Premontane Forest Research Articles

Tree Species Composition and Structure of a Vegetation Plot in a Montane Forest in the Department of Amazonas, Peru

The diversity and floristic composition of a primeval forest was studied, located in the district of Yambrasbamba–Bongará–Amazonas, delimiting a 1 ha area, and at an altitude of 1890 m.a.s.l. All individuals with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm were inventoried. The plant diversity in the area was measured and a description of its composition and floristic structure was made. The following were recorded: a total of 640 trees distributed in 39 families, 60 genera and 152 species. The value of the Simpson’s index (D) was 0.974 and that of the Shannon–Wiener index was 4.264, indicating that the species had a high abundance of individuals. In turn, Fisher’s alpha value (α) was 23.744, indicating a regular diversity in montane forests in relation to different altitudinal gradients. The families with the highest number of individuals were Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Phyllanthaceae, and Lauraceae. The most abundant species were Alchornea acutifolia Müll.Arg. with 47 individuals (7.34%), Chimarrhis glabriflora Ducke with 39 individuals (6.09%), Hieronyma alchorneoides Allemão with 39 individuals (6.09%), and Cyathea lasiosora (Kuhn) Domin with 33 individuals (5.16%). A comparative analysis was carried out of plots of montane and premontane forests, and the studied plot presented had the third-highest register of families and genera, behind the plots studied in the provinces of Oxapampa and Chanchamayo.

Activity patterns of short-tailed fruit bats Carollia Gray, 1838 in a premontane forest of central Peru

La partición temporal es un mecanismo poco estudiado para especies de murciélagos frugívoros que coexisten en competencia. Describimos los patrones de actividad de Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758), Carollia brevicauda (Schinz, 1821) y Carollia benkeithi Solari and Baker, 2006 basándonos en la variación temporal de las capturas en un bosque premontano del centro de Perú. Para C. perspicillata, también fueron comparados los patrones de actividad entre diferentes sexos y estaciones (húmeda vs. seca). Reportamos una superposición temporal (Delta = 0,91) entre las tres especies, siendo más activas al principio de la noche cuando los recursos se encuentran más disponibles. Ni el sexo ni la estación cambiaron el patrón de actividad de C. perspicillata. La evidencia sugiere que estas especies simpátricas no reducen la competencia a través de la segregación temporal.

Bioclimatic characterisation of the Subtropical Mountain Forests of Yungas at the northern extreme of Argentina: Sierras de Tartagal, Alto Macueta and del Alto Rio Seco (Salta Province)

The Subtropical Mountain Forests or Yungas at the northern extreme of Argentina (Sierras de Tartagal, Alto Macueta and del Alto Río Seco, Salta Province) were bioclimatically characterized for the first time. In this study, the methodology of the Bioclimatic Classification of Earth was applied. Twelve Temperature and Precipitation climatic parameters were used and three bioclimatic indices corresponding to 54 Bioclimatic Reference Localities (BRL) established in the study area were also calculated. From them we determined the bioclimatic units of each BRL at the level of Macrobioclimate, Bioclimate, Thermotypes and Ombrotypes. Subsequently, three bioclimatic maps (Bioclimate, Thermotypes and Ombrotypes) and two bioclimatic distribution maps of the forests and its vegetation belt (Premontane Forest and Montane Rainforest) were digitally developed using the QGIS software. The results obtained show that these forests are distributed within the Tropical Macrobioclimate and Tropical Pluviseasonal Bioclimate, with Upper Thermotropical and Lower Mesotropical thermotypes and Lower Subhumid and Upper Subhumid ombrotypes. The lowest vegetation belt, the Premontane Forest, is distributed between (≈400) 429-889 (≈900) m asl and exhibits two thermal variants: the warm Thermotropical Premontane Forest and the more temperate Mesotropical Premontane Forest. The Montane Rainforest is distributed at higher altitudes between (≈900) 965-1178 (≈1200) m als under Lower Mesotropical Thermotype. Both vegetation belts present two ombric variants, whose geographic distribution is determined by the precipitation gradient operating in the region: towards the West, the more humid variants are distributed under the Upper Subhumid ombrotype, while towards the East, the less humid variants are found under Lower Subhumid ombrotype. The present work constitutes the first bioclimatic study carried out in this forest formation applying the methodology of the Bioclimatic Classification of the Earth. It also lays the foundations and contributes whith valuable information to future floristic, vegetational, ecological and biogeographical studies and those focused on the conservation and sustainable management of native forests at the northern extreme of Argentina.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin Content in 21 Plant Species from a Very Humid Premontane Forest in Colombia Palatable for Free-Range Laying Hens.

