Sierra Madre Oriental
Encyclopedia
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range
in northeastern Mexico
.
south through Nuevo León
, southwest Tamaulipas
, San Luis Potosí
, Querétaro
, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla
, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico Transversal of central Mexico.
Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain
lies to the east of the range, between the mountains and the Gulf of Mexico
coast. The Mexican Plateau
, which averages 1100 metres (3,608.9 ft) in elevation, lies between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental
further west.
The climate of the Sierra Madre Oriental is drier than the rainforest areas further south in Mexico.
and the second in Mexico in isolation.
and large number of endemic species of plants and wildlife, from the dry north to the wetter south. The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
are found at high elevations in the range (1000–3500 m (3,280.8–11,482.9 ft) above sea level). To the east, the Tamaulipan matorral
occupies the range's lower slopes in Nuevo León and northern Tamaulipas, while the Veracruz moist forests
cover the lower slopes of the central range, and the eastern slopes at the southern end of the range are home to the Veracruz montane forests. West of the range, the Mexican Plateau
is home to deserts and xeric shrublands
, including the Chihuahuan Desert
to the north, the Meseta Central matorral on the central part of the plateau, and the Central Mexican matorral
on the southern plateau.
Much of the wildlife can also be found in the Sierra Madre Occidental
, which runs parallel to these mountains along western Mexico.
, such as Pinus nelsonii
, P. cembroides
, P. pseudostrobus
, and P. arizonica
, and oak, such as Quercus castanea and Q. affinis. Matorral is characterized by woody shrubs, small trees, cacti
, and succulents
. Montane chaparral is found above 1700 m (5,577.4 ft) and is home to species in the genera Quercus, Arbutus
, Yucca
, Cercocarpus and Bauhinia
. Piedmont scrub occurs below 2000 m (6,561.7 ft) and is composed of plants 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16.4 ft) in height such as Helietta parvifolia, Neopringlea integrifolia and Acacia
spp. The canopy of moist forests is dominated by trees up to 30 m (98.4 ft) in height, including Brosimum alicastrum
, Manilkara zapota, Celtis monoica, Bursera simaruba
, Dendropanax arboreus, and Sideroxylon capiri.
, Montezuma Quail
, Strickland's Woodpecker
, Zone-tailed Hawk
and several species of Jay
.
Pine-oak forests in Coahuila are part of the migration route of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).
grazing
and logging
over hundreds of years. Protected areas include the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
in Mexico and the Big Bend National Park
in Texas.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in northeastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Setting
Spanning 1000 kilometres (621.4 mi) the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from CoahuilaCoahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
south through Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, southwest Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico Transversal of central Mexico.
Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
lies to the east of the range, between the mountains and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
coast. The Mexican Plateau
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
, which averages 1100 metres (3,608.9 ft) in elevation, lies between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
further west.
The climate of the Sierra Madre Oriental is drier than the rainforest areas further south in Mexico.
Highest major summits
The highest point is Cerro San Rafael, at 3700 metres (12,139.1 ft) above sea level, is the highest point of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the state of CoahuilaCoahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and the second in Mexico in isolation.
| Rank Ranking A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either 'ranked higher than', 'ranked lower than' or 'ranked equal to' the second.... |
Mountain Peak Summit (topography) In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation... |
State | Mountain Range Mountain range A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain... |
Elevation | Prominence Topographic prominence In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit... |
Isolation Topographic isolation The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum horizontal distance to the nearest point of higher elevation. Topographic isolation represents a radius of dominance in which the summit is the highest point. Topographic isolation can be calculated for small hills and islands as well as for... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro San Rafael PB |  Coahuila |
Sierra Madre Oriental | 3700 m 12,139 feet |
1855 m 6,086 feet |
628 km 390 miles |
| 2 | Sierra de la Marta PB | Coahuila Nuevo León |
Sierra Madre Oriental | 3700 m 12,139 feet |
NA | 607 km 377 miles |
| 3 | Cerro el Potosí PB | Nuevo León |
Sierra Madre Oriental | 3700 m 12,139 feet |
1380 m 4,528 feet |
570 km 354 miles |
Ecology
This long range of tall mountains is noted for its abundant biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and large number of endemic species of plants and wildlife, from the dry north to the wetter south. The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests
The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of northeastern and Central Mexico, extending into the state of Texas in the United States.-Setting:...
are found at high elevations in the range (1000–3500 m (3,280.8–11,482.9 ft) above sea level). To the east, the Tamaulipan matorral
Tamaulipan matorral
The Tamaulipan matorral ecoregion, in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, is of northern Mexico.-Setting:The Tamaulipan matorral extends along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico, extending from central Tamaulipas state across central Nuevo León. The...
