Community structure and species density in tropical dry forest associations at Hacienda La Pacifica in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
The fragmented tropical dry forests of Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, exhibit a mosaic character. At Hacienda La Pacifica, two riparian forests and an upland forest island were studied from 1970 and during 1989-94. Marked differences in the familyand species composition as well as the species density among communities were found. The west riparian forest contained 103 species with a mean species density of 0.344 per 0.1 ha. The three most important species by ranked density were: Guazuma ulmifolia, Lonchocarpus minimiflorus, and Anacardium excelsum. The upland forest island had 91 species with a mean species density of 1.231 per 0.1 ha. The three most important species by ranked density were: L. minimiflorus, Cordia alliodora, and G. ulmifolia. The east riparian forest had 103 species with a mean species density of 0.504 per 0.1 ha. Based upon upon ranked density, the three most important species were: G. ulmifolia, Eugenia salamensis, and Hemiangium excelsum [Hippocratea excelsa]. The riparian forest trees were mostly canopy species exhibiting alluvial habits and large size while the upland forest trees were treelet, understorey, or subcanopy species exhibiting open country or plateau/flatlands habits. Additional large-crowned emergents such as Andira inermis, Hymenaea courbaril, Manilkara chicle, Pithecellobium sp. and Swietenia macrophylla were found in the gallery forests. Other common species in the upland forest included: Albizia sp. Casearia sp., Cassia emarginata, Lysiloma divaricata, Tabebuia sp. and Tectona grandis. These associations are comparable to those studied at similar alluvial and extremely dry sites within a 50 km radius of Canas in Guanacaste Province.
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| Format: | biblioteca |
| Published: |
1997
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| Subjects: | BOSQUE TROPICAL, COMPOSICION BOTANICA, BIODIVERSIDAD, ARBOLES FORESTALES, CARACTERISTICAS DEL RODAL, VEGETACION RIPICOLA, COMUNIDADES VEGETALES, COSTA RICA, |
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