- Types of plant communities according to the area
- The scrub zone
- The forest area
- The grassland area
- The jungle area
- References
The vegetation of Chihuahua is characterized by having desert-type bushes as the main exponents, since they occupy a high percentage of the entire state.
According to the statistics presented by INEGI, 47% of the total area of the state is covered by scrub, 25% by forests, 18% by grasslands, 7% of the surface is used for agriculture and the remaining percentage You can find areas covered by dunes, mesquite, chaparral and jungles.
The vegetation of Chihuahua has around 770 species of flowers, which are distributed in 184 genera, represented by 121 families, mostly present in the jungle areas. These jungle areas can be found in the extreme southwest of the state.
The state of Chihuahua is the largest in Mexico. It is divided by the Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierras and Llanuras del norte.
Its various reliefs and types of climates make it very rich in terms of the varied vegetation that can be found throughout its surface, representing in a single region the ecosystems of various regions of Mexico and the world.
Types of plant communities according to the area
The scrub zone
It is divided into four types:
-Desert rosetophile.
-Desert microphyllo.
-Subtropical.
-Submontane.
Cactaceae, agavaceae such as nopal and lechuguilla are usually found in rosetophilic desert scrubs.
In the microphyllous desert scrub there are mesquite, largoncillo, leavesén and Mariola.
The forest area
In these forests, the climate can be temperate, semi warm or semi cold, depending on the season of the year. There are four types of forests:
-Pine.
-From pine - oak,
-Oak oak
-From pine - oak - táscate
At ground level there are a large number of species whose function is to conserve the humidity that forests require to exist.
Among the most commonly seen species on its soils are: mosses, lichens, ferns, fungi, herbs and grasses.
The grassland area
According to studies, four types of grasslands have been identified: mountain, natural, induced grassland, and halophyte-gypsofilo. The latter is found in gypsum and saline soils.
The genera that are found, according to the vegetation, grasses, grasses and grasses, are the following: Aristida, Panicum, Muhlenbergia, Bouteloua, and Machaeranthera.
These genera are subdivided into different species such as: banderilla, giant, nits, purple razor, hairy razor, three barbs, tuff grass, red grass, guide grass, salty grass, alkaline-jigüite grass, salty grass and alkaline grass, among others.
Induced grasslands are those created by man when he removes the surface vegetation cover and places grass-type vegetation.
The jungle area
There are four types of plant groups: acacia scrub, oak forest, high forest and low mauto forest.
The jungle areas of Chihuahua only represent 2% of the state's territory, but they are still important areas.
Its vegetation is very varied and the trees born in that region are affected in the dry season of the year, which is estimated to be around the middle of the year. During this season the trees can completely lose their leaves and change the foliage.
References
- Dick-Peddie, WA (1999). New Mexico Vegetation: Past, Present, and Future. Albuquerque: UNM Press.
- Feoli, LO (2012). Computer assisted vegetation analysis. Italy: Springer Science & Business Media.
- INEGI. (November 3, 2017). Chihuahua Obtained from Cuentame.inegi.org.mx
- México, PT (November 3, 2017). Vegetation of the State of Chihuahua. Obtained from paratodomexico.com
- Wickens, GE (2013). Ecophysiology of Economic Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. UK: Springer Science & Business Media.