Panoramic view of cerrado habitat in Brazil. Cerrado The denomination of Cerrado habitat has been used widely for the non-forest vegetation that ranges from open grasslands (Campo Sujo) to dense woodlands (Cerradao). Trees and shrubs in these habitats have thick fire-resistant barks, twisted trunks and limbs, and large thick leaves. The cerrado habitat encompasses nearly […]
Semi-humind montane scrub in an inter-Andean valley in central Peru. Semi-Humid and Humid Montane Scrub The Semi-humid and humid montane scrub are zones of moist dense shrub and scrub. These habitat types are generally found at elevations of 2900-3000 meters, particularly in moist inter-montane valleys and extend up to the puna grasslands. Semi-humid montane scrub with patches
Arid montane scrub in the high Andes. Arid Montane Scrub The arid montane scrub is structurally similar to the arid lowlad scrub. This habitat type supports a variety of plant communities including shrubby vegetation, scrub, scattered small trees, and cacti. Arid montane scrub occurs throughout Tropical America including the Andean mountains at elevations ranging between
Arid lowland scrub in northwest Peru. Photo: Segundo Crespo. Arid Lowland Scrub The arid lowland scrub includes a variety of plant communities generally composed of shrubs, scrub, grasses, cacti, and scattered small trees. The Arid lowland scrub is a vegetative cover of short stature that occurs throughout Tropical America. A sample of arid lowland scrub
Mangrove forest subject to tidal flood of saltwater in Tumbes, Peru. Photo: Alfredo Begazoa. Mangrove Forest A stand of mangrove may have the appearance of scrub or a relatively short forest formation that occurs at the edges of salt or brackish bodies of water. Mangroves species are salt-tolerant and have evolved in harsh conditions of being
Palm forest composed of Mauritia flexuosa palm next to an oxbow lake in Southeastern Peru. Photo: Victor Gamarra. Palm Forest A stand of palm forest occurs in old lake beds, in swamps, as well as in wet areas of poor drainage in tropical South America. Palm forests can be extensive stands of pure Mauritia flexuosa, as
White sand forest in Brazil. Photo: Courtesy of Mongabay.com White Sand Forest The white sand forest is patchily distributed in Tropical South America. The appearance of white sand forest varies from stands of scrub and shrubs with bare patches of sand to forest structurally similar to the forest that surrounds patches of white sand forest. Typical
Pine-Oak forest where oaks are a dominant species of tree. Photo: Jon Anderson/Flickr Pine-Oak Forest The Pine-Oak forest is found in the mountains of Northern Mexico through Nicaragua mainly at elevations ranging between 900-2800 meters. Throughout its range, this forest ecosystem is composed of a mix of oak and pine with oak species replacing each
Pine forest in Mexico. Photo: Davin Baron/Flickr. Pine Forest The pine forest is found largely in the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. To a lesser extent, pine forests also extend to Nicaragua, but not continuously but in isolated patches. The pine forest is also a dominant forest type on some islands in the Bahamas, Cuba,
Southern temperate forest dominated by Araucaria spp. in southeastern Brazil. Photo: Jason Hollinger/Wikipedia. Southern Temperate Forest The Southern temperate forest is a woodland formation dominated by Araucaria spp. This forest type once covered large areas of eastern Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina in Brazil, above 900 meters. The southern temperate forest has
