Cloud forest ecosystems of the Latin American tropics are highly threatened by changes in land-use such as expanding croplands and livestock pastures that promote shifts in the structure and composition of plant communities in these forests. However, shade coffee plantations represent a forest management alternative that has been shown to maintain biodiversity in these ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated changes in the composition, diversity, and structure of Mexican cloud-forest woody species for three land use categories: cattle pastures, shade coffee plantations and advanced succession forests. For each category, fifteen 0.28-ha plots were established and the composition and diversity of vegetation was noted. Composition of species was analyzed using ordination methods, and alpha diversity was compared using Hill numbers. Seventy-seven woody species belonging to 40 families were recorded. Species richness and diversity was high in both the advanced successional forest and coffee plantations compared to cattle pastures. Vegetation composition and structure was similar between late succession forests and coffee plantations with both land uses also being more structurally complex than cattle pastures. Our results show how shade coffee cultivation is a land-use activity that maintains woody plant communities in a manner that aligns with biodiversity conservation.

拉丁美洲热带地区的云雾森林生态系统受到土地用途变化的严重威胁，例如耕地和牲畜牧场的扩大，这些森林中的植物群落结构和组成发生了变化。但是，荫凉的咖啡种植园是森林管理的替代方案，已证明可以在这些生态系统中维持生物多样性。在这项研究中，我们评估了三种土地利用类别的墨西哥云林木本物种的组成，多样性和结构的变化：牛牧场，咖啡种植园和高级演替森林。对于每个类别，建立了15个0.28公顷的样地，并记录了植被的组成和多样性。使用排序方法分析物种的组成，并使用希尔数比较α多样性。记录到40个科的77种木本物种。与牛牧场相比，高级演替森林和咖啡种植园的物种丰富度和多样性都很高。后继森林和咖啡种植园之间的植被组成和结构相似，这两种土地用途的结构也比牛牧场复杂。我们的结果表明，种植浓咖啡是一种土地利用活动，以符合生物多样性保护的方式维持木本植物群落。后继森林和咖啡种植园之间的植被组成和结构相似，这两种土地用途的结构也比牛牧场更为复杂。我们的结果表明，种植浓咖啡是一种土地利用活动，以符合生物多样性保护的方式维持木本植物群落。后继森林和咖啡种植园之间的植被组成和结构相似，这两种土地用途的结构也比牛牧场复杂。我们的结果表明，种植浓咖啡是一种土地利用活动，以符合生物多样性保护的方式维持木本植物群落。