Effect of different cover conditions on the regeneration of woody species of the Tamaulipas thorn scrub

Abstract

The Tamaulipas thorn scrub has been strongly affected by the change in land use to carry out different activities, so it currently has secondary vegetation areas with different structure and canopy cover. In the present study, the density, specific richness, Shannon's true diversity index and Importance Value Index (IVI) of natural regeneration were evaluated, according to three conditions of crown cover of the upper stratum (mature scrub). The three canopy coverage conditions were classified according to the percentage of canopy area covered within each site. 12 sites of 100 m² were established for each condition, where the crown area of trees and shrubs was measured. To evaluate natural regeneration, 5 sites of 1 m² were established within each site of the mature scrub. To determine significant differences between the parameters, a one-factor analysis of variance was performed, as well as the similarity using the Bray-Curtis model. 22 species were recorded, Fabaceae being the best represented family. 5 species were located with preference for some crown cover condition. Croton incanus, is the species with the highest IVI. The values of density, specific richness and Shannon index did not show significant differences according to the 3 established coverage conditions.