CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The loss and fragmentation of natural habitats by human activities (i.e., agriculture, logging, fires, among others) are pervasive phenomena in terrestrial ecosystems across the Earth and the main drivers of current biodiversity loss. There are evidences about past and current management of Chaquean forest that indicate these techniques were not satisfactory to achieve their sustainability. Thus, it is important to select some parameters to evaluate changes in plant diversity in order to propose adequate guide lines for the conservation of these forests. Considering that fragmentation of natural habitats can modify and reduce the biodiversity (Heywood 1995), we want to evaluate if there are changes in plant species richness and species composition, related to the area of forest fragments. This study was performed in central Argentina (Córdoba), using a total of 16 sites: three of continuous forests (i.e., > 1000 Ha), four of medium-fragments (i.e., between 10 to 100 Ha), and nine of small-fragments (i.e. between 0.5 to 3.5 Ha). All plant species were registered for each site (we sampled four quadrats of 20 m2 located at the center of the fragment). Two census (December and April) were done in each site in order to register and identify most plant species. Results showed a high variation of plant richness for these three fragmentation categories. Nevertheless, there is a diminish of plant richness as the area of the fragments is reduced, and the differences were statiscally significant (F= 9.05; P= 0.03). Results are discussed considering species composition and some biological traits of each species (e.g., plant grow form, mode of dispersal, pollination system) because they can influence or enhance species vulnerability in fragmented habitats (Haila 2002).

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