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Profile diagrams of four transects (transects 5, 6, 7, 8) of 100 x 10 m in the Los Tuxtlas rain forest. Only trees > 7.5 m high are drawn. Indicated are soil level, tree height, crown depth, crown diameter, lowest ramification height and DBH. Species indicated in the diagrams are Pseudolmedia oxyphyllaria (Po), and Nectandra ambigens (Na). Below the profile diagrams the density of Astrocaryum mexicanum (black), other palms (shaded), and trees and shrubs (individuals between 1.3 and 7.5 m high) is given for 10 x 10 m plots.
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The vertical structure of one hectare of tropical rain forest was studied at Los Tuxtlas, State of Veracruz, Mexico. The structure was analysed at various scales of analysis, using different methodologies e.g. profile diagrams (0.1 ha) and vertical structure diagrams (1 ha). All profile diagrams suggested presence of stratification to some extent....
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... Our evaluation of vertical structure of the Los Tuxtlas forest differs from a previous evaluation by Popma et al. (1988). In their study, Fabaceae, Annonaceae, and Araliaceae provided more basal area than Apocynaceae, Piperaceae, Sapotaceae, and Urticaceae, the four of which were dominant families in our study. ...
... In addition, differences between our results could be due to our use of diameter as a proxy for height; while diameter and height have a positive allometric relationship, it is not perfectly linear (O'Brien et al., 1995). In our case, the restoration plantings, particularly the animal-plantings, resembled the forest we sampled more than they resembled the forest sampled by Popma et al. (1988) at Los Tuxtlas. ...
Stepping‐stone restoration plantings can reconcile conservation goals and local land‐use needs in highly fragmented ecosystems. We explored how initial planting composition influences recruiting plant species density, diversity, abundance, and forest structure in a 13‐year‐old restoration experiment in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. Treatments included eight fenced plantings with animal‐dispersed species, eight plantings with wind‐dispersed species, eight unplanted plots to favor natural succession, and eight plots in the primary forest as reference sites. We predicted that by attracting more seed dispersers, animal‐dispersed plantings would most closely resemble the primary forest. A census of trees taller than 2 m showed that while wind‐dispersed plantings had more recruits, the animal‐dispersed plantings most closely resembled the primary forest in pioneer abundance, species density and abundance of biotically dispersed and abiotically dispersed plants, individual tree basal area (in square meters per hectare), and vertical structure. The wind‐dispersed plantings more closely approximated the forest in non‐pioneer abundance and community composition. However, restoration treatments were more similar to each other than to the primary forest and did not differ in plant diversity. Animal‐dispersed and wind‐dispersed plantings did not differ in non‐pioneer species density and matched the primary forest in total plot basal area. Higher abundance of trees in wind‐plantings is explained by lower establishment limitations, seed legacy effects, and rapid reproduction of a few planted species. As the experiment continues, we expect treatment effects on seed dispersers will more strongly influence the recruiting plant community, leading the animal‐dispersed plantings to more closely resemble the primary forest in diversity and forest structure.
... Finally, Antoniazzi et al. (2021) using baits and hand collection in the canopy and at ground level found 43 species on 10 trees. Unfortunately, none of the studies included the understorey stratum, often dominated by palms in the Neotropics (Popma, Bongers, & Meave, 1988). ...
Ants are a major ecological group in tropical rainforests. Few studies in the Neotropics have documented the distribution of ants from the ground to the canopy, and none have included the understorey. A previous analysis of an intensive arthropod study in Panama, involving 11 sampling methods, showed that the factors influencing ant beta diversity (i.e., changes in assemblage composition) were, in decreasing order of importance, the vertical (height), temporal (season), and horizontal (geographic distance) dimensions. In the present study, we went one step further and aimed (1) to identify the best sampling methods to study the entire ant assemblage across the three strata, (2) to test if all strata show a similar horizontal beta diversity and (3) to analyze the functional structure of the entire ant assemblage. We identified 405 ant species from 11 subfamilies and 68 genera. Slightly more species were sampled in the canopy than on the ground; they belonged to distinct sub-assemblages. The understorey fauna was mainly a mixture of species found in the other two strata. The horizontal beta diversity between sites was similar for the three strata. About half of the ant species foraged in two (29%) or three (25%) strata. A single method, aerial flight interception traps placed alongside tree trunks, acting as arboreal pitfall traps, collected half of the species and reflected the vertical stratification. Using the functional traits approach, we observed that generalist species with mid-sized colonies were by far the most numerous (31%), followed by ground- or litter-dwelling species, either specialists (20%), or generalists (16%), and arboreal species, either generalists (19%) or territorially dominant (8%), and finally army ants (5%). Our results reinforce the idea that a proper understanding of the functioning of ant assemblages requires the inclusion of arboreal ants in survey programs.
