Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia
Tropical dry forests (TDFs) have been defined as a single biome occurring mostly in the lowlands where there is a marked period of drought during the year. In the Neotropics, dry forests occur across contrasting biogeographical regions that contain high beta diversity and endemism, but also strong a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaad74 |
| _version_ | 1797748319955451904 |
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| author | Roy González-M Hernando García Paola Isaacs Hermes Cuadros René López-Camacho Nelly Rodríguez Karen Pérez Francisco Mijares Alejandro Castaño-Naranjo Rubén Jurado Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta Alicia Rojas Hernando Vergara Camila Pizano |
| author_facet | Roy González-M Hernando García Paola Isaacs Hermes Cuadros René López-Camacho Nelly Rodríguez Karen Pérez Francisco Mijares Alejandro Castaño-Naranjo Rubén Jurado Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta Alicia Rojas Hernando Vergara Camila Pizano |
| author_sort | Roy González-M |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tropical dry forests (TDFs) have been defined as a single biome occurring mostly in the lowlands where there is a marked period of drought during the year. In the Neotropics, dry forests occur across contrasting biogeographical regions that contain high beta diversity and endemism, but also strong anthropogenic pressures that threaten their biodiversity and ecological integrity. In Colombia, TDFs occur across six regions with contrasting soils, climate, and anthropogenic pressures, therefore being ideal for studying how these variables relate to dry forest species composition, successional stage and conservation status. Here, we explore the variation in climate and soil conditions, floristic composition, forest fragment size and shape, successional stage and anthropogenic pressures in 571 dry forest fragments across Colombia. We found that TDFs should not be classified solely on rainfall seasonality, as high variation in precipitation and temperature were correlated with soil characteristics. In fact, based on environmental factors and floristic composition, the dry forests of Colombia are clustered in three distinctive groups, with high species turnover across and within regions, as reported for other TDF regions of the Neotropics. Widely distributed TDF species were found to be generalists favored by forest disturbance and the early successional stages of dry forests. On the other hand, TDF fragments were not only small in size, but highly irregular in shape in all regions, and comprising mostly early and intermediate successional stages, with very little mature forest left at the national level. At all sites, we detected at least seven anthropogenic disturbances with agriculture, cattle ranching and human infrastructure being the most pressing disturbances throughout the country. Thus, although environmental factors and floristic composition of dry forests vary across regions at the national level, dry forests are equally threatened by deforestation, degradation and anthropogenic pressures all over the country, making TDFs a top priority for conservation in Colombia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:03:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-06bb9c3fbfd642e083f58cace2236682 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:03:14Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-06bb9c3fbfd642e083f58cace22366822023-08-09T14:30:54ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262018-01-0113404500710.1088/1748-9326/aaad74Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in ColombiaRoy González-M0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4346-998XHernando García1Paola Isaacs2Hermes Cuadros3René López-Camacho4Nelly Rodríguez5Karen Pérez6Francisco Mijares7Alejandro Castaño-Naranjo8Rubén Jurado9Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta10Alicia Rojas11Hernando Vergara12Camila Pizano13https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4124-1348Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt , Av. Paseo Bolívar #16–20, Bogotá, Colombia; Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario , Cr. 24 #63 C–69, Bogotá, Colombia; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt , Av. Paseo Bolívar #16–20, Bogotá, ColombiaInstituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt , Av. Paseo Bolívar #16–20, Bogotá, ColombiaPrograma de Biología , Universidad del Atlántico, Km. 7 Vía Puerto, Barranquilla, ColombiaProyecto curricular de Ingeniería Forestal , Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Cr. 5 Este #15–82 Bogotá, ColombiaDepartamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia , Cr. 30 #45-03, Bogotá, ColombiaFundación Orinoquia Biodiversa , Cll. 15 #12–15 Tame, Arauca, ColombiaFundación Orinoquia Biodiversa , Cll. 15 #12–15 Tame, Arauca, ColombiaJardín Botánico de Tuluá Juan María Céspedes–INCIVA , Km. 7 Vía Mateguadua, Tuluá, ColombiaInstituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt , Av. Paseo Bolívar #16–20, Bogotá, Colombia; Asociación GAICA , Cll. 11A #32-21, Pasto, ColombiaInstituto de Biología , Universidad de Antioquia, Cll. 67 #53–108, Medellín, ColombiaJardín Botánico Eloy Valenzuela, Av. Bucarica Floridablanca , Santander, ColombiaMuseo de Historia Natural , Universidad del Cauca, Cll. 2 #1A-25, Popayán, ColombiaInstituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt , Av. Paseo Bolívar #16–20, Bogotá, Colombia; Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Icesi , Cll. 18 #122–135 Pance, Cali, Colombia; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.Tropical dry forests (TDFs) have been defined as a single biome occurring mostly in the lowlands where there is a marked period of drought during the year. In the Neotropics, dry forests occur across contrasting biogeographical regions that contain high beta diversity and endemism, but also strong anthropogenic pressures that threaten their biodiversity and ecological integrity. In Colombia, TDFs occur across six regions with contrasting soils, climate, and anthropogenic pressures, therefore being ideal for studying how these variables relate to dry forest species composition, successional stage and conservation status. Here, we explore the variation in climate and soil conditions, floristic composition, forest fragment size and shape, successional stage and anthropogenic pressures in 571 dry forest fragments across Colombia. We found that TDFs should not be classified solely on rainfall seasonality, as high variation in precipitation and temperature were correlated with soil characteristics. In fact, based on environmental factors and floristic composition, the dry forests of Colombia are clustered in three distinctive groups, with high species turnover across and within regions, as reported for other TDF regions of the Neotropics. Widely distributed TDF species were found to be generalists favored by forest disturbance and the early successional stages of dry forests. On the other hand, TDF fragments were not only small in size, but highly irregular in shape in all regions, and comprising mostly early and intermediate successional stages, with very little mature forest left at the national level. At all sites, we detected at least seven anthropogenic disturbances with agriculture, cattle ranching and human infrastructure being the most pressing disturbances throughout the country. Thus, although environmental factors and floristic composition of dry forests vary across regions at the national level, dry forests are equally threatened by deforestation, degradation and anthropogenic pressures all over the country, making TDFs a top priority for conservation in Colombia.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaad74anthropogenic pressuresclimateforest fragmentssoilsfloristic compositionsuccessional stages |
| spellingShingle | Roy González-M Hernando García Paola Isaacs Hermes Cuadros René López-Camacho Nelly Rodríguez Karen Pérez Francisco Mijares Alejandro Castaño-Naranjo Rubén Jurado Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta Alicia Rojas Hernando Vergara Camila Pizano Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia Environmental Research Letters anthropogenic pressures climate forest fragments soils floristic composition successional stages |
| title | Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia |
| title_full | Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia |
| title_fullStr | Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia |
| title_short | Disentangling the environmental heterogeneity, floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in Colombia |
| title_sort | disentangling the environmental heterogeneity floristic distinctiveness and current threats of tropical dry forests in colombia |
| topic | anthropogenic pressures climate forest fragments soils floristic composition successional stages |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaad74 |
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