Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

New light on the floristic composition and diversity of indigenous territory and national park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivia

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A floristic inventory of woody plants was conducted in the tropical forest vegetation of Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivia. All stems with a diameter at breast height ≥2.5 cm were sampled in two terra firme and two floodplain 0.1 ha forest transects, resulting in a total of 447 species and 1,564 individuals. Results correspond fairly well with other Bolivian and neotropical studies in terms of species distribution patterns, physiognomy, family distribution, growth forms, as well as species and family richness. Our finding that only 6% of all species occurred in all four transects, while 69% was found in only one transect, supports the hypothesis that Amazonian plant communities are dominated by a limited set of species, whereas the large majority of species follows a patchy distribution. However, Fisher’s Alpha index values were much higher than was expected from literature data. It is hypothesized that this might be related to high local precipitation levels and/or natural and (historical) anthropogenic disturbance regimes. Although much more research is necessary, our results suggest that TIPNIS represents a strongly underestimated local center of plant diversity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altamirano S, Fernandez E (2003) Diversidad y distribución vertical de epifitas en bosques Amazónicas de tierra firme del TIPNIS. Rev Boliv Ecol Conserv 14:67–80

    Google Scholar 

  • APG (the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group) (2003) An update of the angiosperm phylogeny group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Bot J Linn Soc 141:399–436. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Araujo-Murakami A, Bascopé F, Cardona-Peńa V, De la Quintana D, Fuentes A, Jorgensen P, Maldonado C, Miranda T, Paniagua-Zambrana N, Seidel R (2005) Composición florística y estructura del bosque amazónico preandino en el sector del Arroyo Negro Parque Nacional Madidi, Bolivia. Ecol Boliv 40:281–303

    Google Scholar 

  • Balée W (1994) Footprints of the forest: Ka’apor ethnobotany - the historical ecology of plant utilization by an Amazonian people. Columbia University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Beetstra T (2005) Actividades productivas y turismo. In: Rico Pareja A, Beetstra T, Rocha Torrez FM (eds) Atlas del trópico de Cochabamba, Talleres Gráficos “KIPUS”. Cochabamba, Bolivia, pp 55–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Clinebell RR, Phillips OL, Gentry AH, Stark N, Zuuring H (1995) Prediction of neotropical tree and liana species richness from soil and climatic data. Biodivers Conserv 4:56–90. doi:10.1007/BF00115314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Condit R, Hubbell SP, Lafrankie JV, Sukumar R, Manokaran N, Foster RB, Ashton PS (1996) Species-area and species-individual relationships for tropical trees: a comparison of three 50-ha plots. J Ecol 84:549–562. doi:10.2307/2261477

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis JT, McIntosh RP (1951) An upland forest continuum in the prairie-forest border region of wisconsin. Ecology 32:476–496. doi:10.2307/1931725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Walt SJ, Bourdy G, Chávez de Michel LR, Quenevo C (1999) Ethnobotany of the Tacana: quantitative inventories of two permanent plots of northwestern Bolivia. Econ Bot 53:237–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Duivenvoorden JF (1995) Tree species composition and rain forest-environment relationships in the middle Caquetá area, Colombia, NW Amazonia. Vegetatio 120:91–113. doi:10.1007/BF00034341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez E, Altamirano S (2004) Caracterización y evaluación de la fauna y vegetación del Territorio Indígena Parque Nacional Isiboro-Sécure (TIPNIS) basado en la zonificación del plan de manejo y las unidades establecidas en el mapa de vegetación del CAM para el TIPNIS. Sistema Nacional de Áreas protegidas (SERNAP)—Wold Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Cochabamba, Bolivia

  • Foster RB, Gentry AH (1991) Plant diversity. In: Parker TA, Bailey B (eds) A biological assessment of the Alto Madidi region and adjacent areas of northwest Bolivia, RAP working paper 1. Conservation International, Washington DC, pp 20–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry AH (1982) Patterns of neotropical plant species diversity. Evol Biol 15:1–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry AH (1988) Changes in plant community diversity and floristic composition on environmental and geographical gradients. Ann Mo Bot Gard 75:1–34. doi:10.2307/2399464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentry AH, Dodson C (1987) Contribution of nontree to species richness of a tropical rainforest. Biotropica 19:149–156. doi:10.2307/2388737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerold G (2003) La base para la biodiversidad: El suelo. In: Ibisch PL, Mérida G (eds) Biodiversidad: la riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación. FAN, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, pp 18–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammer O, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electronica 4:9

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart TB (1990) Monospecific dominance in tropical rain forests. Trends Ecol Evol 5:6–11. doi:10.1016/0169-5347(90)90005-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haugaasen T, Peres CA (2006) Floristic, edaphic and structural characteristics of flooded and unflooded forests in the lower Rio Purús region of central Amazonia, Brazil. Acta Amazon 36:25–35. doi:10.1590/S0044-59672006000100005

