Vascular plant species count in a wet forest in the Chocó area on the Pacific coast of Colombia

The total number of vascular plant species was counted and growth form distribution was studied in the Chocó area on the Pacific coast of Colombia, in two transects 400×10m and ten transects 2×50m, for a total sampled area of 0.9ha. The species count of the ten transects (442 species in 0.1ha) appears to be the highest number of species recorded with this methodology. There were 970 species for the total area (0.9ha). Ninety to ninety-five percent of the species were under 10cm dbh and 70–86% under 2.5cm dbh, epiphytes and small trees and treelets ≤10cm dbh being the most diverse growth forms. The most species-rich families and genera were those represented by herbaceous plants and treelets. Individuals were counted only in the ten 2 × 50 m transects (0.1 ha), where 4459 individuals were found. Palms and ferns were the most abundant growth forms. Arguments are presented against the way diversity is usually measured. Recommendations are made to include other growth forms besides trees when assessing alpha diversity for conservation purposes.

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