Xanthophylls, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, have several functions in both plants and humans, including detoxification of oxidants (reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other radicals), maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of biological membranes, and photoprotection from intense light damage. The objective of the present study was to investigate the lutein and zeaxanthin content of 21 species of plants from a very humid premontane forest in Colombia during both dry and rainy seasons. The plants were selected based on being voluntarily eaten by laying hens under free-range conditions. Lutein and zeaxanthin were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that all plants tested contained lutein, at levels ranging from 65.7 to 350 µg/g. Zeaxanthin levels were much lower (2.2 to 26.2 µg/lg) and were detected in only 5 of the 21 plants analyzed. Given that the lutein content of the plants tested in the present study was found to be comparable to that reported in marigold flowers (4-800 µg/g), it is possible that these plants can be used as a source of lutein in free-range laying hen production systems.

Systematic Revision of Thomasomys cinereus (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) from Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador, With Descriptions of Three New Species

Thomasomys cinereus is the type species of Thomasomys, type genus of the sigmodontine tribe Thomasomyini. As currently recognized, Thomasomys includes 48 species, all of which are endemic to humid montane or premontane forests in the tropical Andes. Although it has been suggested that T. cinereus is a species complex, this hypothesis has yet to be critically evaluated. Herein we provide a revision of the species based on a qualitative assessment of external, craniodental, and soft morphological traits; morphometric analyses; a phylogenetic analysis based on cytochrome b gene sequences; species delimitation methods; and first-hand examination of type material. Our analyses of genetic data recovered four distinct clades within T. cinereus, one corresponding to T. cinereus sensu stricto (restricted to the montane forests delimited by the Río Marañón, Río Huancabamba, and Río Tablachaca in Cajamarca department, Peru) and three new species: Thomasomys lojapiuranus, sp. nov., from the montane forests of Piura department, Peru, and Loja province, Ecuador; T. shallqukucha, sp. nov., restricted to the Kañaris montane forests in the Peruvian department of Lambayeque; and T. pagaibambensis, sp. nov., restricted to the montane forests of Pagaibamba in Cajamarca department, Peru. These species can be distinguished by several discrete morphological traits of the skull, dentition, mandible, stomach, palatal rugae, and glans penis. Genetic distances among these taxa range from 5.06%–7.65% at the cytochrome b locus, and delimitation analyses based on cytochrome b sequence data support their recognition as distinct species. Our results suggest the existence of previously unsuspected dispersal barriers in the Andes of northern Peru, and they confirm that the Río Marañón is a formidable barrier that limits the distribution of species of Thomasomys as well as other sigmodontine rodents.

