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Puerto Rican moist forests (WWF ecoregion NT0155)

Pine woods and saw palmetto, Pinelands Trail, Everglades Ntl. Park, FL
El Yunque rainforest, Caribbean National Forest, Puerto Rico. (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz


Source of ecoregions data: Olson, D. M. and E. Dinerstein. The Global 200: Priority ecoregions for global conservation. (PDF file) Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89:125-126.

Distinctiveness (1=highest,4=lowest): (not assessed)
A wide variety of species occur in habitats which vary due to elevation.*

Conservation Status (1=most endangered, 5=most intact): 2 (endangered)
Development threatens this ecoregion outside of protected areas.

Characteristic species*
 
Prestoea montana (sierra palm) (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires
 

Associated habitats

(c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires  hires  hires

El Yunque forest, Caribbean Ntl. Forest, Puerto Rico


The forest grows primarily over the hills and valleys of the Loquillo Mountains.  On the steeper slopes, landslides are common (right).   left: (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires, right: (c) 2006 Emma Hamilton  hires


El Yunque is divided into several forest types based on elevation.  At the higher elevations, rainfall can be heavy, resulting in lush rain forests and waterfalls. (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires  hires


In the dense forest, competition for light in the canopy is intense.  Gaps caused by treefalls or other disturbances provide an opportunity for the establishment of new individuals. left: (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires, right: (c) 2006 Emma Hamilton  hires


A common growth form in the forest is the liana, woody vines that use trees to support their growth into the increased light available in the canopy. (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires  hires


Giant tree ferns are an important component of the forest. (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires  hires


An important forest type in El Yunque is the Sierra palm forest, located at elevations above 500 m.   (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires  hires


The palms have distinctive roots that grow out of the base of the trunk (center).  The fruits of the palms form an important part of the diet of the endangered Puerto Rican parrot (fruit cluster can be seen on a tree in the right image). (c) 2006 Steven Klipowicz  hires  hires  hires

 

* Ricketts, T.H., E. Dinerstein, D.M. Olson, C.J. Loucks, et al.  (1999) Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment.  World Wildlife Fund - United States and Canada.  Island Press, Washington, D.C. pp. 150-152.

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