Análisis de la diversidad florística y suelos en relación al impacto del pastoreo en páramos herbáceos de la subcuenca del río San Francisco. Shaglli-Azuay

Abstract

The paramos play an important role as water regulators and various functions. Its main threat to its deterioration is the increase in livestock in these páramos, with lives tock being the main cause of the loss of floristic diversity and soil compaction. These caused damages deserve to be evaluated in order to take actions to protect them. This research was developed in the paramos of Puculcay and Huertas (Shaglli): with

the objective of estimating the floristic diversity and the impact on the soil in non- intervened páramos and in intervened páramos with grazing, for this, 40 study plots

were implemented: 20 in non-intervened páramos and 20 in intervened, these sites were distributed in altitudinal floors between 3430 to 4092 m a.s.l. Soil samples were taken at the sampling sites to determine Organic Matter (OM), Apparent Density (DA), Infiltration, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and macronutrients, and a t the same time, plant counts were carried out to determine alpha beta and gamma diversity. and its correlation. Having DA results in non-intervened páramos 1,183 g/cm3, while in intervened1,508. In the pH, both zones present acidic soils with averages of 4.87. The average OM value in both zones is 18.7, being soils with high OM content. The 40 plots studied show values below 1 mS/cm in CE. Infiltration in protected páramos presents lower values of 0.25 cmh-1 de. The results of floristic diversity averages of 20 species were obtained in non- intervened páramos while in intervened páramos a total of 9, which reveals a greater richness and abundance in non-intervened páramos, in addition to a beta diversity of 55% of similarity in species between the two páramos, in turn a range diversity of 81% that is diverse throughout the community studied.