Response of paramo vegetation to anthropogenic disturbance along an altitudinal gradient in Quindío, Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/cxjv2322Keywords:
Andean paramo; , floristic diversity; , Hill numbers; , beta diversity; , line-intercept; , Importance Value Index; , anthropogenic disturbance; , Colombian AndesAbstract
Introduction: The paramos of Quindío, Colombia, harbor high but still incompletely documented plant diversity. These high-mountain ecosystems are sensitive to anthropogenic pressures, which can alter community composition, dominance patterns, and vegetation structure. Objective: To compare floristic diversity and vegetation structure between conserved and intervened paramo/subparamo localities in Quindío, providing baseline information for conservation and management. Methods: We sampled six localities spanning an altitudinal belt of approximately 3 200-3 900 m. In each locality, five 50 m line transects were established (30 transects total). Species occurrence was recorded, and relative cover was estimated using the line intercept approach (intercept length). Alpha diversity was assessed with Hill numbers (q0, q1, q2), and beta diversity was evaluated using similarity measures based on relative values. Vegetation structure was summarized with an Importance Value Index (IVI). Results: We recorded 519 species: 285 vascular plants (182 genera, 80 families) and 234 non-vascular plants (115 genera, 63 families), including 160 liverworts (Marchantiophyta), 71 mosses (Bryophyta), and three hornworts (Anthocerotophyta). Species richness (q0) was higher in conserved localities and markedly lower in intervened localities. Diversity patterns indicated increased dominance in the most disturbed locality, consistent with cover concentration in a reduced set of taxa. Floristic similarity was generally low (≤ 45 %), with greater affinity among conserved localities and higher dispersion among intervened ones. The highest IVI values in intervened localities were associated with taxa such as Miconia polyneura, Hesperomeles obtusifolia var. obtusifolia, Gaultheria myrsinoides, Puya trianae, and Gaiadendron punctatum, whereas conserved localities were characterized by structurally prominent species. Conclusion: Conserved paramo localities maintain higher floristic diversity and a vegetation structure dominated by characteristic taxa, whereas intervened sites show reduced richness, stronger dominance, and pronounced compositional turnover. These patterns highlight the need to strengthen conservation actions, regulate local pressures, and prioritize connectivity and restoration in the paramos of Quindío.
Downloads
References
Benavides, A. M., Ávila, F. A., & Toro, J. L. (2016). Patrón de ocupación, uso y manejo en el páramo de Sumapaz por los campesinos. Universitas Humanística, 82, 253–276.
Benavides, J. C., & Armenteras, D. (2006). Efecto de la fragmentación del paisaje sobre la diversidad de especies de plantas vasculares en un área de bosques altoandinos, Colombia. Ecología Aplicada, 5(1–2), 43–52.
Betancur, J., González, M. F., Hernández-Aldana, E., Castro, C., Gómez-Suescún, F., Hernández, D. E., Jaimes, M., & Galindo Tarazona, R. (2018). Los colores del páramo de Chingaza: Guía de plantas. Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Canfield, R. H. (1941). Application of the line interception method in sampling range vegetation. Journal of Forestry, 39(4), 388–394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jof/39.4.388
Chao, A., & Jost, L. (2012). Coverage-based rarefaction and extrapolation: Standardizing samples by completeness rather than size. Ecology, 93(12), 2533–2547. https://doi.org/10.1890/11-1952.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/11-1952.1
Chao, A., Chazdon, R. L., Colwell, R. K., & Shen, T.-J. (2005). A new statistical approach for assessing compositional similarity based on incidence and abundance data. Ecology Letters, 8(2), 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00707.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00707.x
Chao, A., Chazdon, R. L., Colwell, R. K., & Shen, T.-J. (2006). Abundance-based similarity indices and their estimation when there are unseen species in samples. Biometrics, 62(2), 361–371. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0420.2005.00489.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0420.2005.00489.x
Chao, A., Chiu, C.-H., & Jost, L. (2014). Unifying species diversity, phylogenetic diversity, functional diversity, and related similarity and differentiation measures through Hill numbers. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 45, 297–324. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091540 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091540
Cleef, A. M., Luteyn, J. L., & Sklenář, P. (2012). Páramos: Diversidad vegetal y origen de la flora de alta montaña en el neotrópico. Botánica Alpina, 122(1), 1–10.
Colwell, R. K. (2013). EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples (Version 9.1.0) [Computer software].
Colwell, R. K., Chao, A., Gotelli, N. J., Lin, S.-Y., Mao, C. X., Chazdon, R. L., & Longino, J. T. (2012). Models and estimators linking individual-based and sample-based rarefaction, extrapolation and comparison of assemblages. Journal of Plant Ecology, 5(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtr044 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtr044
Curtis, J. T., & McIntosh, R. P. (1951). An upland forest continuum in the prairie-forest border region of Wisconsin. Ecology, 32(3), 476–496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1931725
Flantua, S., Castellanos-Castro, C., Diazgranados, M., Rodríguez-Zorro, P. A., Rueda, M. G., Etherington, T. R., & Tovar, C. (2021). Ecosystem services show variable responses to future climate conditions in the Colombian páramos. PeerJ, 9, e11370. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11370 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11370
Font Quer, P. (2001). Diccionario de botánica (2a ed.). Ediciones Península.
Gentry, A. H. (1993). A field guide to the families and genera of woody plants of northwest South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru): With supplementary notes on herbaceous taxa. Conservation International.
Hofstede, R., Calles, J., López, V., Polanco, R., Torres, F., Ulloa, J., Vásquez, A., & Cerra, M. (2014). Los páramos andinos: ¿Qué sabemos? Estado de conocimiento sobre el impacto del cambio climático en el ecosistema páramo. UICN.
Hsieh, T. C., Ma, K. H., & Chao, A. (2016). iNEXT: An R package for rarefaction and extrapolation of species diversity (Hill numbers). Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(12), 1451–1456. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12613 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12613
IDEAM. (2021). Ecosistemas continentales, costeros y marinos de Colombia [Página web]. https://www.ideam.gov.co/web/ecosistemas/inicio
Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi. (2010). Caracterización y delimitación de ecosistemas estratégicos: Páramos (Colombia) [Informe técnico]. IGAC.
Jost, L. (2006). Entropy and diversity. Oikos, 113(2), 363–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.14714.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.14714.x
Londoño, C., Cleef, A. M., & Madriñán, S. (2014). Rasgos de historia de vida y formas de crecimiento en páramos. En S. Madriñán, A. M. Cleef, & J. Rangel-Ch. (Eds.), Páramos: Biodiversidad y servicios ecosistémicos. Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
López-Camacho, R., & Rangel-Ch., J. O. (2021). Biodiversidad y ecosistemas de páramo en Colombia: Estado del conocimiento y perspectivas. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 45(175), 441–456.
Madriñán, S., Cortés, A. J., & Richardson, J. E. (2013). Páramo is the world’s fastest evolving and coolest biodiversity hotspot. Frontiers in Genetics, 4, 192. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2013.00192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2013.00192
Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. (2024). Plan de manejo del PNN Sumapaz: Documento técnico (versión 2024).
Mora, D. E., Torres, F., & Espinosa, M. (2020). Regulación hídrica en ecosistemas de páramo: Síntesis de evidencia y desafíos. Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas, 14(3), 1–15.
Morales, M., Pedraza, P., & Chaves, M. (2011). Estructura y dinámica de la vegetación de páramo bajo disturbio por ganadería y quemas. Acta Biológica Colombiana, 16(2), 89–110.
Mueller-Dombois, D., & Ellenberg, H. (1974). Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley & Sons.
Posit Team. (2024). RStudio: Integrated development environment for R [Computer software]. https://posit.co/
R Core Team. (2024). R: A language and environment for statistical computing [Computer software]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.R-project.org/
Rangel-Ch., J. O. (Ed.). (2000). Colombia diversidad biótica III: La región de vida paramuna. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt.
Rangel-Ch., J. O. (2015). La diversidad biótica de Colombia: Páramo y alta montaña de la cordillera Oriental. Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Rangel-Ch., J. O., & Arellano-P., H. (2010). Páramos de Colombia: Diversidad y endemismo. Revista Colombiana de Biogeografía, 8(2), 45–78.
Rangel-Ch., J. O., & Velásquez, A. (1997). Vegetación del subpáramo y su transición bosque–páramo en Colombia. Caldasia, 19(1–2), 1–20.
Rodríguez, N., Lasso, C. A., & Estupiñán-Suárez, L. M. (2020). Fragmentación y cambio de uso del suelo en ecosistemas altoandinos: Implicaciones para diversidad y estructura vegetal. Revista de Biología Tropical, 68(4), 1201–1217.
Ruíz Murcia, F., Gutiérrez Valderrama, J. E., Dorado Delgado, J., Mendoza, J. E., Martínez Zuleta, C., Rojas Laserna, M., Hernández Gaona, D., & Rodríguez Salguero, M. (2015). Nuevos escenarios de cambio climático para Colombia 2011–2100: Herramientas científicas para la toma de decisiones. IDEAM, PNUD, MADS, DNP, y Cancillería.
Rodríguez Eraso, N., Armenteras, D., & Retana, J. (2013). Land use change and ecosystem services in high Andean ecosystems of Colombia. Ecosystem Services, 5, 120–131.
Sklenář, P., & Ramsay, P. M. (2001). Diversity of páramo plant communities in Ecuador. Biodiversity and Conservation, 10(8), 1399–1415.
Smith, J. M. B., & Cleef, A. M. (1988). Composition and origins of the páramo flora. Journal of Biogeography, 15(5), 847–865. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2845441
Zambrano, J., & Cleef, A. M. (2022). Disturbance gradients and floristic turnover in Andean páramos: Implications for conservation. Journal of Vegetation Science, 33(2), e13102.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Biología Tropical
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0)
Attribution (BY) • (BY) You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
