Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests

Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests
Ecology
Biome	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Borders	Balsas dry forests Tehuacan Valley matorral Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests Southern Pacific dry forests
Bird species	330
Mammal species	151
Geography
Area	61,200 km2 (23,600 sq mi)
Country	Mexico
Conservation
Habitat loss	10.689%
Protected	1.61%

The Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range of southern Mexico.

Setting

The Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests occupy an area of 61,200 square kilometers (23,600 sq mi), within the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.

The pine-oak forests occupy the higher slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur range, which runs east and west parallel to Mexico's southern Pacific Coast. The forests are surrounded by tropical dry forests at lower elevations; the Jalisco dry forests to the west; the Balsas dry forests to the north, in the basin of the Balsas River, and the Southern Pacific dry forests to the south and east along the Pacific coast.

Flora

The chief plant communities are oak forests, cloud forests, pine-oak forests, and fir forests. The plant communities vary with elevation and rainfall.

The oak forests occur between 1900 and 2500 metres elevation (6,200-8,200 feet). Quercus magnoliifolia and Quercus castanea are the predominant tree species, with individuals of Pinus montezumae. Orchids and bromeliads grow as epiphytes.

Cloud forests grow at 2300 metres (7,500 feet). Predominant trees are Abies guatemalensis, Quercus uxoris, Pinus ayacahuite, and Cupressus lusitanica.

Pine-oak forests grow at 2400–2500 metres (7,900-8,200 feet). Predominant trees are Quercus magnoliifolia, Q. castanea, Q. obtusata, Pinus herrerai, P. pseudostrobus, P. pringlei, P. ayacahuite, P. rzedowskii, and Arbutus xalapensis.

Fir forests grow above 3,000 metres (9,800 feet).

See also

• Conifers of Mexico

External links

• "Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
• World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.