occupies the range's lower slopes in Nuevo León and northern Tamaulipas, while the Veracruz moist forests
Veracruz moist forests
The Veracruz moist forests are an ecoregion, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest biome, in eastern Mexico.-Setting:The Veracruz moist forests cover an area of , occupying a portion of Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Gulf of Mexico...
cover the lower slopes of the central range, and the eastern slopes at the southern end of the range are home to the Veracruz montane forests. West of the range, the Mexican Plateau
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
is home to deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
, including the Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
to the north, the Meseta Central matorral on the central part of the plateau, and the Central Mexican matorral
Central Mexican matorral
The Central Mexican matorral is an ecoregion of the Deserts and xeric shrublands Biome of central Mexico.-Setting:The Central Mexican matorral covers an area of on the southern portion of the Mexican Plateau....
on the southern plateau.
Much of the wildlife can also be found in the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
, which runs parallel to these mountains along western Mexico.
Flora
Pine-oak forests are dominated by several species of pinePine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, such as Pinus nelsonii
Pinus nelsonii
Pinus nelsonii , is a species of pine native to the mountains of northeastern Mexico, in Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas at 1,800–3,200 m altitude. It has very singular characteristics and is not closely related to any other pines in either morphology or genetics...
, P. cembroides
Mexican Pinyon
The Mexican Pinyon ' is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to western North America.-Distribution:The range extends from westernmost Texas, United States , south through much of Mexico, occurring widely along the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental ranges, and more rarely in the...
, P. pseudostrobus
Pinus pseudostrobus
Smooth-bark Mexican Pine , distinctive names in Spanish, tree endemic to Mexico.It is 8 to 25 m tall, dense and round top, the bark is brown and fissured and smooth when young. It grows between 1300-3250 m. From 26° to 15° north latitude, from Sinaloa, Mexico to Honduras. It occurs within a...
, and P. arizonica
Arizona Pine
Pinus arizonica, commonly known as the Arizona pine, is a medium-sized pine in northern Mexico, southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States. It is a tree growing to 25-35 m tall, with a trunk diameter of up . The needles are in bundles of 3, 4, or 5, with...
, and oak, such as Quercus castanea and Q. affinis. Matorral is characterized by woody shrubs, small trees, cacti
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, and succulents
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...
. Montane chaparral is found above 1700 m (5,577.4 ft) and is home to species in the genera Quercus, Arbutus
Arbutus
Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America.-Description:...
, Yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
, Cercocarpus and Bauhinia
Bauhinia
Bauhinia is a genus of more than 200 species of flowering plants in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers, Swiss-French botanists....
. Piedmont scrub occurs below 2000 m (6,561.7 ft) and is composed of plants 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16.4 ft) in height such as Helietta parvifolia, Neopringlea integrifolia and Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
spp. The canopy of moist forests is dominated by trees up to 30 m (98.4 ft) in height, including Brosimum alicastrum
Brosimum alicastrum
Brosimum alicastrum, the breadnut or Maya nut, is a Brosimum tree species under the Moraceae family of flowering plants, whose other genera include fig and mulberries The plant is known by a range of names in indigenous Mesoamerican and other languages, including but not limited to: ramon,ojoche,...
, Manilkara zapota, Celtis monoica, Bursera simaruba
Bursera simaruba
Bursera simaruba, commonly known as the Gumbo-limbo, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas from the southeasternmost United States south through Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil and Venezuela...
, Dendropanax arboreus, and Sideroxylon capiri.
Fauna
Birds of the forest include Mexican ChickadeeMexican Chickadee
The Mexican Chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is still often placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships...
, Montezuma Quail
Montezuma Quail
The Montezuma Quail is a stubby, secretive New World quail of Mexico and some nearby parts of the United States. It is also known as Mearns's Quail, the Harlequin Quail , and the Fool Quail .-Description:At about 22 cm , it is one of the shortest quails of North America, although it weighs 180 g...
, Strickland's Woodpecker
Strickland's Woodpecker
The Strickland's Woodpecker is a medium-sized species of woodpecker endemic to Mexico. The Arizona Woodpecker The Strickland's Woodpecker (Picoides stricklandi) is a medium-sized species of woodpecker endemic to Mexico. The Arizona Woodpecker The Strickland's Woodpecker (Picoides stricklandi) is...
, Zone-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
The Zone-tailed Hawk is a medium-sized hawk of warm, dry parts of the Americas. It feeds on small vertebrates of all kinds , including birds up to the size of quail....
and several species of Jay
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
.
Pine-oak forests in Coahuila are part of the migration route of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).
Threats and conservation
Original habitats have been severely reduced by clearance for livestockLivestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
over hundreds of years. Protected areas include the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
The Cumbres de Monterrey is national park of Mexico located in the northern portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental near the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León. The park includes the famous symbol of Monterrey, the signature skyline known as Cerro de la Silla...
in Mexico and the Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
in Texas.