Daniel Chavarria - Tropical Ecology: March 2014

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Precipitation Map of El Salvador

Precipitation Map of El Salvador

Source: http://www.zonu.com/mapas_el_salvador/El_Salvador_Rainfall_Map_2.htm

You can click on the link to display the original size image.

Soils Map of El Salvador

Soils Map of El Salvador

Source: http://www.madrimasd.org/blogs/universo/wp-content/blogs.dir/42/files/370/o_Mapa%20de%20Suelos%20de%20El%20Salvador.jpg

Three peer-review articles about the management of the ecosystems in El Salvador

1. Status of conservation of Agalychnis moreletii in El Salvador
Available from: http://www.marn.gob.sv/phocadownload/pp_nn_1.pdf

This report describes the status of conservation of Agalychnis moreletii, which is a species of frog, in El Salvador. The report was written by Nestor Herrera from the Department of Natural Resources of El Salvador.

2. Current status of the natural protected areas in El Salvador
Availablefrom: http://www.marn.gob.sv/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=category&download=73:i-informe-
nacional-del-sistema-de-areas-protegidas-de-el-salvador&id=13&Itemid=79

This report is based on a national research in El Salvador executed by the Department of Natural Resources and evaluating the status of the natural protected areas.

3. Status of knowledge of biodiversity in El Salvador
Available from: https://www.inbio.ac.cr/web-ca/biodiversidad/el-salvador/salvador.pdf

This is an important article that the describes the current situation of the biodiversity of El Salvador. It was conducted by the National Institute of Biodiversity financed by the Norway Government.

Three peer-review articles about the environment in El Salvador

1. Did the Ilopango TBJ Eruption Cause the AD 536 Event?

This article explains the evidence that the eruption of the volcano Ilopango TBJ (a caldera lake located in El Salvador) caused a significant decrease in the temperatures in the northern hemisphere in AD 536. A dust veil covered the Earth surface and caused a drop in temperatures during the summer in the northern hemisphere and affected crops in China and the Mediterranean. The scientist Robert Dull from the University of Texas traveled to El Salvador to find the geological evidence by drilling tephra samples (ash layers underground) and a carbonized tree trunk. These samples were tested with Radiocarbon dating to estimate the age of the eruption. The result of the experiment found that the eruption of the Ilopango volcano was in AD 535 but the sample of the carbonized trunk “cannot be unequivocally associated with the 536 AD event.” The conclusion of the research remarks that “the eruption alone probably cannot explain the entire +14 year cold period observed in the northern hemisphere tree rings record from AD 536, but it seem now the best candidate for the cause of the AD 536 mystery cloud and a major contributor to the cold temperatures that followed.

Source:

Robert Dull, 2012. Did the Ilopango TBJ Eruption Cause the AD 536 Event? University of Texas, Austin. [Internet]. Available from: http://www.fundar.org.sv/referencias/dull_et_al_2010_AGU.pdf

2. Sustainable Development in El Salvador
This is a research done by Neşecan Balkan and Gwyn Kirk about the overall situation of sustainable development in Central America and in El Salvador, with some principles and strategies of how this is being implemented.

Source: Neşecan Balkan and Gwyn Kirk. 2005. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN EL SALVADOR: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.hamilton.edu/documents//levitt-center/salvador_finalreport.pdf

3. CAFTA Investor Rights Undermining Democracy and the Environment: Pacific Rim Mining Case
This peer-review article describes how the company Pacific Rim Mining Case was trying to damage the natural environment and pollute the Lempa River with a gold mine, but they could. Here are some reasons why they were unsuccessful.

Available from: https://www.citizen.org/documents/Pacific_Rim_Backgrounder1.pdf

Three popular articles about the ecosystems or environment in El Salvador

1. Citizens ask for more attention towards the environment from the Government
http://www.laprensagrafica.com/2014/02/28/piden-mayor-atencion-hacia-medio-ambiente

This article from a local newspaper describes how citizens of El Salvador are asking the government to pay more attention to environmental issues, and make it a priority in their political agenda.

2. El Salvador obtains financing from Germany to support the environment
http://www.laprensagrafica.com/2014/03/12/apoyo-aleman-para-el-medio-ambiente

This article from a local newspaper describes that the Government from Germany signed a covenant with El Salvador to finance $28 million to invest them in the protection and restoration of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.

3. Chaparrastique volcano is still active
http://www.laprensagrafica.com/2014/01/27/se-mantiene-la-actividad-del-volcan-chaparrastique

This article from a local newspaper describes how the Chaparrastique volcano located in Eastern El Salvador is still active after one month of the first eruption. This article is from January 27 2014, and the eruption occurred on December 15 2013

List of threatened and endangered species

This is a list of all the threatened and endangered species in El Salvador (the following table is my personal work researching in some webpages).

