Ecosystems

Location
Many islands and coastal areas located 10 to 20 degrees north or south of the equator experience a tropical marine
climate. These areas include most Caribbean islands as well as coastal areas of territories such as Guyana. Central
America, Madagascar, the Philippines and parts of East Africa also experience this climate.

Climate
The sea has a strong influence in places which experience this type of climate. The trade winds also affect this
region. There are wet and dry seasons though they are not as extreme as those in the tropical continental climate.
The annual range of temperature is up to 10 degrees Celsius (15 degrees Fahrenheit) and rainfall in the range
1200-2000mm (48-80 inches).

Vegetation
The vegetation is somewhat similar to that in equatorial regions. As the Caribbean contains many islands, the
individual components of each island is slightly different. The natural forests of the tropical marine Caribbean are
mixed evergreen, woodland with many of the same species as in the equatorial region, but the trees do not grow so
quickly or tall. In addition, there are some areas where forests of Caribbean pine are present, as in the Bahamas and
Belize.

Rainforest
In some areas, the drier season is relatively short or there is enough rainfall during the drier season to support plant
growth. In these areas, the ecosystems which develop are very similar to the true rainforests which develop in
equatorial climates. This is the case in the wetter parts of many Caribbean territories including St. Lucia, Trinidad,
St. Vincent, Jamaica and Belize.
Semi - Evergreen Forest
In some areas, the drier season is longer or there is much less rainfall in the drier season. In these areas,
semi-evergreen forests tend to develop. This may be seen in areas such as Turner’s Hall Woods in Barbados,
Wallings in Antigua and King’s Hill in St. Vincent. There is less plant growth than in rainforest and the structure of
the plant community is simpler:

There are usually only two levels of trees.

● Many trees such as the poui, flamboyant, and immortelle, shed their leaves in the dry season or have very
little leaves. This helps them to save moisture.
● There are fewer epiphytes and lianas than in the rainforest, because the tree canopy is often very dry.
● During the dry season, the ground is covered with fallen leaves. These do not decay until the earth becomes
moist again.

Dry Woodland
This type of vegetation is found in the driest areas such as rain shadow areas and areas where the dry season is long
or relatively severe. Plants which exist in these conditions must be able to deal with the lack of water in the dry
season. Many have thick bark to conserve moisture. Many have small leaves or shed their leaves in the dry season.
There are very few species of tree and the trees are usually quite small (usually less than 25 meters tall).
Tropical Montane Forest
Tropical montane rainforests are found in mountainous regions in the tropics at altitudes of about 1000 meters or
more. It is generally cooler in these regions than at lower elevations. There is more cloud cover in these areas. There
is more moisture available as there is more rainfall. The ground and vegetation are often moist. Due to the abundant
moisture, trees are often covered in mosses and epiphytes. Ferns are also common in this area. Due to low
temperatures, trees in this type of forest do not grow as tall as trees in the forests in lowland areas. There are usually
only two tiers or layers of trees.

Soil
In the larger territories, and wherever the geology is not recent or limestone, the soil is similar to those in the
equatorial region(red clay). They are the product of deep chemical weathering under wet tropical conditions, and
most of the nutrients have bee leached out. Fertility is maintained by the vegetation cover ad the interrelated activity
of the fauna and flora decomposing waste material humus.

In drier areas, and where there are recent volcanic or limestone deposits, the soils had little time to develop and are
thin and continuous. This in turn affects the vegetation, which may be sparse, although the wetter areas produce a
large organic mat that compensates for this.

Human Activity
In reality the tropical marine ecosystem has been very much affected by a great variety of human actions; there are
few areas where the natural ecosystem still exists.

Within 50 years of being settled it was reported that all the trees have been removed.

Belize, Guyana and the pine trees of the Bahamas have been systematically logged over many centuries. As a result,
on both islands and the mainland, the ecosystems have been altered according to the local economy, which itself has
evolved over many years.