Bahamian dry forests


The Bahamian dry forests are a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, covering an area of. They are found on much of the northern Bahamas, including Andros, Abaco, and Grand Bahama, where they are known as coppices. Dry forests are distributed evenly throughout the Turks and Caicos.

Whiteland coppice

Whiteland coppices are shrubby forests that occur near the ocean. Vegetation occurring in whiteland coppice is able to withstand salt spray and rocky, calcareous soil. Trees that grow in whiteland coppices include cinnecord, brasiletto, haulback tree, autograph tree, manchineel tree, West Indian mahogany, sea grape, gumbo-limbo, cabbage palmetto, and poisonwood. The understory features snake bark as well as cacti such as erect prickly pear, Turk's cap cactus, queen of the night, and robin tree cactus.

Blackland coppice

Blackland coppice covers the interior of many of the islands, usually in elevated regions. For this reason some blackland coppice exists on hills entirely surrounded by forests of Caribbean pine. Trees found within them include West Indian mahogany, wild tamarind, red cedar, false mastic, horseflesh, pigeon plum, Jamaican dogwood, gumbo-limbo, and lancewood. Shaded by the canopy, plants such as satin leaf, Spanish stopper, Bahama wild coffee, Bahama strongbark, night-scented orchid, wormvine orchid, and potbelly airplant grow in the understory.

Rocky coppice

Rocky coppice occurs on limestone outcroppings between mangroves and pineyards. These forests are often flooded at high tide. They are dominated by spiny black olive, but Swietenia mahagoni and Cedrela odorata also grow within them.

Fauna

Fauna that reside within Bahamian dry forests includes the Bahaman funnel-eared bat, rock iguanas, the Bahamian hutia, and the Cuban amazon.