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Natural and Human Induced Disturbance in Vegetation

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Biodiversity and Conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula

Abstract

The present chapter analyses natural and human disturbance which impacted the vegetation of the Yucatán Peninsula. The relevance of the slash-and-burn system is outlined, a system used for many centuries, and the relevance of fire in this practice. Slash-and-burn and fires provide information about the present structure and composition of the tropical forests of the Yucatán Peninsula. Several seral stages are identified, which agree well with seral stages recognized by modern Maya farmers. In relation to natural disturbance, we analyze the influence of hurricanes and their immediate and general effects on the vegetation and related fauna. Hurricanes and droughts are relevant agents of disturbance, as hurricanes cause considerable structural damage to forests and contribute to the accumulation of large quantities of dry biomass. This biomass can act as fuel for large forest fires. We discuss the natural dynamics that have characterized the vegetation of the Yucatán Peninsula through time, showing that it is a resilient ecosystem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales de la, Universidad Veracruzana, Ex Hacienda Lucas Martín, Privada de Araucarias s/n, Col. Periodistas, 91019, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Odilón Sánchez-Sánchez

  2. Departamento Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur Unidad Chetumal, Avenida Centenario km. 5.5, Apartado Postal 424, CP 77014, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Gerald Alexander Islebe, Pablo Jesús Ramírez-Barajas & Nuria Torrescano-Valle

Authors
  1. Odilón Sánchez-Sánchez
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  2. Gerald Alexander Islebe
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  3. Pablo Jesús Ramírez-Barajas
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  4. Nuria Torrescano-Valle
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Correspondence to Odilón Sánchez-Sánchez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur ECOSUR, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Gerald Alexander Islebe

  2. Université de Sherbrooke, sherbrooke, Québec, Canada

    Sophie Calmé

  3. San Cristóbal de las Casas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur ECOSUR, Chiapas, Mexico

    Jorge L. León-Cortés

  4. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur ECOSUR, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Birgit Schmook

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Sánchez-Sánchez, O., Islebe, G.A., Ramírez-Barajas, P.J., Torrescano-Valle, N. (2015). Natural and Human Induced Disturbance in Vegetation. In: Islebe, G., Calmé, S., León-Cortés, J., Schmook, B. (eds) Biodiversity and Conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06529-8_7

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