Central Mexican matorral
Encyclopedia
The Central Mexican matorral is an ecoregion
of the Deserts and xeric shrublands
Biome
of central Mexico
.
covers an area of 59400 square kilometres (22,934.5 sq mi) on the southern portion of the Mexican Plateau
.
The Mexican Plateau is bounded on the east by the Sierra Madre Oriental
, on the south by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
, and on the west by the Sierra Madre Occidental
. The Central Mexican matorral covers much of the southern portion of the plateau, extending from the Valley of Mexico
in the southeast to the Bolaños River
in the northwest.
The Central Mexican matorral is bounded by the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
to the east and northeast, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
to the southeast, and the Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests
on the northwest. An isolated enclave of the Central Mexican matorral occupies the Valley of Toluca. The higher mountain ranges of the plateau are home to sky island
s of pine-oak forest, isolated by matorral at lower elevations.
To the southwest, the Central Mexican matorral is bounded by tropical dry forests; the Bajío dry forests
in the Lerma River
basin, and the Sinaloan dry forests in the lower reaches of the Río Grande de Santiago
and its tributaries.
To the northwest, the Central Mexican matorral transitions to the Meseta Central matorral, which covers the middle portion of the Mexican Plateau.
The eastern portion of the Central Mexican matorral is drained by the Pánuco River
and its tributaries, the central portion by the Lerma River
and its tributaries, and the eastern portion by the northern tributaries of the Río Grande de Santiago
, including the Rio Verde
and Bolaños
.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
Biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
of central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Setting
The Central Mexican matorralMatorral
Matorral is a Spanish word, along with tomillares, for shrubland, thicket or bushes. It is used in naming and describing a Mediterranean climate ecosystem in Southern Europe.-Mediterranean region:...
covers an area of 59400 square kilometres (22,934.5 sq mi) on the southern portion of the Mexican Plateau
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
.
The Mexican Plateau is bounded on the east by the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
, on the south by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
, and on the west by the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
. The Central Mexican matorral covers much of the southern portion of the plateau, extending from the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
in the southeast to the Bolaños River
Bolaños River
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
in the northwest.
The Central Mexican matorral is bounded by the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of northeastern and Central Mexico, extending into the state of Texas in the United States.-Setting:...
to the east and northeast, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of central Mexico.-Setting:...
to the southeast, and the Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests
Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests
The Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Sierra Madre Occidental range of western Mexico and the southwestern United States...
on the northwest. An isolated enclave of the Central Mexican matorral occupies the Valley of Toluca. The higher mountain ranges of the plateau are home to sky island
Sky island
Sky islands are mountains that are isolated by surrounding lowlands of a dramatically different environment, a situation which, in combination with the altitudinal zonation of ecosystems, has significant implications for natural habitats. Endemism, vertical migration, and relict populations are...
s of pine-oak forest, isolated by matorral at lower elevations.
To the southwest, the Central Mexican matorral is bounded by tropical dry forests; the Bajío dry forests
Bajío dry forests
The Bajío dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of west-central Mexico.The Bajío dry forests lie in the southwestern portion of the Mexican Plateau...
in the Lerma River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
basin, and the Sinaloan dry forests in the lower reaches of the Río Grande de Santiago
Río Grande de Santiago
The Río Grande de Santiago is one of the longest rivers in Mexico, measuring up long. The river begins at Lake Chapala and continues roughly north-west through the Sierra Madre Occidental, receiving the Verde, Juchipila, Bolaños, and other tributaries...
and its tributaries.
To the northwest, the Central Mexican matorral transitions to the Meseta Central matorral, which covers the middle portion of the Mexican Plateau.
The eastern portion of the Central Mexican matorral is drained by the Pánuco River
Pánuco River
The Pánuco River is a river in Mexico that flows from the River Moctezuma in the Valley of Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico.At its source, it serves as a channel for water-drainage for Mexico City. From there, it becomes the state border between Hidalgo and Querétaro as it moves towards San Luis...
and its tributaries, the central portion by the Lerma River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
and its tributaries, and the eastern portion by the northern tributaries of the Río Grande de Santiago
Río Grande de Santiago
The Río Grande de Santiago is one of the longest rivers in Mexico, measuring up long. The river begins at Lake Chapala and continues roughly north-west through the Sierra Madre Occidental, receiving the Verde, Juchipila, Bolaños, and other tributaries...
, including the Rio Verde
Río Verde (Jalisco)
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
and Bolaños
Bolaños River
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
.
Fauna
- See: Native birds of Central Mexico (Index).