Riqueza de las plantas vasculares del bosque altoandino de Bijagual, Colombia

Abstract

Background and Aims: The high Andean forest in Colombia corresponds to a plant community located between 2400-3200(-3500) m a.s.l., characterized by the presence of arboreal species with restricted distributions that determine their physiognomy and composition. Nevertheless, these species have been affected by agricultural activity that has generated a loss of connectivity and richness. This research records the species richness, composition, and distributional data for the vascular flora in the high Andean forest of the Bijagual Massif, Bocayá, Colombia. Methods: Sampling was carried out in 27 transects. The specimens were organized under the APG IV classification system, curated and deposited in the UPTC herbarium (Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia). The number of species, list of taxa, distributions for Colombia, and conservation categories according to the IUCN were noted. Results: We registered 327 species distributed in 151 genera and 69 families; 187 species (56%) were native to the Andean region, 51 (15%) were endemic to the Andes and 24 (7%) were endemic to the Eastern cordillera of the Andes, Colombia. Schefflera bejucosa is a new distributional record for Boyacá. Greigia stenolepis, Hieronyma rufa, Puya goudotiana and Tillandsia pallescens are Near Threatened (NT). Plutarchia guascensis, Quercus humboldtii and Symplocos venulosa are classified as Vulnerable (VU), and Diplostephium oblongifolium and Dunalia trianaei as Endangered (EN). Conclusions: Bijagual is a biological corridor with great potential for biodiversity compared to other high Andean areas in Colombia. Species richness is influenced by other localities near the Massif (Tota and Mampacha), in addition to a possible stochastic and heterogeneous distribution between sampling units. Miconia, Pentacalia, Epidendrum, Elaphoglossum, Tillandsia, and some other genera are species-rich. Clusia alata, Weinmannia balbisiana, Weinmannia rollottii, Ternstroemia cf. camelliifolia, and Brunellia comocladifolia define the arboreal and shrub physiognomy of Bijagual.

Estructura y composición florística de un bosque subandino en Togüí (Boyacá, Colombia)

“…En Colombia, las especies de estos grupos son más predominantes en los bosques andinos que se sitúan a altitudes superiores a 2800 metros. (Vargas, 1986;Gil et al, 2022;Ramos et al, 2022).…”

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of the Vegetation Cover from the Bijagual Massif, Boyacá, Colombia, during the 1986–2021 Period

“…The vegetation of the Bijagual Massif belongs to Andean mountain formations that characterize the high mountain ecosystems in Colombia. According to Gil-Leguizamón et al [34,35], the strip of high Andean forest (Hof) shows a wide species turnover at short distances, with trees and shrubs of encenillos (Weinmannia tomentosa L. f., W. rollottii Killip, In the dense grassland of non-wooded mainland or paramo coverage (Dgnm), there are associations of scrubs, pajonales-chuscales, frailejonales, and sphagnals included in the Linochilo phylicoidis-Arcytophyllion nitidi Rangel & Ariza 2000 nom. mut.…”

“…The Bijagual Massif corresponds to one of the six high mountain natural areas in Boyacá with broad floristic diversity [27,38]. The field verification process and the consultation of herbarium biological collections [35,37] allowed estimating a richness of up to 327 species for the Hof cover and up to 120 species for Dgnm. The results of the spatiotemporal dynamics showed that this diversity is vulnerable to the effects of the pasture and crop matrix since it has caused modifications in the vegetation [40].…”

“…The results of the spatiotemporal dynamics showed that this diversity is vulnerable to the effects of the pasture and crop matrix since it has caused modifications in the vegetation [40]. According to Gil-Leguizamón et al [34,35], the presence and dominance of some species of Chusquea Kunth in forest interiors and of Cenchrus L., Brachiaria (Trin.) Griseb., and Holcus lanatus L. in paramos indicate that the composition and physiognomy of these covers have been modified, enhancing the loss of richness and forming more heterogeneous plant communities.…”

“…Griseb., and Holcus lanatus L. in paramos indicate that the composition and physiognomy of these covers have been modified, enhancing the loss of richness and forming more heterogeneous plant communities. Even so, the research carried out by Gil-Leguizamón et al [34,35] and Carrillo et al [37] relate some species of ecological importance, including trees, shrubs, rosettes, and grasses that characterize the physiognomy of the Andean forest, such as C. multiflora, C. elliptica, C. alata, W. rollottii, B. comocladifolia, V. triphyllum, and E. myrtilloides, and then the species In 1986 and 2000, the Hof and Dgnm covers showed patches with habitat quality and availability for biota (connectivity within the patch) and act as dispersal flows (connectivity between patches); however, these ecological characteristics decreased drastically in 2021 for the two covers. Both Hof and Dgnm patches provide different connectivity values, evidenced in the dispersion of the standard deviation data concerning the average of each fraction by cover type and time (Figure 5A).…”