{"title":"Factors driving tree community structure in traditional home gardens in the Mayan forest","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ufug.2024.128466","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>'Peasant populations in tropical areas use Traditional Home Gardens (THG) as a key resource for their homes. THG supports significant plant biodiversity, most directly related to asset production, including locally rare species related to food, fuelwood, cultural, ornamental, shade, and wind barriers. Previous studies have considered factors driving tree diversity in THG; however, few have evaluated the biological, environmental, and management factors that shape tree diversity. Our objective in the present study was to identify the drivers of the tree community in THG across a precipitation gradient, evaluating biological, environmental and management factors.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We visited forty-eight THG distributed across the precipitation gradient spanning around 300 km The tropical Mayan Forest in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico., where tree inventory and identification were obtained from specimens with a diameter at breast height > 5 cm. Interviews were conducted with owners about the history of THG. Metadata were captured and analyzed for 19 putative determinants of tree population structure. Differences in tree diversity by individual THG and region were determined statistically. Modeled interaction networks were determined based on a co-occurrence matrix.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>THG tree abundances are mainly explained by the relative abundance of not deliberately established individuals, the organic carbon content in the soil, and surrounding forest integrity. Management history of THG by peasants, including factors such as irrigation, TGH area, and fertilization, showed smaller but significant differences. Tree distribution is at a lower degree influenced by the precipitation gradient in the Yucatan Peninsula, which shows different abundances even for species established by THG owners.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Our results suggest that biological and environmental factors may shape tree abundance and distribution over anthropic activities in THG. We identified rare, region-specific, and indicator species by region and modeled interaction networks that show coincidences with the empirical knowledge of THG owners.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49394,"journal":{"name":"Urban Forestry & Urban Greening","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Urban Forestry & Urban Greening","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866724002644","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction
'Peasant populations in tropical areas use Traditional Home Gardens (THG) as a key resource for their homes. THG supports significant plant biodiversity, most directly related to asset production, including locally rare species related to food, fuelwood, cultural, ornamental, shade, and wind barriers. Previous studies have considered factors driving tree diversity in THG; however, few have evaluated the biological, environmental, and management factors that shape tree diversity. Our objective in the present study was to identify the drivers of the tree community in THG across a precipitation gradient, evaluating biological, environmental and management factors.
Methods
We visited forty-eight THG distributed across the precipitation gradient spanning around 300 km The tropical Mayan Forest in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico., where tree inventory and identification were obtained from specimens with a diameter at breast height > 5 cm. Interviews were conducted with owners about the history of THG. Metadata were captured and analyzed for 19 putative determinants of tree population structure. Differences in tree diversity by individual THG and region were determined statistically. Modeled interaction networks were determined based on a co-occurrence matrix.
Results
THG tree abundances are mainly explained by the relative abundance of not deliberately established individuals, the organic carbon content in the soil, and surrounding forest integrity. Management history of THG by peasants, including factors such as irrigation, TGH area, and fertilization, showed smaller but significant differences. Tree distribution is at a lower degree influenced by the precipitation gradient in the Yucatan Peninsula, which shows different abundances even for species established by THG owners.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that biological and environmental factors may shape tree abundance and distribution over anthropic activities in THG. We identified rare, region-specific, and indicator species by region and modeled interaction networks that show coincidences with the empirical knowledge of THG owners.
期刊介绍:
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening is a refereed, international journal aimed at presenting high-quality research with urban and peri-urban woody and non-woody vegetation and its use, planning, design, establishment and management as its main topics. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening concentrates on all tree-dominated (as joint together in the urban forest) as well as other green resources in and around urban areas, such as woodlands, public and private urban parks and gardens, urban nature areas, street tree and square plantations, botanical gardens and cemeteries.
The journal welcomes basic and applied research papers, as well as review papers and short communications. Contributions should focus on one or more of the following aspects:
-Form and functions of urban forests and other vegetation, including aspects of urban ecology.
-Policy-making, planning and design related to urban forests and other vegetation.
-Selection and establishment of tree resources and other vegetation for urban environments.
-Management of urban forests and other vegetation.
Original contributions of a high academic standard are invited from a wide range of disciplines and fields, including forestry, biology, horticulture, arboriculture, landscape ecology, pathology, soil science, hydrology, landscape architecture, landscape planning, urban planning and design, economics, sociology, environmental psychology, public health, and education.