The different biomes that make up the planet earth are responsible for enriching and providing diversity in each of its spaces in order to provide life through its flora and fauna. Among some of the most prominent we have the dry forest, widely seen in the South American, African and Asian continents, with dry environments and high rainfall, in the following article we will learn more about this ecosystem and its main characteristics.
The Dry Forest
The planet earth has been characterized by having various environments distributed throughout the world, such as deserts, forests, seas, rivers, lagoons, savannahs, among others, all of which are known as ecosystems; they represent areas rich in biodiversity of fauna and flora, in addition to natural resources necessary for the maintenance of life on the planet. In this case, the jungles stand out, they are a natural mantle populated by trees and plants, in addition to a warm and rainy climate.
The jungles are an environment of great importance due to their large mass of trees that provide oxygen to the environment and also act as air purifiers by absorbing the carbon dioxide that circulates in the atmosphere, therefore, man has tried to conserve these environments. In addition to being areas that provide chemical substances used for natural medicine and combat diseases that affect humanity.
There are different types of this ecosystem, such as the dry forest, also known as dry, tropophilous, sub-humid or hiemisilva forest, it presents a vegetal formation where trees resistant to climates of a hot dry season and brief rains predominate. They are usually located between those arid zones such as subtropical deserts and savannahs.
It is considered one of the most dangerous biomes, since it is found in areas with the largest human settlements, since it offers suitable soils for agriculture and livestock, as well as representing a source for obtaining wood and firewood. This has caused the excessive felling of its trees and the loss of a great variety of species, affecting the conservation of this ecosystem.
The tropical dry forest is found mainly in South America such as Bolivia, Mexico, Ecuador, reaching a million square kilometers of extension, considering 54% located on this continent; they also exist in Africa specifically in Madagascar and in Asia in India. The most relevant characteristic of dry forests is their type of climate and soil, where their dry season can last up to 3 to 5 months in winter and their soils are fertile without presenting restrictions.
Dry forests belong to the Leguminosae family due to the abundance of trees, shrubs and perennial herbs, although some scientists consider that they belong to the Bignoniaceae and Malvaceae due to the variety of flora and vegetation. In addition to presenting a rich fauna in various species, felines are widely seen in the American continent such as jaguars, pumas and tigers, as well as reptiles such as snakes and a wide variety of birds. Mammals such as elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, among others, inhabit the African continent.
General Characteristics
The dry forest ecosystem is considered a tropical lowland zone, it is one of the fourteen biomes that is classified among the terrestrial ecoregions, being one of the largest and most abundant in the South American continent with a variety of fauna, flora, hydrology , soils, ecologies and geomorphology, its main characteristics are highlighted below:
plant structure
All ecosystems have a varied plant structure adapted to the geographical and climatic conditions, in the case of the dry forest it has a not very complex structure compared to the tropical rain forest, less presence of epiphytic and climbing plants and approximately two or three strata . Even undergrowth is observed, they are young trees and mixtures of plants that grow very close to the ground below the plant canopy.
The trees that make up this biome are much lower in height than in the rain forests. Its size is approximately 6 to 12 meters although in the semi-deciduous forests (subclassification dry forests) they can be up to 30-50 centimeters high.
Adaptive Strategies
Dry forests have a great variety of flora and fauna, being considered one of the richest biomes in natural resources, but their limiting factor is water, which causes plant species to seek strategies to survive; They are basically focused on maximizing the efficiency of the water, storing it within its structure for its greatest benefit, since the opportunity to have contact with the liquid can be very isolated. Some of these strategies will be highlighted below:
Leaf Expiration
Leaf expiration is responsible for reducing water loss in dry seasons by shedding its foliage, highlighting that plants transpire through the leaves, when losing them, the plant needs to enter a state of rest, slowing down its metabolism to save the energy present. This is a fact that must be paid attention to since they are the producing organs of the plants and may present problems in the future.
