Structures of tropical dry forests in the Andes: forest conservation, composition and the role of fabaceae and myrtaceae
Carlos Mario Galván-Cisneros,
Luis Roberto Sánchez Montaño,
Andrey Enrique Ojeda-Rodríguez
et al.
Abstract:Background: Tropical Dry Forests (TDFs) are repositories of biodiversity, ecosystem services and carbon that are threatened by fragmentation and climate change. Floristic and phytosociological studies are fundamental database for many studies of conservation and sustainability, but there is a knowledge gap concerning TDFs, especially in the Andes valleys. The aim of this study was to determine the phytosociological structure and composition of woody vegetation of seven TDFs in the Colombian Andes, and because … Show more
“…Fabaceae is considered the most common family in tropical Amazonian forests [31] and the third largest family of angiosperms [101]. Due to symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Fabaceae species [102], they can drive early ecological succession [21,61] and they are important in secondary forest and successful restoration practices [103]. In our study, the dominance of Fabaceae is similar in advanced successional forest stands and in reference forest, Inga species capable of fixing nitrogen were dominant in both mining types.…”
Section: Tree Species Dominance and Compositionsupporting
confidence: 54%
“…Forest structure was analyzed by structural indices [58]; we calculated in each plot: (a) the mean of the DBH of all woody species, and (2) the mean of the height of all woody species. In addition, to examine the horizontal structure of the communities [61] we calculated the importance value index (IVI) of each species according to five recovery age classes of natural regeneration and reference forest. The IVI was computed using the method of Curtis and Macintosh [62], using R package BiodiversityR [63].…”
Section: Stand Structure and Alpha And Beta-diversity Calculationsmentioning
Amazon rainforests are critical for providing a wide range of ecosystem services. In the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon; however, goldmining activities are causing severe soil degradation and forest loss. We analyzed aboveground biomass (AGB), forest structure, and species diversity recovery during secondary succession in 179 forest plots. Our study provides the first field-based quantification of AGB recovery following the abandonment by two types of goldmining (heavy machinery and suction pumping) in Madre de Dios (Peru). We found that successional secondary forests in areas subjected to suction pumping were more resilient than those in areas subjected to heavy machinery. After 20 years, mean AGB in suction pumping mining areas had reached 56% of reference forest AGB, while in areas of heavy machinery mining it was only 18%. Mining type, stand age, and distance from the forest edge had a significant effect on AGB. The influence of the distance from the forest edge on AGB varies according to mining type because the effects of species diversity on AGB are mediated by the distance from the forest edge. Our results clearly showed the dynamics of AGB recovery across a secondary succession after goldmining, and the contrasting responses of AGB between the two mining types. Our study disentangles the importance of key factors in forest recovery after mining and improves understanding of the resilience of biomass accumulation in these highly degraded ecosystems.
“…Fabaceae is considered the most common family in tropical Amazonian forests [31] and the third largest family of angiosperms [101]. Due to symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Fabaceae species [102], they can drive early ecological succession [21,61] and they are important in secondary forest and successful restoration practices [103]. In our study, the dominance of Fabaceae is similar in advanced successional forest stands and in reference forest, Inga species capable of fixing nitrogen were dominant in both mining types.…”
Section: Tree Species Dominance and Compositionsupporting
confidence: 54%
“…Forest structure was analyzed by structural indices [58]; we calculated in each plot: (a) the mean of the DBH of all woody species, and (2) the mean of the height of all woody species. In addition, to examine the horizontal structure of the communities [61] we calculated the importance value index (IVI) of each species according to five recovery age classes of natural regeneration and reference forest. The IVI was computed using the method of Curtis and Macintosh [62], using R package BiodiversityR [63].…”
Section: Stand Structure and Alpha And Beta-diversity Calculationsmentioning
Amazon rainforests are critical for providing a wide range of ecosystem services. In the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon; however, goldmining activities are causing severe soil degradation and forest loss. We analyzed aboveground biomass (AGB), forest structure, and species diversity recovery during secondary succession in 179 forest plots. Our study provides the first field-based quantification of AGB recovery following the abandonment by two types of goldmining (heavy machinery and suction pumping) in Madre de Dios (Peru). We found that successional secondary forests in areas subjected to suction pumping were more resilient than those in areas subjected to heavy machinery. After 20 years, mean AGB in suction pumping mining areas had reached 56% of reference forest AGB, while in areas of heavy machinery mining it was only 18%. Mining type, stand age, and distance from the forest edge had a significant effect on AGB. The influence of the distance from the forest edge on AGB varies according to mining type because the effects of species diversity on AGB are mediated by the distance from the forest edge. Our results clearly showed the dynamics of AGB recovery across a secondary succession after goldmining, and the contrasting responses of AGB between the two mining types. Our study disentangles the importance of key factors in forest recovery after mining and improves understanding of the resilience of biomass accumulation in these highly degraded ecosystems.
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