Gallery forest in Brazil. Courtesy of Mongabay.com. The gallery forests is a forest formation associated with courses of rivers, wetlands, or other sources of permanent water. Gallery forests occur in areas that do not support forest or support only scrub, grasslands, with scattered trees. The Gallery forest occurs along permanent or semi-permanent sources due to the availability […]
Second growth vegetation growing on what once was lowland tropical humid forest. Second Growth Forest and Woodlands Second growth habitats are largely a successional stage of vegetation that grows after the primary forest is cleared. Most second growth habitats occur in areas where the primary or the mature forest was cleared by humans. Natural disturbances that eliminate
Lake Uyuni a permanent alkaline lake in Bolivia. Alkaline Lakes Alkaline lakes are found in the high Andes, Patagonia, and patchily distributed in other regions. Some alkaline lakes contain water permanently while others are ephemeral and contain water for only a few months after each rainy season. Other alkaline lakes only appear in years of
Pastures with scattered native trees constitute habitat for many native and resident bird species. Photo: David. Pastures and Agricultural Lands Extensive areas of pastures and agricultural lands occur in southeastern Brazil and northern Argentina. These pastures likely were native grasslands prior to the planting of more productive grasses and their conversion to pasture for cattle
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
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
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,
