| Abstract Detail
Tropical Biology Section Kelloff, Carol L. [1]. Structure and diversity of a riparian forest at Kaieteur National Park, Guyana. Kaieteur National Park, encompassing middle portions of the Potaro River, Guyana, contains a mosaic of habitats from exposed sandstone to riparian forests (100 – 450 m) with soils of the riparian forests of course white sand with very little peat. As part of an ecological study, two one-hectare plots were established in the Wallaba (Eperua) – mixed forest of the Potaro Plateau to document the species diversity and tree composition within the park. Approximately 133 species in 33 families comprised 1,585 trees representing 1,722 stems with a DBH ≥ 10. Chamaecrista adiantifolia var. pteridophylla and Eperua falcata (Caesalpinioideae) accounted for 26.1% of all stems inventoried in the plots. Of the three subfamilies of Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae dominated the plots with over 300 stems/ha at Kaieteur. Statistical analysis of the two plots at Kaieteur clearly indicates a high degree of floristic differences between the Kaieteur sites in this Wallaba (Eperua) – mixed forest. Although dominated by E. falcata and C. adiantifolia var. pteridophylla, the plots at Kaieteur indicate there are differences in the forest community over a very short distance. This may be attributable to subtle changes in microhabitats and / or species dynamics of the subdominate tree taxa of the Potaro Plateau. We used 2 1-ha plots at each site to compare the forest at Kaieteur with the lowland forest of Kwakwani, Guyana and Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Of these three, Kaieteur had the highest number of stems (69.6%) < 20 cm DBH and highest total basal area (66 m2 / ha).
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1 - Smithsonian Institution, Dept. of Botany, MRC166, NMNH, P.O. Box 37012, 10 & Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20013, USA
Keywords:
Guyana
Kwakwani
plot study
Guiana Shield
Barro Colorado Island.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 66
Location: 215/SUB
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008
Time: 4:15 PM
Number: 66003
Abstract ID:555 |
