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Guánica State Forest
LocationPuerto Rico, USA
Nearest cityGuánica
Area9,878 acres (40 km²)[1]
Established1919
Governing bodyDepartment of Natural Resources of Puerto Rico

Guánica State Forest (Spanish: Bosque Estatal de Guánica) is a subtropical dry forest located in southwest Puerto Rico. The area was designated as a forest reserve in 1919 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981.[2] It has been described as the best preserved, subtropical forest and the best example of dry forest in the Caribbean.[3]

Geography

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Located in the dry orographic rain shadow of the Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico's driest area, temperatures in the forest are, on average, around 80 °F in shaded areas and 100 °F in exposed areas.[1] The average temperature is 25.3 °C (77.5 °F) and the average annual rainfall is 791 mm (31.1 in).[4]

Climate

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  • Rainfall
  • Soil moisture

Between 1700 and 2004 15 hurricanes passed close to Guánica Forest, with an average return interval of 20 years. Seven of these were strong hurricanes (Category 3 or greater), resulting in a return interval of 43 years.[5]

History

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  • Old production forest
  • Reserved after the American annexation
  • The CCC in Guánica
  • Removal of villagers
  • Establishment as MAB site
  • Recent developments?

Between 1820 and 1948 twenty-three families lived at El Maniel, which is now within Guánica Forest.[6] They cultivated small agricultural plots and pastured livestock, but the major use of the forest was charcoal production.[6]

Flora and fauna

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Approximately half of Puerto Rico's birds and nine of 16 the endemic bird species occur in the Guánica State Forest. Twenty-one species of birds are considered "winter residents" in the forest and important wintering habitat for three species - Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus), American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla), and Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia).[7]

  • Animals of Guánica

Ten species of lizard are found in Guánica Forest[8] including the threatened Puerto Rican endemic Anolis cooki (Cook's Anole) .[9][10] Anolis cristatellus (the Puerto Rican Crested Anole) and Sphaerodactylus nicholsi are the most abundant species.[8]

Endangered species listed under the United States Endangered Species Act include:

Over 650 plant species have been recorded from Guánica Forest,[11] including several endangered species.

Endangered species listed under the United States Endangered Species Act include:

Ecology

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Guánica State Forest includes both terrestrial and marine habitats.

Eight plant associations are present in the forest. The three largest are upland deciduous forest (which occupies 23.5 km²), semi-evergreen forest (7.2 km²), and scrub forest (5.8 km²). Smaller areas are occupied by mangrove, beach thickets and salt flats. Also present are areas of tree plantation and anthropogenic savanna.[15]

Similar to other insular dry forests, species diversity is low; between 30 and 50 tree species are found per ha.[16]

More than 700 plant species, of which 48 are endangered and 16 are endemic to the forest, occur within the forest.

  • Succession
  • Energy flows
  • Seed germination
  • Response to hurricanes

References

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  1. ^ a b "Areas Protegida: Bosque Estatal de Guánica" (in Spanish). Retrieved November 26, 2006.
  2. ^ "2006 Federal Register, 71 FR 48883". Retrieved November 26, 2006.
  3. ^ Ewel, J.L. & J.L. Whitmore. 1973. The ecological life zones of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. USDA For. Serv. Res. Pap. ITF-18.
  4. ^ Silander, S., H. Gil de Rubio, M. Miranda, and M. Vazquez. 1986. Los Bosques de Puerto Rico, Volume II. Compendio Enciclopédico de los Recursos Naturales de Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
  5. ^ Van Bloem, Skip J.; Murphy, Peter G.; Lugo, Ariel E.; Ostertag, Rebecca; Costa, Maria Rivera; Bernard, Ivelisse Ruiz; Colon, Sandra Molina; Mora, Miguel Canals (2005). "The influence of hurricane winds on Caribbean dry forest structure and nutrient pools". Biotropica. 37 (4): 571–583. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2005.00074.x. no
  6. ^ a b Colón, Sandra Molina; Lugo, Ariel E. (2006). "Recovery of a Subtropical Dry Forest After Abandonment of Different Land Uses". Biotropica. 38 (3): 354–364. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00159.x. no
  7. ^ Faaborg, John; Dugger, Katie M.; Arendt, Wayne J. (2007). "Long-term variation in the winter resident bird community of Guánica Forest, Puerto Rico: lessons for measuring and monitoring species richness". Journal of Field Ornithology. 78 (3): 270–278. doi:10.1111/j.1557-9263.2007.00114.x. no{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  8. ^ a b Genet, Kristen S. (2001). "The lizard community of a subtropical dry forest: Guánica forest, Puerto Rico" (PDF). Tropical Ecology. 42 (1). International Society for Tropical Ecology: 97–109. ISSN 0564-3295. no {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Genet, Kristen S. (2002). "Structural Habitat and Ecological Overlap of the Puerto Rican Lizards Anolis cristatellus and A. cooki, with Comments on the Long-term Survival and Conservation of A. cooki" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 38 (3–4): 272–278. no
  10. ^ Rodríguez-Robles, Javier A.; Jezkova, Tereza; Leal, Manuel (2008). "Genetic structuring in the threatened "Lagartijo del Bosque Seco" (Anolis cooki) from Puerto Rico". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 46 (2): 503–514. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.11.006. PMID 18180174. no{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ Figueroa Colon, Julio C. (June 1996). "Phytogeographical trends, centers of high species richness and endemism, and the question of extinctions in the native flora of Puerto Rico". In Julio C. Figueroa Colon (ed.). The Scientific Survey of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: an Eighty-Year Reassessment of the Islands' Natural History. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Vol. 776. New York: New York Academy of Sciences. pp. 89–102.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  12. ^ Silander, Susan (1991). "Bariaco (Trichilia triacantha) Recovery Plan" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved 2008-05-29. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ a b c Silander, Susan (1998). "Mitracarpus maxwelliae, Mitracarpus polycladus, and Eugenia woodburyana Recovery Plan" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved 2008-05-29. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ^ Silander, Susan (1994). "Ottoschulzia rhodoxylon (palo de rosa) Recovery Plan" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved 2008-05-29. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ Lugo, Ariel E. (1978). "Structure, productivity and transpiration of a subtropical dry forest in Puerto Rico". Biotropica. 10 (4): 278–291. doi:10.2307/2387680. JSTOR 2387680. no {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Murphy, Peter G. (1986). "Structure and biomass of a subtropical dry forest in Puerto Rico". Biotropica. 18 (2): 278–291. doi:10.2307/2388750. JSTOR 2388750. no {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Category:1919 establishments Category:Puerto Rico state forests

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