While when the rainy season arrives, they must use a large amount of energy to form the new foliage. Among some of the deciduous species, the Ceiba (Ceiba Pentandra) in the American continent and the Teak (Tectona Grandis) in Asia stand out.
phreatophytes
It corresponds to a type of plant present in dry forests and they belong to the evergreen ones, so they keep their leaves in dry periods, standing out for having a root system that is permanently in contact to absorb water from the nearest source. , achieving access to groundwater at great depths. They are a type of plant seen in water courses that maintain a permanent flow on the surface or underground. Some of the best known species is the Cumaná Olive Tree (Capparis Odoratissima).
Reserve Structures
It is considered as a strategy by the dry forests where they develop structures for the reserve of water, through their stems and roots. The species that stand out in this case are the Cactaceae (Cactus) that store water in their stems giving a succulent appearance, in addition to the presence of mucilage that favors water retention. Similarly, there are plants that can develop lignified roots that store the liquid within themselves, known as Xilopódios.
sclerophyllous
It consists of the loss of water by transpiration, carried out by reducing the size of the leaves and strengthening their rigid tissue. This type of vegetation adapts easily to long periods of drought and heat, they are perennial species, long-lived and slow growing. Among the most outstanding are the Maquis, Espinal and Arrayan, arborescent and thorny thickets are also included.
Leaf Blade Reduction
In this case, no reduction in the size of the leaves is observed, but rather the leaf area that is exposed to sunlight, highlighting the development of leaf blades divided by leaflets or pinnae, also known as compound leaves.
Types of Dry Forest
The distribution of dry forests is observed in the American, African and Asian continents, varying in the severity of the dry period, type of soil and other characteristics. The classification of dry forests is presented below:
Jungle or Spinescent Xerophile Forest (Espinal or Espinar)
The term xerophilous is associated with those plants that grow in dry environments, are those areas that have a great scarcity of water, do not have much vegetation, therefore the soil is easily observed and its climate is cold arid or warm arid. Among the plant species present are evergreen (perennial) with compound and finely divided leaves. It is a type of dry forest that presents the strategies of reduction of leaves, sclerophyllia and succulence; You can also apply transformation to stems and thorns.
Xerophytic forests are found in some areas of Continental Africa, Madagascar and South America; It is one of the main Venezuelan biomes extended in the northern and coastal area of the entire country, they are part of the geography of the Falcón, Lara and Anzoátegui states. They are also seen in the Argentine country abounding species of thorny plants
Jungles or Deciduous Forests
Its seasons are prolonged dry from 5 to more months, considering it as a seasonal climate of the plain, they are characterized because the plant species that inhabit it approximately 80% lose their foliage during times of drought, therefore they are deciduous species , coming to observe this type of biome in mountainous areas and in less dry periods.
Jungles or Semideciduous Forests
It represents a type of ecosystem present in Costa Rica, the plant species present at least, 50% maintain their foliage in dry seasons. Its dry seasons can last from 3 to 4 months, depending on its contact with fresh water.
Jungle or Monsoon Forest
It is a type of dry seasonal forest, the air mass present is tropical maritime, warm and humid. They can be very similar to the semideciduous but have greater structural development. Being very similar to tropical forests but with less rainy seasons, considering a rainy climate in summer around 2000 mm per year.
Soil Type
In dry forests, sandy soils predominate, such as sandy loams or clay loams, characterized by being a type of fertile soil with a moderate pH. Due to the low rainfall, they can retain in their structure the nutrients necessary for the development of the plants, presenting few losses due to leaching or washing. This type of forest cannot be established in shallow soils since it can limit the penetration of its roots.
Location
The location of the dry forests are observed in three continents America, Africa and Asia, they are present in tropical and subtropical regions, with the presence of trade winds and monsoons, despite this they have different characteristics depending on the region they are in:
America
In the American continent, the dry forests managed to cover a large part of the entire territory, starting in the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), followed by Central America to South America. Highlighting the Caribbean section and the Colombian-Venezuelan plains where this type of biome predominates. Extending to the Pacific coast of Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil and northern Argentina. The greatest presence of dry forests is observed in the countries of Bolivia and Brazil.
