The Zacatonal is a

montane grassland and shrubland Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than t ...

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 ...

of central

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 ...

Geography

The Zacatonal consists of several enclaves of grassland and shrubland occupying the highest peaks of the

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks have snow all year long, and dur ...

, covering about . Zacatonal is found above 3500 meters elevation on the volcanoes

Popocatépetl Popocatépetl ( , , ; ) is an active stratovolcano located in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico in central Mexico. It lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. At it is the second highest peak in Mexico, after Ci ...

Iztaccihuatl Iztaccíhuatl or Ixtaccíhuatl (both forms also spelled without the accent) ( or, as spelled with the x, ) is a dormant volcanic mountain in Mexico located on the border between the State of Mexico and Puebla within Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National ...

, Malinche,

Nevado de Toluca Nevado de Toluca () is a stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. It is the fourth highest of Mexico's peaks, after Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. The volcano and the area ...

Cofre de Perote Cofre de Perote, also known by its Nahuatl names Naupa-Tecutépetl (from ''Nāuhpa-Tēuctēpetl'') and Nauhcampatépetl, both meaning something like "Place of Four Mountains" or "Mountain of the Lord of Four Places", is an inactive volcano locate ...

, Pico de Tancítaro, and

Pico de Orizaba Citlaltépetl (from Nahuan languages, Náhuatl = star, and = mountain), otherwise known as Pico de Orizaba, is an active volcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and Table of the highest major summits of North America, third highest in North Ame ...

.Brown, David E., and Markings, Elizabeth (2014). "A Guide to North American Grasslands" ''Desert Plants'', Volume 29, Number 2, 2014. Zacatonal is surrounded by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion at lower elevations.

Climate

The climate is temperate and subhumid at lower elevations, becoming alpine and subhumid at the highest elevations.

Flora

The predominant plant community is grassland, ranging from subalpine to alpine. Open forest of Hartweg's pine (''Pinus hartwegii'') and/or

Montezuma pine ''Pinus montezumae'', known as the Montezuma pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America, where it is one of many pines known as ocote. Description The tree grows about 35 m high and 80 ...

(''Pinus montezumae'') marks the transition between the lower-elevation pine-oak forests and the subalpine grasslands at about 3500 meters elevation. Grassland dominated by Toluca fescue (''Festuca tolucensis'') and Toluca reedgrass (''Calamagrostis tolucensis'') grows as an understory among the pines, in open ''

Juniperus monticola ''Juniperus monticola'', or mountain juniper, is a species of conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is found only in Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Lat ...

'' woodland, or as open grassland. Other grasses and forbs include ''

Arenaria bryoides Arenaria, a Latin word meaning sand-loving (or psammophilic), may refer to: Genera * ''Arenaria'' (bird), the turnstones, a bird genus of the family Scolopacidae * ''Arenaria'' (plant), the sandworts, a plant genus of the family Caryophyllaceae ...

, Descurainia impatiens, Draba jorullensis,

Lupinus montanus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

, Muhlenbergia pusilla, M. quadridentata,

Oxalis ''Oxalis'' ( (British English) or (American English)) is a large genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family, Oxalidaceae, comprising over 550 species. The genus occurs throughout most of the world, except for the polar areas; species ...

'' sp., '' Pedicularis orizabae, Penstemon gentianoides,

Poa annua ''Poa annua'', or annual meadow grass (known in America more commonly as annual bluegrass or simply poa), is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Notwithstanding the reference to annual plant in its name, perennial bio-types ...

, Potentilla staminea, Sicyos parviflorus'', and '' Trisetum spicatum''. At 3800 meters elevation ''Muhlenbergia quadridentata'' becomes the dominant grass, with ''Calamagrostis tolucensis'' dominant between 3800 and 4200 meters. The transition from subalpine to alpine grasslands occurs between 4200 and 4300 meters elevation. Alpine grasslands are dominated by the grasses '' Festuca livida'' and ''Arenaria bryoides''. Other alpine zone plants include ''Festuca tolucensis'' and species of ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...

Cerastium ''Cerastium'' is a genus of annual, winter annual, or perennial flowering plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They are commonly called mouse-ears or mouse-ear chickweeds. There are 214 accepted species, found nearly worldwide but wi ...

Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of Perennial plant, perennial and Biennial plant, biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thist ...

Draba ''Draba'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, commonly known as whitlow-grasses (though they are not related to the true grasses). Species There are over 400 species: *'' Draba abajoensis'' Windham & Al-Shehbaz *'' D ...

Eryngium ''Eryngium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. There are about 250 species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with centres of diversity in the western Mediterranean, South America and Mexico.Calviño, C.I., Martíne ...

Gnaphalium ''Gnaphalium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly called cudweeds or (formerly) chafeweeds. They are widespread and common in temperate regions, although some are found on tropical mountains or in the subtropical re ...

Lupinus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centre of diversity, centres of diversity in North America, North and South A ...

Luzula ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropic ...

, Oxylobus,

Phacelia ''Phacelia'' (phacelia, scorpionweed, Heliotropium, heliotrope) is a genus of about 200 species of annual plant, annual or perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plant, plants in the borage family, native to North Ameri ...

Plantago ''Plantago'' is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a ...

Potentilla ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 500 species of Annual plant, annual, Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family (biology), family, Rosaceae. Potentillas m ...

Ranunculus ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about 1750 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed worldwide, primarily in temperate an ...

'', and ''

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Mo ...

'', together with ferns, mosses, and lichens. The flora of the Zacatonal is distinct from both temperate North America's alpine grasslands and the alpine

páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

of Central and South America, and includes many endemic species.

Fauna

The

Sierra Madre sparrow The Sierra Madre sparrow (''Xenospiza baileyi''), also known as Bailey's sparrow, is an endangered, range-restricted, enigmatic American sparrow. It is endemic to Mexico and is threatened with extinction through habitat loss. Etymology The genu ...

(''Xenospiza baileyi'') is found in the transition zone between the Zacatonal and pine forests. Native mammals include the Mexican volcano mouse (''Neotomodon alstoni''), volcano harvest mouse (''Reithrodontomys chrysopsis''), and

volcano rabbit The volcano rabbit (''Romerolagus diazi'') (), also known as the teporingo or zacatuche, is a small mammal in the family Leporidae that resides on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico. It is the only species in the genus ''Romerolagus''. It has sm ...

(''Romerolagus diazi''), and ''Cryptotis goldmani alticola'', a subspecies of Goldman's broad-clawed shrew.

Conservation and threats

Many of the grasslands are in a degraded state from

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

by livestock or unregulated burning. In 1935 the Mexican government placed nearly 4,000 km² of the mountains surrounding the Valley of Mexico under protection, including both Zacatonal and lower-elevation pine-oak forests.

References