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston MA (1994) Biological diversity. The coexistence of species in changing landscapes, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch PL (2003) La diversidad de especies: Bolivia es un país megadiverso, subestimado y subinvestigado. In: Ibisch PL, Mérida G (eds) Biodiversidad: la riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación. FAN, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, pp 89–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch PL, Beck SG (2003) Espermatofitas. In: Ibisch PL, Mérida G (eds) Biodiversidad: la riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación. FAN, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, pp 103–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibisch PL, Beck SG, Gerkmann B, Carretero A (2003) Ecoregiones y ecosistemas. In: Ibisch PL, Mérida G (eds) Biodiversidad: la riqueza de Bolivia. Estado de conocimiento y conservación. FAN, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, pp 47–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Josse C, Navarro G, Encarnación F, Tovar A, Comer P, Ferreira W, Rodríguez F, Saito J, Sanjurjo J, Dyson J, Rubin de Celis E, Zárate R, Chang J, Ahuite M, Vargas C, Paredes F, Castro W, Maco J, Reátegui F (2007) Ecological Systems of the Amazon Basin of Peru and Bolivia. Clasification and Mapping. NatureServe, Virginia, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Perez-Salicrup D, Delamonica P, Fearnside PM, D’Angelo S, Jerozolinski A, Pohl L, Lovejoy TE (2001) Rain forest fragmentation and the structure of Amazonian liana communities. Ecology 82:105–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Lilienfeld MD, Pauquet S (2005) Diagnóstico del Parque Nacional y Territorio Indígena Isiboro Sécure. Serie de Perfiles de Parques ParksWatch. http://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofiles/pdf/isnp_spa.pdf

  • Macía MJ, Svenning JC (2005) Oligarchic dominance in western Amazonian plant communities. J Trop Ecol 21:613–626. doi:10.1017/S0266467405002579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macía MJ (2008) Woody plants diversity, floristic composition and land use history in the Amazonian rain forests of Madidi National Park, Bolivia. Biodivers Conserv 17:2671–2690

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles L, Grainger A, Phillips OL (2004) The impact of global climate change on tropical forest biodiversity in Amazonia. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 13:553–565. doi:10.1111/j.1466-822X.2004.00105.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mori SA, Boom BM, de Carvalino AM, dos Santos TS (1983) Ecological importance of myrtaceae in an Eastern Brazilian wet forest. Biotropica 15:68–70. doi:10.2307/2388002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro G (2002) Vegetación y unidades biogeográficas. In: Navarro G, Maldonado M (eds) Geografía ecológica de Bolivia: vegetación y ambientes acuáticos. Centro de Ecología Simón I. Patino, Cochabamba, Bolivia, pp 1–500

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips OL, Miller J (2002) Global patterns of forest diversity: the dataset of Alwyn H. Gentry. Monographs in Systematic Botany 89. Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips OL, Vásquez MR, Núńez VP, Lorenzo Monteagudo A, Chuspe Zans M-E, Galiano Sánchez W, Peńa Cruz A, Timana M, Yli-Halla M, Rose S (2003) Efficient plot-based floristic assessment of tropical forests. J Trop Ecol 19:629–645. doi:10.1017/S0266467403006035

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitman NCA, Terborgh J, Silman MR, Núńez VP (1999) Tree species distributions in an upper amazonian forest. Ecology 80:2651–2661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prance GT, Beentje H, Dransfield J, Johns R (2000) The tropical flora remains undercollected. Ann Mo Bot Gard 87:67–71. doi:10.2307/2666209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Salicrup DR, Sork VL, Putz FE (2001) Lianas and trees in a Liana forest of Amazonian Bolivia. Biotropica 33:34–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Quisbert J, Macía MJ (2005) Estudio comparativo de la composición florística y estructura del bosque de tierra firme en dos sitios de tierras bajas de Madidi. Ecol Boliv 40:339–364

    Google Scholar 

  • Rico Pareja A, Beetstra T, Rocha Torrez FM (eds) (2005) Atlas del trópico de Cochabamba. Talleres Gráficos “KIPUS”, Cochabamba, Bolivia

  • Romero-Saltos H, Valencia R, Macía MJ (2001) Patrones de diversidad, distribución y rareza de plantas leñosas en tres tipos de bosque en la Amazonía nororiental ecuatoriana. In: Duivenvoorden JF, Balslev H, Cavelier J, Grandez C. Tuomisto H, Valencia R (eds) Evaluación de recursos forestales no-maderables en la Amazonía nor-occidental, IBED-Universiteit van Ámsterdam, pp 131–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Steininger MK, Tucker CJ, Townshend JRG, Killeen TJ, Desch A, Bell V, Ersts P (2001) Tropical deforestation in the Bolivian Amazon. Environ Conserv 28:127–134. doi:10.1017/S0376892901000133

    Google Scholar 

  • ter Steege H, Sabatier D, Castellanos H, van Andel T, Duivenvoorden J, Adalardo De Oliveira A, Ek R, Lilwah R, Maas P, Mori S (2000) An analysis of the floristic composition and diversity of Amazonian forests including those of the Guiana Shield. J Trop Ecol 16:801–828. doi:10.1017/S0266467400001735

