Identification of plants functional types in the Andean forest of the Parque Universitario Franciso Vivar Castro

Abstract

Identifying plants functional types based on functional traits allows a better understanding of the response of vegetation to various environmental factors that occur within an area or ecosystem through the study of functional ecology, becoming a new way to approach biodiversity from another point of view. The present research seeks to generate information on the functional plant types in the area of the better conservation status of the Francisco Vivar Castro University Park based on the description of functional traits in plant species. We analyzed 34 plant species by abundance criteria in a permanent plot, where four functional characteristics were categorized: maximum height, foliar phenology, growth habit, and dispersing agent; with the information provided, a matrix of features was structured, and using multivariate analysis we determined two functional plant types. The most representative species for their abundance were Palicourea amethystina, Phenax laevigatus, and Hedyosmum scabrum. The height trait showed a range between 6 to 14 m, while in the foliar phenology trait, 88.24 % of the species are evergreen phenology, and 11.76 % are deciduous. Seed dispersal showed that 17.65 % refers to species with current anemochorous distribution and 82.35 % seeds carried out by zoochorous animals, the most representative category for the association of the groups. We determined two functional plant types: TFP1 with perennial species with zoochorous dispersal and TFP2 with a Semiperennial species with an anemochorous - zoochorous distribution. This study showed that traits make it possible to analyze and understand the functional and ecological relationships that occur within a plant community.