Composition, structure and diversity of coastal vegetation in the northeastern of Cozumel, Mexico

Abstract

<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cozumel island, Mexico has one of the best preserved and threatened coastal vegetation in the Mexican Caribbean. Increasing the ecological knowledge about these communities can help to establish conservation priorities.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Question: </strong>How are the structure and composition of well-preserved coastal vegetation communities in the Island of Cozumel?<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Study site and dates: </strong>The study was conducted in the northeastern coast of the island of Cozumel, at the Municipality of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico, from July 2014 to November 2014.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Five interception lines of 80 m were randomly established along environmental gradient, perpendicular to the coastal line, in each three different environments: rocky beaches, sandy beaches, and coastal dunes. Species richness, diversity, and importance value index of the species in the community were computed, and floristic composition recorded.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We recorded 23 families, 35 genera and 37 species. The most representative families are Poaceae with four species, Rubiaceae and Asteraceae with three species each; <em>Sideroxylon</em> and <em>Euphorbia</em> were the richest genera, with two species each. The three coastal environments presented no statistical differences in its relative density, coverage and diversity, but differed in species composition and richness (higher in rocky beaches and coastal dunes).<strong></strong></p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Two dissimilar coastal plant communities can be recognized into the halophilous vegetation type, which are established in sandy and rocky environments respectively. The floristic composition and the species association of the rocky beaches reveal the relationship between the Island of Cozumel coastal vegetation and plant communities in other Caribbean islands.

Alien and Potentially Invasive Plants in Four Lagoons on the Island of Cozumel, Mexico

“…The vegetation on the island grows on a highly permeable limestone and sandy substrate. Different ecosystems grow here: sub-deciduous tropical forests, mangrove swamps, wetlands, and coastal dune vegetation [9,10,[37][38][39].…”

“…We employed Family taxonomic keys and performed comparisons with herbarium specimens (XAL). The scientific names of the registered species were corroborated through the electronic databases (Tropicos.org) [40] and online herbaria data (MEXU, XAL), as well as by consulting the floristic lists published for the lagoons and wetlands of the Yucatan Peninsula [36][37][38][39]41].…”

Health Care in the Marketplace: Exploring Maya Medicinal Plants and Practices at Piedras Negras, Guatemala

“…The species may also correspond to the single sunflower family (Asteraceae) phytolith recovered from residues on a human maxillary molar (Table 1). The B. arborescens shrub grows on rocky beaches, dunes, or areas bordering mangrove swamps (Collantes-Chávez-Costa et al 2019:143; Flores-Olvera et al 2016:Table 17.1; Nash and Williams 1976:215). Its leaves are made into a tea used to treat whooping cough, back pain, and colds in the Exumas; decoctions are used to relieve colds, coughs, and back pain in the Bahamas; and the plant is used as a treatment for influenza in Barbados (Cohall and Carrington 2012:Table 2; Eldridge 1975:325; Setzer et al 2015:11).…”

Birds of the Land of Swallows: contribution of the main ecosystems of Cozumel Island to its avian diversity

“…Finally, palm thickets (3-10 m high) are scattered across the island. Most of the plant associations on the island are considered as secondary vegetation, as they often replace tropical forests when disturbed (both naturally and anthropogenically; Téllez-Valdés et al 1989;Cuarón 2009; Vázquez-Domínguez and Espindola 2013) and coastal dune vegetation (Collantes-Chávez-Costa et al 2019). The dominant plant species in each ecosystem are as follows: Acacia gaumeri, Leucaena leucocephala, Pithecellobium dulce, Caesalpinia platyloba, Cassia racemosa, Cordia sebestena, Guaiacum sanctum, Capparis incana, Colubrina arborescens, Bursera simaruba, Guazuma ulmifolia, Coccoloba cozumelensis, Cedrella mexicana, and Randia longiloba in deciduous forests; Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans in mangroves; and Thrinax radiata and Acoelorrhaphe wrightii in palm thickets (Flores-Guido 1983).…”