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G451 Caribbean Montane Cloud Forest & Scrub Group
Type Concept Sentence: This group is characterized by dwarf or "elfin" forests adapted to the unique conditions occurring on the exposed summits of the Caribbean mountain peaks, which stand the increase of both wind and rain and the almost constant presence of fog.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Caribbean Montane Cloud Forest & Scrub Group
Colloquial Name: Caribbean Montane Cloud Forest & Scrub
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group consists of open woodlands of gnarled and twisted trees laden with mosses and other epiphytes, usually growing above 1600 m elevation in the Caribbean; though in the Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico and in John Crow Mountains in Jamaica, it occurs above 700 m. Stands have an irregular canopy which is typically 6-12 m high with trees with gnarled trunks, compact crowns and small leaves. The group also includes a short scrub, 1.5-2 m high, with many thorny shrubs and herbaceous-leaved succulents which grows on steep rocky ridges of the highest peaks of Luquillo Mountains (900-1050 m elevation), and of Sierra Maestra in Cuba, between 1800 and 1970 m.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This group shares some of the tree dominant species with ~Caribbean Wet Montane Forest Group (G448)$$, but at higher elevations and with increased influence of wind and clouds, these species tend to grow shorter and more twisted.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Open forests or woodlands with an irregular canopy which is typically 6-10 m high. Trees have gnarled trunks, compact crowns and small leaves. The shrub layer is almost impenetrable. Tree ferns and epiphytes are abundant. Forest floor, tree trunks and branches are covered by bryophytes. In Cuba, elfin woodland is mainly composed of a dense bush of stunted, microphyllous, nanophyllous, evergreen trees and shrubs, many of which are endemic.
Floristics: In Cuba the following list of species are diagnostic for the montane cloud forest: Alsophila aspera, Cyathea arborea, Cyathea balanocarpa, Cyrilla racemiflora, Didymopanax tremulus, Duranta fletcheriana, Hedyosmum cubense, Henriettea ekmanii, Miconia turquinensis, Myrsine microphylla, Nectandra reticularis, Persea anomala, Podocarpus aristulatus, Sapium maestrense, Symplocos leonis, Tabebuia rigida, Tabebuia turquinensis, Tabebuia vinosa, Torralbasia cuneifolia, Vaccinium leonis, and Weinmannia pinnata. In windswept mountain ridges and summits from 500-1350 m a.s.l. in Puerto Rico and islands of the Lesser Antilles, the following species are typical: Croton poecilanthus, Cyrilla racemiflora, Magnolia splendens, Miconia laevigata, Micropholis garciniifolia, Micropholis guyanensis, Ocotea leucoxylon, Ocotea spathulata, Podocarpus coriaceus, Prestoea acuminata var. montana (= Prestoea montana), Ternstroemia luquillensis, Ternstroemia subsessilis and stunted trees of Sloanea spp. Diagnostic species for the wet short shrubland type in Cuba are Agave pendentata, Cassia turquinae, Eugenia maestrensis, Eupatorium sp., Ilex nunezii, Ilex turquinensis, Juniperus saxicola, Lepanthes spp., Lobelia cacuminis, Mitracarpus acunae, Myrica cacuminis, Persea similis, Pleurothalis spp., Schoepfia stenophylla, Vernonia sp., Viburnum villosum, and Weinmannia pinnata. In Puerto Rico and Martinique, Alsophila bryophila (= Cyathea bryophila), Ardisia luquillensis, Clidemia cymosa (= Heterotrichum cymosum), Daphnopsis philippiana, Eugenia borinquensis, Gonocalyx portoricensis, Henriettea squamulosa, Marcgravia sintenisii, Micropholis garciniifolia, Ocotea spathulata, and Tabebuia rigida are typical of this type. On mountain summits of St. Kitts and Nevis, Clusia rosea, Cyathea arborea, Hedyosmum arborescens, Myrsine coriacea, and Podocarpus coriaceus are common.
Dynamics: Landslides and hurricanes are the key triggers of dynamic processes of these forests. Hurricanes play a major role in controlling composition and complexity of forest vegetation and periodic disruption is variable due to storm direction and intensity. Substrate and topography and their interaction with the vegetation are the most important factors for the survival of these forests during hurricanes - probably the single most important natural trigger of the successional dynamic. Surviving trees have their roots securely anchored in the substrate. These factors are also critical for regulating surface runoff and maintaining the water balance under very humid conditions on exposed ridges and steep slopes. Forest recovery after disturbance is slow. Monitoring of dwarf forest in Puerto Rico''s Luquillo Mountains showed that it can take up to 20 years for woody species to establish and after that their growth rate is very slow. It took almost 35 years until the canopy closing decreased the grass and fern cover (Weaver 2008). Moreover, the succession process is often subjected to setbacks due to periodic hurricane disturbance.
Environmental Description: Forests and scrub of this group occur above 700 m elevation in areas with mean annual precipitation >1600 mm, frequently surrounded by clouds, and on different topographies but mostly slopes, exposed ridges, and ravines. Forests growing on exposed areas are of smaller stature and very dense. Taller forests grow on protected areas on lower slopes to the leeward of ridges or spurs. With cloud forests, one of the most critical climatic factors is the frequency and duration of the cloud cover; condensation can contribute 10% or more of the precipitation amount that these forests receive. In the Caribbean, the trade winds forming clouds have saline components which have an effect on the chemistry of the ecophysiology of these forests. Cloud cover causes less solar radiation, lower temperatures, decreased transpiration and lower photosynthetic rates, resulting in lower growth rates and lower nutrient-cycling rates. The efficiency shown by these forests in the use of nutrients is high though, which is important to avoid nutrient loss due to leaching.
