Puerto Rican dry forests

Puerto Rican dry forests
Dry forest in Guánica State Forest
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmNeotropic
BiomeTropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
BordersPuerto Rican moist forests
Geography
Area1,159[1] km2 (447 sq mi)
CountryUnited States
CommonwealthPuerto Rico
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/Endangered[2]
Protected196 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 

  1. ^ 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]
  2. ^ a b "Puerto Rican dry forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ 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.