The multi-habitat Guajira The peninsula of la Guajira, located on the northern tip of the Colombian country and the South American continent contains a variety of peculiar dry ecosystems and semi-deserted habitats, poor on animal and plants biodiversity combined with semi-tropical forests which contain a great biodiversity of coastal and marine flora and fauna and are home of migratory birds and small mammal species all year long. The peculiarity of this Colombian peninsula´s ecosystems is a cause of a clash between the wind currents from the South and the trade and Caribbean wind currents from the North that cause extensive rains on some regions on the peninsula and extensive erosion on other parts of the peninsula which cause the nutrient sediments to be transported away leaving a semi-deserted environment. There are three basic kinds of ecosystem that roam through the peninsula: the desert on the North part of the peninsula, the dry-tropical forest in the west coast, and the cloud forest on the Serrania La Macuira facing the Caribbean.
La Serrania de la Macuira (wayuu for “divine place”) is the most amazing natural peculiarity of the region, as it relates to a cloud forest composed of dwarf trees, beyond the 500 meters of altitude similar to the Andean cloud forests 2700 meters above sea level, in the middle of the deserted region of Guajira. Isolated from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta the peculiar phenomenon is cause of the direct clash between the trade winds from the North and the wind currents from the South, as well as its proximity to the Caribbean Sea causing the formation of clouds which pour rain. The Macuira makes a geological barrier which condenses the evaporated water from the Caribbean turning it into mist. It is a region full wealthy in water and high in humidity and where several minor rivers are born. La Serrania de la Macuira is a relative low chain of mountains facing the Caribbean coast of Guajira which extends on an area of 35 km of length with 10 of width. Mount Paluou it´s the largest peak of the region with an altitude of 864 kilometers above sea level.
The misty forest juxtaposes two different habitats. From sea level to about 500 m above sea level, La Macuira characterizes itself with a dry-tropical forest in the lowest part of the mountains. The flora in this section is composed of subxerofitic spiny forests accustomed to semi-dry habitats. As altitude increases, so does humidity causing that at approximately 200 meters above sea levels, the forest is wealthy on big trees that reach an altitude of even 200 meters tall within an area of pluvial forests. Then beyond the 500 meters of altitude it is all composed of dwarf trees native from the cloud forest. Within the fauna of the region there live a number of species of local and migratory birds such as “azulejos” and “mirlas”, reptiles, mainly lizards and iguanas and small mammals such as tiger-cats, ocelots and monkeys.
Manglares Santuario Fauna y flora de los Flamencos is a clear example of the mangle ecosystem. This place is a sacred one for the people from la Guajira especially the indigenous group of Los Wayuu, and statistics say that each year about 7,000 people go and visit it.
The major ecosystem in la Guajira, is a semidry tropical forest, on which we find some very important trees as well as in the inside of the forest as near the 4 lakes that make up a vital part of the national park. They also play a vital role for the migratory birds that come from the Northern parts of North America as well as for the birds that come from the South of South America. The two most common and important trees we fin inside the forests are called the Trujillo’s, and the Dividivi plant, both of them have very important roles in medicine for the indigenous tribes around. The Trujillo’s wood or the inside of it can be used as a cast, and the Dividivis fruit is used for two special purposes the first one is as iodine, but it can also be used as ink and in fact it was used as ink and exported to different countries around the world with the use of it as ink.
Close to the shores of the lakes you can find two species of plants that are extremely important for this type of ecosystem this is due to their function and what each of them does. The first is called platanitos and it consist of really small but huge quantities of leaves that on the rainy seasons absorb lots of water and then in the dry ones they release it slowly. The same thing does the Manglares of which there are 3 types which are named the Black, White and sweet manglar the three have a curious physical feature and it is that their items will always be folded towards one side and never will You find a straight one, this is another tree that stores water Turing the rainy seasons and releases it in the dry ones. The role these trees play is extremely important because of the fact that statistically La Guajira Only relieves from 6 to 8 cm of water yearly, this is very little Bogota for example relieves an average of 13 15 cm in rains.
Desert The desert of La Guajira covers a big part of the peninsula and extends to Venezuela. This ecosystem is very important because it has some resources that are beneficial to humans and concentrate enough heat to balance the earths biogeography. The Wayuu tribe have adapted their conditions to live in the dry and hot area, with the temperature of "27°-28°c".Deserts have very high temperatures at daytime but at night it get very cold with low temperatures because of the low humidity. It receives radiation from the sun and the ground, so are incapable of blocking the sunlight or storing heat for the night. The desert cools quickly and by radiation it sends heat up into space. Very little precipitation it has, in Guajira they say it rains mostly 3 to 4 times a year, therefore very little drinking clean water is found.
Plants that adapt to that environment store the water on their leaves, roots and stem. That why many cactus are found on deserts, it’s not the only plant that survives but still there is not many life at a desert. In desert many minerals are found, that is something that changes the color of the sand. For example more reddish or yellowish the color of the sand. As in deserts are found resources, at La Guajira they formed “El Cerrejon” that is a village with a coal mine that is in function right now, which is the largest coal mining operating in Latin America. Dunes are large hills made up of sand. They form because of how the winds interact with each other, the process is Aeolian. There are many forms and sizes of them and depend on the winds. In Guajira they are very close to the sea so it makes a widely distribution of dunes because they protect the land from sea storms.
