Structural changes of vegetation and its association with microclimate in a successional gradient of low thorn forest in northeastern Mexico

Sánchez-Reyes, Uriel Jeshua; Niño-Maldonado, Santiago; Barrientos-Lozano, Ludivina; Treviño-Carreón, Jacinto; Meléndez-Jaramillo, Edmar; Sandoval-Becerra, Fatima Magdalena; Jones, Robert W.

doi:10.1007/s11258-020-01088-z

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Our results supported this prediction and were similar to the findings of Alanís-Rodríguez et al (2018) since the highest similarity occurred among areas with a similar time of abandonment. Additionally, we found the same pattern of similarity to the findings reported by Sánchez-Reyes et al (2021) , where the lowest similarity was observed between the two sites with an extreme time of abandonment (10 and 30 yr in our study, and 4 yr and conserved areas in the study of Sánchez-Reyes et al (2021) ). Kalacska et al (2004) also found a lower similarity between the early and late stages of successional stages.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Land abandonment as driver of woody vegetation dynamics in Tamaulipan thornscrub at Northeastern Mexico

Alanís-Rodríguez

Martínez-Adriano

Sánchez‐Castillo

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Background Vegetation structure is defined as the temporal and spatial distribution of plant species in a particular site. Vegetation structure includes vertical and horizontal distribution and has been widely used as an indicator of successional changes. Ecological succession plays an essential role in the determination of the mechanisms that structure plant communities under anthropogenic disturbances. After an anthropogenic disturbance, such as grazing, forests follow changes in the original composition and vegetation structure, which eventually could restore some of their attributes to become mature forests again. To know how the time of abandonment affects woody plant communities, we ask the following questions: (1) How does the species richness, diversity, and vertical structure (A index) change concerning the time of abandonment? (2) Are species similarities among woody vegetation communities determined by land abandonment? (3) Which woody species have the highest ecological importance in each successional stage? Methods We explored how successional stages after land abandonment mediated the species richness, species diversity (alpha and beta), and ecological importance value index on four areas of Tamaulipan thornscrub. We selected four areas that differed in time of abandonment: 10, 20, 30, and >30 years. The first three areas were used for cattle grazing, whereas the >30-year area was selected as a control since it does not have a record of disturbance by cattle grazing or agriculture. During the summer of 2012, we randomly established four square plots (40 m × 40 m) in each area, separated at least 200 m from each other. In each plot, we recorded all woody individuals per species with a basal diameter ≥1 cm at 10 cm above ground level. We estimated species richness indices, species diversity (alpha and beta), and ecological importance value index. Results We recorded 27 woody species belonging to 23 genera and 15 families. Fabaceae accounted for 40% of the species. Acacia farnesiana was the most important and abundant species in the first three successional stages. We suggested that older successional stages of Tamaulipan thornscrub promote woody plant communities, characterized by a higher complex structure than younger communities. We observed the highest species similarity between the sites with a closer time of abandonment, while the lowest similarity was shown between the sites with extreme time of abandonment. We conclude that Tamaulipan thornscrub shows a similar trend of ecological succession to other dry forests and the time of abandonment has a high mediation on plant dynamics in the Tamaulipan thornscrub. Also, we stand out the importance of secondary forests for Tamaulipan thornscrub woody plant communities. Finally, we recommended future studies include aspects of regeneration speed, the proximity of mature vegetation, and the interactions of plants with their seed dispersers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Land abandonment as driver of woody vegetation dynamics in Tamaulipan thornscrub at Northeastern Mexico

Alanís-Rodríguez

Martínez-Adriano

Sánchez‐Castillo

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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“…However, no vegetation ecologist would be ready to chant victory on this front. This is so because the seemingly infinite vegetation variability is not only influenced by macro-climatic conditions; quite on the contrary, there is increasing evidence for the crucial roles of a multitude of smaller-scale environmental factors, including microclimatic, topographic, and edaphic, as well as a large array of natural and anthropic disturbances, all determining the variable composition and structure of plant communities (Gentry 1988, Ibarra-Manríquez & Martínez-Ramos 2002, DeWalt et al 2010, Do et al 2015, Marks et al 2016, Méndez-Toribio et al 2016, Bueno et al 2018, Arévalo et al 2021, Feng et al 2021, Sánchez-Reyes et al 2021.…”

Section: Vegetation-environment Relationships: a Tough Nut To Crackmentioning

confidence: 99%

From vegetation ecology to vegetation science: current trends and perspectives

et al. 2022

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Vegetation is a key biosphere component to supporting biodiversity on Earth, and its maintenance and proper functioning are essential to guarantee the well-being of humankind. From a broad perspective, a fundamental goal of vegetation ecology is to understand the roles of abiotic and biotic factors that affect vegetation structure, distribution, diversity, and functioning, considering the relevant spatial and temporal scales. In this contribution, we reflect on the difficulties and opportunities to accomplish this grand objective by reviewing recent advances in the main areas of vegetation ecology. We highlight theoretical and methodological challenges and point to alternatives to overcome them. Our hope is that this contribution will motivate the development of future research efforts that will strengthen the field of vegetation ecology. Ultimately, vegetation science will continue to provide a strong knowledge basis and multiple theoretical and technological tools to better face the current global environmental crisis and to address the urgent need to sustainably conserve the vegetation cover of our planet in the Anthropocene.

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“…Watering volume treatment is an effort to determine the stress level of ciplukan plants on water volume to support growth and production of secondary metabolites. Ciplukan that grow at various altitudes have the potential to have different abilities in absorbing and utilizing available water [29]. The research aims to study the growth and yield of ciplukan from various altitudes using watering treatments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestication of Ciplukan (Physalis angulata L.) from Three Altitudes Using Watering Treatment

Setyaningrum,

Budiastuti,

Supriyono

et al. 2024

IJDNE

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Ciplukan (Physalis angulata L.) is a plant that is often considered a weed but contains secondary metabolites that can be used as traditional medicine. This supports the domestication of ciplukan at various altitudes using watering treatments. The research aims to examine the growth and yield of ciplukan from various heights for domestication using watering treatments. The research used a complete factorial randomized block design with 2 factors, namely the height of the seed origin and the watering volume. The altitude factor consists of three levels, namely lowland, medium land and highland. Watering volume factor with four levels, namely 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% field capacity. The treatment of the height of the seed origin has an effect on plant biomass, namely that the highland seed origin shows the highest plant biomass. Watering volume affects plant height, number of leaves, root length, fresh weight and plant biomass. The growth and yield of ciplukan decreases as the watering volume decreases. The combination of treatment from midland seeds with a watering volume of 25% showed the lowest plant height. Domestication of ciplukan shows that the height of the seed origin and the volume of watering have a significant influence on the growth and production of ciplukan.

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Structural changes of vegetation and its association with microclimate in a successional gradient of low thorn forest in northeastern Mexico

Cited by 12 publications

References 58 publications

Land abandonment as driver of woody vegetation dynamics in Tamaulipan thornscrub at Northeastern Mexico

Land abandonment as driver of woody vegetation dynamics in Tamaulipan thornscrub at Northeastern Mexico

From vegetation ecology to vegetation science: current trends and perspectives

Domestication of Ciplukan (Physalis angulata L.) from Three Altitudes Using Watering Treatment

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