Abstract

PEREZ-BUITRAGO, Néstor; GUIO-BLANCO, Paola Andrea  and  MIJARES SANTANA, Francisco Javier. Young and isolated but diverse: structure and floristic compositionof "matas de monte" in Arauca. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2020, vol.25, n.2, pp.280-293. ISSN 0120-548X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v25n2.76370.

The structure and floristic composition of three non - river forest patches surrounded by savanna locally known as "matas de monte" (MM) were analyzed in the rural area of the Arauca municipality (Arauca). A plot of 0.1 Ha was established in each patch forest (MM) where vegetation of DAP > 10 cm was recorded, and in sampling areas of 500 m2 and 10 m2 were vegetation of DAP: 5 - 9.9 cm and DAP < 5 cm were measured, respectively. Forty families, 79 genera and 84 species belonging to arboreal, shrub, herbaceous and climbing habits were documented. Families with the highest species richness included Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Rubiaceae, Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae. According to the Importance Value Index (IVI) the most dominant species were Sapium glandulosum in MM1 (36.2 %) and MM2 (23.9 %), and Vitex orinocensis var. multiflora in MM3 (40.1 %). The MMs areas can be described as young multi-layered forests in regeneration stage with canopies up to 15 m in height. The results obtained in this study coincide with that reported for the floristic composition from the Orinoquia region and presents similarities with semideciduous and deciduous forests from the Venezuelan western plains. Based on aerial images from 1994, it is evident that the study areas were devoted to agriculture and "matas de monte" were not present. This chronology of events reflects an attribute of many biological systems, important for conservation biology, which is the recovery capacity that nature has if the circumstances of time and space allow to this occur.

Keywords : Biodiversity; Colombian eastern plains; flooded savanna; forest; Orinoquia.

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