Floristic diversity and structure of the dry forest in northern Ecuador

In Ecuador, dry forests constitute fragile ecosystems and show different states of deterioration, which affects their floristic composition. The objective of the research was to determine the floristic composition and structure of the dry forest (BmMn01) and the probable uses of the most abundant species in the "El Rosal" community. The area is located at coordinates 0.60'24" north latitude and 78.14'75" west longitude. Tree, shrub and herbaceous strata were determined. For the tree stratum, five plots of 10 * 50 m wereestablished, where individuals >= 10 cm DAP were recorded. In each of them, three subplots of 5 * 5 m were formed for the shrub layer and 3 subplots of 1 * 1 m for the herbaceous layer. The Shannon and Pielow indices and the use value of the species were determined. The floristic composition is made up of 19 families, 37 genera and 40 species. Two were classified as tree species, 16 shrubs and the rest herbaceous. The vertical structure of the tree layer was represented by Bursera graveolens; subarboreal by Vachellia macracantha, the shrubby Croton menthodorus and the herbaceous was uniform. The most abundant species was Croton menthodorus and the dominant one was Vachellia macracantha. The Shannon index was 3.08, which indicates medium diversity, while Pielow with 0.84 reveals a behavior of high diversity. The value of use in the community shows Bursera graveolens, Vachellia macracantha, Opuntia pubescens and Sida cordifolia as the most representative species.