Name:
Caribbean Coastal Dry Evergreen Forest Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
These Caribbean dry forests are found in coastal areas, lowlands and low hills (about 300 m elevation). Forests are characterized by a dry season, and occur on a variety of substrates, such as sand, rocky areas and rock outcrops which contribute to seasonal plant moisture stress, as well as on sites with better soils, but which are seasonally dry. Coastal forests are evergreen, or mostly evergreen, with thick, sclerophyllous, small leaves and only a third of the trees deciduous or semi-deciduous. They have relative low floristic diversity and a tendency to have high species dominance. The canopy is somewhat open, between 6-10 m in height or taller in the case of occurrences in Cuba and sites in St. John where they have two canopy layers, with the upper layer reaching 12-15 m and occasional emergents up to 20 m tall. The density of stems tends to be very high. Inland forests are composed of two canopy layers with the upper canopy 18-25 m tall and about 75% deciduous species. The prevailing conditions determine if this forest type is deciduous or semi-deciduous. In both coastal and inland dry forests, the woody understory is mostly evergreen. The herb layer is poorly developed or completely lacking. Species composition varies depending on past uses, substrate, and local climate. In sandy or rocky areas with nutrient-poor soils, especially in coastal areas, forests are lower in height and include a spiny sclerophyllous shrub layer. The trees have a high proportion of root biomass, which allows these forests to be resilient to hurricane damage. In coastal dry forests, the following list of species is diagnostic for this group: <i>Bursera simaruba, Coccoloba diversifolia, Erythroxylum areolatum, Eugenia axillaris, Exostema caribaeum, Exothea paniculata, Guettarda krugii, Guaiacum sanctum, Guapira obtusata, Gymnanthes lucida, Metopium toxiferum, Sideroxylon foetidissimum</i>, and <i>Sideroxylon salicifolium</i>. In inland dry forests diagnostic species are <i>Acacia muricata, Allophylus cominia, Amyris balsamifera, Andira inermis, Ateleia cubensis, Brya ebenus, Byrsonima spicata, Capparis</i> spp., <i>Catalpa macrocarpa, Cedrela odorata, Coccoloba</i> spp., <i>Copernicia baileyana, Copernicia sueroana, Copernicia textilis, Cordia laevigata, Diospyros crassinervis, Diospyros halesioides, Eugenia confusa, Ficus citrifolia, Hymenaea courbaril, Manilkara jaimiqui, Manilkara bidentata, Maytenus buxifolia, Myrcia citrifolia, Myrciaria floribunda, Phyllostylon brasiliensis, Picramnia pentandra, Guapira fragrans, Pisonia subcordata, Savia sessiliflora, Swietenia mahagoni, Tabebuia heterophylla, Tabebuia shaferi, Trichilia hirta, Trichilia pallida</i>, and <i>Zanthoxylum martinicense</i>. In Puerto Rico, the following species are typical in inland examples: <i>Bucida buceras, Citharexylum spinosum, Coccoloba diversifolia, Cordia laevigata, Guaiacum officinale, Guazuma ulmifolia, Lonchocarpus domingensis</i>, and <i>Rauvolfia nitida</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40186-{9CAD14F8-563D-46CE-B4D4-28BED3F51CA1}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
