Tropical Dry Forest

Biologist/Environmentalist

Biologist

Where are Tropical Dry Forests Found?• Tropical and Subtropical Dry Forests are

found in southern Mexico, southeastern Africa, the Lesser Sundas, central India, Indochina, Madagascar, New Caledonia, eastern Bolivia and central Brazil, the Caribbean, and along the coasts of Ecuador and Peru.

Environmentalist

Types of problems • Burning which is extremely harming

the plants and animals air. • Dry forests are highly sensitive to

excessive burning and deforestation• The drought affects the way the

living organisms survive in the dry forest.

What are people trying to do?

• Recent activities have included the development of management plans for existing parks.

• The government is taking little concern with the burning problem of the tropical dry forest.

Where are they protected?

• Punta Coral Private Reserve is located at the most eastern tip of the Peninsula of Nicoya, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.It consists of 30 acres of protected Tropical Dry Forest. There are no roads leading to the property and no electricity.

Diseases in the water

• Pesticides, fertilizers, and other toxic farm chemicals can pollute fresh water supplies.

Pictures

Climate/Season• On average temperatures of the three warmest and three coldest

months do not differ by more than 5 degrees. • One of the major characteristics of tropical forests is their distinct

seasonality: winter is absent, and only two seasons are present (rainy and dry).

• Mean monthly temperatures are above 64 ° F. • There is usually a brief season of reduced precipitation. In monsoonal

areas, there is a real dry season, but that is more than compensated for with abundant precipitation the rest of the year

Precipitation• Precipitation is often in excess of 100 inches a year• Annual hard dry season• Plants and trees must be able to withstand periods of low rainfall• No set amount of rainfall per year.• The Dry season is long and there are few periods of rain

Location• Tropical dry forest occur near the equator, within the area bounded by

latitudes 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S• Location of Tropical dry forests:• India

·Indochina·West Africa & West Madagascar·Southern Africa·South America. North & South of Amazon, Central America & West Indies·Northern Australia

Soil/Plant life• Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic. Decomposition is rapid and soils are

subject to heavy leaching.• Average rainfall is sufficient enough to promote growth of trees• Many of the trees are also deciduous. They drop their leaves during

the driest months to reduce their water needs.• Plants also have an extra waxy layer to slow evaporation.• The newly bare trees open up the canopy layer, enabling sunlight to

reach ground level and facilitate the growth of thick underbrush.

• http://thebirdzoo.com/Tropical%20Dry%20Forest.htm

• http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/tdforest.htm

• http://www.botany.wisc.edu/courses/botany_422/Lecture/Lect08TropDry.html