Africa
On the African continent, the dry forest biome is observed from the Atlantic coast located between the sub-Saharan savannah to the north and the rain forest section to the south. Followed in the Rift Valley to the southern region of Namibia and ends up expanding in the African Plateau. The latter encompasses the sectors of Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe up to the islands of Madagascar. Similarly, areas with dry forests are observed in Egypt.
Indo-Asian Region and Australasia
In the Asian regions, the dry forests of monsoon climate are observed, they come to present very persistent monsoon winds. The regions that cover this type of biome are Pakistan, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the southeast of China, also being observed in the northern and eastern section of Australia.
Flora
The flora encompasses all those plant species that are found within an area, in the case of dry forests, they have less diversity of plants than tropical forests, in the same way it offers a great plant biodiversity, the most relevant ones will be highlighted below:
Leguminosae or Fabaceae
The plants classified within the Leguminosae family are those herbaceous, climbing, annual or perennial. They are usually the most frequent within the dry forests, highlighting groups with finely divided leaves, their characteristics will be very varied depending on the region in which they are found:
- America: species of trees such as Acacia, Pithecellobjum, Albizia, among others, are observed.
- Africa: in the Zambian regions mopane forests (Colophospermum mopane) are observed, they are a type of endemic legume, while the forests in the lower regions include species such as Acacia with a height of up to 8 meters.
malvaceae
Also known as Bombacaceae, they are a group of herbaceous, woody and shrubby plants; They have alternate leaves with nerves in the leaf blade and most are usually deciduous. One of its characteristic species are the bottle trees, known for their thick trunk in the shape of a curve. In the American continent, the Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) is widely found, in Africa the Baobab (Adansonia spp.) and in Australia the Brachychiton populneus.
monsoon forest
Monsoon forests stand out for their climate and trade winds, normally this type of forest originates in regions with wet seasons as long as dry and their soils are rich in iron. This type of biome is seen in India and in Southeast Asia species such as Teak (Tectona Grandis Verbenaceae), also some species of bamboo (Bambusoideae), varieties of mango (Mangifera spp.), neem (Azadirachta indica), among other.
Fauna
Corresponds to all those species of animals present in a region, responsible for enriching and maintaining the balance in their natural habitat. In the case of dry forests, they do not harbor a very numerous fauna, this is due to the temperature conditions and the absence of water. Except for the deciduous dry forests, they present a greater abundance of species, some of which are highlighted below:
Mammals
They are a class of warm-blooded vertebrate animals that are born from the womb and most move on four legs, in the dry forests of the South American continent felines such as the puma (Puma Concolor), ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis) and the Jaguar (Panthera onca). Among the mammals are primates such as the red howler monkey (Alouatta Seniculus) and wild pigs such as the Collared Peccary, highlighting that the mammals present within this ecosystem are bats and rodents.
On the other hand, within the mopane forests of the African continent, elephants (Loxodonta africana), black rhinos (Diceros bicornis), giraffes (Giraffa camelipardalis), warthog (Phacachoerus sp.) and zebras (Equus spp.) can be observed. These mammals are They stand out for being herbivores. While the predators present are the lion (Panthera leo) and the leopard (Panthera pardus).
Birds
They are warm-blooded vertebrate animals, they reproduce and hatch from eggs (oviparous), they walk, jump and most of them can fly, this being their main characteristics. Among those that inhabit the dry forests of South America, the guacharacas (Ortalis ruficauda) and the turpial (Icterus icterus) stand out, the latter being considered a national symbol of the country Venezuela. On the African continent you can see the ostrich (Struthio camelus), vultures (Torgos, Trigonoceps and Gyps) and the martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus).
reptiles
They are a kind of vertebrate animal covered with scales without feathers or hairs, they can adapt to terrestrial and also aquatic conditions; Within the dry forests you can find poisonous snakes (Bothrops) and turtles (Chelonoidis carbonaria).
