Secondary Succession in Fallow Agroforestry Systems Managed in Tropical Dry Forest in Western Mexico

Abstract

Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are ecosystems of high biocultural value, in which agroforestry systems (AFSs) have been essential in their management and conservation. We aimed to characterize agroforestry practices and analyze their capacity to conserve perennial plant diversity. In addition, we sought to evaluate how the management of TDFs as AFSs, together with their regeneration, influences species diversity and vegetation structure in a landscape with AFSs and TDFs in different conservation states. We compared the species diversity and basal area (BA) of plants in active and fallow AFSs at different regeneration stages in Zacualpan, Colima, Mexico. We found that AFSs harbored 71% of species richness (0D), forming a mosaic that contributed to the gamma diversity (124 species) of TDFs in the area. AFSs supported 23 endemic and 12 protected species. TDFs, active and advanced regeneration AFSs, had the highest number of useful species and diversity. Species richness (0D) in management categories increased as succession progressed, but not the BA, possibly due to frequent browsing and wood and firewood extraction. However, BA may be related to the management of useful trees maintained through agroforestry practices. We suggest increasing the matrix quality through a mosaic of active and fallow AFSs to promote ecological connectivity and biodiversity conservation.