Tropical Seasonal ForestClay Turner

Jordan Dunn

Tropical Seasonal Forest

• Also known as the “Tropical Dry Forest” and the “Tropical Deciduous Forest.”

• High temp. around 20° Celcius• Rainfall anywhere between 50 to 300 cm/year

Key differences between Tropical Seasonal Forest and Savanna.

• Tropical Seasonal Forest possesses more densely-populated groups of trees, while trees in the Savanna is more sparse.

• The Savanna is typically dryer than Tropical Seasonal Forest and averages less yearly precipitation.

Most of Mexico is a Tropical Seasonal Forest, The west coast of Central America. Northeast South America (Brazil-Argentina). Much of southern and central Africa, as well as India and southeast Asia and Northern Australia.

Critters

• Nine-banded Armadillo

• Black Iguana

The Kinkajou

Paca

• Turquoise-Browed Motmot

AgoutiViolaceous Trogon

Producers

• Acacia tree

• “Naked Indian” tree

Malinche Tree

Caoba

• Pochote

• Guapinol ->

Jobo Tree ->

Human Impact

• The Tropical Seasonal Forest is a common target of clear-cutting for lumber and repurposing as pastures and agricultural fields.

• Wild animals are often chased off by farmers who put up fences around critical watering holes and paths for migration.

• Tropical Seasonal Forests are often located in areas of high population growth, this has put pressure on officials to remove these forests for more farm land.

What’s Being Done?

• Many individuals have taken up the cause of protecting these forests.

• Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai founded Green Belt, an organization dedicated to ending poverty and deforestation in Africa.

Green belt has planted over 30 million trees since its forming in 1977.

Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica

Bibliography

• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tropdry.htm

• http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/presentation-speech.html