Fire Data as Proxy for Anthropogenic Landscape Change in the Yucatán (original) (raw)
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Fire–rainfall relationships in Argentine Chaco savannas
Journal of Arid Environments, 2010
The objectives of this work were to estimate the ABB (Aerial Bud Bank) size in small individuals of four native woody species and its relationship with structural changes of plants after disturbances. Study area was located in dry forests from Western Chaco region, Argentina. Three tree species: Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco (Apocynaceae), Schinopsis lorentzii (Anacardiaceae), Sarcomphalus mistol (Rhamnaceae) and a shrubby species, Schinus fasciculatus (Anacardiaceae) were selected for this study. Twenty (20) juvenile individuals (below 6 cm diameter) were randomly sampled from each species and plant height (m), diameter (cm) and plant cover (%) were recorded. ABB was estimated by counting of all growth modules (shoots/branches and thorns) identified in a 1 m length segment of main stem. Results of an ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) showed significant effects of species (p < 0.0001), number of shoots/branches (p < 0.05) and number of thorns (p < 0.05) on ABB. Schinopsis lorentzii and S. fasciculatus were categorized as high ABB species, S. mistol and A. quebracho-blanco as medium and low ABB species, respectively. ABB size diminished in all species studied when plant height (p = 0.0006) and plant cover (p < 0.0001) increased which could be related to most allocation of resources towards height growth and elongation of growth modules rather than to the differentiation of new shoots. A correspondence analysis of ABB size, growth habit, number of sprouts/resprouts, presence of thorns in studied species growing in forests with different disturbances history, showed that perturbations increased number of resprouts, shrubby growth habit but spinescence was only trait with significant association with disturbed areas. These results enhance the knowledge of resprouting pattern after disturbances of native woody species and open new research lines for futures studies.
Revista Chapingo Serie Ciencias Forestales y del Ambiente, 2015
n the present study, the effect of silvicultural practices on richness, composition and diversity of tree species, herbaceous and shrub species in a forest community of Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, Oaxaca was evaluated. To this end, the following silvicultural treatments were evaluated: selective cutting (1998), light thinning (2011) and seed tree cutting (1998 and 2011). Alpha and beta diversity indices of tree communities (shrub and herbaceous) were estimated, and also the Importance Value index (IVI) of the tree layer. The results showed that the herbaceous component is the most diverse in both stands with and without silvicultural management, followed by the shrub component. According to the IVI, Pinus oaxacana Mirov was the most important ecological species in all treatments evaluated, including unmanaged forest. The results indicate that logging modifies richness, diversity and composition of the tree strata (shrub and herbaceous), these two tree strata are the largest contributors to diversity. Therefore it is important to assess the understory, because it helps giving a better explanation of the total plant diversity of the forest.