Graefe, S.; Rodrigo, R.; Cueva, E.; Butz, P.; Werner, F.A. & Homeier, J. (2020): <b>Impact of disturbance on forest structure and tree species composition in a tropical dry forest of South Ecuador</b>. <i>Ecotropica</i> <b>22</b>, 202002.
Resource Description
Title:
Impact of disturbance on forest structure and tree species composition in a tropical dry forest of South Ecuador
email:
florianwerner <at> yahoo.com
AG Funktionelle Ökologie
Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften
Universität Oldenburg
Postfach (P.O. box) 2503
D-26111 Oldenburg
Individual:
Jürgen Homeier
Contact:
email:
jhomeie <at> gwdg.de
Faculty of Resource Management
University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK)
37077 Göttingen
Germany
Abstract:
Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are often degraded and fragmented through human impact, which is also the case in Southern Ecuador, where land-use pressure is high. In this context we studied tree species composition and forest structure in a protected and adjacent disturbed TDF at altitudes between 560-1080 m asl. Fabaceae and Malvaceae were identified as the most important tree families in both forest types. The disturbed forest displayed lower tree species richness than the protected forest, and the gap in species richness between the two forest types increased with increasing altitude. Ten species of the protected forest were not recorded in the disturbed forest, two of them endemic. The disturbed site was further characterized by a lower number of stems but with larger diameters, in comparison with the protected forest. The majority of the most abundant tree species in the disturbed forest had rather low wood densities, but also the combination of high wood density with browsing tolerance and high resprouting capacity was encountered, and seems to be advantageous for getting established in such sites. Although certain tree species were well represented in the disturbed forest, some endemic species with relatively low abundances (e.g. Simira ecuadorensis, Prockia crucis) should receive more conservation attention.
Keywords:
| species richness | altitude | importance value index | Tumbesian dry forest | wood density |
Literature type specific fields:
ARTICLE
Journal:
Ecotropica
Volume:
22
Page Range:
202002
Metadata Provider:
Individual:
Jürgen Homeier
Contact:
email:
jhomeie <at> gwdg.de
Faculty of Resource Management
University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK)
37077 Göttingen
Germany
