree species are capable of taking root directly in the tsingy rocks. Several species of baobab and

precipitation rates on the west coast (about 1,300 mm per annum at Anjajavy Forest), the vegetation is surprisingly verdant in the beginning of the dry season, but eventually will become mostly leafless by late winter. The forest understory is moderately dense but not impenetrable. Nor is the understory heavily thorned in most locations.[citation needed
]

The Anjajavy Forest is named for a kind of

magpie crow. Numerous lizards, chameleons and snakes populate the forest and are easily seen from the sparse trail network.[citation needed
]

The dry forest is invaded by fingers of

mangrove swamp in the form of riparian zones at several small coastal estuaries at the western verge of the Anjajavy Forest, where small tidal streams flow into the Indian Ocean. The species of the mangrove swamps are, of course, totally different from the dry forest, and the transition zone supports an interesting ecotone, providing unusual niches for several species of animals.[citation needed
]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Madagascar dry deciduous forests. DOPA Explorer. Accessed 8 September 2022.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1559633642. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2016-11-01.
  3. ^ "IOSPE PHOTOS". www.orchidspecies.com.
  4. ISBN 978-1-874687-48-1
    .
  5. ^ Nick Garbutt, Mammals of Madagascar, Pica Press (1999)
  6. PMID 2807091
    .
  7. ^ Nick Garbutt, Hilary Bradt and Derek Schuurman, Madagascar Wildlife, Globe Pequot Press (2001)
  8. ISBN 1-74104-100-7
  9. ^ Nick Garbutt, Hilton Hastings, Wendy Pollecutt, C. Michael Hogan, Tahiana Andriaharimalala, Anjajavy, the village and the forest. May, 2006

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madagascar_dry_deciduous_forests&oldid=1212011525"