Distance effect from cloud forest fragments on plant community structure in abandoned pastures in Veracruz, Mexico

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Angel Muñiz-Castro ◽  
Guadalupe Williams-Linera ◽  
José María Rey Benayas
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Region

Secondary succession was studied in a Mexican cloud forest region along a chronosequence of 15 abandoned pastures (0.25–80 y). Our objective was to determine the effects of distance from the forest border on successional vegetation structure and woody species richness along the chronosequence. Vegetation structure similar to that of mature forests recovered over 40–50 y, both close to (0–10 m) and away from (40–50 m) the border. Total woody species richness was similar for both distances but species composition differed significantly. When primary forest species were analysed separately, basal area, height, abundance and richness were all significantly higher close to the forest border. Primary species such as Quercus spp. (barochorous-synzoochorous) and Carpinus caroliniana (anemochorous) had lower basal area, density and height away from the border than close to it. Secondary species such as Lippia myriocephala (anemochorous) and Myrsine coriacea (endozoochorous) did not differ in their rate of colonization between distances. The limitation of seed dispersal and establishment for primary woody species away from forest borders suggests that propagules need to be introduced to accelerate forest restoration.

Changes in seed rain during secondary succession in a tropical montane cloud forest region in Oaxaca, Mexico

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. del Castillo ◽  
M. A. Pérez Ríos
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Secondary Succession ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Seed Rain ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Tropical Montane Cloud Forests

AbstractSeed dispersal is the first stage of colonization, and potentially affects recruitment. This process deserves more attention in tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF), since secondary succession is common owing to episodic disturbances. We studied annual seed rain in 10 nearby forest stands, ≈7 to ≈100 y following shifting agriculture, and one primary forest stand in southern Mexico to test the hypothesis that seed rain is limited at the scale of neighbouring fragments and that such limitation differs among species with different dispersal modes and successional origin. Annual seed rain was heterogeneous among forest fragments probably due to the prevalence of local seed dispersal, differences in stand age and the proportion of zoochory, and may help explain the patchy distribution of species observed in TMCF. Seed rain abundance and species diversity per unit trap area increased with the age of the stand. Biotically dispersed seeds increased towards older stands relative to abiotically dispersed seeds. Late-successional seeds were rarer in early successional stands than pioneer seeds in late-successional stands, suggesting that long-distance dispersal is generally more common for pioneer plants. Seed dispersal appears to constrain forest regeneration and to influence fragment species composition as a function of the distance from the source forests.

Effects of biomass extraction on vegetation structure, diversity and composition of forests in Sariska Tiger Reserve, India

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAMAN KUMAR ◽  
GHAZALA SHAHABUDDIN
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Tiger Reserve ◽  
Scrub Forest ◽  
Structure Diversity

Despite the fact that tropical dry forests are being exploited on a large scale for various forest products, there has been limited evaluation of the accompanying ecological impacts. In particular, there is no information on the effects of widespread biomass extraction such as grazing and firewood collection. A study was carried out in Sariska Tiger Reserve in northern India, to investigate the effects of biomass extraction on forest vegetation composition, diversity and structure. Biomass extraction caused significant changes in forest vegetation structure and species composition in the tree layer but the extent of these changes varied across the three major vegetation types found in the Reserve. Anogeissus-dominated slope forest showed significantly lower mean canopy cover, tree density, tree basal area and height of trees in disturbed sites in comparison to undisturbed sites. Riparian forest showed lower mean canopy cover, tree basal areas and number of recorded tree species in disturbed sites. Scrub forest had lower mean canopy cover, tree basal area and tree height. There were fewer tall trees but greater number of short trees in disturbed sites of all three vegetation types. Girths of trees similarly shifted towards lower values in riparian and scrub forest. In Anogeissus-dominated forest, disturbed and undisturbed sites did not differ in proportions of trees in various girth-classes. Tree species richness was substantially lower in disturbed sites of Anogeissus-dominated and riparian forest in comparison to undisturbed sites, but was not affected by disturbance in scrub forest. Understorey species richness was higher in disturbed sites of all three vegetation types but understorey changed structurally only in Anogeissus-dominated forest. Overall tree and understorey species composition was significantly different between disturbed and undisturbed sites of Anogeissus-dominated forest, but was unchanged in scrub and riparian forest. Observed changes in vegetation structure, diversity and composition of the different vegetation types due to biomass extraction have implications for biodiversity conservation in tropical dry forest ecosystems, and need to be addressed in future forest management planning.

