Abstract
This work is a phytosociological approach to the montane rainforests of Peru with the aim of advancing on the diversity of plant communities, which we had already begun in previous research. From 364 phytosociological plots and 3389 species of the South American tropics, we have developed a cluster, using the Sørensen index, to know the similarities between the forests and their parallelism with bioclimatic conditions. After studying the existence of characteristic groups of the Peruvian forests, we have established different communities and phytosociological units for Peru. As a result, we have described seven associations, within three new alliances, which are gathered in the new order Saurauio peruvianae-Condaminetalia corymbosae of the new class Morello pubescentis-Myrsinetea coriaceae. In addition, two associations have been described within the class Pruno rigidae-Oreopanacetea floribundae (mesotropical laurel-like forests), and three for the class Alnetea acuminatae (alder forests and palm groves). The humid forests of Peru are closer to those of Ecuador and to those of the set formed by the three Colombian mountain ranges than to those of Bolivia and Argentina, due to the common flora these share with areas of Paraguay and even of the Parana River region.
Highlights
Tropical montane rainforests are located worldwide in areas where east–west winds (Trade Winds) blow against the mountains [1,2], establishing well-defined vegetation belts that depend on rainfall and humidity condensation at medium elevations.In South America, winds from Amazonia push the evapotranspiration humidity to the Andean forests
In the Peruvian Andes, some authors distinguish between mountain and brow forests [8,9,10,11]: the mountain extending between 1800 and 3400 m, where genera such as Cecropia, Cinchona, Luehea, and Ochroma are abundant, and are replaced by the mountain brow between 3400 and 3600 (3900) m above sea level, with Ericaceae, Polylepis, and Weinmannia
The Andes reached their modern elevation during the late–mid-Miocene (~12 Ma) and early Pliocene (~4.5 Ma) [22,23], which gave rise to the ecosystems we know today. This last period saw the culmination of the formation of the Central American corridor [24], which led to the northward expansion of the Humboldt sea current, strengthening the aridity of western Peru and causing the disappearance of most of the settled forest masses
Summary
Tropical montane rainforests are located worldwide in areas where east–west winds (Trade Winds) blow against the mountains [1,2], establishing well-defined vegetation belts that depend on rainfall and humidity condensation at medium elevations. Mountain forests reach 4700 m in Bolivia, and 3800–4200 m from southern Peru to Venezuela This division is very close to that of Malizia et al [15] in Argentina, which distinguishes four vegetation belts: tropical premontane forest plots (
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