Ecological restoration and resilience in Pinus oocarpa forests affected by the bark beetle at three different sites in the Department of Francisco Morazán, Honduras

Abstract

The present study addresses the ecological restoration and resilience of Pinus oocarpa forests affected by pests. Information was collected at three sites, using different analysis techniques, including the R program, to carry out exhaustive evaluations of alpha and beta diversity, using statistical analyses, Margalef, Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, Jaccard and Sorensen indices, to evaluate species diversity. A systematic sampling design of 64 plots was implemented, identified as NA (Not affected by the pest) and SA (Affected by the pest). Recording 387 species of flora, the most common being: Pinus oocarpa, Lepidaploa canescens, Mimosa albida, Calea ternifolia, Andropogon bicornis, and the families with the greatest diversity of species are Poaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae. A significant difference was observed in the number of species and families between the disturbed (SA) and undisturbed (NA) sites, showing a notable reduction in the number of individuals, the site (SA) with 96 species and 30 families, compared to (NA) which presents 158 species in 43 families. Alpha diversity revealed that sites (NA) harbored more diverse communities compared to sites (SA). Beta diversity indicated moderate similarity between sites, suggesting that the disturbance affected floristic diversity, with the reduction of species and families unique to the sites (NA).