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TIP. Revista especializada en ciencias químico-biológicas
versión impresa ISSN 1405-888X
TIP vol.8 no.2 Ciudad de México dic. 2005
Artículos de revisión
Uso del efecto de borde de la vegetación para la restauración ecológica del bosque tropical
Use of the vegetation edge effect for ecological restoration of tropical forest
1Lab. de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM. E-mails: jczbio@correo.unam.mx.
2Unidad de Investigación en Ecología Vegetal, FES Zaragoza, UNAM. E-mails: arcadiom@servidor.unam.mx.
La fragmentación de hábitats debida a la deforestación origina profundos cambios en los procesos ecológicos; uno de estos cambios es el efecto de borde, el cual consiste en la generación de microclimas variables y de condiciones edáficas dinámicas, ambos determinados por la transición entre el bosque nativo y la comunidad vegetal inducida adyacente. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar esta interfase, frecuentemente abrupta, entre dos tipos de comunidad y así comprender los ejes rectores del efecto de borde y sus principales relaciones causales. Esto con el fin de poder facilitar el establecimiento de plántulas, para incrementar el área de los fragmentos de vegetación, unir los remanentes de bosque y así favorecer el mantenimiento y conservación de ecosistemas tropicales.
La distancia del efecto de borde varía en función de factores como: tipo de vegetación nativa, especies dominantes en el borde, área del fragmento, orientación, posición topográfica, nivel de perturbación, altitud, precipitación y fertilidad del suelo, principalmente. El efecto de borde se expresa esencialmente en la generación de micrositios favorables para el establecimiento vegetal, de especies persistentes (tolerantes a la sombra) cerca del borde y de especies pioneras más allá de la influencia directa del borde. Se concluye que este efecto es una condición que favorece la ampliación de los fragmentos del bosque y es una herramienta que puede ser utilizada para la restauración de ecosistemas tropicales deteriorados.
Palabras Clave: Bosque tropical; efecto de borde; micrositio; restauración ecológica
The habitat fragmentation originated by deforestation causes profound changes in ecological processes. one of these changes is the so called edge effect, which consists of the generation of a changing microclimate and dynamic edaphic conditions, both determinated by the transition between the native forest and the adjacent induced plant community. The objective of this work was to analyze the ecotone (which often occurs abruptly) between two community types in order to understand the main factors involved in the process of the edge effect and the causal relations. This is aimed to make the seedling establishment easy, to increase the area of vegetation fragments, to join the forest remains and to favor the conservation of tropical ecosystems. The width of the edge effect varies according to several factors such as native plant community type, dominant species in the edge, fragment area, edge orientation, topographic position, disturbance degree, altitude, precipitation and soil fertility. The main edge effect consists of the conformation of microsites for the establishment of shade-tolerant plant species near the edge and microsites for shade-intolerant species in the open area, beyond the direct edge influence. It was concluded that the edge effect is a condition which facilitates the expansion of forest fragments and it it could be a tool to restore of deteriorated tropical ecosystems.
Key Words: Tropical forest; edge effect; microsite; ecological restoration
Agradecimientos
Este trabajo fue financiado por la Dirección de Asuntos del Personal Académico (DGAPA) de la UNAM, mediante el proyecto PAPIIT IN-235402 y por CONACyT, a través del proyecto sectorial con clave SEMARNAT-2002-C01-668.
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Recibido: 18 de Octubre de 2005; Aprobado: 22 de Noviembre de 2005
Este es un artículo publicado en acceso abierto bajo una licencia Creative Commons
