Influencia del clima sobre la composición, la diversidad, la biomasa y los rasgos funcionales de la vegetación arbórea de dos bosques tropicales montanos andinos

In the western Andes of southern Ecuador, remnants of Andean montane tropical forests (BTMA) deserve to be studied ecologically for their value and conservation purposes. This research aimed to describe the difference in taxonomic and functional parameters of arboreal vegetation and explain its relationship with predictor variables. Predictors of climate, soils and spatial correlation were used to explain the difference in composition, diversity, tree density, biomass and functional traits between two types of BTMA: evergreen montane forest (BSM) and highline evergreen montane forest (BSMA). The difference in species composition was described with ANOSIM and NMDS. Differences in diversity, density, biomass and functional traits were evaluated using mean tests with Student t. The relationship between species composition and predictor variables was analyzed with variance partitioning (VARPART), while tree density, above-ground biomass, and functional traits were analyzed with generalized linear models (MLG). The composition was different between the two types and was explained by climate and spatial correlation. Tree density and above-ground biomass were higher in the BSMA. The weighted average of the leaf area (AF) was higher in BSM, while the specific leaf area (AFE) was higher in the BSMA. The mean annual precipitation (PMA) and mean annual temperature (TMA) explained the composition of the species. The density was explained by the TMA, apparent density (DA) and MO. The aboveground biomass was explained by TMA. The AF was explained by the TMA and DA and the AFE was explained by the PMA. We concluded that the parameters of the vegetation vary in small altitudinal gradients, where there is environmental heterogeneity conditioned by the climate and certain soil variables.