| Puerto Rican dry forests | |
|---|---|
 Dry forest in Guánica State Forest | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropic |
| Biome | Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
| Borders | Puerto Rican moist forests |
| Geography | |
| Area | 1,159[1] km2 (447 sq mi) |
| Country | United States |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/Endangered[2] |
| Protected | 196 km2 (17%)[1] |
The Puerto Rican dry forests are a tropical dry forest ecoregion located in southwestern and eastern Puerto Rico and on the offshore islands.[3] They cover an area of 1,300 km2 (500 sq mi).[2] These forests grow in areas receiving less than 1,000 mm (39 in) of rain annually. Many of the trees are deciduous, losing their leaves during the dry season which normally lasts from December to April.[4]: 179–180
- ^ a b Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
- ^ a b "Puerto Rican dry forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
- ^ Ewel, J. J.; Whitmore, J. L. (1973). The Ecological Life Zones of Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands (PDF). USDA Forest Service Institute of Tropical Forestry.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Murphy, Peter G.; Lugo, Ariel E.; Murphy, Alice J.; Nepstad, Daniel C. (1995). "The dry forests of Puerto Rico's south coast". In Lugo, Ariel E.; Lowe, Carol (eds.). Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology. New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 178–209. ISBN 978-1-4612-7563-3.