THE SAPOTACEAE OF A LOWLAND RAINFOREST: DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE LOS AMIGOS WATERSHED, MADRE DE DIOS, PERU
The Sapotaceae is a highly diverse and abundant family of large tropical trees that have a significant ecological importance in lowland tropical forests worldwide. The goal of this study is to inventory Sapotaceae species of the Los Amigos River watershed, and investigate local variations of species...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en |
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Texas Christian University
2008
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| Online Access: | http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-04242008-133806/ |
| Summary: | The Sapotaceae is a highly diverse and abundant family of large tropical trees that have a significant ecological importance in lowland tropical forests worldwide. The goal of this study is to inventory Sapotaceae species of the Los Amigos River watershed, and investigate local variations of species diversity and distribution. 1087 individual trees sampled in 75 0.1-hectare Gentry transect units across upland and floodplain forests show this family of trees to be the third most species rich and fourth most abundant across the study landscape. A total of 95 species and five subspecies of Sapotaceae are reported with four new species described for the flora of Peru and ten new to Madre de Dios. Statistical and similarity analyses conclude higher levels of diversity and abundance for the Sapotaceae communities of upland or terra firme forests. |
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