The Cuban moist forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest

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 ...

that occupies on

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; ) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Island). The island was ...

. The ecoregion receives more than of rainfall annually, and does not have a dry season.

Soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

s are usually derived from

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, or

serpentinite Serpentinite is a metamorphic rock composed predominantly of serpentine group minerals formed by serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks. The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color ...

s. Cuban moist forests can be differentiated into lowland forests (sea level to ), sub-montane forests (), and montane forests ().

Lowland forests

Lowland forests are found at elevations from sea level to and reach heights of . They consist of three tree stories. The upper story includes achiotillo ('' Alchornea latifolia''), najesí (''

Carapa guianensis ''Carapa guianensis'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae, also known by the common names andiroba or crabwood. Description Andiroba is native to the Amazon and is widely used by the indigenous populations of the northern region of ...

'') and acana ('' Manilkara valenzuelana''); the middle story has tagua-tagua ('' Diospyros caribaea''), '' Ocotea floribunda'', '' Oxandra laurifolia'', '' Talauma minor'', ''

Terminalia Terminalia may refer to: * Terminalia (festival) Terminalia () was an ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Terminus, who presided over boundaries. His statue was merely a stone or post stuck in the ground to distinguish between propert ...

'' spp. and ''

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.; and the lower story has a number of species of tree ferns,

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

and

Melastomataceae Melastomataceae () is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs ...

Epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

s are abundant and varied, including '' Elaphoglossum crinitum'', '' Oleandra articulata'', '' Notopleura parasitica'', and the endemic '' Columnea tincta''. Typical palms are '' Calyptronoma plumeriana'', '' Prestoea acuminata'' var. ''montana'' and '' Bactris cubensis''. '' Heliconia'' species,

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es, and

liverworts Liverworts are a group of non-vascular plant, non-vascular embryophyte, land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in wh ...

are also important plants.

Sub-montane forests

Sub-montane forests occur elevations of . Typical sub-montane forests consist of two tree stories and an

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the Canopy (biology), forest ca ...

; they reach a height of up to in height. Achiotillo ('' Alchornea latifolia''), júcare amarillo ('' Terminalia tetraphylla''), purío prieto ('' Guatteria blainii''), ''

Licaria triandra ''Licaria'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Lauraceae, native to Central America and South America. It is a Neotropical genus with around 80 species. Overview ''Licaria'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of about 80 species distributed ...

'', roble macho ('' Tabebuia hypoleuca'') and ''Zanthoxylum caribaeum'' subsp. ''caribaeum'' grow in the upper story. Cuaba de la maestra ('' Amyris lineata''), cuajaní ('' Prunus myrtifolia''), '' Ditta myricoides'', '' Laplacea'' spp., '' Oxandra laurifolia'', '' Ocotea'' spp., ''Myrsine coriacea'' subsp. ''coriacea'', and ''

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. ''Podocarpus'' species are evergreen shrubs or trees, usually from tall, known to reach at times. The cones have ...

'' species can be found in the lower story. Tree ferns,

and

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

flourish in the understory. Sub-montane forests growing in

ultisol Ultisol, commonly known as red clay soil, is one of twelve soil orders in the USDA soil taxonomy, United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy. The word "Ultisol" is derived from "ultimate", because Ultisols were seen as the ultimate pr ...

s reach a height of and have two stories with trees such as '' Calophyllum utile'', '' Guatteria blainii'', '' Magnolia cristalensis'', roble de hoja ancha ('' Tabebuia dubia''), ''Zanthoxylum rhodoxylon'' subsp. ''cubense'', and '' Bactris cubensis''.

Montane forests

Montane forests are found at elevations of . These forests consist of two arboreal stories and reach a height of . The upper story is dominated by barril ('' Cyrilla racemiflora''), marañon de la Maestra ('' Magnolia cubensis''), '' Persea hypoleuca'', and '' Gordonia angustifolia''. The lower story consists of '' Cleyera nimanimae'', '' Freziera grisebachii'', '' Haenianthus salicifolius'', '' Lyonia'' species, '' Torralbasia cuneifolia'', and enebro ('' Juniperus saxicola'').

es,

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s, terrestrial

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s, and clubmosses are abundant.

Fauna

Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s of Cuba's moist forests include the Cuban tody (''Todus multicolor''),

bee hummingbird The bee hummingbird, zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird (''Mellisuga helenae'') is a species of hummingbird, native to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. It is the smallest known bird. The bee hummingbird feeds on nectar of flowers and bugs foun ...

(''Mellisuga helenae''), Cuban trogon (''Priotelus temnurus''), Cuban solitaire (''Myadestes elisabeth''), Cuban kite (''Chondrohierax wilsonii''),

red-legged honeycreeper The red-legged honeycreeper (''Cyanerpes cyaneus'') is a small songbird species in the tanager family (biology), family (Thraupidae). It is found in the tropics, tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil, T ...

(''Cyanerpes cyaneus''), Cuban parakeet (''Aratinga euops''), Stygian owl (''Asio stygius'') and

Gundlach's hawk The Gundlach's hawk (''Astur gundlachi'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus '' Accipiter''. It is one of 21 endemic bird species of Cuba. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the ...

(''Accipiter gundlachi''). The rare

Cuban solenodon The Cuban solenodon or ''almiquí'' (''Atopogale cubana'') is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to Cuban moist forests, mountainous forests on Cuba. It is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Atopogale''. An elusive animal, it ...

(''Atopogale cubana''), a small

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

, is endemic to the eastern montane forests along the Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa mountain range. Other notable mammals include the

hutia Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands. Most species are restricted to Cuba, but species are known from all of the Greater Antilles, as well as ...

s, 4-5 species of small to medium-sized, climbing

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

s related to the

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...

References

{{- Neotropical tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Ecoregions of the Caribbean Ecoregions of Cuba * Natural history of Cuba

Lowland forests

Sub-montane forests

Montane forests

Fauna

See also

References