Sources: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22678376/0

http://visitaelsalvador.com/animales-en-peligro-de-extincion-en-el-salvador-con-sus-nombres/

Description of the ecosystem where I live

The ecosystem where I live is classified as Evergreen Submontane Forest, according to the map of Vegetation and Ecosystems of El Salvador prepared by the Natural Resources Department (MARN). The range of elevation goes from 700 to 1900 meters above sea level. The range of temperatures goes from 30°C in the foothills to 10°C in the upper part of the mountain. The average precipitation can reach the 2000 mm of rain. The humidity is always high. In the dry season, high humidity and clouds help maintain the forest moist. Few species of deciduous trees live in this forest, most of the area is covered by evergreen hardwoods. In some parts, the abundance of understory and vines become the forest in jungle hard to walk through. The slopes of this forest are very steep. Several creeks are born in this forest.

The forest that I am describing is called El Picacho Mountain, and this is the closest natural ecosystem close to my community (because I live in an urban environment). Coffee plantation grow adjacent to this forest, threatening to disturb the natural environment of this wilderness. My CAP project is about designating this forest as a natural protected area. The wildlife living in this forest is very representative: big mammals like White Tailed Deer are still found in this forest, as well as armadillo and coyote, a huge variety of birds, and some species of snakes, like Rattle Snake, Coral, and Boa Constrictor. Centennial hardwoods (old growth forest) is found in this region, because there has never been human activities.

Representative pictures of the ecosystems of El Salvador

1. Evergreen Submontane Forest

Source: http://www.territorioscentroamericanos.org/turismorural/PublishingImages/Belen-PN%20Celaque.jpg

2. Evergreen Montane Cloudy Forest

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvCjJq8KbyVxIQE_k1GSiJL_SZQpyz_1aSGj40OMJY3uUQn5xTdwgCCRzwRXecwi-u5Vt9nnG-ct1YWJoWnLX3nHHvr-Uod0YJzFGJKxcb2cVYyPoh_FMbEop-Ctl-gDUETY9_pYy9OI/s1600/bosque-nuboso2.jpg

3. Riparian Forest

Source: http://www.fotonatura.org/galerias/fotos/usr20869/11896354XY.jpg

4. Humid Subtropical Forest

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxSaUA42LcwM0ZIdFYJHXYtb3a284r_AmsUHlQUCQw4UdpfS4FqN2S1bZOdbY8oJhrWpItLxpl6kAuQOTaUueOHCJoSpAHjThRzEZy0lA2hfEMXik4w4YH4N1OP9eJTKQ9iAkub7Fg3ew/s1600/Bosque+del+R%25C3%25ADo+Cuyamel.JPG

5. Sub Deciduous Forest

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Chacachacare_dry_forest_3.JPG

6. Mangrove

Source: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/7360922.jpg

7. Low Elevation Deciduous Forest

Source: https://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/images/tropseas/a80_cr_0239.jpg

8. Conifer forest (pines)

Source: http://www.barkbeetles.org/centralamerica/figure10.jpg

9. Chaparral

Source: http://anthromes.wikispaces.com/file/view/50-25d-Chaparral.jpg/135133305/50-25d-Chaparral.jpg

10. Savanna

Source: http://www.bilgiufku.com/wp-content/uploads/Savan-bitki-%C3%B6rt%C3%BCs%C3%BC.jpg

11. Lava fields

Source: http://pajoka.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/2012_03_batur/cimg8462.jpg

12. Wetlands

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoajC46ObMLLJ9k3k899MY-Lt-UmtDF5Wt6hOv9FEZRRPNOHZbUjsvDxBctYg-HbuSJhdzo-W2HOExgREAujS9rU9ve1EkrcK33s-OSitdUQteiD4_RtEoSmvVUjONadFJAgVGbR7bSeA/s1600/El+Jocotal.jpg

13. Rocky Reefs

Source: http://fotosdeelsalvador.com/fotos/water/b5aad693f72be4b0602c34c071787ad2.jpg

Monday, March 17, 2014

Ecosystem map of El Salvador

Ecosystem map of El Salvador

Source: http://www.zonu.com/mapas_el_salvador/El_Salvador_Natural_Vegetation_Map_2.htm

Information about the Biome

1. List of average, high and low range of temperature for each biome in your home country

http://www.worldweatheronline.com/v2/weather-averages.aspx?q=San%20Salvador,%20El%20Salvador

2. List of average, high and low range of precipitation for each biome in your home country

http://sdwebx.worldbank.org/climateportal/index.cfm?page=country_historical_climate&ThisRegion=North%20America&ThisCCode=SLV

3. Highest elevation in your country
- Cerro El Pital 2,730 meters above sea level

4. Lowest elevation in your country
- Pacific coast 0 meters above the sea level

5. Latitude and longitude of where you are from
13°43'50.74"N
89°13'28.14"W