Diversity and seasonal changes of phyllostomid bats assemblages in montane and pre-montane forests in the Central Peruvian Yungas

Diversity and seasonal changes of phyllostomid bats assemblages in montane and pre-montane forests in the Central Peruvian Yungas

Effects of landscape structure on restoration success in tropical premontane forest

Reversing large-scale habitat degradation and deforestation goes beyond what can be achieved by site-level ecological restoration and a landscape ecology perspective is fundamental. Here we assess the relative importance of tree cover and its configuration on forest-dependent birds and late-successional tree seedlings in restoration sites in southern Costa Rica. The abundance and species richness of birds increased in landscapes with more corridors, higher tree cover, and lower levels of fragmentation, highlighting the importance of riparian corridors for connectivity, and continuous tree cover as suitable habitat. Landscape variables affected abundance and species richness of seedlings similarly, but effects were weaker, possibly because seedlings face establishment limitation in addition to dispersal limitation. Moreover, the scale of landscape effects on seedlings was small, likely because proximal individual trees can significantly influence recruitment in restoration plots. Results underscore the importance of incorporating landscape-level metrics to restoration projects, as knowing the extent, and how the landscape may affect restoration outcomes can help to infer what kind of species will arrive to restoration plots.

Monograph of Doselia (Solanaceae), a new hemiepiphytic genus endemic to the northern Andes.

A new genus, Doselia A.Orejuela & Särkinen, gen. nov., is described in the tribe Solandreae (Solanaceae) consisting of four species of hemiepiphytic lianas endemic to the premontane forests of the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes. The genus is distinguished based on the membranous leaves, usually sparsely pubescent with eglandular simple trichomes, pseudo-verticillate leaf arrangement, and elongated, pendulous, and few-flowered inflorescences with showy flowers and conical fruits. Three new combinations are made to transfer species to the new genus previously described as part of the polyphyletic genus Markea Rich. (Doseliaepifita (S.Knapp) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov., D.huilensis (A.Orejuela & J.M.Vélez) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov. and D.lopezii (Hunz.) A.Orejuela & Särkinen, comb. nov.). One new species is described from the western slopes of the eastern cordillera of the Colombian Andes, known only from three localities in the Boyacá, Santander, and Tolima departments (Doseliagalilensis A.Orejuela & Villanueva, sp. nov.). The new species is unique in the genus in having glabrescent adult leaves, green-purplish calyces and long, greenish-white, infundibuliform corollas with delicate purplish veins and large lobes tinged with purple, and pubescent styles. Here we provide a revision of Doselia with a distribution map of all species, an identification key, photographs, preliminary conservation assessments, and line drawings of all four species.

Four new species of polychromatic spiny-tailed iguanian lizards, genus Stenocercus (Iguania: Tropiduridae), from Peru.

The tropical Andes Mountains exhibit high levels of endemism and spatial turnover in the distribution of species. The lizard genus Stenocercus Dumril Bibron, 1837, contains 76 species and most of them occur in the tropical Andes, reaching elevations up to 4,000 m. We describe four new species of Stenocercus based on the examination of newly collected material from the Amazonian slopes of the Peruvian Andes. Stenocercus asenlignus sp. nov. inhabits the premontane forest of northern and central Peru, departments of Amazonas, San Martn and Hunuco, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,036 m, in the basins of the Mayo, Huayabamba, and Huallaga rivers. Stenocercus leybachi sp. nov. inhabits the premontane forest of the upper Huallaga River, Hunuco department in central Peru, at elevations between 824 and 1,270 m. Stenocercus qalaywasi sp. nov. was collected in a small village at the headwaters of the Mantaro River, Junn department in central Peru, at an elevation of 2,587 m. Finally, S. nigrocaudatus sp. nov. inhabits the montane forest from extreme northern Peru, Cajamarca department, at elevations of 1,700 and 1,892 m. These species are characterized by having granular scales on the posterior surface of the thighs, relatively short tail, caudals spinose, two caudal whorls per autotomic segment, and the ability to change coloration from green to brown or gray; they differ from other species of Stenocercus in scutellation features and color pattern.