scholarly journals Forest regeneration and seed rain in the conversion of a stand of Pinus sp. into native forest

Biotemas ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Geraldo Ceni Coelho ◽  
Rachel Palhares Alcantara ◽  
Maurício Zinn Klemann ◽  
Leandro Klemann
Keyword(s):  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Seed Rain ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Spontaneous Regeneration ◽  
One Year ◽  
Pinus Spp

In Southern Brazil, the National Forests (NF) are protected areas of sustainable use; however, most of them present a significant cover with old plantations of Pinus spp. established to foster commercial forestry. Nowadays, the NF management plans propose the conversion of Pinus stands into native forests. Pinus spp. are worrisome invasive plants whose spontaneous recruitment is a challenge to forest restoration. This paper aims to analyze seed rain and woody community composition in a stand where Pinus trees were eliminated to drive spontaneous regeneration (REG) in an NF in the Southern Atlantic Forest. The seed rain was measured in the restoring area and inside an adjacent Pinus stand (PIN). The tree community structure was analyzed comparatively in REG, PIN, and in a Native Araucaria Forest (NAT). One year after Pinus cutting, the seed rain of woody species was 1,802 and 1,502 seeds m-2.year-1 in REG and PIN, respectively. REG’s seed rain had higher diversity than PIN and absence of Pinus seeds. REG and NAT presented higher diversity of tree species than PIN, although REG had the lowest basal area and tree density. Nevertheless, 188 Pinus seedlings.ha-1 were observed in REG, which indicates that complementary restoration actions are needed.

scholarly journals Floristic Composition, Vegetation Structure, and Regeneration Status of Woody Plant Species of Oda Forest of Humbo Carbon Project, Wolaita, Ethiopia

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markos Kuma ◽  
Simon Shibru
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Regeneration Status ◽  
Tree Data ◽  
Carbon Project ◽  
Dodonaea Angustifolia ◽  
Conservation And Management

Our current study was conducted in Oda forest to explore floristic composition, vegetation structure, and regeneration of woody species in a newly established Humbo Carbon Project. In the project, the above information for sufficient conservation and management of the forest is not well documented. Data were collected in October and December 2014. Thirty-two quadrats (20 m × 20 m) lying 100 m far apart were used for shrub and tree data. In each major plot, subplots (1 m2) were established at the center and corner for seedlings and saplings data. Altitude, slope, and aspect were measured using GPS and clinometers. DBH, basal area, and IVI were used for vegetation structure. Among 62 species confined in 32 families and 54 genera, Dodonaea angustifolia and Combretum molle were the densest and the most dominant and frequent species with higher IVI. Altitude and slope had significant effect (p<0.0001) on basal area and dominance. Bell and inverted J shaped patterns of selected woody species were identified. The seedling, sapling, and matured tree had 2.3%, 23.7%, and 74% density ha−1 of individuals, respectively. Generally, the study confirmed that very few species had dominance and abundance, influence of altitude and slope on species distribution, and fair regeneration of the forest.

scholarly journals Man-made soil drainage alters the vegetation structure and woody species distribution in campo de murundus

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e49894
Author(s):  
Frederico Augusto Guimarães Guilherme ◽  
Hortência Soardi Maricato ◽  
Beatriz Schwantes Marimon ◽  
Firmino Cardoso Pereira ◽  
Luzia Francisca de Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Soil Drainage ◽  
Differential Distribution ◽  
M 10 ◽  
Drainage Channels

