Conserving tropical tree diversity and forest structure: the value of small rainforest patches in moderately-managed landscapes.
- Manuel A Hernández-Ruedas
- Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez
- Jorge A Meave
- Miguel Martínez-Ramos
- Guillermo Ibarra-Manríquez
- Esteban Martínez
- Gilberto Jamangapé
- Felipe P L Melo
- Bráulio A Santos
DOIAbstract
Rainforests are undergoing severe deforestation and fragmentation worldwide. A huge amount of small forest patches are being created, but their value in conserving biodiversity and forest structure is still controversial. Here, we demonstrate that in a species-rich and moderately-managed Mexican tropical landscape small rainforest patches (<100 ha) can be highly valuable for the conservation of tree diversity and forest structure. These patches showed diverse communities of native plants, including endangered species, and a new record for the country. Although the number of logged trees increased in smaller patches, patch size was a poor indicator of basal area, stem density, number of species, genera and families, and community evenness. C...
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