Climate
The climate is the meteorological conditions of a specific place, influencing various factors such as geography, weather, among others. In the dry forests there are two-seasonal tropical climates with a rainy season and a prolonged dry season. It has rainfall between 600 mm to 2000 mm, being a time of high rainfall but in the same way the times of drought are from 3 to 5 months. Its average temperature is high, exceeding 25ºC.
Relief
The terrestrial reliefs refer to the forms of the earth's crust indicating the morphological conditions that a specific terrain may have. The dry forests present alternate reliefs, in some plains, intramontane valleys, plateaus and mountain ranges are observed. Most of them are located between sea level with a maximum height of 600 meters above sea level and the mountainous areas have a higher altitude between 700 and 800 meters above sea level.
Location of the Dry Forest
The dry forests are located in the African, Asian and American continents, a large extension of this ecosystem is found in the South American countries, each of them will be highlighted below:
Dry Jungle in Mexico
Mexico is one of the countries with large extensions of dry forest, being far from the equator, its area is usually the driest, being a beneficial factor for this type of ecosystem; For this reason, a large part of the Yucatan Peninsula presents an abundance of this biome, where the dry seasons are from 5 months to 8 months located 2000 meters above sea level.
Tree Species
The dry forests of Mexico come to present an abundance of three types of plant families, the first being legumes such as quebracho (Lysiloma divaricata), Chaparro (Acacia amentácea) and huizache (Acacia constricta). Burseraceae such as Chinese copal and holy copal can also be seen. In second place in the malvaceae family are the poppies and the pochote, another subclass present are the palms such as the coyol (Acrocomia aculeata) and the guano palms (Sabal japa). Finally, the Cactaceae are observed, such as the roofs (Neobuxbaumia tetetzo) and the chandeliers, this last family is the most abundant in the entire biome.
Nixticuil Forest of Mexico
It is a virgin forest (primary forest) of great extension approximately 1860 hectares, located in the northwest of the Metropolitan area of Guadalajara in Mexico; It is a protected natural area together with some neighboring sectors. Among the species of flora present, oaks and oaks stand out, such as the Quercus fogaceae, the palo dulce (Eysenhardtia polystachya) and copal (Bursera spp.). While the present fauna is inhabited by mammals such as coyotes, rabbits, possums and skunks.
Dry Forest in Colombia
Colombia has large extensions of dry forest in its territory, shared as plains with the Venezuelan country. Today, 8% of this ecosystem persists in this country, the loss of the biome due to poor agricultural practices, urban growth and livestock pressure has been observed. The exact location is on the Caribbean coast and in the region of the plains known as Valles del Patía, Arauca and Vichada. They are also seen in the Andean montane valleys of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers.
Biodiversity
Biological diversity lies in all plant species (trees, herbs and shrubs) and animal species (birds and mammals). The dry forests of Colombia present around 2600 plant species among the legume, cacti, bignoniaceae and malvaceae families; 230 species of birds and 60 types of mammals.
The trees present in the dry forests of Colombia are the cumalá (Aspidosperma polyneuron), cruise (Platymiscium pinnatum) and caracolí (Anacardium excelsum). Other types of frequent trees are the orejeros (Enterolobium cyclocarpum), chicalá (Handroanthus ochraceus) and the igüá (Albizia guachapele).
Dry Jungle in Peru
The dry forests in Peru are found in the Pacific coastal zone, specifically on the western slope near the Andean mountain range. They are known as the equatorial forests, having an expansion to the northern section of the Tumbesian Region, ranging from the Gulf of Guayaquil to the area of La Libertad. This forest is shared with Ecuador, entering the interior of the Peruvian country through the Marañón Valley with 2800 meters above sea level. It is a type of deciduous dry forest with some relevant species such as ceiba (Ceiba pentandra), cacti, legumes and grasses.
The seasonally dry inter-Andean forests are located in the intramontane valleys, known for being a mountainous area with 500 to 2500 meters above sea level, being a type of deciduous dry forest. They have two strata, in addition to a canopy of trees with 7 meters to 8 meters in height, the species present are cacti (cactus) and legumes (ceibas).
