Dry forest in Colombia
Dry forest in Colombia is an ecosystem occurring in climatic seasonal areas, meaning that some species are deciduous. Dry forest in Colombia occurs in places with average temperature of 25 °C with rainfall ranging from 700 to 2000 mm and dry season lasting 3 months or more. Dry forest within Colombia has disjunct distribution. Its greatest extension was in the Caribbean and the inter-Andean Valleys (Magdalena and Cauca). There are also smaller and separate areas of dry forest: San Andrés and Providencia Islands, Chicamocha Canyon, Convención and Ocaña, Dagua Canyon, Villa Vieja and Patia Valley.
Leguminosae is the most species-rich family; followed by Bignoniaceae, Apocynaceae and Capparaceae. Colombian dry forest has well defined strata with canopy trees ranging from 10 to 25 meters with some emergent trees reaching up to 35 meters; Cavanillesia platanifolia (Bombacaceae), known as macondo is one of the most important floristic elements. Other common species of the dry forest in Colombia are: Tabernaemontana amydalifolia (cojón de fraile), Aspidosperma polyneuron (carreto), Bursera simaruba (indio encuero) and Hura crepitans (ceiba de leche). Endemic species include Pradosia colombiana (Mamón de tigre) with distribution restricted to Colombian and Venezuelan dry forest and Acanthosiris colombiana (Yaya de sangre), endemic to Colombia.
The dry forest in Colombia has highly diverse in flora and fauna. It is the habitat of the Saguinus oedipus (Cotton top-tamarin) an endemic Colombian primate.In Colombia, as in all the Neotropics, the dry forest is a seriously threatened ecosystem. It is estimated that its range has decreased from 80.000 km² to less than 1.5% of their natural extension. There are few dry forest fragments in a good state of conservation, and most of them are located the zones with a strong history of agricultural transformation, as in the Caribbean coast and Magdalena Valley.
Leguminosae is the most species-rich family; followed by Bignoniaceae, Apocynaceae and Capparaceae. Colombian dry forest has well defined strata with canopy trees ranging from 10 to 25 meters with some emergent trees reaching up to 35 meters; Cavanillesia platanifolia (Bombacaceae), known as macondo is one of the most important floristic elements. Other common species of the dry forest in Colombia are: Tabernaemontana amydalifolia (cojón de fraile), Aspidosperma polyneuron (carreto), Bursera simaruba (indio encuero) and Hura crepitans (ceiba de leche). Endemic species include Pradosia colombiana (Mamón de tigre) with distribution restricted to Colombian and Venezuelan dry forest and Acanthosiris colombiana (Yaya de sangre), endemic to Colombia.
The dry forest in Colombia has highly diverse in flora and fauna. It is the habitat of the Saguinus oedipus (Cotton top-tamarin) an endemic Colombian primate.In Colombia, as in all the Neotropics, the dry forest is a seriously threatened ecosystem. It is estimated that its range has decreased from 80.000 km² to less than 1.5% of their natural extension. There are few dry forest fragments in a good state of conservation, and most of them are located the zones with a strong history of agricultural transformation, as in the Caribbean coast and Magdalena Valley.