Diversidad funcional asociada a biomasa en procesos de restauración del bosque altoandino en la Reserva Encenillo (Guasca-Cundinamarca)

Abstract

Ecological restoration is an activity of vital importance for the restoration of priority ecosystems such as the High Andean Forest, so it is very important to evaluate the state of ecological restoration processes from their composition, structure and function to guarantee the success of these . This study evaluates the composition, structure and functional diversity associated with the ecosystem service of aerial biomass in different restoration processes of the Andean high forest, in the El Encenillo biological reserve (Guasca-Cundinamarca). The study included the elaboration of a forest inventory with the Field-Map technology of an area of ​​1.6 ha consisting of three restoration processes (E1, E2 and E3) and the reference ecosystem (E0). 17 functional traits (3 of leaf, 13 of wood and 1 structural) of the 20 species of greater ecological importance (IVI) were taken, which together cover more than 80% of the index in each of the strata. Wood samples and leaf samples were obtained for measuring functional traits. Biomass was calculated from local allometric equations. The composition and structure were evaluated by stratum, restoration processes were compared with the reference ecosystem. Functional traits associated to the biomass process were selected from Spearman's correlation test and functional diversity was evaluated from the TFPs approach, based on a Cluster analysis, and Multi-range indices. Finally, the restoration processes were evaluated from the composition, structure and function simultaneously from 12 indexes. The restoration processes present a wealth of species lower than that found in the reference ecosystem, in terms of equity, E0 and E1 have greater dominance while E2 and E3 tend to have greater homogeneity in the distribution of individuals by species. At the structure level, the restoration processes because they are recent have not yet reached the maximum accumulation potential of the basal area, in the same way the structural wealth, nor the structural dominance of the reference ecosystem. The 17 functional traits evaluated showed a significant correlation with the BAA and 16 with it IBA, determining that the species that develop greater foliar area, greater volume of vertical and horizontal conduction structures, smaller dimensions of storage structures and less resistance in the structures of sustain have a greater increase in the Aerial Biomass, an inverse strategy to that used by the species that store the largest Aerial Biomass. Likewise, with the help of the RF, 3 Functional Types of Plants (TFPs) were identified, which are significantly differentiated from each other by the DB, FGp, FG, Pdim, Rden, Vlong, Flong and AF, being in turn the largest correlation presented with the BAA and IBA. Finally, at the functional level it was found that the three restoration processes have already reached the functional richness and functional equity of the reference ecosystem, even so, they have greater functional divergence associated with BAA than the Natural Forest (E0), so it is recommended increase the BAA of functional traits with lower BAA represented in the restoration processes, these being corresponding to the species of TFP1, which are practically not represented in any of them.