Fruits consumed by phyllostomid bats in a Peruvian Yungas forest: new dietary items for Chiroderma salvini and Lonchophylla handleyi

Abstract Through an analysis of seeds in faeces, I recorded some fruits consumed by 13 bat species in a premontane forest of the buffer zone of Santuario Nacional Pampa Hermosa (Junin, central Peru) in March 2017. Platyrrhinus albericoi was found for the first time in the area. Results provide the first evidence of granivory by Chiroderma salvini and frugivory by Lonchophylla handleyi, and additional records of fruits consumed by some Neotropical frugivorous bats in premontane forests.

Restoration plantations accelerate dead wood accumulation in tropical premontane forests

Dead wood stores 10–20% of global forest carbon stocks, but its recovery and restoration in secondary tropical forests are poorly documented. In this study, we evaluated (1) the recovery pattern of dead wood volumes across a chronosequence of secondary tropical forests that used to be former coffee plantations, and (2) the efficiency of two common restoration strategies to recover dead wood volumes similar to those found in old-growth forests, all in a tropical premontane landscape in southern Costa Rica. Restoration strategies consisted of plantations and natural regeneration. Plantations consist of plots where two endemic (Terminalia amazonia and Vochysia guatemalensis) and two naturalized (Inga edulis and Ertyhrina poeppegiana) species were planted in rows. Natural regeneration consists of plots where no trees were planted, but where agriculture or cattle are excluded though fencing and vegetation is allowed to regenerate naturally. We hypothesized that (1) dead wood volumes increase with forest age following a logistic shape, and that (2) restoration plantations recover dead wood volumes more quickly compared to naturally regenerated forests. We measured dead wood volumes in a total of 35 forest fragments that were former coffee plantations or are currently old-growth forests and 10 restoration plots containing either natural regeneration or restoration plantations that were former fallow or pasture using strip transects. Dead wood volumes significantly increased with forest age following a logistic shape, starting with very low values in early ages (3–5 years), increasing rapidly (6–50 years), and ending with high and relatively stable values after 50 years of age. In addition, plantations (16 to 17 years old) recovered 41% of dead wood volumes found in old-growth forests > 100 years old, whereas naturally regenerated forests of the same age only recovered 1.7% of dead wood volumes found in old-growth forests. Our study shows that restoration plantations not only accelerate the recovery of above ground biomass, but also accelerate the recovery of dead wood in premontane Neotropical ecosystems. This indicates that tree planting positively affects carbon storage, and potentially the preservation of dead wood-associated biodiversity.

Diversity and distribution of lichens from the Cerro Duida and adjacent areas, Alto Orinoco, Amazonas, Venezuela

Increasing temperature and changing land-use in the Guayana Shield and Amazonia result in an accelerated decline of sensitive lichen populations. Monitoring of these populations by biological plot inventories in particularly vulnerable sites is urgently needed. In order to know the diversity and distribution of lichen species at the Alto Orinoco, Parque Nacional Duida-Marahuaca and nearby areas from Amazonas state, Venezuela, lichens were sampled during four expeditions in more than 40 plots located from 200 m (premontane forest) to more than 1500 m elevation (altotepuyana vegetation). Additional data were obtained from literature and herbaria. Our assessment, although incomplete, revealed 205 described species, 150 undescribed species, 84 genera and 27 families. Among the described species 162 were observed in the basimontane vegetation, 38 in the montane vegetation, 24 in the altotepuyana vegetation, while 20 appear to be endemic to the study area. Sixty-nine species are new records for the Cerro Duida. A checklist with taxonomic and ecological data is presented. Five new species and one new variety are described: Cladonia duidana V.Marcano & A.Morales sp. nov. (Cladoniaceae), Pertusaria orinoquensis V.Marcano sp. nov., Sticta kunuhana V.Marcano sp. nov. (Lobariaceae), S. spruceana V.Marcano sp. nov. (Lobariaceae), Xanthoparmelia esmeraldensis V.Marcano & A.Morales sp. nov. (Parmeliaceae), and Lepraria arbuscula (Nyl.) Lendemer & Hodk. var. fumarprotocetrarica V.Marcano var. nov.

