Floristic Composition, Structure, and Aboveground Biomass of the Moraceae Family in an Evergreen Andean Amazon Forest, Ecuador

Abstract

The current study determined the floristic composition, structure, and aboveground biomass (AGB) of the individuals of the Moraceae family. This occurred in order to value them as a source of biomass carbon, which itself is dependent on the altitudinal gradient (601–1000 m.a.s.l.) in the evergreen foothill forest of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The study encountered 117 individuals belonging to the Moraceae family, which was grouped into 32 species. Hereby, the most abundant were the genus Ficus sp., with 9.40% relative abundance, Brosimun alicastrum with 6.84%, and Aucleopsis sp. with 5.98%. Forest structural characteristics, such as the horizontal and vertical structure, diameter at breast height (DBH), and the diameter of the tree crown, were considered for the analysis. The horizontal profile determined that the crowns of the species of the Moraceae family cover approximately 16.43% of the upper canopy within the sampling unit area. The trees of the Moraceae family have a carbon capture capacity in the projected AGB per hectare of 35.09 (Mg ha−1), with the Ficus cuatracasana Dugand species being the species with the highest projected capture per hectare, with 15.737 (Mg ha−1). These results highlight the relevance of similar studies assessing the carbon accumulation capacity of species from other families, emphasizing high commercial value species due to their timber resource.