The role of Andean forests against climate change based on the taxonomic and functional relationship of woody vegetation with carbon stocks, Azuay - Ecuador

This proposal is proposed within the "projects with financing consolidation" and will be developed in twelve months. In order to obtain local information that allows assessing, managing and conserving the natural forest resources of the southern Ecuador (Azuay), this research proposal is proposed, whose specific objectives are: 1) Evaluate the taxonomic and functional diversity of woody vegetation; 2) quantify the air, underground carbon, on the ground and total stored, and; 3) Determine the influence of environmental variables on taxonomic diversity, diversity, functional dominance and carbon. The study scenarios will be ripe forests, located in the western slope of the Andes. The diversity will be described with parameters of wealth of species and diversity indices. Forest communities will be identified based on the disguise of the floristic composition and establish relationships with environmental variables. Functional features will be mediated to evaluate functional diversity and dominance. Direct measurements and estimates will be made in order to evaluate air and total carbon reserves. Relations between environmental variables will be investigated and established with the parameters of taxonomic, functional diversity and stored carbon. The results will be published through a scientific article in Indexada Magazine (Scopus) and International Scientific Congress. The databases generated will be shared to regional and international networks or initiatives for potential high -impact scientific publications. In addition, an established natural laboratory will be left to be used in future research attached to conserve biodiversity and climate change monitoring.

XVIII UNIVERSITY COMPETITION FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS