Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests
Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests
| Topics: |  Ecology Conservation Biology Biodiversity |
Introduction
Parque Nacional Constitucion de 1857, Baja, Mexico. (Photograph by John Morrison)
This small ecoregion is located on the northern part of the Baja Peninsula. Covering two mountain ranges, this area rich in biodiversity and provides habitat for the threatened bald eagle and California condor. Greater than average rainfall cause this ecoregion to have a more Mediterranean climate. This is one of the few places within Mexico where this occurs, and a number of endemic flora species area found here. The inaccessibility of the mountains has kept much of this regions habitat intact, however increasing value of timber is a serious threat to this pine forest.
Location and General Description
The region is located in two important mountain ranges in the state of Baja California, Mexico: the Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir. Both mountain ranges belong to the physiographical province of Baja California, and constitute the northernmost elevated peaks of the state. The mountainous range that descends into a large portion of Baja California becomes more abrupt at Juarez and San Pedro Martir; the eastern slope is steeper than the western. Altitudes range between 1100-2800 meters (m). The granitic mountains of Juarez and San Pedro Martir have young rocky soils and are poorly developed, shallow, and low in organic matter.
The climate is temperate subhumid with winter rains; its precipitation levels (400-700 millimeters (mm) per year) are the second highest in the entire peninsula. The climatic conditions have led some researchers to consider the region among the few within Mexico with a Mediterranean climate. There are many rivers in this region which drain the mountain slopes (e.g. Las Palmas, Guadalupe, San Antonio, San Telmo and El Rosario).
The dominant species are Pinus quadrifolia, P. jeffreyi, P. contorta, P. lambertiana, Abies concolor, and Libocedrus decurren. The herbaceous stratum is formed by Bromus sp. and Artemisia tridentata. Epiphytes and fungi are abundant throughout the forests.
Biodiversity Features
The region consists of islands of coniferous forests in an enormous desert of arid terrains; it thus contains a unique biota composed of many endemic and endangered species. Conifer forests in the Sierra de Juárez are among the most important of Mexico because of the diversity of pine trees they contain. At least ten species of Pinus inhabit the steep slopes of the mountains of Baja California. The conifer forests are unique to Mexico because they are the only multi-species mediterranean-climate forests in the country. Not only are pine trees diverse in this region, but the forests of north Baja California constitute the only habitat in Mexico for the species Pinus contorta murrayana, which at the Sierra de San Pedro Martir reaches its most meridional limit of distribution. San Pedro Martir is also home to some of the largest pine trees in Mexico: the 70 [[meter|]] (m) tall Pinus lambertiana, with cones of 70 centimeters (cm) in length. Pinus lagunae, which is also a member of these communities, is restricted to the peninsula of Baja California. Pine-oak forests in general contain high numbers of restricted distribution vertebrate species. This ecotone between temperate forests and the desert represents an ideal habitat for many species of birds; some birds eat the pinyons from pine trees and store them for the winter in underground places, where misplaces or forgotten pine seeds find an ideal habitat to grow.
Characteristic mammals include: Ornate shrew (Sorex ornatus), puma (Puma concolor), fringed Myotis bat (Myotis thysanodes), California chipmunk (Tamias obscurus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Birds include the rare bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), California condor (Gymnogyps californianus), pinyon jay (Gymnohinus cyanocephalus), and white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).
Current Status
A great portion of Sierra de Juarez and San Pedro Martir coniferous forests are still intact, mostly due to the inaccessibility to the mountains. However, diverse threats such as cattle farming and intense fires have seriously deteriorated some patches of land. Fires in 1989 and 1996 consumed 70 square kilometers (km2) and 60 km2 of forest, respectively. The common mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens) has widely invaded many of the trees in the forest. Many of the trees are very old (80-250 years), which contributes to their susceptibility to infection by various parasites. Some species of insects also build galleries or excavate holes in the trees’ cortex, which weakens the trees but also promotes invasion by other bark-eating insects. Cattle-grazing contributes to low rates of regeneration, and this aggravates the already serious threat that fires and parasites place on coniferous forests. The California condor (Gymngyps californianus) once soared above the mountains of north Baja California, but disappeared around 1940 due to disturbance of the habitat. Many species that inhabit these forests are endemic.
Types and Severity of Threats
The location of the temperate forests in the tall peaks of the mountains makes isolation from other similar ecosystems inevitable. The only patches of temperate forests close to this region are the pine-oak forests of Sierra de la Laguna, in the southernmost part of Baja California, and the pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. However, vast extensions of the Sonora and California desert stretch between these forests; thereby creating the only refuge for temperate species in a desert of arid lands. This increases the value of conserving of pine-oak forests and coniferous forests in west Mexico, because the forests represent a natural reservoir of unique animal and plant species. Approximately 37% of the pine-oak forests in Mexico have succumbed to agricultural pressure and logging.
Additional information on this ecoregion
- For a shorter summary of this entry, see the WWF WildWorld profile of this ecoregion.
- To see the species that live in this ecoregion, including images and threat levels, see the WWF Wildfinder description of this ecoregion
- World Wildlife Fund Homepage
Further Reading
- Attenborough, D. 1995. The private life of plants. BBC, London. ISBN: 0691006393
- CONABIO Workshop, 17-16 September, 1996. Informe de Resultados del Taller de Ecoregionalización para la Conservación de México.</li>
- CONABIO Workshop, Mexico, D.F., November 1997. Ecological and Biogeographical Regionalization of Mexico.</li>
- Ferrusquía-Villafranca, I. 1993. Geología de México: una sinopsis. In: Ramamoorthy, T.P., Bye, R., Lot, A. & Fa, J. (Eds). Diversidad Biológica de México. Orígenes y Distribución. Instituto de Biología, UNAM. pp. 3-108.</li>
- Flores-Villela, O. & Gerez, P. 1994. Biodiversidad y conservación en México: Vertebrados, vegetación y uso de suelo. Conabio and UNAM, México.</li>
- Nieto-Garibay, A. 1999. Características generales del Noroeste de México. Pages 13-28 in S. T. Alvarez-Castañeda, and J. L. Patton, (Eds). Mamíferos del Noroeste de México. CIBNOR, S. C. México. Pp. 13-28</li>
- Rzedowski, J. 1978. Vegetación de Mexico. Editorial Limusa. Mexico, D.F., Mexico. ISBN: 9681800028</li>Rzedowski, J. pers.comm. at CONABIO Workshop, 17-16 September, 1996. Informe de Resultados del Taller de Ecoregionalización para la Conservación de México.</li>
|
Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the World Wildlife Fund. Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the World Wildlife Fund should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content. |
Citation
World Wildlife Fund (Lead Author);Mark McGinley (Topic Editor) "Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 23, 2008; Last revised Date August 23, 2008; Retrieved February 10, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Sierra_Juarez_and_San_Pedro_Martir_pine-oak_forests>
The Author
Known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Now in its fifth decade, WWF works in more than 100 countries around the globe to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. With nearly 1.2 million members in the U.S. and another 4 million worldwide, WWF is the world's largest privately financed conservation organization. WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: 1) saving endangered ... (Full Bio)
Contact Us
Send to a Friend
Comments
There are no comments.