El Yunque National Rain Forest is a reserve located on the eastern side of Puerto Rico that contains over 200 plant and 120 animal species. It receives 4-8 meters of rain annually to qualify as a tropical rainforest. The forest varies by elevation and contains tabonuco, red tree, sierra palm, and cloud forests. Plants in the forest have large leaves, strong roots, and tall stems to adapt to the wet environment. The cloud forest at the top is always covered in clouds, keeping it cool and limiting plant growth. The sierra palm forest at 600m contains the palm tree and strong-rooted trees that withstand winds. Students took soil samples at different elevations to test for phages.

1. El Yunque National Rain Forest
El Yunque national Rain Forest is a reserve located on the eastern side of the
island and have over 200 different species of plant and over 120 species of animals.
For a forest to be categorize as a tropical rain forest it must have principally two
environmental factors: the location should be on the tropical equatorial zone and the
quantity of rain that it receives a year that it should be 4 to 8 meters.
In the national rain forest el Yunque they are 240 species that been seen and
which 26 are endemic and only found in el Yunque. In addiction they have been
reports of 47 species that have been introduced, 88 species of wear trees, 50 species of
natives’ orchids and 150 species of ferns. The characteristic of the forest may vary
from elevation. The national rain forest is divided on four types of forest which are:
the “tabonuco” forest, red tree forest, sierra palm forest and the cloud forest or dwarf
forest.
The plants that we found on the rain forest were:
• Cadan Tree: Produces a fruit the size of a soursop, has a relationship with
mycorrhizae to grow.
• Yagrumo: Cecropia peltata. It is dioecious, meaning it has male and female
flowers on different trees of the same species. The flowers of the female are
tiny and are grouped in inflorescences up to 4 inches long, The male flowers
are much thinner. The female flowers produce thousands of fruits that are
eaten by birds and bats. This keeps flowering and fruiting throughout the year.
This species grows rapidly and their roots are shallow.
• Magohaby (Caboa): Is a valuable wood, light and attractive. Does not have
moth. Mahogany has a generally straight grain and it has a reddish-brown
color, which darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It
has excellent workability and is very durable. It can be Cuban mahogaby or
Dominican mahogaby, although the Dominican magohaby has smaller leafs.
• Bamboo: Grass, stem free of branches, it doesn’t have growth under its
branches. Bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world and
depend on local soil and climatic conditions.
• Guava tree: It was used in coffee plantations for shadow and produces a very
sweet fruit. The spread of the guavas is because the animals will eat the fruit

2. and disperse the seeds in their droppings The ants that live in this tree are
called “abayarde”.
• Guaraguao Tree: Guarea guara. It is made of light wood like mahogany.
• Tree Fern (Helecho arbóreo): Cibotium spp. They are very primitive plants,
lively ferns and often in danger of extinction in the regions of origin.
The plants and trees that live on El Yunque have big leaves, long and strong roots and
tall stems.
The Darft Forest:
The darft forest is located at the upper part of the forest were the clouds
touch the top peaks. The soil is very acid and pours on drainage. Commonly this
part of the forest is cover by clouds which reduces the temperature to 65.3F. In
this part the trees and plant are small because of the little sunlight that it receives
even if they are higher than the others on the forest the clouds block the sunlight
and reduces the photosynthesis.

3. The Sierra Palm Forest:
This forest is located at 600m over the sea level. It’s have a soil that is less
deep and unstable. This part of the forest is characterized by a specific tree that is the
sierra palm. This can be found near rivers. The trees have strong roots that sustain
the tree from the wild winds. And its seeds are the principal food of the portorican
parrot.
Methodology
The objective of The Yunque Rain Forest visit was to take soil samples to see if we
could find phages.
1. Take the soil sample
2. Coordinates
3. Wind Velocity
4. Soil Temperature
5. Ph

4. Altitude Coordinates Humidity PH Temp. Wind Muestra? Who?
Velocity
706 18 ̊ 73% 5 ̊
80 F Yes NCC
20.298'N
065
̊45.732'W
2,483 18 84% 6 73F Yes LBR
̊18.1989'N
065 ̊
47.394'W
56 18 ̊ 80% 5.5 80F 206F/M No
21.985'N
065
̊46.225'W
2,622 ̊
18 298'N 75% 4.2 71F Yes LAPS
065
̊47.394'W
1,605 ̊
18 18.65'N 80% 4.5 78F Yes CMM
065
̊46.227'W
3,425 ̊
18 18.633'N 78% 5.5 73F Yes LRV
065
̊47.546'W
2,153 ̊
18 18.136'N 80% 5 72F Yes YCR
065
̊47.047'W
Guanica Dry Forest

5. Flora in this area is limited due to its climate. In this area dry soils are relatively
unproductive because plants need sufficient quantities of liquid to live. This plant
need to go to some adaptations due to the extremely dry climate. Rain comes
infrequently but when it comes the vegetation is transformed. Many plants have
highly reduced leaves that resist excessive water loss. Other adaptation is the Cam
(caarssulacean acid metabolism) in which the plant takes CO2 at night and the
stomata remain close in the day. (Campbell biology) The most common one are the
button mangrove, “uva de playa”, Acacia, Melocatus and Agave.
●Button mangrove: it’s an introduce plant, located far away from the cost. These
plants extract salts from soli. This inhibits the plant growth creating a hypertonic
solution.
●Uva de playa: scientific name coccoloba. It’s an introduced tree, are located close to
the cost.
●Acacia: plant native from Puerto Rico, this plants contain thorns that protect them
from predators.
●Melocactus: native from Puerto Rico
●Agave: live close to limestone, product of ph of rain (5.5 acidic).
Thorns
In this forest the plant have a commonly adaptation which are the thorns. The thorns
are a transformation that has different purposes. The purposes of the thorns are:
1. Reduce the transpiration of the leaves, which prevent the tree from drying.

6. 2. The photosynthesis is develop on the shaft
3. Prevent that some predators eat the plant.
4. Obligate the animal to eat the fruit which benefits the dispersion of the plant
The differences between the rain forest el Yunque and the Guanica dry forest are:
distribution, precipitation, plants, animals, temperature and human interact.
Quadrants Group 1
Line Transept Group 1

7. Quadrants Group 2
Line Transept Group 2

8. Quadrants Group 3
Line Transept Group 3