Floristic composition, structure and diversity of forested swamps in the Damani-Guariviara Wetland, Indigenous Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama

Abstract

Background and Aims: Along the Mesoamerican biological corridor, swamp forests dominated by orey (Campnosperma panamense) extend continuously to Caribbean coastal areas. Despite their recognized importance as peat forming ecosystems, little is known about their floristic composition and diversity. In Panama, the Damani-Guariviara Wetland (DGW), on the coast of the Indigenous Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, holds one of the largest freshwater floodable forests in the country. Our aim is to analyze the floristic composition, structure and diversity of mixed floodable forest, which is the most represented in the wetland. Methods: We studied ten permanent plots, each covering 0.1 hectares, and inventoried all trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of at least 10 cm. We calculated their relative abundance, dominance, frequency and Importance Value Index. Additionally, diametric distribution graphs were obtained. We evaluated sampling effort with a sample coverage estimator and Chao-1 index. We described diversity with species richness (q0) and the Modified Shannon (q1) and Simpson (q2) indexes based on Hill numbers. Key results: We present a description of the floristics and structure of mixed swamp forests in DGW. Campnosperma panamense was the dominant species, followed by Pterocarpus officinalis and Manicaria saccifera. A sample coverage estimator of 0.9725 was obtained, indicating that the sampling is nearly complete. Conclusions: The present work contributes to increase knowledge of swamp forests in Panama. The studied mixed floodable forests show heterogeneity in their floristic composition, structure and diversity, what could be related to several factors, mainly to the flooding regime and soil properties.