Climate: Forests in this group are associated with high annual rainfall of over 1600 mm, extremely high moisture levels, frequent overcast conditions, abundant fog condensation, and high winds.
Soil/substrate/hydrology: Forests of this groups grow on limestone, volcanic, and sedimentary substrates. The soil is often waterlogged, but due to the gradient of the slope, runoff is high.
Climate: Forests in this group are associated with high annual rainfall of over 1600 mm, extremely high moisture levels, frequent overcast conditions, abundant fog condensation, and high winds.
Soil/substrate/hydrology: Forests of this groups grow on limestone, volcanic, and sedimentary substrates. The soil is often waterlogged, but due to the gradient of the slope, runoff is high.
Geographic Range: This group occurs in Luquillo Mountains and Cordillera Central in Puerto Rico, Pico Turquino, the highest mountain of Sierra Maestra in eastern Cuba, the northern ridges of the Blue Mountains and on the wet slopes of the John Crow Mountains in Jamaica, and in the Lesser Antilles, on mountain summits of St. Kitts and Nevis and Martinique.
Nations: CU,DO,JM,KN,MQ,PR,XD
States/Provinces: No Data Available
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.860796
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.A Tropical Forest & Woodland Subclass | S17 | 1.A |
| Formation | 1.A.3 Tropical Montane Humid Forest Formation | F004 | 1.A.3 |
| Division | 1.A.3.Eg Caribbean-Mesoamerican Montane Humid Forest Division | D228 | 1.A.3.Eg |
| Macrogroup | 1.A.3.Eg.1 Caribbean Montane Humid Forest Macrogroup | M598 | 1.A.3.Eg.1 |
| Group | 1.A.3.Eg.1.a Caribbean Montane Cloud Forest & Scrub Group | G451 | 1.A.3.Eg.1.a |
Concept Lineage: G452 concept covered by G451 (CJ 5-14-13)
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Elfin woodland (Beard 1949)
? Montane Scrub Zone (Dansereau 1966)
? Montane thicket (Beard 1949)
? Montane Scrub Zone (Dansereau 1966)
? Montane thicket (Beard 1949)
- Areces-Mallea, A. E., A. S. Weakley, X. Li, R. G. Sayre, J. D. Parrish, C. V. Tipton, and T. Boucher. 1999. A guide to Caribbean vegetation types: Preliminary classification system and descriptions. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 166 pp.
- Beard, J. S. 1949. The natural vegetation of the Windward and Leeward islands. Oxford Forestry Memoirs 21. 192 pp.
- Borhidi, A. 1991. Phytogeography and vegetation ecology of Cuba. Akademiai Kiado. Budapest, Hungary. 858 pp. plus color plates and map by A. Borhidi and O. Muniz (1970) inside of back cover.
- Byer, M. D., and P. L. Weaver. 1977. Early secondary succession in an elfin woodland in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Biotropica 9:35-47.
- Dansereau, P. 1966. Studies on the vegetation of Puerto Rico. Part I. Description and integration of the plant-communities. University of Puerto Rico, Institute of Caribbean Sciences. Special Publication No. 1. Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. 287 pp.
- Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Forestry and Wildlife Division. No date. Maps of vegetation and land cover in Dominica. Unpublished.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
- Figueroa Colon, J. 1996. Geoclimatic regions of Puerto Rico (map). USGS Water Resources Division. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Helmer, E. H., O. Ramos, T. del M. López, M. Quiñones, and W. Diaz. 2002. Mapping the forest type and land cover of Puerto Rico: A component of the Caribbean biodiversity hotspot. Caribbean Journal of Science 38:165-183.
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry. No date. Maps of vegetation and land cover in Puerto Rico. [in press]
- Josse, C., G. Navarro, P. Comer, R. Evans, D. Faber-Langendoen, M. Fellows, G. Kittel, S. Menard, M. Pyne, M. Reid, K. Schulz, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2003. Ecological systems of Latin America and the Caribbean: A working classification of terrestrial systems. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Silver, W. L., E. Marin-Spiotta, and A. E. Lugo. 2001. El Caribe. En: M. Kappelle and A. D. Brown, editors. Bosques nublados del Neotrópico. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, INBio, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica. 704 pp.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 2000. Maps of vegetation and land cover in Jamaica. Unpublished preliminary map with field verification. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 2004a. Greater Caribbean Ecoregional Plan. An ecoregional plan for Puerto Rico: Portfolio design. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Tolentino, L., and M. Peña. 1998. Inventario de la vegetacion y uso de la tierra en la Republica Dominicana. Moscosoa 10:179-202.
- Weaver, P. L. 1990. Succession in the elfin woodland of the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Biotropica 22:83-89.
- Weaver, P. L. 1991. Environmental gradients affect forest composition in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Interciencia 16:1442-151.
- Weaver, P. L. 2000. Elfin woodland recovery 30 years after a plane wreck in Puerto Rico''s Luquillo Mountains. Caribbean Journal of Science 36(1-2):1-9.
- Weaver, P. L. 2008. Dwarf forest recovery after disturbance in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Caribbean Journal of Science 44(2):150-163.
- Weaver, P. L., E. Medina, D. Pool, K. Dugger, J. Gonzales-Liboy, and E. Cuevas. 1986. Ecological observations in the dwarf cloud forest of the Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 18:79-85.