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ter Steege H, Pitman N, Sabatier D, Castellanos H, Van Der Hout P, Daly DC, Silveira M, Phillips O, Vasquez R, van Andel T, Duivenvoorden J, Adalardo De Oliveira A, Ek R, Lilwah R, Thomas R, Van Essen J, Baider C, Maas P, Mori S, Terborgh J, Núnez Vargas P, Mogollon H, Morawetz W (2003) A spatial model of tree a-diversity and tree density for the Amazon. Biodivers Conserv 12:2255–2277. doi:10.1023/A:1024593414624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ter Steege H, Pitman NCA, Phillips OL, Chave J, Sabatier D, Duque A, Molino J-F, Prévost M-F, Spichiger R, Castellanos H, von Hildebrand P, Vásquez R (2006) Continental-scale patterns of canopy tree composition and function across Amazonia. Nature 443:444–447. doi:10.1038/nature05134

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ter Steege H, Pitman NCA, Phillips OL, Chave J, Sabatier D, Duque A, Molino J-F, Prévost M-F, Spichiger R, Castellanos H, von Hildebrand P, Vásquez R (2007) Amazon tree diversity network: forest inventories—families. http://www.bio.uu.nl/~herba/Guyana/ATDN/pagina29a.html Cited 31 Aug 2007

  • Terborgh J, Andresen E (1998) The composition of Amazonian forests: patterns at local and regional scales. J Trop Ecol 14:645–664. doi:10.1017/S0266467498000455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas E, Vandebroek I (2006) Guía de Plantas Medicinales de los Yuracarés y Trinitarios del Territorio Indígena Parque Nacional Isiboro-Sécure. Bolivia. Imprenta Sirena, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas E (2008) Quantitative Ethnobotanical Research on Knowledge and Use of Plants for Livelihood among Quechua. Yuracaré and Trinitario Communities in the Andes and Amazon Regions of Bolivia. PhD-dissertation, Ghent University, Belgium

    Google Scholar 

  • Valencia R, Foster RB, Villa G, Condit R, Svenning JC, Hernández C, Romoleroux K, Losos E, Magård E, Balslev H (2004) Tree species distributions and local habitat variation in the Amazon: large forest plot in eastern Ecuador. J Ecol 92:214–229. doi:10.1111/j.0022-0477.2004.00876.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Andel T (2001) Floristic composition and diversity of mixed primary and secondary forests in northwest Guyana. Biodivers Conserv 10:1645–1682. doi:10.1023/A:1012069717077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vásquez MR, Phillips OL (2000) Floristics and ecology of a high-diversity forest at Allpahuayo, Amazonian Peru. Ann Mo Bot Gard 87:499–527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vormisto J, Svenning JC, Hall P, Balslev H (2004) Diversity and dominance in palm (Arecaceae) communities in terra firme forests in the western Amazon basin. J Ecol 92:577–588. doi:10.1111/j.0022-0477.2004.00904.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson EO (2003) The encyclopedia of life. Trends Ecol Evol 18:77–80. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(02)00040-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wittmann F, Schongart J, Montero JC, Motzer T, Junk WJ, Piedade MTF, Queiroz HL, Worbes M (2006) Tree species composition and diversity gradients in white-water forests across the Amazon Basin. J Biogeogr 33:1334–1347. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2006.01495.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The present research was financed by a doctoral research grant of the Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF) of Ghent University to Evert Thomas (Grant Number: B/03801/01 FONDS IV 1). Logistic support in Bolivia was provided by the Centre of Biodiversity and Genetics and the Herbarium Martin Cardenas of the Universidad Mayor de San Simon in Cochabamba. I am grateful to Reynaldo Berdeja, Roxana Baldelomar, Thiago Agustin and Noel Altamirano for collaboration during data collection. Special thanks are due to all inhabitants of the indigenous communities San Jose de la Angosta, San Antonio, El Carmen de la Nueva Esperanza, Tres de Mayo and Sanandita for their kind assistance in this project. I am also indebted to the professional botanists who identified many of my collections. They are P. Acevedo, W. Anderson, G. Aymard, S. Beck, C. Berg, R. Bianchini, A. Brant, T. Croat, D. Daly, S. Dressler, H.-J. Esser, R. Fortunato, A. Fuentes, R. Oritiz Gentry, C. Gustafsson, B. Holst, I. Jiménez, J. Kallunki, R. Liesner, L. Lohmann, J. Lombardi, P. Maas, J. Mitchel, M. Moraes, S. Mori, M. Nee, T. Pennington, G. Prance, J. Pruski, N. Raes, H. Rainer, S. Renner, J. Ricketson, L. Rico, C. Stace, C. Taylor, H. van der Werff, T. Wayt, J. Wen, J. Wood and F. Zenteno. Thanks also go to Manuel Macía, Ina Vandebroek, Patrick Van Damme and Paul Goetghebeur for commenting on earlier drafts of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Ethnobotany, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Evert Thomas

Authors
  1. Evert Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evert Thomas.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

See Table 4

Table 4 Species identified in four 0.1 ha transects, TIPNIS, Bolivia
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thomas, E. New light on the floristic composition and diversity of indigenous territory and national park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivia. Biodivers Conserv 18, 1847–1878 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9561-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9561-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation