El Yunque National Rain Forest

El Yunque national Rain Forest is a reserve located on the eastern side of the island and have over 200 different species of plant and over 120 species of animals.For a forest to be categorize as a tropical rain forest it must have principally two environmental factors: the location should be on the tropical equatorial zone and the quantity of rain that it receives a year that it should be 4 to 8 meters.

In the national rain forest el Yunque they are 240 species that been seen and which 26 are endemic and only found in el Yunque. In addiction they have been reports of 47 species that have been introduced, 88 species of wear trees, 50 species of natives’ orchids and 150 species of ferns. The characteristic of the forest may vary from elevation. The national rain forest is divided on four types of forest which are: the “tabonuco” forest, red tree forest, sierra palm forest and the cloud forest or dwarf forest.

The plants that we found on the rain forest were:

Cadan Tree: Produces a fruit the size of a soursop, has a relationship with

mycorrhizae to grow.

Yagrumo: Cecropia peltata. It is dioecious, meaning it has male and female

flowers on different trees of the same species. The flowers of the female are

tiny and are grouped in inflorescences up to 4 inches long, The male flowers

are much thinner. The female flowers produce thousands of fruits that are

eaten by birds and bats. This keeps flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

This species grows rapidly and their roots are shallow.

Magohaby (Caboa): Is a valuable wood, light and attractive. Does not have

moth. Mahogany has a generally straight grain and it has a reddish-brown

color, which darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It

has excellent workability and is very durable. It can be Cuban mahogaby or

Dominican mahogaby, although the Dominican magohaby has smaller leafs.

Bamboo: Grass, stem free of branches, it doesn’t have growth under its

branches. Bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world and

depend on local soil and climatic conditions.

Guava tree: It was used in coffee plantations for shadow and produces a very

sweet fruit. The spread of the guavas is because the animals will eat the fruit

and disperse the seeds in their droppings The ants that live in this tree are

called “abayarde”.

Guaraguao Tree: Guarea guara. It is made of light wood like mahogany.

Tree Fern (Helecho arbóreo): Cibotium spp. They are very primitive plants,

lively ferns and often in danger of extinction in the regions of origin.

The plants and trees that live on El Yunque have big leaves, long and strong roots and tall stems.

The Darft Forest:The darft forest is located at the upper part of the forest were the clouds touch

the top peaks. The soil is very acid and pours on drainage. Commonly this part of the forest is cover by clouds which reduces the temperature to 65.3F. In this part the trees and plant are small because of the little sunlight that it receives even if they are higher than the others on the forest the clouds block the sunlight and reduces the photosynthesis.

The Sierra Palm Forest:This forest is located at 600m over the sea level. It’s have a soil that is less

deep and unstable. This part of the forest is characterized by a specific tree that is the sierra palm. This can be found near rivers. The trees have strong roots that sustain the tree from the wild winds. And its seeds are the principal food of the portorican parrot.

Methodology

The objective of The Yunque Rain Forest visit was to take soil samples to see if we

could find phages.

1. Take the soil sample

2. Coordinates

3. Wind Velocity

4. Soil Temperature

5. Ph

Altitude Coordinates Humidity PH Temp. Wind

Velocity

Muestra? Who?

706 18 ? 20.298'N 065 ?45.732'W

73% 5 80 ?F Yes NCC

2,483 18 ?18.1989'N 065 ? 47.394'W

84% 6 73F Yes LBR

56 18 ? 21.985'N 065 ?46.225'W

80% 5.5 80F 206F/M No

2,622 18 ?298'N 065 ?47.394'W

75% 4.2 71F Yes LAPS

1,605 18 ?18.65'N 065 ?46.227'W

80% 4.5 78F Yes CMM

3,425 18 ?18.633'N 065 ?47.546'W

78% 5.5 73F Yes LRV

2,153 18 ?18.136'N 065 ?47.047'W

80% 5 72F Yes YCR

Guanica Dry Forest

Flora in this area is limited due to its climate. In this area dry soils are relatively unproductive because plants need sufficient quantities of liquid to live. This plant need to go to some adaptations due to the extremely dry climate. Rain comes infrequently but when it comes the vegetation is transformed. Many plants have highly reduced leaves that resist excessive water loss. Other adaptation is the Cam (caarssulacean acid metabolism) in which the plant takes CO2 at night and the stomata remain close in the day. (Campbell biology) The most common one are the button mangrove, “uva de playa”, Acacia, Melocatus and Agave.

●Button mangrove: it’s an introduce plant, located far away from the cost. These plants extract salts from soli. This inhibits the plant growth creating a hypertonic solution.

●Uva de playa: scientific name coccoloba. It’s an introduced tree, are located close to the cost.

●Acacia: plant native from Puerto Rico, this plants contain thorns that protect them from predators.

●Melocactus: native from Puerto Rico

●Agave: live close to limestone, product of ph of rain (5.5 acidic).

ThornsIn this forest the plant have a commonly adaptation which are the thorns. The thorns are a transformation that has different purposes. The purposes of the thorns are:

1. Reduce the transpiration of the leaves, which prevent the tree from drying.

2. The photosynthesis is develop on the shaft3. Prevent that some predators eat the plant.4. Obligate the animal to eat the fruit which benefits the dispersion of the plant

The differences between the rain forest el Yunque and the Guanica dry forest are: distribution, precipitation, plants, animals, temperature and human interact.

Quadrants Group 1

Line Transept Group 1

Quadrants Group 2

Line Transept Group 2

Quadrants Group 3

Line Transept Group 3