Tamaulipan mezquital
Encyclopedia
The Tamaulipan mezquital ecoregion
, in the deserts and xeric shrublands
biome
, is located in the southern United States
and northeastern Mexico
. It covers an area of 141500 km² (54,633.5 sq mi), encompassing a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain
in southern Texas
, northern Tamaulipas
, northeastern Coahuila
, and part of Nuevo León
.
range to the west separates the Tamaulipan mezquital from the drier Chihuahuan Desert
. The Tamaulipan matorral
is a transitional ecoregion between the mezquital and the Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
to the west and the Veracruz moist forests
to the south. The Western Gulf coastal grasslands
, known as the Tamaulipan pastizal south of the border, fringe the Gulf of Mexico
. The Edwards Plateau
savannas lie to the north, and the East Central Texas forests
and Texas blackland prairies
to the northeast.
belangeri). Prior to disturbance, the most common shrubs were probably Lotebush (Ziziphus
obtusifolia
) and Whitebrush (Aloysia
gratissima).
Parts of this region consisted of open woods of mesquite
, with a pronounced understory
of grasses. The grasses in this community contained a layer of taller species such as Hooded Windmill Grass (Chloris
cucullata), and a layer of shorter species such as Grama (Bouteloua
spp.). In some places dense stands of Texas Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri
) occurred instead of shrubs and grasses.
Brushy species include Huisache (Vachellia farnesiana var. farnesiana), Desert Hackberry (Celtis pallida), Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens
), Whitebrush, Texas Prickly Pear, and Tasajillo (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
).
Mexican Palmettos (Sabal mexicana
) and Montezuma Cypresses (Taxodium mucronatum
) grow in riparian zone
s, such as along the Rio Grande
.
(Cynomys mexicanus), Ocelot
(Leopardus pardalis), Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
(Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) Southern Plains Woodrat
(Neotoma micropus), and Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
(Liomys irroratus). Mexican Black Bears
(Ursus americanus eremicus) and Cougars inhabit the Sierra de Picachos. The southern part of the ecoregion is an Endemic Bird Area and is home to the Red-crowned Amazon (Amazona viridigenalis), Crimson-collared Grosbeak
(Rhodothraupis celaeno), Altamira Yellowthroat
(Geothlypis flavovelata), and Tamaulipas Crow
(Corvus imparatus).
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...
, in 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...
, is located in the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northeastern 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...
. It covers an area of 141500 km² (54,633.5 sq mi), encompassing a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
in southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, northern Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, northeastern Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, and part of Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
.
Distribution
The Sierra Madre OrientalSierra 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...
range to the west separates the Tamaulipan mezquital from the drier Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
. The Tamaulipan matorral
Tamaulipan matorral
The Tamaulipan matorral ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, is of northern Mexico.-Setting:The Tamaulipan matorral extends along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico, extending from central Tamaulipas state across central Nuevo León. The...
is a transitional ecoregion between the mezquital and 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 west and the Veracruz moist forests
Veracruz moist forests
The Veracruz moist forests are an ecoregion, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest biome, in eastern Mexico.-Setting:The Veracruz moist forests cover an area of , occupying a portion of Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Gulf of Mexico...
to the south. The Western Gulf coastal grasslands
Western Gulf coastal grasslands
The Western Gulf coastal grasslands are a subtropical grassland ecoregion of the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is known in Texas as "Coastal Prairie" and as the Tamaulipan pastizal in Mexico.-Setting:...
, known as the Tamaulipan pastizal south of the border, fringe the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The Edwards Plateau
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a region of west-central Texas which is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio roughly outline the area...
savannas lie to the north, and the East Central Texas forests
East Central Texas forests
The East Central Texas forests is a small temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion almost entirely within the state of Texas, United States...
and Texas blackland prairies
Texas blackland prairies
The Texas Blackland Prairies are a temperate grassland ecoregion located in Texas that runs roughly from the Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in the south.-Setting:...
to the northeast.
Flora
Mezquital is characterized by Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and Curly Mesquite Grass (HilariaHilaria (genus)
Hilaria is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family. Members of the genus are commonly known as curly mesquite. It contains 9-10 species that are found in the Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela...
belangeri). Prior to disturbance, the most common shrubs were probably Lotebush (Ziziphus
Ziziphus
Ziziphus is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and long; some species are deciduous,...
obtusifolia
Ziziphus obtusifolia
Ziziphus obtusifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by several common names, incluging lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. It is native to the southwestern United States and much of Mexico, where it grows in shrubby and scrubby desert habitat,...
