Abstract
This study characterized the horizontal and vertical structure of a primary forest located in the buffer zone of Cordillera Azul National Park, Maronilla village, Pucayacu district, Huánuco, Peru. The assessment was conducted in Permanent Monitoring Plot No. 2, a 1-ha plot subdivided into 25 subplots of 20 × 20 m. All tree individuals with DBH ≥ 10 cm were recorded, and diameter distribution, species richness, basal area, Importance Value Index, and sociological position were analyzed. A total of 640 individuals belonging to 154 species were recorded. The diameter distribution showed an inverted J-shaped pattern, with predominance of the 10-19.99 cm class, which included 364 individuals (56.88%), indicating active regeneration. Total basal area reached 32.72 m²/ha, with the greatest contribution from intermediate diameter classes. The species with the highest IVI were Pouteria reticulata, Protium puncticulatum, and Eschweilera coriacea. The vertical structure showed three clearly defined strata, with predominance of the middle layer, which grouped 496 individuals. The results indicate a humid tropical forest with high diversity, active regeneration, structural dominance of few species, and marked functional stratification.
References
Acosta, V., Araujo, P., & Iturre, M. (2006). Caracteres estructurales de las masas. UNSE. https://www.unse.edu.ar/
Alder, D., & Synnott, T. J. (1992). Permanent sample plot techniques for mixed tropical forest (Tropical Forestry Papers No. 25). Oxford Forestry Institute, University of Oxford.
APG IV. (2016). An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 181(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
Bernaola-Paucar, R. M., Taco-Palma, P., Portal-Paredes, B., Nieto-Ramos, L., & Nieto-Ramos, C. (2024). Índice de valor de importancia arbórea en la concesión minera EDMILOT I ubicado en la cuenca del río Inambari, Madre de Dios. Revista Biodiversidad Amazónica, 3(2), e326. https://doi.org/10.55873/rba.v3i2.326
Bienu, S. A., Lisingo, J., Visser, M., Meerts, P., et al. (2023). Floristic diversity and structural parameters on the forest tree population in the Luki Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo. Global Ecology and Conservation, 44, e02489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02489
Campos Rivera, F. S. (2025). Estructura arbórea e índice de valor de importancia en un bosque de colina baja, distrito de San Pablo, Loreto, Perú (2024) [Tesis de licenciatura, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana]. Repositorio Institucional UNAP Iquitos. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12737/11912
Finol, H. (1976). Métodos de regeneración natural en algunos tipos de bosques venezolanos. Revista Forestal Venezolana, 14(21), 29-42.
Gómez, I. (2002). Estructura, dinámica y manejo de bosques tropicales. Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria.
Lamprecht, H. (1990). Silvicultura en los trópicos: Los ecosistemas forestales en los bosques tropicales y sus especies arbóreas; posibilidades y métodos para un aprovechamiento sostenido. GTZ.
Lanuza, O. R., Casanoves, F., Vílchez Mendoza, S., Ojeda, M., Rocha, O., Finegan, B., & Powers, J. S. (2023). Structure, diversity and the conservation value of tropical dry forests in highly fragmented landscapes. Journal of Plant Ecology, 16(1), rtac046. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtac046
López-Calvillo, L. F., Carbó-Ramírez, P., & Rodríguez-Ramírez, E. C. (2023). Small-fragment, high turnover: Soil microenvironment fluctuation effect on tree diversity in a Neotropical montane oak forest. PeerJ, 11, e15415. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15415
Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., & McMahon, T. A. (2007). Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11(5), 1633-1644. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007
Phillips, O. L., Hall, P., Gentry, A. H., Sawyer, S. A., & Vásquez, R. (1994). Dynamics and species richness of tropical rain forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 91(7), 2805-2809. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.7.2805
RAINFOR. (2016). Manual de campo para la remedición y establecimiento de parcelas. ForestPlots.net.
Sabogal, C., Carrera, F., Colán, V., & Pokorny, B. (2004). Manual para la planificación del manejo forestal operacional en bosques de la Amazonía peruana.
Sánchez-Hernández, M. Á., Valdez-Hernández, J. I., Ángeles-Pérez, G., & Treviño-Garza, E. J. (2018). Structure, richness and diversity of tree species in a tropical forest. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Forestales, 9(46), 131-158. https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v9i46.178
Sist, P., Mazzei, L., Blanc, L., & Rutishauser, E. (2003). Sustainable timber harvesting in the tropics: Lessons from long-term research in French Guiana. Ecology and Society, 8(2), 17.
Soto, Y. C. (2016). Inventario dendrológico de una parcela permanente de medición del Bosque Reservado de la Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva - Tingo María, Perú [Tesis de ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva].
Torres, B., Cabrera, M., Aguirre-Mendoza, Z., et al. (2024). Tree diversity and its ecological importance value in silvopastoral systems along elevational gradients in the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, Ecuadorian Amazon. https://helvia.uco.es/handle/10396/27291
Weather and Climate. (2024). Climate and average monthly weather in Pucayacu, Peru. https://weather-and-climate.com
Zamora, M. (2010). Caracterización de la flora y estructura de un bosque transicional húmedo a seco, Miramar, Puntarenas, Costa Rica [Tesis de licenciatura].
Zarco-Espinosa, V., Valdez-Hernández, J. I., Ángeles-Pérez, G., & Castillo-Acosta, O. (2010). Estructura y diversidad de la vegetación arbórea del Parque Estatal Agua Blanca, Macuspana, Tabasco. Universidad y Ciencia, 26(1), 1-17.