Forest Fuel Bed Variation in Tropical Coastal Freshwater Forested Wetlands Disturbed by Fire

Author:

Barrios-Calderón Romeo de Jesús1ORCID,Infante Mata Dulce2ORCID,Flores Garnica José Germán3ORCID,Torres Jony R.4ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Autonomous University of Chiapas, Junction with Coastal Road and Huehuetán Station, Tuxtla Gutiérrez 30660, Chiapas, Mexico

2. Sustainable Management of Basins and Coast Zones, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unit Tapachula, Highway Old Airport, km 2.5, Tapachula 30700, Chiapas, Mexico

3. National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research (INIFAP), Pacific Regional Research Center, Experimental Field Centro-Altos of Jalisco, Los Colomos Park s/n, col. Providencia, Guadalajara 44660, Jalisco, Mexico

4. I.T. del Valle del Yaqui, Academy of Biology, Coastal Zone Ecology Laboratory, National Technological Institute of Mexico, Avenue Tecnológico Block 611, Bácum 85276, Sonora, Mexico

Abstract

Tropical coastal freshwater forested wetlands in coastal regions are rapidly disappearing as a result of various disturbance agents, mainly wildfires caused by high accumulations of forest fuels. The objective of this study was to characterize the structure and composition of fuel beds in tropical coastal freshwater forested wetlands with three levels of disturbance at El Castaño, La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve. Seventeen sampling units were used to describe the structure of the forest’s fuel beds (canopy, sub-canopy, and understory). Fallen woody material and litter (surface and fermented) were characterized using the planar intersection technique. Diversity comprised eight species of trees, two shrubs, five lianas, and two herbaceous species. The vertical strata were dominated by trees between 2 and 22 m in height. The horizontal structure had a higher percentage of trees with normal diameter between 2.5 and 7.5 cm (61.4%) of the total. Sites with low disturbance had the highest arboreal density (2686 ind. ha−1). Diversity of species showed that the Fisher, Margalef, Shannon, and Simpson α indices were higher in the low disturbance sites. The Berger–Parker index exhibited greater dominance in the sites with high disturbance. Pachira aquatica Aubl. Showed the highest importance value index and was the largest contributor to fuel beds. Sites with the highest disturbance had the highest dead fuel load (222.18 ± 33.62 Mg ha−1), with woody fuels of classes 1, 10, and 1000 h (rotten) being the most representative. This study contributes to defining areas prone to fire in these ecosystems and designing prevention strategies.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Forestry

Reference99 articles.

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