Classification of plant communities in Sierra Rica, Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, Mexico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v13.i1.842Keywords:
Chihuahuan desert, plant associations, vegetation types, isolated mountainAbstract
Sierra Rica is a mountain island located in the plains of the northeastern region of the Chihuahua Desert and has a diversity of vegetation patterns. To study this patterns the vegetation was characterized using GIS and cluster analysis, which identified five community types: pine forest (780 ha), oak forest (1640 ha), grassland (550 ha), desert scrub (866 ha), and rosetophyllous desert scrubland (628 ha). By the use of TWINSPAN software, four main vegetation groups containing 10 main plant associations were identified: (1) Pinus-Quercus forest, (2) grassland, (3) pine forest, (4) Rhus-Juniperus, (5) Pinus-Quercus and xeric species, (6) grassland-desert scrub, (7) desert microphyll scrub, (8) Quercus-Aloysia-Bouteloua association, (9) Acacia constricta scrubland, and (10) Larrea tridentata scrubland. The association among groups and species was significant (P < 0.0001). The subsequent analysis shows a high dependence among species inside the main groups and independence between groups.
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