| Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests | |
|---|---|
 pine–oak forest inIztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park,Puebla state | |
 location of theTrans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests ecoregion | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropical |
| Biome | Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 92,503 km2 (35,716 sq mi) |
| Country | Mexico |
| States | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered[2] |
| Protected | 17.85%[1] |
TheTrans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests is asubtropical coniferous forestecoregion of theTrans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of centralMexico.
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The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests occupy an area of 92,503 square kilometers (35,716 sq mi), extending fromJalisco state in the west toVeracruz in the east.
The main mass of the volcanic belt extends east to west through the states of Jalisco,Michoacán,México,Morelos,Tlaxcala,Puebla, and Veracruz. The ecoregion includes the smaller mountain ranges which rise from the Mexican Plateau, including theSierra de Santa Rosa,Sierra de Lobos, andSierra de Pénjamo in Guanajuato, and northwards toEl Gogorrón National Park inSan Luis Potosí.
The pine–oak forests are surrounded bytropical dry forests at lower elevations to the west, northwest, and south; theJalisco dry forests to the west and southwest; theBalsas dry forests to the south in the basin of theBalsas River, and theBajío dry forests to the northwest in the basin of theRío Grande de Santiago and the lowerRio Lerma. TheCentral Mexican matorral lies to the north of the range in the high basins of the Plateau, including theValley of Mexico and the upper reaches of the Lerma aroundToluca. TheTehuacán Valley matorral lies in therain shadow valley to the southeast inPuebla andTlaxcala states. To the east, the moistVeracruz montane forests andOaxacan montane forests are the transition between the pine–oak forests and the lowland tropical forests along theGulf of Mexico.
Pockets ofmontane grassland and shrubland can be found among the pine–oak forests, and constitute a separate ecoregion, theZacatonal.
The chief plant communities are pine forests, pine–oak forests, oak forests, pine–cedar forests, and pine–fir forests. The plant communities vary with elevation and rainfall.
Pine forests are generally found between 2,275 and 2,600 m. Pine–oak forests occur between 2,470 and 2,600 m. Pine–cedar forests can be found above 2,700 m. Pine–fir forests occur above 3000 m.
In the pine forests, Montezuma pine (Pinus montezumae) is generally predominant, with smooth-bark Mexican pine (P. pseudostrobus) predominant in more humid areas, andHartweg's pine (P. hartwegii) andP. tecote in dry areas with shallow soils.
Pine–fir forests are composed almost entirely of Hartweg's pine (Pinus hartwegii) and sacred fir (Abies religiosa).
The western portion of the ecoregion, in western Jalisco and Colima states, is home to several endemic species.[3]Quercus iltisii is found in the mountains of Jalisco and Colima.[4]Quercus cualensis is known only from theSierra el Cuale in western Jalisco between 1,800 and 2,300 meters elevation, and is endangered.[5]Quercus tuitensis is found only in the lower montane forests of Jalisco's Sierra el Tuito.Magnolia iltisiana is found in the Manantlán and Cacoma sierras of Jalisco and near Morelia in Michoacán.Acer binzayedii is known only from the Sierra de Manantlán.Pinus jaliscana is also endemic to western Jalisco, where it is found mostly in the Sierra el Cuale and Sierra el Tuito.
TheTransvolcanic jay, (Aphelocoma ultramarina),Sierra Madre sparrow (Xenospiza baileyi) and thegreen-striped brushfinch (Atlapetes virenticeps) are near-endemic species, limited to the pine–oak forests of the Transvolcanic Range and the southernSierra Madre Occidental. Other native birds include thegreat horned owl (Bubo virginianus),long-tailed wood partridge (Dendrortyx macroura),white-tipped dove (Leptotila verreauxi),Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae),banded quail (Philortx fasciatus),northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), andgrey-barred wren (Campylorhynchus megalopterus).[2]
Thevolcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) and theMexican volcano mouse (Neotomodon alstoni) areendemic to the ecoregion.
The Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests of easternMichoacán and westernMéxicostates is the winter habitat ofmonarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), which migrate from temperate regions of North America east of theRocky Mountains. TheMariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve is within thishabitat.
17.85% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include:[1]
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