... Los histogramas en forma de J invertida han sido obtenidos en otros estudios en Colombia (Sanín & Duque, 2006;Ariza, et al., 2009;García, et al., 2010;Sánchez-T., 2018). La estructura con mayor abundancia en las clases diamétricas inferiores se considera común en bosques andinos primarios (Yepes, et al., 2010) y en bosques tropicales (Popma, et al., 1988), lo cual garantiza el sostenimiento futuro del ecosistema al contar con suficientes individuos jóvenes (Sánchez-T., 2018). ...
Se hizo la caracterización florística del bosque de la microcuenca del río Barbas, zona de amortiguamiento del Distrito de Conservación de Suelos Barbas-Bremen, Risaralda, Colombia con el fin de seleccionar especies para iniciar procesos regionales de restauración ecológica. Se utilizó el método de muestreo de Gentry estableciendo 10 transectos de 50 m de longitud y 2 m de ancho. Con base en información secundaria, se documentó el estado sucesional, el mecanismo de dispersión, el estado de conservación y los usos antrópicos. Las familias con mayor riqueza fueron Rubiaceae (13), Melastomataceae (10) y Lauraceae (5). La riqueza de especies (62) se concentró en las clases diamétricas y altimétricas inferiores (<8,3 cm y <17 m, respectivamente). Ocho de las especies sumaron el 50 % del índice de valor de importancia (IVI) y se registraron 33 especies por fuera del muestreo para un total de 95. Una gran proporción de las especies correspondió a sucesionales tardías (54,7 %) y un alto porcentaje a especies dispersadas por animales (83 %); por otra parte, se encontraron 11 especies en alguna categoría de amenaza a nivel regional. Con respecto a los usos, la mayoría de las especies se puede emplear en la protección de cauces. Con base en la cuantificación de sus características, se seleccionaron seis especies pioneras y siete sucesionales tardías para iniciar procesos de restauración ecológica. El bosque es fuente natural de semillas para una de las especies recomendadas, Wettinia kalbreyeri, cuyo IVI es alto. En conclusión, el bosque se encuentra en una sucesión avanzada y es un reservorio de especies con características ideales para hacer restauración ecológica.
... Las plantas fueron monitoreadas mensualmente en alturas y trimestralmente en cobertura y diámetro a la altura de la base (DAB). Se registraron dos diámetros de la copa de las plantas y se calculó la cobertura por medio de la siguiente fórmula (Popma et al. 1988): ...
Mining is one of the most important industrial activities in many countries; however, environmental damages associated with this activity are severely detrimental. These effects are a consequence, among other things, of heavy metals originated by mineral extraction methods. To reduce the environmental impact of this activity, it is important to develop remediation technologies, including the symbiotic relationships between species that allow high survival and proper development of plants. Therefore, a mesocosm assay was carried out to document the response of Fraxinus uhdei (Wenz.) Lingelsh (ash) inoculated with ectomycorrhizal fungi on two different substrates: a mine-derived substrate from the municipality of Tlalpujahua de Rayón, Michoacán, and an organic one. The study consisted in the inoculation of F. uhdei plants with two fungi strains, Laccaria laccata and Lactarius deliciosus, on two doses: 2.5 × 105 and 1 × 106 spores per plant. Ectomycorrhizal fungi favored the development and survival in both substrates; however, the performance of the plants was higher with the organic substrate. Height, cover, and fresh weight of plants inoculated with Laccaria laccata were the highest (66 cm, 1186 cm2, and 92 g, respectively). Mercury was lower in plants inoculated with Lactarius deliciosus (F(1, 28) = 12.22; P = 0.002) with respect to those inoculated with Laccaria laccata. Our results indicate that inoculation has a positive effect on ash growth both in an organic rich substrate and a substrate produced by mining activities, also the potential use of the tree species for remediation of mining dumps.
... Moreover, from the canopy surface to the ground layer there is a decrease in light and temperature, combined with an inverse humidity gradient, leading to vertical stratification (Madigosky, 2004). Although most ecological studies have focused on biodiversity turnover along horizontal distances, the vertical distribution of organisms in tropical forests has been studied for different taxa (Oliveira & Scheffers, 2018;Popma, Bongers, & Meave del Castillo, 1988;Wilson, 1959). However, despite the increasing number of studies dealing with vertical stratification in the literature, still little is known about how species interact or co-occur between distinct vertical strata in tropical rain forests (but see: Morris, Sinclair, & Burwell, 2015;Paniagua, Medianero, & Lewis, 2009;Schleuning et al., 2011), and this topic remains to be elucidated in detail. ...
