Impact of the invasive plant Syzigium jambos (Myrtaceae) on patterns of understory seedling abundance in a tropical premontane forest, Costa Rica
Habitat fragmentation, along with other human-induced disturbances, increase the vulnerability of native habitats to be invaded by aggressive, ecologically released, exotic species. Syzigium jambos (L.) Alston (Myrtaceae, Rose Apple) is an important invader still spreading throughout Hawaii, the Antilles, Central and South America. This study examines the effects of S. jambos on plant understory diversity in a 25 ha Tropical Premontane Moist Forest in Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica, a protected watershed that supplies drinking water for several human communities. Our final objective is to develop a management strategy combining water protection with the preservation of a representative sample of the original plant diversity in the area. Thirty 2 X 2 m plots were distributed throughout the Municipal Forest maintaining a minimum of 10 m between plots, and 2 m from trails, to sample all understory seedlings and saplings of S. jambos, Coffea arabica (coffee) and tree seedlings. We found a clear dominance of S. jambos over all other understory plants. Of the total 1 285 sampled plants, S jambos comprised 51%, coffee seedlings represented 14,78%, being the rest tree seedlings. Syzigium jambos had the highest density (5.46 plants/m[2], S.D. = 6.44) compared to tree (3.67 plants/ m[2], S.D. = 3.44) and coffee seedlings (1.58 plants/ m[2], S.D. = 2.13).
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Syzigium jambos, Ordenación forestal, Calidad del agua, Plantas invasoras, |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|