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Student Publications [Scholarly]
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Aim of study: Tropical forests are increasingly threatened by deforestation and fragmentation. In Costa Rica, extensive land-use change has left forest fragments whose long-term ecological dynamics remain poorly understood. This study assessed changes in tree diversity, composition, structure, and aboveground carbon stocks during a 22-year period (2000-2022) in a premontane moist forest fragment in Costa Rica. Area of study: Municipal Forest of Atenas (26.4-ha), Alajuela, Costa Rica. Material and methods: Tree inventories were conducted in 32 plots (10 m radius) in 2000 and 33 plots in 2022. We analysed diversity and composition using Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, Hill numbers, and Importance Value Index, while tree structure and carbon stocks were assessed using tree size distributions, PERMANOVA, and allometric models. Main results: We identified 71 species and 69 genera in 2000 (N = 535), and 62 species and 60 genera in 2022 (N = 534). We found high compositional stability, with a 76% similarity in genus abundance between years, and consistent dominance by the early successional species Inga densiflora Benth and the invasive Syzygium jambos (L.) Alston. A gradual shift toward intermediate and late-successional genera suggests ongoing successional processes. Carbon storage more than doubled, from 1,847.2 to 3,903.7 tC (70.0 tC/ha in 2000 and 147.9 tC/ha in 2022), approaching values reported for old-growth tropical forests. These changes may be driven by the presence of large individuals of Ficus and Anacardium excelsum (Bertero & Balb.) Skeels, supporting the mass-ratio hypothesis. Research highlights: These findings underscore the ecological importance of conserving secondary forest fragments in human-modified tropical landscapes, which can support long-term forest recovery and contribute to ecological resilience, carbon storage and climate change mitigation. © 2026 Editorial CSIC.
Publication Title
Forest Systems
Publication Date
1-2026
Volume
35
Issue
1
ISSN
2171-5068
DOI
10.5424/fs/2026351-21062
Keywords
aboveground biomass, forest structure, secondary forest succession, tree diversity, tropical forest regeneration
Repository Citation
Cambronero, Milena; Araya-Yannarella, Fabián; Holmes, Lauren; and Cass, Jill, "Tree composition and carbon turnover dynamics across 22 years in a Costa Rican premontane moist forest fragment" (2026). Student Publications [Scholarly]. 111.
https://commons.clarku.edu/student_publications/111
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright Conditions
Cambronero, M., Araya-Yannarella, F., Holmes, L., & Cass, J. (2026). Tree composition and carbon turnover dynamics across 22 years in a Costa Rican premontane moist forest fragment. Forest Systems, 35(1), 21062-21062.
