El Yunque and Guanica State Forest: What I LearnedNicolle A. Rosa-Mercado

RISE 2012

The Guanica State Forest and the Caribbean National Forest, or El Yunque, are very different ecosystems but they have some similar characteristics. They are both located in the small island of Puerto Rico and they both have a great variety of fauna and flora. El Yunque is a has a very humid climate and has taller trees while the Guanica State Forest has a very dry climate and smaller trees. The organisms in these environments have adapted to there corresponding surroundings by developing characteristics that help them survive the extreme temperatures that they are exposed to. These two ecosystems are essential natural reserves for the plants and animal that are considered endangered species. These two forests have a variety of communities within them. They are composed of several different sub-forests such as the dwarf forests, which contain a different variety of species according to their location and climate. Due to the extreme temperatures these plants have developed characteristics, such as the presence of spikes in plants that grow in dry places, to protect each other, mostly from the lost of water. The plant species in these ecosystems have also been altered by the humans through different plantations of plants, such as the Dominican caoba. The plant species in these forests vary greatly due to the geographical conditions around them.

Many of the animals that inhabit these ecosystems are considered endangered species. One example of this is the Amazona vittata, or the Puertorrican parrot. During these trips, I learned that other birds such as Margarops fuscatus, or zorzal pardo, destroy the eggs of the native parrot so they can put their own. Other animals, like the rats and the Puertorrican boa, eat the eggs or the chicks of the parrot. Humans have greatly interferred in the endangering of this species. Ever since the Spaniards invaded the island they dedidacted their free tme to hunting birds, one of them being our native parrot. Through the years humans have continued cutting down trees which served as nesting sites for these animals.

During these trips I learned to appreciate the beauty withheld inside Puerto Rico. I noticed the diversity of its flora and fauna and the amazing emergent properties that they have developed under extreme circumstances. I also noticed what a shame it is that many of the people that live in the island do not appreciate the importance of the beauty that surrounds them. I learned that everyone should partake in the conservation of these ecosystems because they indirectly maintain a balance in our environment. Puerto Rico is a very privileged island because of the diversity withheld inside its shores. It is amazing how such different ecosystems can be contained within such a small island.