Matelea tarrazuana (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a new critically endangered ocellate species from Central Pacific of Costa Rica

Matelea tarrazuana, a new species endemic to Costa Rica, is described and illustrated. It is similar to M. pusilliflora, a vine from Yucatan Peninsula because of its green flowers with a reflective white spot in the apex at the apex of each lobe, but differs from that species by its longer pedicels, larger corolla lobes, staminal corona purple (vs. orange), gynostegium with the style apex purple (vs. green) and inhabiting premontane forests of Costa Rica. Data on its distribution and habitat, phenology, conservation status and taxonomy are included, as well as photographs of the living plant, and a key to identify the five related species in Mesoamerica.

A new species of wood lizard (Hoplocercinae, Enyalioides) from the Río Huallaga Basin in Central Peru

We report the discovery of a new species of Enyalioides from the premontane forest of the Río Huallaga basin in central Peru. The most similar and phylogenetically related species are E. binzayedi and E. rudolfarndti. However, the new species differs from E. binzayedi (state of character in parentheses) by having dorsal scales strongly keeled on paravertebral region and feebly keeled or smooth elsewhere (prominent medial keel on each dorsal scale), more dorsals in transverse row between dorsolateral crests at midbody 26–39, x̄ = 30.44 (22–31, x̄ = 27.57), and a conspicuous posteromedial black patch in the gular region of males (absent). Contrarily, adult males of the new species and E. rudolfarndti are readily distinguished by having a conspicuous posteromedial black patch in the gular region, absent in E. rudolfarndti, and by lacking a conspicuous orange blotch (faint if present) on the antehumeral region, as in E. rudolfarndti. We also present an updated molecular phylogenetic tree of hoplocercines, which strongly supports both referral of the newly discovered species to Enyalioides and its status as distinct from those recognized previously.

Environmental Seasonality Explains Reproductive Timing of Short-Tailed Fruit Bats in a Premontane Forest of Central Peru

Short-tailed fruit bats typically breed twice a year, fitting a seasonal bimodal polyestry pattern in many ecosystems along their distributional range. For two species, Carollia perspicillata and C. benkeithi, reproductive timing was studied on a monthly basis and related to environmental seasonality (climatic factors and fruit resource availability) in a Peruvian premontane forest with a secondary succession plant composition. Sex, age and reproductive condition were assessed through morphological inspection. Plant species, whose fruits were known to be consumed by these bats, were scored for fruit resource availability. For C. perspicillata, lactation followed a bimodal pattern with peaks at the onset (September–October) and the middle of the rainy season (February–March). The proportion of lactating females was positively correlated with rainfall, temperature and fruit resource availability. In contrast, reproductive males, as indicated by descended testes, occurred during the dry season and its proportion was negatively correlated with rainfall. For C. benkeithi, records of reproductive females suggest that births also occur during the rainy season. This study supports the previously suggested synchronization of births with higher fruit resource availability for Carollia species, and contributes with information about the geographic variation of their reproductive phenology.

New distributional records and conservation importance of the San Salvador Valley, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

This study presents new observations on the avifauna of humid tropical forest and humid premontane forest within the San Salvador valley on the northern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta massif, La Guajira Department, northern Colombia. A total of 374 bird species were recorded within the study area, including new records for the region and extensions of altitudinal ranges. Important data were collected for the conservation of endemic and range-restricted bird species and for ten threatened bird species, as well as information on vertical distribution, habitat preferences and threats for bird populations. The study shows the importance of natural ecosystems and shade-grown coffee plantations on the northern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta for 59 boreal migratory bird species. Based on the results, conservation priorities have been identified, a conservation corridor has been designed, and a habitat conservation strategy within the San Salvador valley was developed.

