Puerto Rico Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Biodiversity=== {{main|Fauna of Puerto Rico|Flora of Puerto Rico}} [[File:Common Coquí.jpg|thumb|right|alt=In this image there is a brown coquí. The species resembles a small frog.|[[Eleutherodactylus coqui|Common coquí]]]] Puerto Rico is home to three terrestrial ecoregions: [[Puerto Rican moist forests]], [[Puerto Rican dry forests]], and [[Greater Antilles mangroves]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> Puerto Rico has two biosphere reserves recognized by the [[UNESCO]] [[Man and the Biosphere Programme]]: Luquillo Biosphere Reserve represented by [[El Yunque National Forest]] and the [[Guánica State Forest|Guánica Biosphere Reserve]]. Species [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] to the archipelago number 239 plants, 16 birds and 39 [[amphibian]]s/[[reptile]]s, recognized as of 1998. Most of these (234, 12 and 33 respectively) are found on the main island.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://islands.unep.ch/ISV.htm#459 |title=Island Directory |publisher=Islands.unep.ch |access-date=30 October 2011 |archive-date=7 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907000405/http://islands.unep.ch/ISV.htm#459 }}</ref> The most recognizable endemic species and a symbol of Puerto Rican pride is the ''[[coquí]]'', a small frog easily identified by the sound of its call, from which it gets its name. Most ''coquí'' species (13 of 17) live in the [[El Yunque National Forest]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coquí in the Rainforest |url=https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/coqui |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Discover Puerto Rico |language=en |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330103426/https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/coqui |url-status=live }}</ref> the only [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical rainforest]] in the [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]] system, located in the northeast of the island. It was previously known as the Caribbean National Forest. El Yunque is home to more than 240 plants, 26 of which are endemic to the island. It is also home to 50 bird species, including the critically endangered [[Puerto Rican amazon]]. In addition to El Yunque National Forest, the Puerto Rican moist forest ecoregion is represented by protected areas such as the [[Maricao State Forest|Maricao]] and [[Toro Negro State Forest|Toro Negro]] [[List of Puerto Rico state forests|state forests]]. These areas are home to endangered endemic species such as the Puerto Rican boa (''[[Puerto Rican boa|Chilabothrus inornatus]]''), the Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk (''[[Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk|Accipiter striatus venator]]''), the Puerto Rican broad-winged hawk (''[[Puerto Rican broad-winged hawk|Buteo platypterus brunnescens]]'') and the elfin woods warbler ([[Elfin woods warbler|Setophaga angelae]]). The [[Northern Karst]] country of Puerto Rico is also home to one of the remaining rainforest tracts in the island, with the [[Río Abajo State Forest]] being the first focus for the reintroduction of the highly endangered Puerto Rican parrot outside of the Sierra de Luquillo.<ref>{{cite web |title=Iguaca Aviary Techniques used in the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd699768.pdf |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=US Fish & Wildlife Services |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208022640/https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd699768.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=View of News of the Rio Abajo Aviary for Puerto Rican Parrot |url=https://jco.birdscaribbean.org/index.php/jco/article/view/1133/879 |access-date=July 23, 2022 |journal=Journal of Caribbean Ornithology |date=18 December 1990 |volume=3 |issue=3 |page=4 |archive-date=20 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820221314/https://jco.birdscaribbean.org/index.php/jco/article/view/1133/879 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the southwest, the Guánica State Forest and Biosphere Reserve contain over 600 uncommon species of plants and animals, including 48 endangered species and 16 that are endemic to Puerto Rico, and is considered a prime example of the Puerto Rican dry forest ecoregion and the best-preserved dry forest in the Caribbean.<ref>Ewel, J.L. & J.L. Whitmore. 1973. The ecological life zones of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. USDA For. Serv. Res. Pap. ITF-18.</ref> Other protected dry forests in Puerto Rico can be formed within the [[Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex|Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge complex]] at the [[Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge|Cabo Rojo]], [[Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge|Desecheo]], [[Culebra National Wildlife Refuge|Culebra]] and [[Vieques National Wildlife Refuge|Vieques National Wildlife Refuges]], and in the [[Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve|Caja de Muertos]] and [[Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve]]s.<ref name="Ewel">{{Cite book |last1=Ewel |first1=J. J. |url=https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_itf018.pdf |title=The Ecological Life Zones of Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands |last2=Whitmore |first2=J. L. |id=Forest Service Research Paper ITF-18 |publisher=USDA Forest Service Institute of Tropical Forestry |year=1973 |author-link=John Ewel |access-date=20 August 2023 |archive-date=20 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820221316/https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rp/rp_itf018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Examples of endemic species found in this ecoregion are the higo chumbo (''[[Harrisia portoricensis]]''), the Puerto Rican crested toad (''[[Puerto Rican crested toad|Peltophryne lemur]]''), and the Mona ground iguana (''[[Mona ground iguana|Cyclura stejnegeri]]''), the largest land animal native to Puerto Rico.<ref name="alberts">{{citation |last1=Alberts |first1=Allison |title=Testing the Utility of Headstarting as a Conservation Strategy for West Indian Iguanas |work=Iguanas: Biology and Conservation |page=210 |year=2004 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-23854-1 |last2=Lemm |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Grant |first3=Tandora |last4=Jackintell |first4=Lori}}</ref> Puerto Rico has three of the seven year-long [[Bioluminescent bay|bioluminescent bays]] in the Caribbean: [[Las Cabezas de San Juan (Puerto Rico)|Laguna Grande]] in [[Fajardo, Puerto Rico|Fajardo]], [[La Parguera Nature Reserve|La Parguera]] in [[Lajas, Puerto Rico|Lajas]] and [[Puerto Mosquito]] in [[Vieques, Puerto Rico|Vieques]]. These are unique bodies of water surrounded by [[Mangrove|mangroves]] that inhabited by the [[dinoflagellate]] ''[[Pyrodinium bahamense]]''.<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal |last1=Soler-Figueroa |first1=Brenda María |last2=Otero |first2=Ernesto |date=2015-01-01 |title=The Influence of Rain Regimes and Nutrient Loading on the Abundance of Two Dinoflagellate Species in a Tropical Bioluminescent Bay, Bahía Fosforescente, La Parguera, Puerto Rico |journal=Estuaries and Coasts |language=en |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=84–92 |doi=10.1007/s12237-014-9827-0 |bibcode=2015EstCo..38...84S |issn=1559-2731 |s2cid=85305359}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/bioluminescent-bay-puerto-rico-unique-places-around-the-world.html|title=Bioluminescent Bay, Puerto Rico - Unique Places around the World|website=WorldAtlas|access-date=15 February 2020|archive-date=15 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215211706/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/bioluminescent-bay-puerto-rico-unique-places-around-the-world.html}}</ref> However, tourism, pollution, and hurricanes have highly threatened these unique ecosystems.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yancey-Bragg|first=N'dea|title=After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico's rare bioluminescent bays may go dark|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/09/22/after-hurricane-maria-puerto-ricos-rare-bioluminescent-bays-may-go-dark/694833001/|access-date=29 June 2020|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227163632/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/09/22/after-hurricane-maria-puerto-ricos-rare-bioluminescent-bays-may-go-dark/694833001/|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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