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G683 Caribbean Ruderal Dry Forest Group
Type Concept Sentence: Caribbean ruderal dry forests occur on rapidly drained soils commonly on dry leeward areas and in some areas of higher rainfall on islands of the Greater Antilles, most commonly on former agricultural or grazing land, now dominated by trees.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Caribbean Ruderal Dry Forest Group
Colloquial Name: Caribbean Ruderal Dry Forest
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: These ruderal dry forests occur on the leeward areas of islands of the Greater Antilles, and on rapidly drained soils in some areas of higher rainfall. In the Lesser Antilles, where orthographic factors have little influence on rainfall patterns, it occurs in a wide variety of sites. These ruderal dry forests occur most commonly on former agricultural or grazing land, now dominated by trees.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Dominated by dry deciduous trees and shrubs, especially the common naturalized legumes Leucaena leucocephala and Prosopis juliflora (Colón et al. 2011). Trees tend to be very dense and small, and forests tend to be strongly dominated by one or a few tree species.
Floristics: Dominant and common trees and shrubs include Vachellia farnesiana (= Acacia farnesiana), Acacia macracantha, Acacia muricata, Amyris elemifera, Capparis cynophallophora, Eugenia cordata, Leucaena leucocephala, Melicoccus bijugatus, Myrciaria floribunda, Pisonia subcordata, and Prosopis pallida (Brandeis et al. 2009b, Colón et al. 2011). Leucaena leucocephala is considered native to Puerto Rico in Brandeis et al. (2009b), but considered in Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong (2012) to be introduced.
Dynamics: Ruderal dry forests closer to large natural native forests (such as the Guánica Forest Biosphere Reserve, in Puerto Rico) have higher native tree species diversity, and are more floristically similar to natural native forests, than ruderal dry forests surrounded by farmland farther away from large natural native forests (Colón et al. 2011). Forest fragmentation has been very high, so many examples of ruderal dry forest are far from large native dry forests, but even small native forest fragments can serve as dispersal sources for native trees, and provide habitat for bird and bat species which disperse tree seeds (Colón et al. 2011).
Environmental Description: Occurs in leeward areas on islands of the Greater Antilles, and on rapidly drained soils in some areas of higher rainfall. In the Lesser Antilles, where orthographic factors have little influence on rainfall patterns, it occurs in a wide variety of sites. Ruderal forests mainly occur on sites which were formerly used for agriculture, agroforestry or grazing (Lugo and Helmer 2004, Colón et al. 2011, Lugo 2013). Ruderal forests have higher soil bulk densities due to past soil compaction. Also there is much less leaf litter and soil organic matter than in mature native forests, but soil organic matter increases in ruderal forests over time following abandonment of agriculture or grazing (Weaver et al. 1987, Lugo and Helmer 2004).
Geographic Range: This group is found in the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, Bahamas, and southern Florida.
Nations: BS,CU,DO,JM,KN,PR,US,VI,XC,XD
States/Provinces: FL
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.881423
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNA
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.1 Tropical Dry Forest & Woodland Formation | F003 | 1.A.1 |
| Division | 1.A.1.Ea Caribbean-Mesoamerican Dry Forest & Woodland Division | D099 | 1.A.1.Ea |
| Macrogroup | 1.A.1.Ea.90 Caribbean Ruderal Dry Forest Macrogroup | M514 | 1.A.1.Ea.90 |
| Group | 1.A.1.Ea.90.a Caribbean Ruderal Dry Forest Group | G683 | 1.A.1.Ea.90.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > AcaFar (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
> AcaMur/PisSub (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
>< II.B.1.N.a. Prosopis pallida-(Bucida buceras) Woodland Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
> III.B.1.N.a. Acacia macracantha - Acacia farnesiana Shrubland Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
> III.B.1.N.a. Leucaena leucocephala Shrubland Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
> LeuLeu (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
> Leucaena Thicket -- 23.4 (Dansereau 1966)
> Leucaena Woodland -- 23.2 (Dansereau 1966)
> Mesquite Savana -- 72.3 (Dansereau 1966)
= Novel dry forests (Colón et al. 2011)
> ProPal (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
> AcaMur/PisSub (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
>< II.B.1.N.a. Prosopis pallida-(Bucida buceras) Woodland Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
> III.B.1.N.a. Acacia macracantha - Acacia farnesiana Shrubland Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
> III.B.1.N.a. Leucaena leucocephala Shrubland Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
> LeuLeu (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
> Leucaena Thicket -- 23.4 (Dansereau 1966)
> Leucaena Woodland -- 23.2 (Dansereau 1966)
> Mesquite Savana -- 72.3 (Dansereau 1966)
= Novel dry forests (Colón et al. 2011)
> ProPal (Brandeis et al. 2009b)
- Acevedo-Rodríguez, P., and M. T. Strong. 2012. Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98:1-1192.
- 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.
- Brandeis, T. J., E. H. Helmer, H. Marcano-Vega, and A. E. Lugo. 2009b. Climate shapes the novel plant communities that form after deforestation in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Forest Ecology and Management 258(7):1704-1718.
- Colón, S. M., A. E. Lugo, and O. M. R. González. 2011. Novel dry forests in southwestern Puerto Rico. Forest Ecology and Management 262:170-177.
- 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.
- 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]
- Lugo, A. E. 2013. Novel tropical forests: Nature''s response to global change. Tropical Conservation Science. Special Issue 6(3):325-337. [www.tropicalconservationscience.org]
- Lugo, A. E., and E. Helmer. 2004. Emerging forests on abandoned land: Puerto Rico''s new forests. Forest Ecology and Management 190:145-161.
- Weaver, P. L., R. A. Birdsey, and A. E. Lugo. 1987. Soil organic matter in secondary forests of Puerto Rico. Biotropica 19:17-23.