Tropical dry forests (TDF) are highly threatened ecosystems that are often fragmented due to land-cover change. Using plot inventories, we analyzed tree species diversity, community composition and aboveground biomass patterns across mature (MF) and secondary forests of about 25 years since cattle ranching ceased (SF), 10–20-year-old plantations (PL), and pastures in a TDF landscape in Ecuador. Tree diversity was highest in MF followed by SF, pastures and PL, but many endemic and endangered species occurred in both MF and SF, which demonstrates the importance of SF for species conservation. Stem density was higher in PL, followed by SF, MF and pastures. Community composition differed between MF and SF due to the presence of different specialist species. Some SF specialists also occurred in pastures, and all species found in pastures were also recorded in SF indicating a resemblance between these two land-cover types even after 25 years of succession. Aboveground biomass was highest in MF, but SF and Tectona grandis PL exhibited similar numbers followed by Schizolobium parahyba PL, Ochroma pyramidale PL and pastures. These findings indicate that although species-poor, some PL equal or surpass SF in aboveground biomass, which highlights the critical importance of incorporating biodiversity, among other ecosystem services, to carbon sequestration initiatives. This research contributes to understanding biodiversity conservation across a mosaic of land-cover types in a TDF landscape.

热带干旱森林（TDF）是受到高度威胁的生态系统，由于土地覆盖的变化，这些生态系统通常是分散的。使用地块清单，我们分析了自牛群停止繁殖（SF），10-20年历史的人工林（PL）和牧场以来大约25年的成熟（MF）和次生林中的树种多样性，群落组成和地上生物量模式在厄瓜多尔的TDF景观中。MF中树木的多样性最高，其次是SF，牧场和PL，但是MF和SF中都出现了许多特有和濒危物种，这表明SF对物种保护的重要性。PL中的茎密度较高，其次是SF，MF和牧场。MF和SF之间的群落组成有所不同，这是因为存在不同的专业物种。一些科幻专家也出现在牧场上，SF中也记录了牧场中发现的所有物种，即使在演替了25年之后，这两种土地覆被类型仍相似。MF中地上生物量最高，但SF和Tectona grandis PL表现出相似的数量，其次是副裂殖杆菌PL，Ochroma pyramidale PL和牧场。这些发现表明，尽管物种贫乏，但地上生物量中的某些PL等于或超过SF，这凸显了将生物多样性以及其他生态系统服务纳入固碳举措的至关重要性。这项研究有助于了解跨TDF景观中各种覆盖类型的生物多样性保护。