) and Whitebrush (Aloysia
Aloysia
Aloysia is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. The roughly 35 species of aromatic shrubs it contains are generally known as beebrushes, with the most well-known being Lemon Verbena...
gratissima).
Parts of this region consisted of open woods of mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
, with a pronounced understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
of grasses. The grasses in this community contained a layer of taller species such as Hooded Windmill Grass (Chloris
Chloris (plant)
Chloris is a genus of grasses which are known generally as windmill grass or finger grass.These grasses are found worldwide, but especially in the tropical and subtropical regions, and more often in the Southern Hemisphere...
cucullata), and a layer of shorter species such as Grama (Bouteloua
Bouteloua
Bouteloua is a genus of the grass family, Poaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as Grama. The genus was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th century Spanish botanists.-Selected species:-External links:*...
spp.). In some places dense stands of Texas Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri
Opuntia engelmannii
Opuntia engelmannii is a prickly pear common across the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It goes by a variety of common names, including "cow's tongue cactus", "cow tongue prickly pear", "desert prickly pear", "discus prickly pear", "Engelmann's prickly pear", and "Texas prickly...
) occurred instead of shrubs and grasses.
Brushy species include Huisache (Vachellia farnesiana var. farnesiana), Desert Hackberry (Celtis pallida), Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens
Leucophyllum frutescens
Leucophyllum frutescens is an evergreen shrub in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the state of Texas in the southwestern United States and the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northern Mexico. Although commonly known as Texas Sage, it is not a true sage and is...
), Whitebrush, Texas Prickly Pear, and Tasajillo (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, Desert Christmas cactus, Desert Christmas Cholla, and Tasajillo, is a cactus.-Distribution:...
).
Mexican Palmettos (Sabal mexicana
Sabal mexicana
Sabal mexicana is a species of palm tree that is native to North America. Common names include Mexican Palmetto, Texas Palmetto, Texas Sabal Palm, Rio Grande Palmetto, and Palma de Mícharos. The specific epithet, "mexicana", is Latin for "of Mexico." It is closely related to S...
) and Montezuma Cypresses (Taxodium mucronatum
Taxodium mucronatum
Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma Cypress, Sabino, or Ahuehuete is a species of Taxodium native to much of Mexico , and also the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, USA as well as Huehuetenango Department in Guatemala...
) grow in riparian zone
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
s, such as along the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
.
Fauna
Mammals of the Tamaulipan mezquital include the Mexican prairie dogMexican Prairie Dog
The Mexican prairie dog is a diurnal burrowing rodent native to Mexico. Treatment as an agricultural pest has led to its status as an endangered species. They are closely related to squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots.-Habitat and diet:...
(Cynomys mexicanus), Ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
(Leopardus pardalis), Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is a subspecies of Jaguarundi that ranges from southern Texas in the United States south to Veracruz and San Luis Potosí in eastern Mexico. This cat looks like a large weasel or otter with a coat in one one three color phases: black, reddish-brown or brownish-gray...
(Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) Southern Plains Woodrat
Southern Plains Woodrat
The Southern Plains Woodrat is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northwest Mexico and in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the United States.-References:...
(Neotoma micropus), and Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
The Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse is a species of rodent in the Heteromyidae family. It is found in Mexico and in Texas in the United States....
(Liomys irroratus). Mexican Black Bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
(Ursus americanus eremicus) and Cougars inhabit the Sierra de Picachos. The southern part of the ecoregion is an Endemic Bird Area and is home to the Red-crowned Amazon (Amazona viridigenalis), Crimson-collared Grosbeak
Crimson-collared Grosbeak
The Crimson-collared Grosbeak is a medium-size seed- and leaf-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, Cardinalidae....
(Rhodothraupis celaeno), Altamira Yellowthroat
Altamira Yellowthroat
The Altamira Yellowthroat, Geothlypis flavovelata, is a New World warbler. It is a resident breeding bird endemic to the Gulf slope of northeastern Mexico....
(Geothlypis flavovelata), and Tamaulipas Crow
Tamaulipas Crow
The Tamaulipas Crow a crow found in northeastern Mexico and some of southern Texas.- Description :It is a relatively small and sleek looking crow, in length. It has very glossy dark, bluish plumage, which appears soft and silky. The bill is quite slender and black, as are the legs and feet...
(Corvus imparatus).