Diversity and structural patterns for tropical montane and premontane forests of central Peru, with an assessment of the use of higher-taxon surrogacy

Abstract

The Chanchamayo valley in the Peruvian Andes formerly contained large areas of montane and premontane tropical forests, although logging and agricultural expansion has resulted in extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation. This study evaluates the regional context of the valley by a comparison of data from a series of one hectare plots giving data on the diversity and structure of treeş 10 dbh, and then examines in more detail data from a 1 ha plot located in a newly declared conservation area (Pampa Hermosa Reserved Zone) embodying one of the most intact forest remains. An explicit goal was also to test the eYcacy of sampling using taxonomic surrogacy, which could provide an eVective means of making more eYcient such work among diverse tropical forests. The Cedros de Pampa Hermosa plot contained 444 individuals belonging to 135 species, 66 genera and 35 families. The families Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae and Urticaceae provided over half of the individuals counted. The high representation of Urticaceae species suggests a disturbance regime driven by the large sizes of the Meliaceae species and their 2966 Biodivers Conserv (2007) 16:2965-29881 C dynamics on steep slopes. Indicator species analyses supported other evidence that this site at 1,600 m is located in a broad ecotonal area transitioning to premontane and lowland rain forests. Ordinations (nMDS) based on Bray-Curtis similarities and total abundance, basal areas and presence-absence data of the 598 species (3,469 individuals) found on all seven one hectare plots sampled in the valley showed a clear separation into three tree assemblage types, namely the lower montane site, and two others on the eastern and western sides of the valley. Ordination patterns were quite similar at species and family level, but did not show any site groupings at the generic level, suggesting important turnover of species and families along environmental gradients. A number of species could not be allocated to known taxonomic groups, and were evaluated as morphotaxa. The inclusion or exclusion of such taxa did not dramatically alter the main ordination patterns within taxonomic levels of botanical family or of species, which implies that rapid inventory methods and incomplete identiWcations can still provide data useful for conservation planning in this and similar forests.

Forest biodiversity assessment in Peruvian Andean Montane cloud forest

“…In a study conducted in an Amazonian Peruvian hillside forest, the highest value recorded was 156 species/ha (GomezPeralta et al 2008), which is higher than the values recorded in the present study (~80 species/ha, Table 3). However, in other studies undertaken in Amazonian hillside forests, the biodiversity values recorded are similar to those reported in this study (120 species in a montane forest, La Torre-Cuadros et al 2007). Colombian Amazonian montane forest was considered the most important in the world in terms of biodiversity (Gentry 1982) although the richness value recorded in Colombia was 72.3 species/ha ±18 (Aubad et al 2008), which is only a little higher than the value recorded in our study.…”

Non-woody life-form contribution to vascular plant species richness in a tropical American forest

“…ter Steege et al 2000a;La Torre-Cuadros et al 2007). While this may be enough to identify the major forest types, and indeed some studies in tropical forests do confirmed a positive correlation between the richness of the woody component of a forest and its accompanying non-woody component (e.g.…”

Andean Land Use and Biodiversity: Humanized Landscapes in a Time of Change

“…The continua delimit possible configurations of embedded landscapes; they influence biodiversity in spatial ways, increasing beta diversity and other place-to-place heterogeneity (e.g., Kattan et al, 2006) and affecting genetic variation (Ohsawa & Ide, 2008). Change in elevation in the Andes produces a series of interrelated shifts in atmospheric gases, solar radiation, wind, temperature ranges, and soil moisture (Körner, 1999), not to mention in species composition (e.g., Terborgh, 1971;La Torre-Cuadros et al, 2007;Sergio & Pedrini, 2007).…”