Costa Rican Tropical Dry Forest Food Web
Terrestrial
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Northwestern Costa Rica — Guanacaste Province
Description
Tropical dry forests are among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth, with less than 2% of their original extent remaining in Central America. Santa Rosa National Park in Costa Rica protects a recovering example where deciduous trees shed leaves during the six-month dry season. White-faced capuchins, white-tailed deer, and jaguarundis occupy this seasonal food web.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Leaf-cutter ants
Dry season fungi
Termites
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Jaguar
Puma
2 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Jaguarundi
Boa constrictor
Spectacled owl
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
White-faced capuchin
White-tailed deer
Howler monkey
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Guanacaste tree
Gumbo-limbo
Dry forest grasses
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Guanacaste trees depend on horses and cattle for seed dispersal, replacing extinct megafauna
- White-faced capuchins are omnivorous, eating fruit, insects, and small vertebrates
- Deciduous leaf fall during dry season concentrates animals around permanent water sources
- Fire suppression allows forest regeneration on former cattle pasture