First records of Echimys saturnus Thomas, 1928 (Rodentia, Echimyidae) for the Peruvian Yungas

Echimys saturnus Thomas, 1928 is an echimyid rodent that has been recorded in lowland, premontane and montane forests in Ecuador and lowland forests in Peru. Here, we report five new records of this species in the Peruvian Yungas ecoregion. Our records come from Amazonas, San Martín, and Huánuco departments. The Huánuco specimen, collected at 3300 m a.s.l., constitutes the highest and the southernmost record for the species, extending its distribution range by 251 km south. Additionally, we provide some notes on the natural history and conservation status of the species.

Two new species of Otoba (Myristicaceae) from Colombia.

Otoba is the third largest genus of Myristicaceae in the Neotropics with 12 species, nine of them native to Colombia. Two new species from the department of Antioquia, O.scottmoriisp. nov. and O.squamosasp. nov., are described and illustrated. Otobascottmorii occurs in humid, lowland forests, while O.squamosa occurs in premontane forest. Previously, Otobascottmorii was confused with O.acuminata (which here is considered restricted to Costa Rica and Panama), while O.squamosa was confused with O.gordoniifolia. The similarities and differences between these and other species are discussed.

Forests protect aquatic communities from detrimental impact by volcanic deposits in the tropical Andes (Ecuador)

Volcanic activity impacts ecosystems sometimes with multiple, complex and long-lasting consequences, including volcanic tephra (airborne material) causing widespread disruptions. We study the effects of tephra deposition around two tropical lakes of Ecuador using a multi-proxy analysis of lake sediment archives spanning the last 2000 years. We present the dynamics of terrestrial vegetation (pollen), aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna (chironomids) and organic matter (stable isotopes) in: (i) a high elevation, stream-connected, open alpine grassland (Andean páramo) and (ii) a mid-elevation, stream-isolated, pre-montane forest. Páramo vegetation showed a slight increase in herbs and quick recovery after the tephra deposition; however, the aquatic community suffered a regime shift not reversed today c. 1500 years after the event. In the pre-montane location, the canopy opened up following tephra deposition, and it took c. 150 years to return to pre-impact levels. At the forested site, no major changes in the aquatic fauna were observed related to the tephra deposition. We hypothesise that the forest acted as a protective barrier preventing a large fallout of ash into the aquatic system. Forest not only acted as a buffer for ash falling into the water from the air, but also prevented landslides of tephra by enhancing soil stability, contrary to what was observed in the open system. We demonstrate the protective ecosystem service that forests play in sustaining ecological resilience and water quality facing natural (volcanic) disturbance. The ongoing deforestation of tropical regions therefore might increase the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems, threatening the water quality for ecosystems and human populations.

Incidence of avian malaria in hummingbirds in humid premontane forests of Pichincha Province, Ecuador: A pilot study.

Background and Aim:Avian malaria is a tropical disease caused by protozoans of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. As a nonlethal disease, avian malaria can affect the lifespan and reproductive rate of birds. If there is a differential effect depending on bird species, then this disease might have a significant effect on avian biodiversity. The current study aimed to determine the incidence of Plasmodium in hummingbirds in humid premontane forest areas.Materials and Methods:Blood samples (n=60) were collected from hummingbirds from two areas (Santuario de Aves Milpe and Hacienda Puyucunapi) of Pichincha Province, Ecuador. Prevalence and parasitemia were determined by microscopic examination of blood smears stained with Giemsa reagent. Both study sites are part of a 1000 m elevational gradient; hence, elevation was used as a predictor variable for prevalence and parasitemia levels in a Mann–Whitney U-test. This test was also used to test for a sex bias.Results:This study reports on a total of 12 bird species that inhabit both study sites. At Milpe, the lower elevation site, a prevalence of 100% was recorded, whereas at Puyucunapi, the prevalence was 96%. The combined prevalence was 97%. Elevation and sex did not influence prevalence nor parasitemia in hummingbirds.Conclusion:This study does not suggest a significant elevation or sex bias on prevalence and parasitemia in hummingbirds.