Vegetation and flora associated to the main keys of Jardines de la Reina archipelago, Cuba

• Main Author: Eddy Martínez Quesada
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de La Habana 2020-12-01
• Series: Revista del Jardín Botánico Nacional
• Subjects: formaciones vegetales costeras; laberinto de las doce leguas
• Online Access: http://www.rjbn.uh.cu/index.php/RJBN/article/view/529
• ISSN: 0253-5696; 2410-5546

The vegetation and flora in the Casimba, Grande, Caballones, Anclitas, Piedra Grande, Cachiboca, Caguamas and Cabeza del Este keys, in the Laberinto de las Doce Leguas, at the Jardines de la Reina archipelago were studied. Plots of minimum area were established according to the type of plant formation to estimate the coverage and height, as well as the floristic composition by vegetation strata. The observed plant formations are mangroves, evergreen forest, coastal and sub-coastal xeromorphic scrub, coastal and pre-coastal grassland, halophytic vegetation, and vegetation complexes of rocky and sandy coast. Evergreen forest, monotypic mangroves of Conocarpus erectus and Avicennia germinans, and coastal and pre-coastal grassland had not been recorded in these keys. Species richness was greatest in the coastal xeromorphic scrub, this formation and the mangrove were the most widespread in the keys. The largest keys had more habitat diversity and greater species richness, that demonstrate a greater flow of diasporas and connectivity between them. Widely distributed species, such as the neotropical ones, predominated, mainly in the coastal xeromorphic scrub. Citation: Martínez, E. 2020. Vegetación y flora asociada de los principales cayos del archipiélago de los Jardines de la Reina, Cuba. Revista Jard. Bot. Nac. Univ.Habana 41: 175-188. Article history: Received: 8 October 2020. Accepted: 12 June 2020. Online: 28 December 2020. Editor: Rosalina Berazaín.