Are landscape attributes a useful shortcut for classifying vegetation in the tropics? A case study of La Amistad International Park

Research in La Amistad International Park reveals that river catchment, combined with elevation and annual mean temperature, effectively explains variation in tropical plant species composition. Unlike traditional elevation-based classifications, which often dominate in the tropics, this study found distinct vegetation assemblages only at high-elevation oak forests and Páramo zones. While beta diversity did not significantly differ across mid-elevation plots, it varied between river catchments, suggesting that river catchment could serve as a useful alternative for classifying tropical forest assemblages in conservation settings. The analysis utilized floristic data from 141 plots spanning an elevation gradient of 130 to 3200 meters above sea level.

Monro, A. K., Bystriakova, N., & González, F. (2017). Are landscape attributes a useful shortcut for classifying vegetation in the tropics? A case study of La Amistad International Park. Biotropica, 49(6), 848–855. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12470