Strong floristic distinctiveness across Neotropical successional forests
Forests that naturally regenerate on abandoned fields play a crucial role in restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services, but their ability to preserve distinct regional tree floras remains a key question. A study analyzing the floristic composition of 1,215 early successional forests (≤20 years old) across 75 human-modified landscapes in the Neotropic realm identified 14 distinct floristic groups, with a high between-group dissimilarity of 0.97. These groups were strongly influenced by location, bioregions, soil pH, temperature seasonality, and water availability, highlighting the large-scale continental variation in species composition. Interestingly, human disturbance indicators did not significantly shape these floristic patterns, suggesting that biogeographic and environmental factors are the primary drivers of species distribution in early secondary forests. The distinctiveness of these forests is partly maintained by regionally restricted species within widespread genera, reinforcing their ecological importance. Given their role in conserving bioregional uniqueness, forest restoration efforts should prioritize the use of local species to ensure the preservation of these distinct floras.
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Authors
Jakovac, C.C.,Meave, J.A.,Bongers, F.,Letcher, S.G.,Dupuy, J.M.,Piotto, D.,Rozendaal, D.M.A.,Peña-Claros, M.,Craven, D.,Santos, B.A.,Siminski, A.,Fantini, A.C.,Rodrigues, A.C.,Hernández-Jaramillo, A.,Idárraga, A.,Junqueira, A.B.,Zambrano,
Publication year
2022
