Composition and structure of trees and shrubs of the vegetation of the coastal area of Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico [Gomposición y estructura arbórea y arbustiva de la vegetación de la zona costera de Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, México]
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abstract
Vegetation cover on the coast of Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, has been modified and reduced dramatically in recent decades because of tourism development, so that the objectives of this study were: (1) generate information on the composition, richness, and structural values of species of trees, shrubs and woody vines and (2) define the spatial distribution and the current cover of vegetation. The field sampling for the floristic and ecological information was conducted in 60 plots of 1,000 m2 each; and vegetation cover map was generated from satellite images. 43 families, 92 genera and 127 species were identified. The families with the highest number of species were Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae and Malvaceae; 59 %25 of the species were trees, 34.6 %25 shrubs and 6.4 %25 woody vines. Two variants of tropical deciduous forest and three of tropical semideciduous forest, which together occupy 36 %25 of the total area were recognized. The species with the highest relative importance value in the tropical semideciduous forest were Bursera simaruba, Brosimum alicastrum, Couepia polyandra, Ficus obtusifolia, Hippomane mancinella, Attalea cohune, Piper aduncum, and Pisonia aculeata. In the tropical deciduous forest species with higher relative importance value were Bursera instabilis, Cochlospermum vitifolium, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Ficus cotinifolia, Haematoxylum brasiletto, Lysiloma divaricatum, Lonchocarpus mutans, and Plumeria rubra. The tourism and agricultural development, the presence of species in a risk category, and small surface with natural vegetation, indicate the need of implementing management and conservation programs in this area of Nayarit.
