Sierra de la Laguna dry forests

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Sierra de la Laguna dry forests
Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests
Geography
Area3,968 km2 (1,532 sq mi)
CountryMexico
StatesBaja California Sur
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable
Global 200Mexican dry forests
Protected839 km2 (21%)[1]

The Sierra de la Laguna dry forests are a

Baja California Peninsula in Mexico
.

Geography

The dry forests cover the lower elevations of the

Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests
.

Climate

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]

Flora

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

Hesperalbizia occidentalis).[3]

Herbaceous plants are less prominent and include caribe (

Chloracantha spinosa), Solanum spp., and biznaga (Ferocactus spp).[3]

The

endemic palm here is Brahea
brandegeei, that occurs in washes and along streams.

Fauna

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]

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.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 839 km2, or 21%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.

Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve
.

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sierra de la Laguna Dry Forests.
  • "Sierra de la Laguna dry forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  • Tropical Dry Forest of the Sierra de la Laguna (Los Cabos Guide)

References

  1. ^ a b 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. [1]
  2. ^ León de la Luz, Jose Luis, Raymundo Dominguez Cadena, Miguel Dominguez Le6n, and Rocio Coria Benet. "Flora of the Woodlands of the Sierra de La Laguna, Baja California Sur, Mexico".
  3. ^ a b "Sierra de la Laguna dry forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  4. ^ C. Michael Hogan & World Wildlife Fund. 2013."San Lucan xeric scrub". Encyclopedia of Earth, National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC ed.Mark McGinley.
  5. ^ "San Lucan xeric scrub". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
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