Tropical Climates and Ecosystems

 The tropics are located between the Tropic of Cancer ( °N) and the Tropic of Capricorn ( °S)  In this belt, the sun will be directly overhead at least once per year.

Tropical Nations

Contrast with Temperate Zone

 Areas where every month have mean temperatures above 18 °C (64 °F) are shown in blue below

 Droughts may last for several months, and during this period trees will shed their leaves.

81° 66° 82° 70° 84° 72° 86° 73° 88° 75° 88° 75° 88° 75° 88° 75° 88° 73° 86° 72° 82° 68° 81° 68° Belize annual average : 85°/ 72° OKC annual average : 72°/ 51° 5.4” 2.4”1.5”2.2”4.3”7.7”6.4”6.7”9.6”12.0”8.9”7.3” Belize annual average : 74.4” OKC annual average : 36.5”

Belize - Daylight Belize CitySunriseSunset January6:23-6:2517:30-17:47 February6:12-6:2517:48-17:59 March5:50-6:1117:59-18:05 April5:27-5:4718:06-18:13 May5:17-5:2718:13-18:23 June5:17-5:2218:23-18:31 July5:22-5:3218:27-18:31 August5:32-5:3918:07-18:26 September5:39-5:4317:43-18:07 October5:43-5:5117:22-17:42 November5:52-6:0717:16-17:21 December6:07-6:2317:17-17:28

Habitats  Forested habitats  Submontane broadleaf forest  Lowland broadleaf forest  Submontane pine forest  Lowland pine forest  Mangrove and littoral forest  Transitional habitats  Scrub, low second growth  Savanna (pine, oak, calabash, palmetto)

Other habitats  Unforested habitats  Anthropogenic  Cities/towns, cultivated land, pastureland  Wetlands with emergent vegetation  Sedge savannas, wet meadows, marshes, ricefields

Submontane Broadleaf Forest  The forest cover in most of the Maya Mountains, generally above 400 m (1300’) elevation  Dominated by evergreen trees m (80-115’) tall, typically with buttressed trunks  Lots of epiphytes, lianas, substory dominated by tree ferns, palms, other shrubs  Sparse understory vegetation

Lowland Broadleaf Forest  Similar to, but less luxuriant than, submontane broadleaf forest  Contains more dry- season deciduous tree species; significant leaf litter accumulates by end of dry season  Not dominated by a tree species; may encounter dense stands of cohune palm  Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), cedar (Cedrela mexicana), sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), ramon (Brosimum alicastrum), and figs (Ficus spp.) are common  Trees are often >100 ft tall

Submontane Pine Forest  Dominated by Caribbean pine (Pinus caribea) which require periodic low- intensity fires for regeneration  Canopy may be closed, or semi- closed  ~11% of Belize is covered by pines – 2% is closed canopy, 3% semi-closed, 6% savannah/lowland pine

Lowland Pine Forest  Typically found in lowland areas with low nutrient soils  Often soggy during wet season, very dry during dry season  Ground cover dominated by grasses and sedges  Tree species include Caribbean pine (Pinus caribea), calabash (Cresentia cujete), oak (Quercus spp.), craboo (Byrsonima crassifolia) and the plametto (Paurotis wrightii).  “Forest” is a bit of a misnomer, as the canopy is not closed

Mangrove and Littoral Forest  Only four species of mangrove in Belize  Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is the pioneer species, has stilt roots  Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) is found at the junction of water and land, has pneumatophores  White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) and buttonwood (Conocarpus erecta) grow further inland  Mangroves are the “nursery” of the sea