Abstract
Andean ecosystems harbor a high floristic diversity, which is being threatened by human disturbances such us deforestation and by the expansion of the agricultural frontier. One of these ecosystems are the Andean oak forests dominated by Quercus humboldtii, a threatened species in Colombia. We assessed the floristic composition and structure of three Andean oak forests located in three localities (San Andrés de Cuerquia, Belmira and Guarne) of Antioquia. The main goal was to determine whether these forests showed similarities in their structure and floristic composition. In each site, a permanent plot of 5000 m2 (0.5 ha) was established. All trees with D > or = 10 cm were sampled and identified to species. The Importance Value Index (IVI) was calculated as the sum of relative density (DeR), dominance (DoR) and frequency (FR) of a species. Trees with 5 < or = D < 10 cm and 2 < or = D < 5 cm were registered in sub-plots of 0.05 and 0.0144 ha, respectively. Finally, we used Jaccard's Index to quantify the floristic similarity among oak forest. When we considered all trees with D > or = 10 cm in the three forests, the number of species ranged from 18 to 54, whilst the number of individuals ranged from 326 to 680. The Guarne oak forest showed the highest species richness. In all sites, Q. humboldtii (Fagaceae) was the most important species in relation to the IVI, while Clusia sp. (Clusiaceae) and Myrsine coriaceae (Myrsinaceae) were the most important species in San Andrés de Cuerquia, Clethra fagifolia (Clethraceae) was important only in Belmira and Myrcia popayanensis (Myrtaceae) was important in Guarne. The families with the highest number of species were Fabaceae, Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae. Floristic similarity among places was low. The size distribution of trees had an inverse J-shape curve for all sites with changes in the abundance for size class. The three oak forests differed in their structure and floristic composition probably because of different disturbance degrees.
Highlights
Los bosques estudiados son ecosistemas complejos, dispuestos en zonas montañosas a gran elevación, de largas y fuertes pendientes, sobre suelos ácidos y desaturados, y sometidos a una alta precipitación y humedad (Cuadro 1)
Andean ecosystems harbor a high floristic diversity, which is being threatened by human disturbances such us deforestation and by the expansion of the agricultural frontier. One of these ecosystems are the Andean oak forests dominated by Quercus humboldtii, a threatened species in Colombia
We assessed the floristic composition and structure of three Andean oak forests located in three localities (San Andrés de Cuerquia, Belmira and Guarne) of Antioquia
Summary
Área de estudio: El estudio se realizó en tres sitios diferentes de la Cordillera Central del Departamento de Antioquia, en jurisdicción de los municipios de Guarne (6°16’42.073576” N, 75°29’35.670888” W), San Andrés de Cuerquia (6°52’02.477617” N, 75° 35’59.910553” W) y Belmira (6°39’37.566876” N, 75°39’12.029162” W). Los bosques estudiados son ecosistemas complejos, dispuestos en zonas montañosas a gran elevación, de largas y fuertes pendientes, sobre suelos ácidos y desaturados, y sometidos a una alta precipitación y humedad (Cuadro 1). CUADRO 1 Características de los robledales de la Cordillera Central de Antioquia (Colombia)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.