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Structural changes of vegetation and its association with microclimate in a successional gradient of low thorn forest in northeastern Mexico

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Abstract

Understanding how microclimate and vegetation are associated during secondary succession is of primary importance for plant conservation in the face of the increasing land cover modification. However, these patterns are still unstudied for many plant communities. This study aimed to evaluate the structure (species richness, Shannon's diversity index, Simpson´s dominance index, abundance of each species, average height of species, species cover (%), species composition, and indicator values) of a low thorn forest fragment and to analyze its relation with microclimate along a successional gradient. Four stages of succession were delimited by the analysis of Landsat images, in the state of Tamaulipas, northeast Mexico. Statistical models incorporated species richness, diversity indices, abundance, height, and cover, as variables for searching differences between stages, or to evaluate microclimate associations. A total of 70 species, 54 genera, and 27 families were determined. Height of tree layer was the most important variable for discrimination of the successional stages. Conserved areas differed floristically from other stages, associated mainly with the lowest values of wind speed originated by tree layer characteristics. A significant association between species and microclimate was found, being wind speed and relative humidity the most important variables. Some species, due to their high importance values and their patterns of association with microclimate, may be considered as key taxa for low thorn forest, which is a threatened semitropical community in northeast Mexico. Conserved and late successional areas account for climatic regulation of this plant community, and the importance of these forest patches may be considered when establishing biodiversity protection areas.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the facilities provided by the Tecnológico Nacional de México-Instituto Tecnológico de Cd. Victoria and by the Facultad de Ciencias Naturales-Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, to accomplish this work. We would like to thank Ricardo Vizcaya, and José Norberto Lucio García for their valuable help during fieldwork. Pablo Ruiz and responsible authorities from Ej. Santa Ana and Ej. Rancho Nuevo, Victoria, Tamaulipas, granted permissions for accessing sampling areas. The first author acknowledges CONACYT for a Postdoctoral Grant.

Funding

The Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología provided support to the first author for conducting this work (CONACYT-Mexico, Doctoral Scholarship No. 401277).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tecnológico Nacional de México-Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria, Boulevard Emilio Portes Gil No. 1301, C.P. 87010, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico

    Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes & Ludivina Barrientos-Lozano

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias, s/n, C.P. 76230, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico

    Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes & Robert W. Jones

  3. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Centro Universitario Victoria, C.P. 87149, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, México

    Santiago Niño-Maldonado & Jacinto Treviño-Carreón

  4. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Ap. Postal 41, C.P. 67700, Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico

    Edmar Meléndez-Jaramillo

  5. Instituto de Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, División del Golfo No. 356, C.P. 87019, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico

    Fatima Magdalena Sandoval-Becerra

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  1. Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes
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Contributions

Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes, Santiago Niño-Maldonado, Ludivina Barrientos-Lozano, and Jacinto Treviño-Carreón conceived the research idea. Data collection was conducted by Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes and Fatima Magdalena Sandoval-Becerra. Plant identification was conducted by Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes, Jacinto Treviño-Carreón, and Edmar Meléndez-Jaramillo. Data analysis was performed by Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes, Fatima Magdalena Sandoval-Becerra, Edmar Meléndez-Jaramillo, and Robert W. Jones. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Uriel Jeshua Sánchez-Reyes.

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Sánchez-Reyes, U.J., Niño-Maldonado, S., Barrientos-Lozano, L. et al. Structural changes of vegetation and its association with microclimate in a successional gradient of low thorn forest in northeastern Mexico. Plant Ecol 222, 65–80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01088-z

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