Variación en la diversidad funcional de plantas en cafetales sin sombra, con sombra y bosque (Quindío, Colombia)

La caficultura ha tenido un impacto negativo sobre la diversidad taxonómica, pero se desconoce cuál ha sido el efecto de esta actividad sobre la diversidad funcional de plantas. En Colombia los cafetales se dividen en cafetales con sombra y sin sombra, donde la eliminación de la cobertura vegetal es parcial y total, respectivamente. Con el fin de evaluar las diferencias en la diversidad funcional de plantas en cafetales se seleccionaron tres fincas con cafetal sin sombra, con sombra y tres fragmentos de bosque en el departamento del Quindío. En cada finca se establecieron tres parcelas de 100 m2 en donde se colectaron muestras de los individuos con una altura mayor a 10 cm, se les midió la altura y la cobertura foliar. Los individuos colectados fueron prensados y llevados al laboratorio donde se identificaron hasta familia, se les midió el área foliar, el área foliar específico (AFE) y el grosor de la hoja. A partir de estos atributos se calculó la diversidad de atributos funcionales (DAF) y la diversidad de atributos modificada (DAFM). La diversidad funcional fue significativamente diferente en los tres sistemas siendo mayor en los bosques. Los atributos funcionales también presentaron sus valores mayores en los bosques. Sin embargo no se encontraron diferencias significativas en la cobertura y el AFE entre los dos cafetales. Se concluye que los cultivos de café afectan de manera negativa la diversidad funcional de plantas.Coffee cultivation has had a negative impact on taxonomic diversity, but the impact of this activity on plant functional diversity is unknown. The coffee systems in Colombia can be divided into shaded coffee systems and unshaded coffee systems, where the plant cover elimination is partial and total, respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in plant functional diversity between the two coffee systems. Three farms with shaded coffee, unshaded coffee and three fragments of forest in the Department of Quindio were selected. On each farm three squares of 100 m2 were established in which the individuals with an height greater than 10 cm were collected, the height and the foliar cover were measured. The samples were taken to the lab where they were identified until family and the next variables were measured, leaf area, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf thickness. With these values the functional attributes diversity (FAD) and the modified functional attributes diversity (MFAD) were calculated. Significant differences in functional diversity between the three systems were found. The functional diversity was higher in the forest and lower in the unshaded coffee system the same happened for the functional attributes. However no significant differences in plant cover and SLA between the two coffee systems were found. It is conclude that coffee systems have a negative impact on plant functional diversity