LIFE ZONES

• Desert Tropical thicket: an area between sea level and 100 feet of altitude, which includes the islands of La Plata and Salango. The dominant species are different cactus species, covering only small areas of the beach. The temperature is on average between 75 and 80° F, but on some months it somewhat rises or lowers, depending on the behavior of cold Humboldt Current and warm El Niño Current that year.
• Thorny Tropical thicket: this life zone is located below 100 ft above sea level. It covers the area just east of the beach, specially the valleys of the rivers Salaite, Buenavista, Ayampe and Plátano. Here there are less cactus and more shrubs and vines. The usual temperature is in the range from 75 to 80° F.
• Thorny Pre-Montane thicket: this area above 100 ft of altitude, serves as a transition between a very arid lowland and a more humid highland. The trees have greater heights and are persistently covered by fog. There are some epiphytes, ferns, orchids, mosses and lichens present. The temperature is between 65 and 75° F on average.