Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes
Tropical montane forests in the Andes are hotspots for species diversity and constitute important ecosystems for the provision of numerous services critical for local populations, including biomass/carbon accumulation and hydrological regulation. Additionally, in many countries in the region, these forests are being lost or degraded at alarming rates. Understanding their dynamics in terms of the composition, diversity, structure and function is a key challenge in the region that can inform policies for their sustainable management and conservation. This study focused on the use of monitoring data from ground-based permanent plots (part of the Andean Forest Network) in the two main mountain ranges of the Venezuelan Andes to analyze forest structure, diversity and dynamics over six years (2016-2023), and their potential drivers. We found that although the we�er forests of La Mucuy (northeast) and the more seasonal stands of San Eusebio (northwest) are very similar in terms of overall species richness, they show substantial differences in their species assemblages and their biogeographic origins. Both sites share similarities in tree dispersal strategies and stem turnover rates (mean=1.16%/year), but forests in La Mucuy are significantly more productive, with a mean annual woody productivity rate of 3.09±1.42 Mg C.ha-1.y-1, while this rate was 0.73±0.48 Mg C.ha-1.y-1 in SEU plots. Interestingly, although species richness and composition has not shown significant changes during this 6-year period, both sites have increased their total aboveground biomass, acting as a significant carbon sink, which appears to be largely driven by the growth of large trees in these forests. These results emphasize the need of maintaining long-term monitoring efforts to be able to link more explicitly changes in composition, biodiversity and ecosystem services with changes in environmental drivers under climate change scenarios.
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Asociación Argentina de Ecología
2024
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Sánchez, Maryam E. Llambí, Luis D. Gámez, Luis E. Rodríguez, Gerardo Pelayo, Roxibell Ataroff, Michele Vilanova, Emilio |
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Sánchez, Maryam E. Llambí, Luis D. Gámez, Luis E. Rodríguez, Gerardo Pelayo, Roxibell Ataroff, Michele Vilanova, Emilio Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes |
author_facet |
Sánchez, Maryam E. Llambí, Luis D. Gámez, Luis E. Rodríguez, Gerardo Pelayo, Roxibell Ataroff, Michele Vilanova, Emilio |
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Sánchez, Maryam E. |
title |
Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_short |
Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_full |
Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_fullStr |
Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_sort |
diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the venezuelan andes |
description |
Tropical montane forests in the Andes are hotspots for species diversity and constitute important ecosystems for the provision of numerous services critical for local populations, including biomass/carbon accumulation and hydrological regulation. Additionally, in many countries in the region, these forests are being lost or degraded at alarming rates. Understanding their dynamics in terms of the composition, diversity, structure and function is a key challenge in the region that can inform policies for their sustainable management and conservation. This study focused on the use of monitoring data from ground-based permanent plots (part of the Andean Forest Network) in the two main mountain ranges of the Venezuelan Andes to analyze forest structure, diversity and dynamics over six years (2016-2023), and their potential drivers. We found that although the we�er forests of La Mucuy (northeast) and the more seasonal stands of San Eusebio (northwest) are very similar in terms of overall species richness, they show substantial differences in their species assemblages and their biogeographic origins. Both sites share similarities in tree dispersal strategies and stem turnover rates (mean=1.16%/year), but forests in La Mucuy are significantly more productive, with a mean annual woody productivity rate of 3.09±1.42 Mg C.ha-1.y-1, while this rate was 0.73±0.48 Mg C.ha-1.y-1 in SEU plots. Interestingly, although species richness and composition has not shown significant changes during this 6-year period, both sites have increased their total aboveground biomass, acting as a significant carbon sink, which appears to be largely driven by the growth of large trees in these forests. These results emphasize the need of maintaining long-term monitoring efforts to be able to link more explicitly changes in composition, biodiversity and ecosystem services with changes in environmental drivers under climate change scenarios. |
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Asociación Argentina de Ecología |
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2024 |
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https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2349 |
