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Sucesión Post‐Agrícola en El Petén, Guatemala
Author(s) -
Ferguson Bruce G.,
Vandermeer John,
Morales Helda,
Griffith Daniel M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01265.x
Subject(s) - monoculture , ecological succession , agriculture , basal area , agroforestry , geography , range (aeronautics) , biology , ecology , intensive farming , materials science , composite material
We compared post‐agricultural succession across the range of farming activities practiced in Guatemala's northern lowlands: agroforestry, swidden, ranching, and input‐intensive monocultures. At 10 sites over 13 to 40 months we assessed the following characteristics of trees and shrubs that were>1 cm diameter at breast height: height, basal‐area accumulation, recruitment of all individuals and fleshy‐fruited individuals, and accumulation of all species and fleshy‐fruited species. Succession, as measured by all these response variables except height, was dramatically faster on agroforestry and swidden sites than on pastures or input‐intensive monocultures. Overall recruitment was faster for swiddens than for agroforests, but other response variables did not differ significantly between the two treatments. Regression results suggest that initial ground cover by herbs inhibited recruitment of woody colonists. The significant positive coefficient for initial basal area and the significant negative coefficient for distance from forest for accumulation of both fleshy‐fruited individuals and species are probably explained by the behavioral responses of seed‐dispersing animals. Our results suggest that the conservation strategy of discouraging swidden agriculture in favor of sedentary, input‐intensive agriculture to relieve pressure on old‐growth forest may be counterproductive over the long term.