Dry Jungle in Ecuador
The dry forest located in Ecuador extends up to 41000 hectares, they are a type of deciduous dry forest that is shared with Peru (known as Tumbesino). The largest section of this ecosystem is found in Loja and in the Zapotillo Canton. The species of trees that inhabit this Ecuadorian biome are the guayacanes (Handroanthus chrysanthus) part of the Bignoniaceae family, in addition to the ceibos (Ceiba trichistandra) of the Malvaceae family, they are a very showy type of tree due to their barrel shape.
In addition to having a great diversity of legumes, highlighting the species of carob (Prosopis juliflora) and almond (Geoffroea spinosa). Other relevant species are palo santo (Bursera graveolens), muyuyo (cordia lutea) and hawthorn (Pseudobombax millei).
Dry Forest in Argentina
The dry forests are characterized by presenting a dry environment with low rainfall, in this case they are located in the northern region of Argentina, an area called the Chaco shared with Paraguay and Bolivia; between these countries is a large expanse of dry forest. The geology of the Argentine country forms a variety continuity with different climatic and ecological conditions. Predominating only two dry and rainy seasons, with warm temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius.
They are also observed in the northwestern zone to the center of the Argentine country where xerophytic species such as Prosopis, Acacia, among others, are observed; This type of region is characterized by being climatically arid or sub-humid regions, the plants found in these sectors are adapted to the scarcity of water and the dry environment.
Characteristic Trees
The tree species found in the dry forests of Argentina are the red quebracho (Schinopsis balansae), white quebracho (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco), in addition to the carob tree (Prosopis alba), lapacho (Handroanthus impetiginosus) and black guayacaú (Caesalpinia). paraguariensis). There are also some species belonging to palms such as yatay (Butia yatay), pindó (Syagrus romanzoffiana) and caranday (Trithrinax campestris).
Dry Jungle in Venezuela
Due to its great variety of natural resources, Venezuela is considered a rich country, it has several unique geographical conditions that give it a great variety of biomes, among them the presence of savannahs, rivers, lakes, mountains and mainly a large extension of plains that they extend in the western region of the country, considered as dry forests.
Thorn
The semi-arid areas of the country are known as espinar-cardonal, where species of small trees such as thorny bushes and columnar cacti, also called cardones, predominate. This type of region is observed in the Lara state depression, in the northwestern region of Falcón and in the Unare depression.
The species that predominate in these states are those belonging to the arborescent cacti family, such as the datum cardón (Stenocereus griseus) and the lefaria cardón (Cereus repandus), as well as the globose sub-shrub cacti such as the buchito (Mammillaria mammillaris) and the crop (Melocactus curvispinus); another kind of plant family are the legumes such as yabo (Parkinsonia praecox) and cují yaque (Prosopis juliflora). In addition to having the presence of scattered undergrowth, tree species that grow under the plant canopy at a lower height.
Deciduous Forest
Deciduous dry forests can be found in the coastal mountain ranges, specifically in the north of the country and in the region of the plains located in the south, encompassing the states of Apure, Barinas and part of the Andean mountain ranges, presenting deciduous forests with low mountains. approximately 6 meters to 9 meters, with a dry period of up to 6 months with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius.
The most prominent plant species in this type of forest are legumes, malvaceae, cacti and bignoniaceae. Among some of the most seen specimens are the vera (Bulnesia arborea), the yacure (Pithecellobium dulce) and the araguaney (Handroanthus chrysanthus), the latter being one of the most important for being a national symbol.
Semi-deciduous forest
Well known as the western plains located in the regions of Lara, Cojedes, Barinas, Apure, Guárico and others, there is a large area of semi-deciduous forests, with freshwater streams (rivers and lagoons), it is considered one of the environments richest in natural resources for the entire country, unfortunately some of them have been destroyed by uncontrolled logging, increased livestock and application of agriculture.
Today there are regions protected by the nation as forest reserves, highlighting Caparo located in Barinas; Fine wood species such as cedar (Cedrela odorata), padillos (Cordia alliodora), saqui saqui (bombacopsis quinatum) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) are found.
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