... We found differences in tree species composition between the canopy and understorey strata, corroborating the seminal study conducted by Popma et al. (1988) in the same study area. Distinct groups of tree species are known to have different ranges of tolerance and strategies for occupying each vertical stratum (or height) within a tropical rain forest, due to the gradient of climatic conditions from the ground level to the treetops (Givnish, 1988). ...
Discussion of the vertical stratification of organisms in tropical forests has traditionally focused on species distribution. Most studies have shown that, due to differences in abiotic conditions and resource distribution, species can be distributed along the vertical gradient according to their ecophysiological needs. However, the network structure between distinct vertical strata remains little‐explored. To fill this gap in knowledge, we used baits to sample ants in the canopy and understorey trees of a Mexican tropical rain forest to record the ant–tree co‐occurrences. We examined the ant–tree co‐occurrences in the canopy and understorey using complementary network metrics (i.e., specialization, interaction diversity, modularity, and nestedness). In addition, we evaluated co‐occurrence patterns between ant species on trees, using C‐score analysis. In general, we found no differences in the network structure, although the interaction diversity was greater in the understorey than in the canopy networks. We also observed that co‐occurrence networks of each vertical stratum featured four ant species in the central core of highly co‐occurring species, with three species unique to each stratum. Moreover, we found a similar trend toward ant species segregation in the both strata. These findings reveal a similar pattern of ant–ant co‐occurrences in both vertical strata, probably due to the presence of arboreal‐nesting ants in the understorey. Overall, we showed that despite the marked differences in species composition and environmental conditions between understorey and canopy strata, ant–tree co‐occurrences in these habitats could be governed by similar mechanisms, related to dominance and resource monopolization by ants.
Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
... The storey structure was studied by plotting the cumulative percentages of individuals (N) as abscissa (x-axis) against the height of canopy strata as ordinate (y-axis), which is modified from Popma et al. (1988). This graphic presentation is being introduced here as the 'cumulative percentage plot' (CPP) and it can be extended to other parameters, such as, number of species (S) and basal area (BA). ...
Stratification in lowland rainforests of Meghalaya, India, which represent the westernmost limit of the rainforests north of the Tropic of Cancer, was studied in horizontal and vertical planes to elucidate the patterns in stacking of species diversity and community attributes, and to draw comparisons with rainforests of ‘Indo-Malaya’ ecozone (biogeographical realm). All individuals ≥10 cm GBH (girth at breast height) were enumerated in six transects of 10 m width and up to 500 m length covering 2.45 ha area. The stratification of whole assemblage of species in vertical plane is referred to as ‘storey structure’ (=height class distribution), which explains structural complexity. In horizontal plane, it is typically referred to as ‘stand structure’ (=girth class distribution), which explains structural heterogeneity. The stratification of an individual species in vertical plane is referred to as ‘loftiness’ and in horizontal plane, it is frequently referred to as ‘population structure’. The stand structure was characterized by a negative exponential relationship or a reverse J-shaped curve, which is typical of a well regenerating forest stand. The storey structure was characterized by the low stature of the rainforest (
... This pattern of distribution is called an inverted J shape pattern of species distribution ( Figure 5). This pattern is manifested on The patterns of species population structure that emerges interpreted as an indication of variation in population dynamics in the forest (Popma et al., 1988). Practically it can provide an estimate of the Senbeta & Demel Teketay, 2003;Kumlachew Yeshitela and Taye Bekele, 2003;Simon Shibru and Girma Balcha, 2004;Ermias Lulekal, 2005;Haileab Zegeye et al., 2006). ...
This research was aimed to investigate floristic composition and structure of Kelekal protected forest established since 1999. For plant data collection, 33 different quadrnts having 400 m2 along seven different line transect were used. The structural data like Frequencies, Density, DBH, Hight, Relative dominance, Relative density and IVI values were calculated for each species and for the selectedwoody plants. The woody plant species having DBH?2.5 cm and height greater than 2.5 m were measured. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to classify different plant communities. Shannon winner diversity indices and Sorensen’s similarity indices were used to compare the identified plant communities. Endemic and economically important plants were identified from Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea books. This research resulted 103 different vascular plants. Eight (7.77%) plants are endemic and the “K” partitioning in the R program using hierarchical cluster analysis resulted three-plant community types. The general distribution pattern of these woody plants at different DBH and height classes showed an inverted Jshape pattern. Four different population patterns were investigated from the density of these species recorded at different DBH class. The result of the structural data provides pertinent information for future forest management techniques in Kelekal protected forest.
