Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests
Encyclopedia
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
.
, 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.
The oak forests occur between 1900 and 2500 meters elevation (6,200-8,200 feet). Cloud forests grow at 2300 meters (7,500 feet); pine-oak forests grow at 2400-2500 meters (7,900-8,200 feet); and fir forests grow above 3,000 meters (9,800 feet).
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests are a forest biome. They are located in regions of semi-humid climate at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Most tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregions are found in the Nearctic and Neotropic ecozones, from Mexico to Nicaragua and on the...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the Sierra Madre del Sur
Sierra Madre del Sur
The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Istmo de Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca.-Geography:...
mountain range of southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Setting
The Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests occupy an area of 61200 square kilometres (23,629.5 sq mi), within the states of MichoacánMichoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
, and Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
.
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
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
at lower elevations; the Jalisco dry forests to the west; the Balsas dry forests
Balsas dry forests
The Balsas dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of southern Mexico.-Setting:The Balsas dry forests occupy the basin of the Balsas River. the ecoregion covers an area of , extending across portions of Michoacan, Guerrero, Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, and Oaxaca states...
to the north, in the basin of the Balsas River
Balsas River
The Balsas River is a major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán...
, 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.The oak forests occur between 1900 and 2500 meters elevation (6,200-8,200 feet). Cloud forests grow at 2300 meters (7,500 feet); pine-oak forests grow at 2400-2500 meters (7,900-8,200 feet); and fir forests grow above 3,000 meters (9,800 feet).