Plant Diversity Study on Four Suburban Farms in Santiago de Cuba

Resumen

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the diversity behavior of plants grown on four suburban farms in the province of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Lots of 100 m² were made for species count. After identification, a floristic list was made. The plants within the same taxonomic category were counted, and the botanical composition was evaluated based on the number of individuals, family, genuses, and species. The group abundance criterion was used to include food plant species, and ecosystem, ornamental, and medicinal services, which were calculated as diversity indicators of alpha diversity (S), Berger-Parker Dominance (d), and general diversity (Shannon H´). For the Beta diversity, the Jaccard index (Ji), Sorenson index (SSi), and Ecological Dependence (ED) were taken into consideration. A total of 39 269 individuals from 45 families, 72 genuses, and 87 species were identified. The botanical composition varied, with an increasing tendency in the number of individuals of the ornamental and medicinal species; the most numerous families were Asteraceae, Leguminosae, Musaceae, Poaceae and Solanaceae. The alpha diversity underwent an increase from one season to another, with values within the set range for each indicator, except for the Shannon H´ index on La Caballería Farm in both periods. The similitude moved between low and dissimilitude, which evidenced the presence of very specific species adapted to the particular environmental conditions of each place.