Tropical dry climates

Abstract

Tropical dry climates are home to unique forest ecosystems, many of which are affected by strong phenological patterns. In the Americas, tropical dry forest ecosystems account for 40 % of their original extension, and are highly affected by deforestation patterns given the fact that they are located on high fertile forests. Moreover, forest presented in these ecosystems can be considered natural barometers to understand the impact of climate change. In this chapter we first presented an overview of the ecological characteristics of forests present in tropical dry climates. We explore also linkages between environmental change, conservation biology and land-use/cover change (including the role of remote sensing) in tropical dry environments. We conclude this chapter with an overview of future research avenues to improve our knowledge of the ecological mechanisms associated to forests in tropical dry climates.