... (1968), en las selvas dominadas por Terminalia amazonia de la planicie costera del Golfo de México y Meave del Castillo (1983) en la selva Lacandona, Chiapas, reconocieron tres y cuatro estratos arbóreos, respectivamente, en función de la altura media y máxima de los individuos de sus especies; ambos autores señalan que dichos estratos pudieron ser artificiales, pero los consideraron necesarios para reconocer en función del índice de dominancia, los cambios en la estratificación vertical. Posiblemente esta complejidad de la selva alta condujo a Popma et al. (1988) a distinguir sólo el sotobosque y una selva no estratificada en su estudio en la región de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz. En el presente trabajo, se pudo reconocer en el campo, gracias al profundo conocimiento de los lacandones, la existencia de seis estratos bien definidos: uno herbáceo, otro arbustivo y cuatro arbóreos con composición florística y formas vitales predominantes distintivas para cada uno. ...
Antecedentes:
Hasta mediados del siglo pasado se consideraba que la selva alta perennifolia cubría alrededor de 12.8 % de la superficie del territorio mexicano. Actualmente, sólo una pequeña porción de ella ostenta una vegetación boscosa madura ya que en su mayoría es ocupada por terrenos agrícolas, praderas y vegetación secundaria. Uno de los problemas más serios que enfrenta la región Lacandona, es la disminución de su área selvática, como consecuencia de un fuerte proceso de colonización, expansión de vías de comunicación, la tala inmoderada y la incorporación de nuevas áreas de selva para aprovechamiento agrícola y pecuario.
Pregunta:
¿Cómo es la estructura y composición en los relictos de vegetación madura o mejor conservada de la selva alta perennifolia en la comunidad Lacandona de Nahá?
Sitio de estudio y periodo de investigación:
Este estudio se realizó en la comunidad Lacandona de Nahá, ubicada al norte, en el municipio de Ocosingo, Chiapas, durante los meses de noviembre de 1993 hasta mayo de 1995.
Métodos:
Dentro de esta comunidad, se realizaron 25 levantamientos de vegetación en parcelas de 400 m² cada una (una hectárea en total) en rodales maduros de selva alta perennifolia. Los atributos de la vegetación evaluados fueron: composición florística, densidad, frecuencia, área basal y altura. Se calculó el valor de importancia de las especies en la comunidad y su contribución relativa en los seis estratos reconocidos con ayuda de los informantes lacandones.
Resultados:
En el área total muestreada se registraron 283 especies de plantas vasculares, pertenecientes a 199 géneros de 84 familias. El análisis de la estructura de la vegetación corroboró la existencia de seis estratos con alturas, una composición florística y formas vitales distintivas. La densidad en la hectárea estudiada fue de 15,632 individuos y el área basal absoluta de 136.78 m². El valor de importancia permitió definir de forma adecuada la importancia relativa de las especies en cada estrato, en concordancia con lo observado en el campo. Terminalia amazonia registró el valor de importancia más alto en el estrato arbóreo sobresaliente y en todos los demás estratos.
Conclusiones:
Se logró describir de forma detalla la composición y estructura de la selva alta perennifolia de Nahá. El apoyo de los informantes lacandones fue fundamental para el reconocimiento tanto de las zonas de selva madura, como de los estratos que la conforman. Existe una relación inversa entre la densidad y el área basal. Se destaca la importancia de evaluar cuantitativamente los relictos de vegetación madura o bien conservada, como referentes indispensables para rehabilitar áreas deterioradas o aplicar medidas correctivas de aprovechamiento de manera fundamentada.
... El tipo de vegetación es la selva alta perennifolia (Miranda y Hernández-X., 1963), un térmi- no similar al bosque tropical perennifolio de Rzedowski ( 1968). Para descripciones detalladas sobre Ja vegetación de la Estación se recomienda consultar Bongers et al. (1988), Popma et al. (1988) e Ibarra- Manríquez et al. (en prensa). ...
Pollen descriptions of the 90% of liana flora (81 species of30 families) from the Estación de Biología Tropical «Los Tuxtlas», Veracruz, Mexico, are presented. Data on apertures, exine, polarity, symmetry, shape and size of the pollen grains data are included. Observations were made by using light microscope and the main features of each taxa are illustrated in plates.
... La zona de estudio tiene una precipitación anual es de 4 639 mm, la temperatura media anual de 26ºC y los suelos son de origen volcánico, ricos en nutrimentos con grandes cantidades de materia orgánica . La descripción de la composición florística y la dinámica de esta selva fué descrita por y Popma, et al. (1988). ...
The anatomy and light transmittance of leaves of twelve tree species from the tropical rain forest at Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México were studied in order to determine the quality of light transmitted. The light environment at an open site and underneath the canopy was characterized. Leaf area and dry weight, density and length of stomata as well as other anatomical characteristics of the leaves were determined together with spectrophotometer measurements of transmittance of fresh and dry leaves. We found correlations between mesophyll thickness and leaves transmittance. The anatomical characteristics of the species are discussed in relation to the optical properties and the induced changes of leaves in the light environment of the forest, in particular the red:far red ratio.