Campos de murundus work as recharge zones and are important for the maintenance of water resources in Brazilian Cerrado. However, with the expansion of the agricultural frontier, this ecosystem may disappear or suffer high anthropogenic disturbances. The aim of the study was to evaluate the structure and distribution of woody species, after the implantation of artificial drainage channels in campo de murundus, in plots near and distant of the drains in the soil. We sampled woody individuals with ≥ 3 cm diameter at the base, and established 20 permanent plots of 20×50 m, 10 of which were between 0-20 m of the drains (edge) and 10 between 150-200 m distant from the drains (interior), totaling two hectares of survey. We recorded 47 species with total density of 230.5 ind.ha-1 and total basal area of 1.331 m2 ha-1. The diversity index of species was H’ = 3.18. We recorded higher density and basal area in the edge, and differential distribution and occupation of woody species in the microrelief of the murundus. This provides us strong evidence that the drains have altered the vegetation structure, especially in the edge of the remnant campos de murundus turning the vegetation woodier and denser.

scholarly journals La densidad, riqueza y composición arbóreas definen parches detectados remotamente en una selva subperennifolia

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra del Pilar Ochoa-Franco ◽  
José René Valdez-Lazalde ◽  
Héctor Manuel De los Santos-Posadas ◽  
José Luis Hernández-Stefanoni ◽  
Juan Ignacio Valdez-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Importance Value ◽  
Vegetation Patch ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Specific Composition ◽  
Vegetation Patches

A proposal for characterizing habitat of forests, obtained from an object-oriented classification of a RapidEye multiespectral imagery, based on dissimilarity matrices of vegetation structure, species diversity and composition is presented. The study area is a forested landscape mosaic after slash and burn agriculture (Ac: 8-23 years ago), selective logging (Fs: 43-53 years ago), and selective logging and forest fire (Fc: 21-28 years ago). The site is located in the central part of Quintana Roo, México, where three vegetation patches were delineated according to remotely sensed multiespectral imagery. Mean differences between vegetation structure properties of each vegetation patch were obtained through a permutational multivariate analysis of variance (p <0.001). Species richness, stem density per hectare, and the axis-1 scores of the non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination of specific composition were identified as the vegetation attributes more relevant to differentiate the vegetation patches by a multinomial logistic model. Fc vegetation patch is characterized by the greatest mean values on Shannon-Wiener index, species richness, and stem density. The Fs has the greatest mean values of canopy height, basal area and biomass at 80 percentile, and the Ac vegetation patch has the lowest values of all mentioned metrics. The species with the greatest relative importance value were: Ac: Bursera simaruba and Psidia psipula, Fs: Gymnanthes lucida andManilkara zapota, Fc: G. lucida and B. simaruba. The uncertainty associated with the metrics assessed by vegetation patch was smaller than the uncertainty of the whole area, because of the efficient variability aggregation of the field data. We conclude that multiespectral information is a reliable tool for distinguishing vegetation patches with specific features, as stem density, specific composition, and species richness.

scholarly journals Woody Species Diversity and Vegetation Structure of Wurg Forest, Southwest Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Girma Boz ◽  
Melesse Maryo
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia ◽  
Wiener Diversity Index ◽  
Adult Trees

This study was aimed to determine woody species composition, diversity, and vegetation structure and to investigate major threats to Wurg forest, southwest Ethiopia. In order to collect vegetation data, 64 (400 m2) sample plots from eight transect lines were employed. The distances between transect lines and plots were 400 m and 200 m, respectively. DBH of woody species >2.5 cm and the height >2 m were measured and recorded. Voucher specimens were brought to the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute for identification and deposited there. R program version 12.5.2 software and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet were used to analyze plant community classification and structural analysis, respectively. A total of 76 woody species representing 40 families were recorded. Rubiaceae was the dominant family followed by Asteraceae. The average Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) and the average evenness values of Wurg forest were 3.38 and 0.90, respectively. Four plant community types were identified by using the presence/absence values of each species. The total density of woody species with DBH > 2.5 cm was 1745.3 ha−1. The DBH and height class distributions showed an inverted J-shaped pattern, which indicates a good regeneration potential of the forest. The most frequently observed species (92%) was Syzygium guineense, which contributed 46% of the total basal area. The composition of seedling, sapling, and adult trees/shrubs species was 4966.07 ha−1, 3125.78 ha−1, and 1745.27 ha−1, respectively. However, the major threat to the forest was selective cutting of some woody species for various purposes. Therefore, raising local community awareness on conservation and sustainable use of the forest and exploring various alternatives for local communities’ livelihood and promoting private and community plantations are recommendable.

