Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests

The Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range of southern Mexico.

Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests
Location of the Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests
Ecology
RealmNeotropical
Biometropical and subtropical coniferous forests
BordersBalsas dry forests, Tehuacan Valley matorral, Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine–oak forests and Southern Pacific dry forests
Bird species330[1]
Mammal species151[1]
Geography
Area61,200 km2 (23,600 sq mi)
CountryMexico
Conservation
Habitat loss10.689[1]%
Protected1.61[1]%

Setting

The Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests occupy an area of 61,200 square kilometers (23,600 sq mi), within the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.

The pine–oak forests occupy the higher slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur range, which runs east and west parallel to Mexico's southern Pacific Coast. The forests are surrounded by tropical dry forests at lower elevations; the Jalisco dry forests to the west; the Balsas dry forests to the north, in the basin of the Balsas River, and the Southern Pacific dry forests to the south and east along the Pacific coast.

Flora

The chief plant communities are oak forests, cloud forests, pine–oak forests, and fir forests. The plant communities vary with elevation and rainfall.[2]

The oak forests occur between 1900 and 2500 metres elevation (6,200-8,200 feet). Quercus magnoliifolia and Quercus castanea are the predominant tree species, with individuals of Pinus montezumae. Orchids and bromeliads grow as epiphytes.

Cloud forests grow at 2300 metres (7,500 feet). Predominant trees are Abies guatemalensis, Abies religiosa, Quercus uxoris, Pinus ayacahuite, and Cupressus lusitanica.

Pine–oak forests grow at 2400–2500 metres (7,900-8,200 feet). Predominant trees are Quercus magnoliifolia, Q. castanea, Q. obtusata, Pinus herrerae, P. pseudostrobus, P. pringlei, P. ayacahuite, P. rzedowskii, and Arbutus xalapensis.

Fir forests grow above 3,000 metres (9,800 feet).

See also

References
  1. Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
  2. "Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests" WWF. Accessed 26 April 2015
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