|
Jan Meerman |
The principal purpose on this expedition
(apart from gathering floristic, herpetologic and lepidopteristic
data) was to verify the variation within ecosystems.
Technically, the ecosystem at Doyle's Delight
is classified in the Belize
Ecosystems Map as Tropical
Evergreen Broad-Leaved Lower Montane Palm Forest. But
this is quite a variable ecosystem. The most noticeable
aspect of this ecosystem is that many of the plants grow
epiphytically, and the palms Colpothrinax cookii
and Euterpe precatoria dominate the scene and often
extend above the general canopy of the forest. Other typical
plant species are Cyrilla racemiflora, Ilex
guianensis, Clusia spp., Magnolia
sp., Myrcia splendens and Synechantus fibrosus.
As a whole the ecosystem can be subdivided
into:
- Ridge habitat dominated by Colpothrinax cookii
and Euterpe precatoria
- Stream bed habitat with a wider variety of broadleaf
trees and
- Slope habitat connecting the two.
|
|
Typical
Ridge Habitat with Colpothrinax cookii, Euterpe
precatoria and Synechantus fibrosus. |
The
palm Colpothrinax cookii is the principal
emergent tree |
|
|
Cyrilla
racemiflora is a common component of the ridge
habitat and occasional specimens have grown to huge
sizes. |
Some
ridges have near monospecific stands of a Clusia
sp. |
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|
The valleys between
the ridges are rife with little waterfalls. |
Occasionally there
are isolated patches with Pinus oocarpa. |
To be expanded.
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