Yucatán moist forests
Forests surrounding the ancient Maya city of Cobá in the northeast of the Yucatán peninsula.
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmNeotropical
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Borders
List
Geography
Area69,849 km2 (26,969 sq mi)
Countries
Conservation
Conservation statusVulnerable[1]
Protected23.5%[2]

The Yucatán moist forests are an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund.

It is found in the Yucatán Peninsula in southern Mexico, northern Guatemala, and northern Belize.[1]

Geography

The ecoregion covers an area of 69,849 square kilometres (26,969 sq mi). It has little topographic relief.[1] Porous limestone underlies much of the ecoregion, and it has few permanent rivers despite its humid climate.

It is bounded on the northwest by the semi-arid Yucatán dry forests. The Petén–Veracruz moist forests lie to the south.[2]

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical humid climate.[1] Average annual rainfall ranges from 1000 to 1500 mm, generally lower in the north and higher in the south and east. Rainfall varies seasonally, with August and September the driest months.[3]

Flora

The most common plant communities are high and medium semi-evergreen forest. The trees form a canopy 20 to 35 meters high. Approximately 25 to 50% of the trees lose their leaves during the annual dry season. Manilkara zapota is the most common forest tree; others include Brosimum alicastrum, Pimenta dioica, Lonchocarpus castilloi, Pouteria campechiana, Swietenia macrophylla, Alseis yucatanensis, Zuelania guidonia, Cedrela odorata, Swartzia cubensis, Orbignya cohune, Aspidosperma desmanthum, and Aspidosperma megalocarpon.[4]

Low flooded semi-evergreen forest grows in seasonally-flooded areas known as bajos. The canopy is 8 to 10 meters high, and about half the trees lose their leaves during the dry season. Typical trees include Cameraria latifolia, Vachellia pringlei, Dalbergia glabra, Pisonia aculeata, Pithecellobium dulce, Pseudophoenix sargentii, Haematoxylon campechianum, and Acoelorrhaphe wrightii. Ferns and epiphytes are common.[4]

Fauna

Large grazing mammals include the Central American tapir (Tapirus bairdii), white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Yucatan brown brocket deer (Mazama pandora), and Central American red brocket deer (Mazama temama).[5]

There are five species of felids in the ecoregion – jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), and margay (Leopardus wiedii).[5]

Native primates include the Yucatan spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis) and Guatemalan black howler (Alouatta pigra).[5]

Yucatán endemic birds, not necessarily limited to the ecoregion, include the ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata), Yucatan nightjar (Antrostomus badius), Yucatán woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus), Yucatan poorwill (Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus), yellow-lored parrot (Amazona xantholora), Yucatan flycatcher (Myiarchis yucatanensis), Yucatan jay (Cyanocorax yucatanicus), rose-throated tanager (Piranga roseogularis), and orange oriole (Icterus auratus). Three bird species are endemic to Cozumel - the Cozumel emerald (Chlorostilbon forficatus), Cozumel vireo (Vireo bairdi), and Cozumel thrasher (Toxostoma guttatum).[6]

Conservation and threats

Although some protection exists, the ecoregion is under threat by logging and cattle farming.[1]

Protected areas

23.5% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Tulum National Park, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Laguna de Términos Flora and Fauna Protection Area, Uaymil Flora and Fauna Protection Area, Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protection Area, Balam-Kin, and El Zapotal Voluntary Conservation Area.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Yucatán moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  2. 1 2 3 "Yucatán moist forests". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 15 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Torrescano-Valle, Nuria, et al. (2015). "Physical Settings, Environmental History with an Outlook on Global Change." In Islebe, Gerald Alexander, Sophie Calmé, et al. (eds.) Biodiversity and Conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula. Springer International Publishing, 2015. ISBN 978-3-319-06529-8.
  4. 1 2 Islebe, Gerald Alexander et al. (2015). "Distribution of Vegetation Types". In Islebe, Gerald Alexander, Sophie Calmé et al. (eds.) Biodiversity and Conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula. Springer International Publishing, 2015. ISBN 978-3-319-06529-8.
  5. 1 2 3 Reyna-Hurtado, Rafael et al. (2015). "Large Terrestrial Mammals". In Islebe, Gerald Alexander, Sophie Calmé, et al. (eds.) Biodiversity and Conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula. Springer International Publishing, 2015. ISBN 978-3-319-06529-8.
  6. ↑ Calmé, Sophie et al. (2015). "Birds". In Islebe, Gerald Alexander, Sophie Calmé, et al. (eds.) Biodiversity and Conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula. Springer International Publishing, 2015. ISBN 978-3-319-06529-8.
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