Sierra Madre Oriental Information

The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.

Setting

Spanning 1000 km 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 Transversal of central Mexico.

Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain lies to the east of the range, between the mountains and the Gulf of Mexico coast. The Mexican Plateau, which averages 1,100 metres in elevation, lies between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental further west.

The climate of the Sierra Madre Oriental is drier than the rainforest areas further south in Mexico.

Highest major summits

The highest point is Cerro San Rafael, at 3700 meters above sea level, is the highest point of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the state of Coahuila and the second in Mexico in isolation.^[1][2]

Ecology

This long range of tall mountains is noted for its abundant biodiversity and large number of endemic species of plants and wildlife, from the dry north to the wetter south. The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests are found at high elevations in the range (1,000–3,500 m/3,300–11,500 ft above sea level).^[5] To the east, the Tamaulipan matorral occupies the range's lower slopes in Nuevo León and northern Tamaulipas, while the Veracruz moist forests cover the lower slopes of the central range, and the eastern slopes at the southern end of the range are home to the Veracruz montane forests. West of the range, the Mexican Plateau is home to deserts and xeric shrublands, including the Chihuahuan Desert to the north, the Meseta Central matorral on the central part of the plateau, and the Central Mexican matorral on the southern plateau.

Much of the wildlife can also be found in the Sierra Madre Occidental, which runs parallel to these mountains along western Mexico.

Flora

Pine-oak forests are dominated by several species of pine, such as Pinus nelsonii, P. cembroides, P. pseudostrobus, and P. arizonica, and oak, such as Quercus castanea and Q. affinis.^[5] Matorral is characterized by woody shrubs, small trees, cacti, and succulents. Montane chaparral is found above 1,700 m (5,600 ft) and is home to species in the genera Quercus, Arbutus, Yucca, Cercocarpus and Bauhinia. Piedmont scrub occurs below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) and is composed of plants 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16 ft) in height such as Helietta parvifolia, Neopringlea integrifolia and Acacia spp.^[6] The canopy of moist forests is dominated by trees up to 30 m (98 ft) in height, including Brosimum alicastrum, Manilkara zapota, Celtis monoica, Bursera simaruba, Dendropanax arboreus, and Sideroxylon capiri.^[7]

Fauna

Birds of the forest include Mexican Chickadee, Montezuma Quail, Strickland's Woodpecker, Zone-tailed Hawk and several species of Jay.

Pine-oak forests in Coahuila are part of the migration route of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).^[5]

Threats and conservation

Original habitats have been severely reduced by clearance for livestock grazing and logging over hundreds of years. Protected areas include the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park in Mexico and the Big Bend National Park in Texas.

See also

• Mountain peaks of México

References

1. ^ http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7981
2. ^ http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=172
3. ^ The summit of Cerro San Rafael is the highest point of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the state of Coahuila.
4. ^ The summit of Sierra de la Marta on the border with Coahuila is the highest point of the state of Nuevo León.
5. ^ ^{a b c} "Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests (NA0303)". WWF Full Reports. World Wide Fund for Nature. http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0303_full.html. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
6. ^ "Tamaulipan matorral (NA1311)". WWF Full Reports. World Wide Fund for Nature. http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na1311_full.html. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
7. ^ "Veracruz moist forests (NT0176)". WWF Full Reports. World Wide Fund for Nature. http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0176_full.html. Retrieved 2010-08-22.

External links

• Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests (World Wildlife Fund)

Categories: Sierra Madre Oriental | Mountain ranges of Mexico | Regions of Northern Mexico | Northeastern Mexico | Central Mexico | Geography of Coahuila | Geography of Tamaulipas | Geography of Puebla | Physiographic provinces

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