scholarly journals Disentangling structural patterns of natural forest fragments in a savanna matrix in the eastern Brazilian Amazon

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-122
Author(s):  
Iêda Leão do AMARAL ◽  
William Ernest MAGNUSSON ◽  
Francisca Dionízia de Almeida MATOS ◽  
Ana Luisa K. ALBERNAZ ◽  
Yuri Oliveira FEITOSA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Fragment Size ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Diameter Distribution ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Individual Trees

ABSTRACT Natural fragments are an important source of richness for the management and conservation of a local flora. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of fragmentation on the structure and composition of the plant communities of forest fragments (FF) in Alter do Chão, eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The study sample consisted of 25 FF and nine continuous forest (CF) sites. We compared plant density and species richness between site categories by t-tests, analyzed the differences in composition by cluster analysis, and assessed the effect of fragment size and distance to CF on the basal area and diameter of FF assemblages by linear regression. Individual trees and shrubs with DBH ≥1.27 cm were measured in 2x250 m plots. 17,078 individuals were recorded - 75.32% in FF and 24.68% in CF, comprising 475 species, 216 genera and 64 families. Myrtaceae and Fabaceae were the most abundant families in both FF and CF. Average species richness in FF and CF was statistically different. The 20 species with the highest importance values were similar in FF and CF. The average plant diameter was similar in FF and CF, suggesting that both are "mature" forests composed of thin individuals. Average diameter and total basal area showed a negative relationship with distance to CF and fragment area, respectively. Similarity analysis revealed two groups, one composed exclusively of portions of fragmented forest. Fragments and continuous forest differed in species composition, but were similar in structure. Diameter distribution in fragments was similar to that of primary forests.

scholarly journals Woody Species Composition, Vegetation Structure, and Regeneration Status of Majang Forest Biosphere Reserves in Southwestern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Semegnew Tadese ◽  
Teshome Soromessa ◽  
Tesefaye Bekele ◽  
Getaneh Gebeyehu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Biosphere Reserves ◽  
Regeneration Status ◽  
Study Sites

The aim of this study was to analyse the species composition, structures, and regeneration of woody plant species and the impacts of site factors on the natural regeneration of tree species in four study sites of MFBR. The vegetation data were collected systematically in 140 plots with the size of 400 m2 for trees; 25 m2 for seedlings, saplings, shrubs, and lianas; and 1 m2 for herbs. Individual tree and shrub DBH ≥ 5 cm were measured and counted. The diameter at breast height (DBH), frequency, basal area, importance value index (IVI), and density were used for vegetation structure description and regeneration. A total of 158 plant species belonging to 115 genera, 56 families, and 80 species (51%) trees, 26 (16%) shrubs, 19 (12%) herbs, and 33 (21%) lianas were identified and recorded. The most dominant families were Euphorbiaceae, Rubiaceae, and Moraceae, each represented by 13 species (7.4%), 12 species (6.8%), and 10 species (5.7%), respectively. The tree densities varied from 1232 to 1478 stem ha−1, sapling density 176.8 to 708.7 stem ha−1, and seedling density 534.7 to 1657.5 stem ha−1, with an average basal area of 63.6 m2 in the study sites. Dracaena afromontana was the most frequent woody species in the MFBR occurring in 90% followed by Celtis zenkeri (65%) and Pouteria altissima (62.5%). The regeneration status of all the woody plant species was categorised as “not regenerate” (9.6%), “poor” (30.7%), “fair” (59.5%), and “good” (10.8%) in all sites. The correlation result between natural regeneration and site factors revealed both positive and negative relationships. However, the main threat to the biosphere reserve is illegal logging for different purposes. Therefore, awareness creation on sustainable forest management, utilisation, conservation of priority species, and livelihood diversification to the local community and encouraging community and private woodlot plantation in the transitional zone of biosphere reserves are recommended.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document