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rev-ecoaus-article-23492024-08-06T23:36:57Z Diversity, structure and dynamics of tropical montane forests: Insights from permanent-plot monitoring in the Venezuelan Andes Diversidad, estructura y dinámica de los bosques montanos tropicales: Perspectivas del monitoreo de parcelas permanentes en los Andes venezolanos Sánchez, Maryam E. Llambí, Luis D. Gámez, Luis E. Rodríguez, Gerardo Pelayo, Roxibell Ataroff, Michele Vilanova, Emilio aboveground biomass cloud forests tree demography dispersal syndromes forest dynamics species composition tropical Andes biomasa aérea bosques nublados demografía arbórea síndromes de dispersión dinámica del bosque composición de especies Andes tropicales Tropical montane forests in the Andes are hotspots for species diversity and constitute important ecosystems for the provision of numerous services critical for local populations, including biomass/carbon accumulation and hydrological regulation. Additionally, in many countries in the region, these forests are being lost or degraded at alarming rates. Understanding their dynamics in terms of the composition, diversity, structure and function is a key challenge in the region that can inform policies for their sustainable management and conservation. This study focused on the use of monitoring data from ground-based permanent plots (part of the Andean Forest Network) in the two main mountain ranges of the Venezuelan Andes to analyze forest structure, diversity and dynamics over six years (2016-2023), and their potential drivers. We found that although the we�er forests of La Mucuy (northeast) and the more seasonal stands of San Eusebio (northwest) are very similar in terms of overall species richness, they show substantial differences in their species assemblages and their biogeographic origins. Both sites share similarities in tree dispersal strategies and stem turnover rates (mean=1.16%/year), but forests in La Mucuy are significantly more productive, with a mean annual woody productivity rate of 3.09±1.42 Mg C.ha-1.y-1, while this rate was 0.73±0.48 Mg C.ha-1.y-1 in SEU plots. Interestingly, although species richness and composition has not shown significant changes during this 6-year period, both sites have increased their total aboveground biomass, acting as a significant carbon sink, which appears to be largely driven by the growth of large trees in these forests. These results emphasize the need of maintaining long-term monitoring efforts to be able to link more explicitly changes in composition, biodiversity and ecosystem services with changes in environmental drivers under climate change scenarios. Los bosques montanos tropicales de los Andes son hotspots de biodiversidad y constituyen ecosistemas importantes que proveen numerosos servicios para las poblaciones locales (e.g., acumulación de biomasa/carbono, regulación hidrológica). En países de la región, estos bosques se están perdiendo o degradando a tasas alarmantes. Entender su dinámica en términos de composición de especies, diversidad, estructura y función es un reto clave en la región, y serviría de base para políticas que favorezcan su conservación y gestión sostenible. En este estudio se usaron datos de monitoreo de parcelas permanentes (parte de la Red de Bosques Andinos) en las dos principales cordilleras de los Andes venezolanos para analizar la estructura, diversidad y dinámica de los bosques entre 2016 y 2023, y sus posibles elementos causales. Aunque los bosques más húmedos de La Mucuy (noreste) y los más estacionales de San Eusebio (noroeste) son similares en riqueza general de especies, difieren en la composición de especies y sus orígenes biogeográficos. Ambos sitios comparten similitudes en las estrategias de dispersión de los árboles y en las tasas de reemplazo de los tallos (promedio: 1.16%/año), pero los bosques de La Mucuy son significativamente más productivos (tasa media de productividad leñosa: 3.09±1.42 Mg C.ha-1.y-1), mientras que en las parcelas de SEU la tasa fue 0.73±0.48 Mg C.ha-1.y-1. Asimismo, aunque la riqueza y composición de especies no mostró cambios significativos durante los 6 años, ambos lugares incrementaron su biomasa aérea total, actuando como un importante sumidero de carbono, impulsado quizás por el crecimiento de grandes árboles en estos bosques. Los resultados enfatizan la necesidad de mantener los esfuerzos de seguimiento a largo plazo para vincular de forma explícita los cambios en la composición, biodiversidad y servicios ecosistémicos con los cambios en los factores ambientales bajo escenarios de cambio climático. Asociación Argentina de Ecología 2024-06-22 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Articles Artículos application/pdf application/pdf application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2349 10.25260/EA.24.34.2.0.2349 Ecología Austral; Vol. 34 No. 2 (2024): August 2024. Pages 203-421; 286-304 Ecología Austral; Vol. 34 Núm. 2 (2024): August 2024. Pages 203-421; 286-304 1667-782X 0327-5477 eng https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2349/1498 https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2349/1499 https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2349/1500 Derechos de autor 2024 Maryam E. Sánchez, Luis D. Llambí, Luis E. Gámez, Gerardo Rodríguez, Roxibell Pelayo, Michele Ataroff, Emilio Vilanova https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es |