Medium ambient

Types of ecosystems

Lva Medium or semi-deciduous tropical forest
In general these dense forests are 15 to 40 m high and more or less closed by the manner in which the tops of the trees join in the canopy.
At least half of the trees lose their leaves during the dry season.
Their temperatures are 0 ° C to 28 ° C.

Among tree forms can be found copies of "parota" or "Guanacaste", "Red Cedar"as well as several species of Ficus along with various species of lianas and epiphytes.

Their geographical distribution is presented discontinuously from central Sinaloa to the coastal area of Chiapas, on the Pacific side and forms a narrow strip covering part of Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche; there are also some isolated patches in Veracruz and Tamaulipas.

Much of the area occupied bythe original vegetation is now used for shifting cultivation, irrigation and temporal as well as for crops mainly maize, plantain, beans, sugar cane and coffee. Also, some tree species are used for timber production purposes.

Low forest or tropical deciduous forest


Characteristic of warm climate regions, with an average annual temperature of 20 to 29 ° C, which occurs in relation to itsmoisture content, a dry season and the rainy season very marked throughout the year.
In undisturbed conditions the trees are up to 15 m high, most often between 8 and 12 m.

Among the most frequent species of this vegetation type are "cuajiote" or "copal", Ceiba aesculifolia "pochote" and column shaped cactus res.
Theycoverlargeareas almost continuous from southern Sonora and southwesternChihuahua to Chiapas as well as part of Baja California Sur. On the Gulf side are three more isolated bands: one in Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi and northern Veracruz, another in central Veracruz and one in Yucatan and Campeche.
Today is an ecosystem that is seriously threatened with destruction rate of about 2% annually.

The Spiny Forest


Mostly consists of "thorn trees" such as mesquite,"quisache", "tintal", "white stick" or the cactus and "cactus."
It occupies about 5% of the total area of Mexico. It is difficult to define because it is in "patches" between different types of vegetation such as tropical deciduous forest, and desert scrub and grassland.
The temperature varies from 17 to 29 ° C with a dry season from 5 to 9 months.
Their destruction has been accelerated by,among other things to your soil is suitable for agriculture, so it has been largely replaced by various crops, or in some areas, as part of "La Huasteca" in Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz,
Has been replaced by artificial grass for livestock.

Dry scrubland

Includes shrub communities in arid and semiarid regions of Mexico.
With dry desert climate, desert and temperate with little rain.The average annual temperature varies from 12 to 26 ° C.
The flora is characterized has a number of adaptations to aridity, so there are many species of plants that only become evident when the soil has sufficient moisture.
Among the most common species in thickets are: Mezquital or Saguaro cactus, cholla, copal, matacora, ocotillo, and various types of scrub, scrub fog, the micrófilo desertscrub, desert scrub rosette, the Tamaulipas thorn scrub, scrub submontane and Chaparral. El Chaparral is composed of bushes and trees that hardly exceed 12 m in height, such as manzanita and Rosa de Castilla.
Overall, xerophytic scrub, given the climatic conditions in which they develop, are not very conducive for agriculture or intensive farming, so have not been so disturbed by anthropogenicactivities, although the extraction of fish, mainly cactus.

The Pasture


This vegetation type is dominated by grasses or pastures. Shrubs and trees are scarce and scattered, and only concentrate on the banks of rivers and streams.
Average annual rainfall is between 300 and 600 mm, 6 to 9 months dry with a dry steppe or desert climate.
In general the use of natural grasslands in our...