Species richness of vascular plants in the riparian transition zones of the Quebrada La Cruz and the Quebrada Socorro in Monteverde, Costa Rica, August 2008

Alternative Title

Riqueza de especies de plantas vasculares en las zonas de transición ribereños de la Quebrada La Cruz y La Quebrada el Socorro en Monteverde, Costa Rica

Creator

Rhiannon Cook

Files

Publication Date

August 2008

Abstract

While many studies have been performed to determine the effects of urbanization in the later stages of development on biodiversity, little is known about how biodiversity is affected by urbanizations in its early phases. This research evaluates how the biodiversity of herbaceous plants in the riparian ecotones of two rivers is affected in the transition from a rural to town setting. Morpho species diversity was sampled on two rivers of the Monteverde, Costa Rica area; the Quebrada Socorro, relatively unaffected by human influence, and the Quebrada La Cruz, which is greatly influenced by both the growth of town infrastructure and agriculture. Ten sites were sampled at equal elevations on each river. Shannon-Weiner diversity index values were compared from each river at each elevation. It was found that the Socorro had a higher diversity value (H’ = 3.40) than the La Cruz (H’ = 2.63) (Modified t-test, t = -8.55; df = 246.95; P < 0.05). In addition, there were significant differences in the H’ values at six out of the ten different elevations, and of those six elevations, five had higher H’ values on the Socorro. Other observations found that species plant composition was radically different between the two rivers. This research implies a change in plant species composition and loss of diversity in riparian ecotones with increased urbanization and human influence which has repercussions for stream ecosystem food webs that depend on a diverse riparian input of leaf litter at the primary trophic level.

Resumen

Mientras que muchos estudios se han realizado para determinar los efectos de la urbanización en el estado avanzado de desarrollo sobre la biodiversidad, poco se sabe sobre como la biodiversidad es afectada por urbanizaciones en sus fases tempranas. Esta investigación evalúa como la biodiversidad de las plantas herbáceas en los ecOtoños ribereños de dos ríos afecta la transición de un area rural al ajuste de un pueblo. La diversidad de las especies de morfo fue muestreada en dos ríos de Monteverde, Costa Rica; Quebrada Socorro, relativamente inafectada por la influencia humana, y Quebrada La Cruz, que esta influenciado grandemente por el crecimiento de la infraestructura del pueblo y la agricultura.

Keywords

Riparian plants, Plant diversity, Tropical Ecology 2008, Riparian ecotones, Reports

Palabras claves

Plantas--ribereñas, Diversidad de plantas, Ecotonos ribereños, Ecología Tropical 2008,

Extent

10 pages

Language

English; Spanish

Media Type

Articles

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

M39-00004

Type

Book

Recommended Citation

Cook, Rhiannon, "Species richness of vascular plants in the riparian transition zones of the Quebrada La Cruz and the Quebrada Socorro in Monteverde, Costa Rica, August 2008" (2008). Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation. 501.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/501