The Biodiversity of the Colombian Páramo and Its Relation to Anthropogenic Impact

Churio, Jesús Orlando Rangel

doi:10.1201/9781420002874-8

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The results forecasted a general south-north richness decrease with a marked contrast between northern and southern latitudes, which was unexpected in our original hypothesis expecting a double-ended decreasing richness gradient with latitude (Hawkins et al, 2003;Willig et al, 2003). Another unexpected finding was the overall low richness predicted for Colombia at the plot level, whereas the country is usually considered the most diverse páramo country in terms of national richness (Rangel-Churio, 2006, 2015. One potential explanation for these results might be the heterogeneity in phytosociological sampling approaches between vegetations schools in the different countries, a problem commonly encountered when using multi-sources vegetation databases (Michalcová et al, 2011).…”

Section: Regional Fine-scale Richness Patternssupporting

confidence: 44%

“…We propose several potential explanations for this unexpected result and recommend further study to evaluate them. First, because most páramos are already humid ecosystems, i.e., receiving between 2,000 and 4,000 mm rain/year (Luteyn, 1999;Rangel-Churio, 2006), we could advance the intermediate-stress hypothesis, which forecasts highest richness at moderate intensities of environmental stress (Grime, 1979). Traditionally, this hypothesis has been more documented along aridity gradients with drought stresses (e.g., Armas et al, 2011;Butterfield et al, 2016), however, humidity gradients with wet stresses are being increasingly studied (e.g., Kramer and Boyer, 1995;Knapp et al, 2008).…”

Section: Climatic Drivers Of Richnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…70.8 • W) (Sklen and Laegaard, 2003;Stansell et al, 2005). Nonetheless, many páramos face a very important up to extreme water intake, which could result in a temporal or permanent wet stress, for example in the pluvial páramos of the Western Colombian Cordillera that receive more than 6,000 mm/year (Rangel-Churio, 2006). This situation could result in less species able to tolerate the very humid environmental conditions and anoxic soils, and limit the overall species saturation of páramo ecosystems (Kammer and Möhl, 2002).…”

Section: Climatic Drivers Of Richnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fine-Scale Plant Richness Mapping of the Andean Páramo According to Macroclimate

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the main relationships between the current macroclimate and broad spatial patterns of plant diversity is a priority in biogeography, and although there is an important body of studies on the topic worldwide, tropical mountains remain underrepresented. Because understanding primary drivers of diversity patterns in the Andean páramo is still in its infancy, we focused on evaluating the role of the current macroclimate in form of three complementary hypotheses, energy, seasonality and harshness, in explaining local variation of plant species richness. We relied on 1,559 vegetation plots that offered a fine-scale outlook on real species assemblages due to community rules and species' interactions with their surrounding environment, including climate. Generalized Least Squares (GLS) regression models provided insight on the significance of the different hypotheses in explaining local plant richness, but only the energy and seasonality hypotheses received partial support. The best model was then combined with spatial interpolation Kriging modeling techniques to project species richness for a standardized 25 m 2 plot throughout the entire páramo biogeographical province. We highlighted a North-South increase in richness with several species-rich areas, potential local biodiversity hotspots, independent of the general gradient: the Amotape-Huancabamba zone, Sangay and Cotacachi areas, and eastern Venezuelan Andes. Our endeavor to finely map local richness is the first effort predicting macroecological patterns in the emblematic Andean páramo and contributes novel biogeographical knowledge useful to further support in-depth research and conservation focus in the northern Andes.

show abstract

Section: Regional Fine-scale Richness Patternssupporting

confidence: 44%

Section: Climatic Drivers Of Richnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climatic Drivers Of Richnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Fine-Scale Plant Richness Mapping of the Andean Páramo According to Macroclimate

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this context, the Andean pa ´ramo, a unique mountain grassland ecosystem with distinct and very diverse fauna and flora (Churio 2006), located between the upper forest line (about 3000 m) and the permanent snow line (about 5000 m), is at a crossroads. Although protection of the pa ´ramo is playing a more valuable role in biodiversity conservation, water regulation, and carbon storage (Van der Hammen 2002), there is increasing demand from urban centers for potato and milk production (Figure 1).…”

Section: Integrating Farming and Pa ´Ramo Conservation: A Case Study ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Farming and Páramo Conservation: A Case Study From Colombia

Robineau

Châtelet

Soulard³

et al. 2010

Mountain Research and Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Colombian Páramo Vegetation Database (CPVD) – the database on high Andeanpáramovegetation in Colombia

Rangel-Churio¹

2012

Biodivers. Ecol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The Colombian Páramo Vegetation Database (CPVD; GIVD ID SA-CO-001) originates from the rush of phytosociological studies developed during the second half of the last century. The efforts of Spanish, Dutch and Colombian botanists have allowed almost the entire territory of the country where this natural region (páramo) is present to be covered. The database currently has records of approximately 1,000 plots representing at least 327 different physiognomic types such as shrubs, Espeletia stem rosettes and bunchgrasses established in localities of the three Andean Cordilleras and in the Caribbean massifs, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Serranía de Perijá. The Eastern Cordillera, which is the most explored mountain range, contains the highest diversity and richness in vegetation types. The construction of the database has allowed us to start the delimitation and syntaxonomical classification of vegetation units, as can be seen in the most recent phytosociological treatments of the páramo vegetation of the Western Cordillera and the massifs of the Caribbean region. The database provides information for programs on conservation of associated flora and fauna species and restoration -recovery of vegetation types under imminent risk due to habitat loss. Also relevant are its applications in spatial delimitation of conservation reserves, development of thematic cartography, and precise definition of altitudinal limits of the páramo region for land use purposes.

show abstract

The Biodiversity of the Colombian Páramo and Its Relation to Anthropogenic Impact

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Fine-Scale Plant Richness Mapping of the Andean Páramo According to Macroclimate

Fine-Scale Plant Richness Mapping of the Andean Páramo According to Macroclimate

Integrating Farming and Páramo Conservation: A Case Study From Colombia

Colombian Páramo Vegetation Database (CPVD) – the database on high Andeanpáramovegetation in Colombia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About