The tropical dry forest, also known as tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest, monsoon forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons which last several months and vary with geographic location. These seasonal droughts have great impacts on all living things in the forest.
General Traits
Temperatures are high all year, but there is a better-developed dry season than in the tropical rain forest. Evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation for enough of the year to have a significant effect on the vegetation. Edaphic conditions (dryer, better-drained soil) may produce this vegetation type in the rain-forest zone.
Tropical Dry Forest 