What is it about?
The oak forests of El Tepozteco National Park grow on steep mountain slopes, lava fields of different ages, and protected gorges. The diversity of the forests, the species of plants that compose them, and the size and shapes of their trees reflect the geological variability of the park. The complex volcanic history of the region contributes to its biological diversity.
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Why is it important?
We provide the first list of plant species for the oak forests of El Tepozteco National Park and describe how forest structure, diversity and composition vary from one place to another. This information can be used to prioritize conservation activities in the most diverse areas, or the most important for ecosystem services.
Perspectives
I grew up in El Tepozteco National Park and was always amazed by its contrasting mosaic of vegetation types. You can see alpine grasslands a few kilometers away of tropical dry forests, and walk from a xerophytic shrubland to a mesophilous forest in minutes. In this study we show that even within one vegetation type, those dominated by oaks, forests are extremely variable. And the geological history of the region seems to dictate that variation.
Sebastian Block
University of Adelaide
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Structure and diversity of oak forests in the El Tepozteco National Park (Morelos, Mexico), Botanical Sciences, August 2015, Botanical Scicences, Sociedad Botanica de Mexico, AC,
DOI: 10.17129/botsci.150.
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