Tree population studies in low-diversity forests, Guyana. I. Floristic composition and stand structure

Johnston, Mark; Gillman, Michael

doi:10.1007/bf00058421

Cited by 46 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…These results correspond to those obtained in mestizo communities in nearby Peruvian Amazonia (Phillips & Gentry 1993b). Although considered quite useless for Fuel uses by our informant, palms were among the most appreciated plant families, just as in studies where use values are based on multiple-uses of species (Kvist et al 1995, Johnston 1998, Phillips & Gentry 1993b, Prance et al 1987, Toledo et al 1995.…”

Section: Informant-based Patterns In Potential Rain Forest Usesupporting

confidence: 87%

A Stem-based Ethnobotanical Quantification of Potential Rain Forest Use by Mirañas in NW Amazonia

Sánchez¹,

Duivenvoorden²,

Duque³

et al. 2005

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Potential plant uses in Colombian Amazonia were analyzed in relation to landscape, stem diameter, habit, and family taxonomy, on the basis of one experienced informant and applying a 2.5 cm diameter cut-off. In 30 0.1 -ha plots, 13,934 plant stems were recorded, 90% of which had some kind of usefulness. The proportion of useful stems was lowest in floodplain and highest in swamp and white sand plots. Between 0 and 11% of the useful stems in the plots were from lianas. Fuel uses were important. Thicker stems were more useful for Food and Animal Food than slender stems. In logistic regression, family taxonomy had a stronger effect on the probability of stem usefulness than DBH, habit (liana or not) or landscape. Individual plants from one family (or genus or species) often show little variation in usefulness, hampering the binary analysis by means of logistic regression of use against plant taxonomy.

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Section: Informant-based Patterns In Potential Rain Forest Usesupporting

confidence: 87%

A Stem-based Ethnobotanical Quantification of Potential Rain Forest Use by Mirañas in NW Amazonia

Sánchez¹,

Duivenvoorden²,

Duque³

et al. 2005

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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“…Species are often ranked by RCI values and any two species can be compared for significant differences (Phillips & Gentry 1993a). RCI values can also be used to compare and test hypotheses concerning the "importance" of vegetation zones, plant families, or growth forms , Chazdon 1999, Hammer & Harper 2006, Kvist et al 1995, Johnston 1998, Phillips et al 1994.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance Indices in Ethnobotany

Hoffman¹,

Gallaher²

2007

Ethnobot. Res. App.

295

218

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Measuring the "importance" of plants and vegetation to people is a central concern in quantitative ethnobotany. A common tool to quantify otherwise qualitative data in the biological and social sciences is an index. Relative cultural importance (RCI) indices such as the "use values" developed by Prance et al. (1987) and Phillips and Gentry (1993a, 1993b) are applied in ethnobotany to calculate a value per folk or biological plant taxon. These approaches can provide data amenable to hypothesis-testing, statistical validation, and comparative analysis. The use of RCI indices is a growing trend in ethnobotanical research, yet there have been few attempts to compile or standardize divergent methods. In this review, we compare RCI indices in four broad categories and present a step-by-step guide to some specific methods. Important background topics are addressed, including ethnographic methods, use categorization, sampling, and statistical analysis. We are concerned here only with "value" as a non-monetary concept. The aspiring and veteran researcher alike should find this paper a useful guide to the development and application of RCI indices. IntroductionThe scientific rigor of ethnobotanical research has increased dramatically in the past two decades due to the adoption of quantitative methods (Phillips 1996). By and large, ethnobotanists have recognized and responded to the need for research based upon hallmarks of the scientific method, including testable hypotheses, reproducible methods, and statistical measures of variation. A primary challenge in this quantitative trend is how to produce values that are reliable and comparable measures of less tangible qualitative data. Borrowing from the social sciences and ecology, considerable advances have been made through the development and application of relative cultural importance (RCI) 1 indices that produce numerical scales or values per plant taxon (Alexiades & Sheldon 1996, Kvist et al. 1995, Lykke et al. 2004, Martin 2004, Phillips & Gentry 1993a, 1993b, Phillips et al. 1994, Phillips 1996, Prance et al. 1987, Reyes-García et al. 2006a, Turner 1988).The application of RCI indices in ethnobotany began during the late 1980s. Boom (1990) determined the percentage of plants used by Panare indigenous informants within a 1 hectare forest plot in Venezuela. His research was an important starting point for quantitative inter-cultural comparisons of plant knowledge. Recognizing that not all uses are equal, Prance et al. (1987), applied weighted indices of 1.0 for "important" uses and 0.5 for "minor" uses. This approach was aimed at capturing relative degrees of "importance", but did not address informant variation. Gentry and Phillip's (1993aPhillip's ( , 1993b) publication on RCI "use values" was a watershed event in quantitative ethnobotany. These last authors evaluated variation among informants based upon use-citation frequencies, considering each as a statistical "event."Since the methods of Prance et al.

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“…The number of floristic plots in the Guiana Shield area has risen steadily over the years and, combined with the relatively well-known flora, this has led to high quality data (Comiskey et al 1994, Ek 1997, Johnston & Gillman 1995, Maas 1971, Sabatier 1990. The forest is generally species-poor (ter Steege 1998a) over the full rainfall range (2000-5000 mm y −1 ).…”

Section: The Guiana Shieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of the floristic composition and diversity of Amazonian forests including those of the Guiana Shield

Sabatier²,

et al. 2000

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A large number of newly published and unpublished hectare plots in Amazonia and the Guiana Shield area allow an analysis of family composition and testing of hypotheses concerning alpha-diversity in the south American rain forest. Using data from 94 plots the family-level floristic patterns in wet tropical South America are described. To test diversity patterns, 268 plots are used in this large area. Contrary to a widely held belief, western Amazonian plots are not necessarily the most diverse. Several central Amazonian plots have equal or even higher tree diversity. Annual rainfall is not a good estimator for tree diversity in the Amazonia area and Guiana shield. Plots in the Guiana Shield area (and eastern Amazonia) usually have lower diversity than those in central or western Amazonia. It is argued that this is not because of low rainfall or low nutrient status of the soil but because of the small area of the relatively isolated rain forest area in eastern Amazonia and the Guiana Shield. The low diversity on nutrient-poor white sand soils in the Amazon basin is not necessarily due to their low nutrient status but is, at least partly, caused by their small extent and fragmented nature.

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Tree population studies in low-diversity forests, Guyana. I. Floristic composition and stand structure

Cited by 46 publications

References 15 publications

A Stem-based Ethnobotanical Quantification of Potential Rain Forest Use by Mirañas in NW Amazonia

A Stem-based Ethnobotanical Quantification of Potential Rain Forest Use by Mirañas in NW Amazonia

Importance Indices in Ethnobotany

An analysis of the floristic composition and diversity of Amazonian forests including those of the Guiana Shield

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