Diversidad de briofitos y líquenes en plantaciones forestales del sur del Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract: Forest plantations (pine and eucalyptus) are expanding throughout the world, while natural forests are increasingly fragmented. The cryptogams (lichens and bryophytes) are indicators of anthropic alterations, due to the fact that they depend on environmental humidity. Therefore, the objective is to determine the diversity of bryophytes and lichens, epiphytes and terrestrials, in forest plantations in the province of Loja, through plots of 20m x 20m, where the frequency and coverage in quadrants of 20 x 30 cm were recorded. We evaluated alpha diversity and beta diversity. A total of 120 species of epiphytic cryptogams were recorded (36 bryophytes and 86 lichens), as for terrestrial species, 49 species were recorded, corresponding to 40 bryophytes and nine species of lichens. Total richness for terrestrials by forest type was higher in secondary forests, pine and eucalyptus plantations, on the contrary, a greater number of epiphytic species was recorded for pine, forest and eucalyptus plantations. The griptogams are a model group to assess the state and quality of forests.