The Chiapas Depression dry forests form one of the

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

s that belong to the

tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat (ecology), habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-roun ...

biome A biome () is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. In 1935, Tansley added the ...

, as defined by the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...

, in northwestern

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

Geography

This ecoregion is located in the central Chiapas Depression, which lies between the Chiapas Highlands on the north and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south. The Chiapas Depression is mostly within

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

state of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and extends into northwestern

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. The depression is drained by the Grijalva River. It covers an area of around 13,900 km². It lies at an elevation of .

Climate

The Chiapas Depression dry forests ecoregion has a hot, seasonally dry climate - warm sub-humid in the lowlands, transitioning to semi-warm humid on mountain slopes. It lies in the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

of the Chiapas Highlands to the north and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south, and is drier than the surrounding highlands and nearby lowlands. Much of the rainfall occurs in the summer, and there is a long dry season lasting four to six months. Average annual precipitation can be less than 800 mm in the driest areas.

Flora

Tropical deciduous dry forest is the predominant plant community. Many trees lose their leaves during the long dry season, and the appearance of the forest changes dramatically between wet and dry seasons. The forests are generally low-canopied, and characteristic trees include ''

Lysiloma divaricatum ''Lysiloma divaricatum'' is a flowering tree native to Mexico and Central America. Common names include mauto, quitaz, and tepemesquite in Mexico, quebracho in Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, and quebracho negro, tepemisque, and yaj ...

'', Mexican alvaradoa ('' Alvaradoa amorphoides''), peacock flower ('' Caesalpinia pulcherrima''), ceiba or kapok (''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order (biology), order Malvales and the family (biology), family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, ...

''), buttercup tree (''

Cochlospermum vitifolium ''Cochlospermum vitifolium'' or ''rosa amarilla'' is a tree belonging to the family Bixaceae. It reaches up to in height and its leaves are deciduous. Its flowers are showy, yellow, solitary, and large, up to across. They resemble roses but do ...

''), '' Comocladia engleriana'', butterfly orchid tree ('' Bauhinia divaricata'') and ''

Bursera ''Bursera'' is a genus with about 100 described species of flowering shrubs and trees varying in size up to high. It is the type genus for Burseraceae. The trees are native (often for many species endemic) to the Americas, from the southern Uni ...

'' spp. Cactus and other succulent plants are common. Wiken, Ed, Francisco Jiménez Nava, and Glenn Griffith. 2011. ''North American Terrestrial Ecoregions—Level III''. Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Canada. Semi-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of medium height are found in canyons and other areas with higher soil moisture, and in the northwestern transition to the Petén–Veracruz moist forests. Montezuma cypress (''Taxodium mucronatum'') and fig (''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

'' spp.) grow in riverine forests. There are areas of savanna in the central and northwestern parts of the ecoregion. Grasslands, including many introduced grasses, and palm groves are found in areas disturbed by human activity and livestock grazing. Its

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

is high, with about 980 plant species, and includes 40% of the endemic species of dry ecosystems found in Mexico. It also forms a corridor that connects two major biogeographic region, the Gulf of Mexico on the east and the Pacific in the west.

Fauna

Native mammals include the

gray fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

(''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), hooded skunk (''Mephitis macroura''), and hog-nosed skunk (''Conepatus mesoleucos''), particularly in isolated sierras and canyons less disturbed by human activity. Characteristic birds include the plain chachalaca (''Ortalis vetula''), mottled owl (''Strix virgata''), lesser roadrunner (''Geococcyx velox''), and white-throated magpie-jay (''Calocitta formosa''). Native snakes include the

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also known as the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the Family (b ...

(''Boa constrictor'') and neotropical rattlesnake (''Crotalus durissus'').

Conservation and threats

The ecoregion has been seriously threatened by cattle grazing, which is the main cause of its destruction, along with the effects of logging and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. Much of the ecoregion has been converted to cropland, including corn, beans, and peanuts, with sugarcane and corn in irrigated areas. Large areas have been cleared for pasturing cattle, which graze on introduced grasses.

Tuxtla Gutiérrez Tuxtla Gutiérrez, or Tuxtla, (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Mexico, Mexican southeastern state of Chiapas. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name, which is the most developed and populous in the state. A busy govern ...

is the largest city in the ecoregion.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 309 km², or 2%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas in the ecoregion include Sumidero Canyon National Park and a portion of La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve.

References

External links

* * {{Clear Neotropical dry broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Guatemala Ecoregions of Mexico * * Sierra Madre de Chiapas San Marcos Department Grijalva River