Velez
Natalia De Sola
The multi-habitat Guajira
The peninsula of la Guajira, located on the northern tip of the Colombian country and the South American continent contains a variety of peculiar dry ecosystems and semi-deserted habitats, poor on animal and plants biodiversity combined with semi-tropical forests which contain a great biodiversity of coastal and marine flora and fauna and are home of migratory birds and small mammal species all year long. The peculiarity of this Colombian peninsula´s ecosystems is a cause of a clash between the wind currents from the South and the trade and Caribbean wind currents from the North that cause extensive rains on some regions on the peninsula and extensive erosion on other parts of the peninsula which cause the nutrient sediments to be transported away leaving a semi-deserted environment. There are three basic kinds of ecosystem that roam through the peninsula: the desert on the North part of the peninsula, the dry-tropical forest in the west coast, and the cloud forest on the Serrania La Macuira facing the Caribbean.
La Serrania de la Macuira (wayuu for “divine place”) is the most amazing natural peculiarity of the region, as it relates to a cloud forest composed of dwarf trees, beyond the 500 meters of altitude similar to the Andean cloud forests 2700 meters above sea level, in the middle of the deserted region of Guajira. Isolated from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta the peculiar phenomenon is cause of the direct clash between the trade winds from the North and the wind currents from the South, as well as its proximity to the Caribbean Sea causing the formation of clouds which pour rain. The Macuira makes a geological barrier which condenses the evaporated water from the Caribbean turning it into mist. It is a region full wealthy in water and high in humidity and where several minor rivers are born. La Serrania de la Macuira is a relative low chain of mountains facing the Caribbean coast of Guajira which extends on an area of 35 km of length with 10 of width. Mount Paluou it´s the largest peak of the region with an altitude of 864 kilometers above sea level.
The misty forest juxtaposes two different habitats. From sea level to about 500 m above sea level, La Macuira characterizes itself with a dry-tropical forest in the lowest part of the mountains. The flora in this section is composed of subxerofitic spiny forests accustomed to semi-dry habitats. As altitude increases, so does humidity causing that at approximately 200 meters above sea levels, the forest is wealthy on big trees that reach an altitude of even 200 meters tall within an area of pluvial forests. Then beyond the 500 meters of altitude it is all composed of dwarf trees native from the cloud forest. Within the fauna of the region there live a number of species of local and migratory birds such as “azulejos” and “mirlas”, reptiles, mainly lizards and iguanas and small mammals such as tiger-cats, ocelots and monkeys.
Manglares
Santuario Fauna y flora de los Flamencos is a clear example of the mangle ecosystem. This place is a sacred one for the people from la Guajira especially the indigenous group of Los Wayuu, and statistics say that each year about 7,000 people go and visit it.
The major ecosystem in la Guajira, is a semidry tropical forest, on which we find some very important trees as well as in the inside of the forest as near the 4 lakes that make up a vital part of the national park. They also play a vital role for the migratory birds that come from the Northern parts of North America as well as for the birds that come from the South of South America. The two most common and important trees we fin inside the forests are called the Trujillo’s, and the Dividivi plant, both of them have very important roles in medicine for the indigenous tribes around. The Trujillo’s wood or the inside of it can be used as a cast, and the Dividivis fruit is used for two special purposes the first one is as iodine, but it can also be used as ink and in fact it was used as ink and exported to different countries around the world with the use of it as ink.
Close to the shores of the lakes you can find two species of plants that are extremely important for this type of ecosystem this is due to their function and what each of them does. The first is called platanitos and it consist of really small but huge quantities of leaves that on the rainy seasons absorb lots of water and then in the dry ones they release it slowly. The same thing does the Manglares of which there are 3 types which are named the Black, White and sweet manglar the three have a curious physical feature and it is that their items will always be folded towards one side and never will You find a straight one, this is another tree that stores water Turing the rainy seasons and releases it in the dry ones. The role these trees play is extremely important because of the fact that statistically La Guajira Only relieves from 6 to 8 cm of water yearly, this is very little Bogota for example relieves an average of 13 15 cm in rains.
Desert
The desert of La Guajira covers a big part of the peninsula and extends to Venezuela. This ecosystem is very important because it has some resources that are beneficial to humans and concentrate enough heat to balance the earths biogeography. The Wayuu tribe have adapted their conditions to live in the dry and hot area, with the temperature of "27°-28°c".Deserts have very high temperatures at daytime but at night it get very cold with low temperatures because of the low humidity. It receives radiation from the sun and the ground, so are incapable of blocking the sunlight or storing heat for the night. The desert cools quickly and by radiation it sends heat up into space. Very little precipitation it has, in Guajira they say it rains mostly 3 to 4 times a year, therefore very little drinking clean water is found.
Plants that adapt to that environment store the water on their leaves, roots and stem. That why many cactus are found on deserts, it’s not the only plant that survives but still there is not many life at a desert. In desert many minerals are found, that is something that changes the color of the sand. For example more reddish or yellowish the color of the sand. As in deserts are found resources, at La Guajira they formed “El Cerrejon” that is a village with a coal mine that is in function right now, which is the largest coal mining operating in Latin America.
Dunes are large hills made up of sand. They form because of how the winds interact with each other, the process is Aeolian. There are many forms and sizes of them and depend on the winds. In Guajira they are very close to the sea so it makes a widely distribution of dunes because they protect the land from sea storms.