What is it about?
This work explains how the structure and arrangement of watersheds affect flora arrangements in tropical mountain landscapes. The results are based on a floristic analysis carried out in the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve (Costa Rica-Panama), which allowed to test the hypothesis that the river basin, combined with the elevation, can largely explain the variation in the composition of the species. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that the river basin may be an alternative means to classify tropical forest clusters in conservation settings.
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Why is it important?
Traditionally, studies on the subject focused on the effect of the altitudinal gradient on tropical floristic composition. With these results, an alternative of effective analysis is provided and with new variables that allow expanding studies on this particular topic.
Perspectives
This work is a pioneer in the area and becomes a new tool for decision making for the management of protected areas in the tropics.
Frank González
Universidad Estatal a Distancia
This article contributes to our understanding of tropical vegetation and will be useful to workers involved in both botanical and ecological research in the tropics, particularly in Central America.
Nadia Bystriakova
Natural History Museum, London
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Are landscape attributes a useful shortcut for classifying vegetation in the tropics? A case study of La Amistad International Park, Biotropica, June 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/btp.12470.
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