Ostrya chisosensis
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Ostrya chisosensis faces severe threats from its extremely limited range in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, Texas, where fewer than 200 mature individuals remain. Climate change poses the greatest risk, as rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns threaten the species' narrow elevational habitat requirements. The small population size makes the species vulnerable to stochastic events and genetic bottlenecks, while invasive plant species compete for resources in its restricted montane environment.
Habitat
Ostrya chisosensis is endemic to moist canyon bottoms and north-facing slopes in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, Texas, typically occurring at elevations between 1,500-2,100 meters. The species grows in mixed deciduous woodland communities alongside other relict trees in protected ravines and seeps that provide cooler, more mesic conditions than the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert.
