Plants of the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve

This is a list of plants found in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve. The reserve straddles the Mexican states of Colima and Jalisco. It is located in the transition between the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The effects of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve.

Ecological characteristics

General characteristics

Forest types in the reserve including mesophytic, cloud, dry deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forests. Anthropologists know the region as Zona de Occidente, an area notably different from the rest of Mesoamerica. Some ceramic remnants, figurines and graves have been found, but there is little other material evidence of ancient human settlement. As of 1995 almost 8,000 people lived in the Sierra de Manantlán Reserve, engaged mainly in agriculture (corn, beans, tomatoes, sugar cane, watermelon, mangoes), livestock grazing, timber production, and extraction of wood for fuel and mining of coal or minerals. Another 30,000 lived in the surrounding communities and almost 700,000 in the surrounding region.^[1]

Location and geography

The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve is located to the extreme north of the inter-tropical zone. The climate in the region is influenced by its proximity to the coast, the effect of its landform (orographic shade) and the breadth of its altitudinal range. These characteristics explain the high biodiversity and the presence of numerous plant formations ranging from tropical forests to temperate-cold climates.

Birds and mammals

The Sierra de Manantlán's varied and complex plant cover harbours a great wealth of flora. There are over 2900 species of vascular plants belonging to 981 genera. Wildlife is one of the important components of the high biodiversity in this reserve. Among the main values of the Sierra de Manantlán, in addition to its great wealth of species and its unique biogeographical characteristics, particular mention should be made of the presence of endangered or useful endemic species. So far 110 mammal species have been reported, including the Mexican vole subspecies Microtus mexicanus neveriae, the pocket gopher Cratogeomys gymnurus russelli, the oncilla, jaguarandi, ocelot, puma, bobcat, jaguar and four species of nectarivorous bats.

There are 336 bird species which have been reported, among them are 36 which are endemic to Mexico, such as the charismatic species: crested guan (Penelope purpurascens), military macaw (Ara militaris), red-lored amazon (Amazona autumnalis) and the Mexican national symbol, the golden eagle. In terms of herpetofauna, 85 species have been recorded; of these 13 are endemic to the western and central region of Mexico: rattlesnake, black iguana, frog Shyrrhopus modestus, beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) and the Autlan rattlesnake (Crotalus lannomi), an endemic species only reported for the area of Puerto de Los Mazos. Of the 16 species of fish identified, 13 are native and four are endemic to the region.

Most plants in the list below can be found in Flora de Manantlán,^[2] and that should be assumed as a reference when no other is indicated. References to other sources are included where found. The herbarium web pages at the National Autonomous University of Mexico^[3] and at the Missouri Botanical Garden^[4] are used as authorities for names with adjustments for the system in use by Wikipedia. Species include ecosystem, growth habit, and common names where available.

Ecological characteristics

General characteristics

Location and geography

Birds and mammals

Monocotyledons or Liliopsida

Graminea or Poaceae

Liliaceae or Asparagaceae

Magnoliopsida or Dicotyledons

Justicia or Jacobinia

Ruellia or Blechum

Aizoaceae or Molluginaceae

Apocynaceae or Asclepiadaceae