© The Authors, 2024, Published by the Universidad del Zulia*Corresponding author:ajvera68@gmail.com
Keywords:
Areas Under Special Administration Regime
Very Dry Tropical Forest
Xerophytic communities
Wildlife Fauna Reservoir
Arid and semi-arid zones
Name of the xerophytic communities of the Ciénaga de La Palmita, Zulia state, Venezuela
Denominación de las comunidades xerólas de la Ciénaga de La Palmita, estado Zulia, Venezuela
Denominação das comunidades xéricas da Ciénaga de La Palmita, estado Zulia, Venezuela
Antonio Vera
Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ). 2024, 41(4): e244136
ISSN 2477-9407
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47280/RevFacAgron(LUZ).v41.n4.05
Crop production
Associate editor: Dr. Jorge Vilchez-Perozo
University of Zulia, Faculty of Agronomy
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Laboratorio de Ecología, Centro de Investigaciones
Biológicas, Facultad de Humanidades y Educación,
Universidad del Zulia, Apartado 526, Maracaibo 4001-A,
Estado Zulia, Venezuela
Received: 31-06-2024
Accepted: 26-08-2024
Published: 26-09-2024
Abstract
The designation of deciduous thorny xerophytic shrublands is
proposed for the plant communities xerophytic of the Ciénaga de
La Palmita, Zulia state, Venezuela. The research was carried out
in two areas: the southern sector of the xerophytic forest and the
xerophytic enclave of the isleta El Hicacal of the Wildlife Fauna
Reservoir Ciénaga de La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros.Tours, eld
explorations and collection of botanical samples were carried out
(september 2019-february 2020) during the dry and rainy periods,
and emphasis was placed on oristics, life habits and average height
of individuals. The predominant biotype was the arboreal one and
presented an average height of 6.5 and 7.9 m (low height) for
each area respectively, thus designating the term shrublands. The
xerophytic and thorny traits were present in the families with the
highest number of species (Cactaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae
and Poaceae), highlighting leaess species, with aquiferous
parenchyma, photosynthetic stem, thick leaf cuticles, compound
leaves, thorns, spines and underground organs, giving them the
qualiers xerophilous and thorny. The term deciduous resulted from
the high variety of deciduous species compared to the reports made
for other communities in arid and semiarid areas of the country.
The denomination of deciduous thorny xerophytic shrublands
constitutes a new denomination for the studied area, appropriate to
be included in the Planning and Use Regulation Plan (PORU) of said
biotic space and provides precise guidance on the administration
and management of the natural plant resources of this Area Under
Special Administration Regime (ABRAE).
This scientic publication in digital format is a continuation of the Printed Review: Legal Deposit pp 196802ZU42, ISSN 0378-7818.
Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ). 2024, 41(4): e244136 October-December. ISSN 2477-9407.
2-6 |
Resumen
Se propone la denominación de arbustales xerólos espinosos
deciduos para las comunidades xerólas de la Ciénaga de La Palmita,
estado Zulia, Venezuela. La investigación se desarrolló en dos zonas:
el sector sur del bosque xerólo y el enclave xeróto de la isleta El
Hicacal de la Reserva de Fauna Silvestre Ciénaga de La Palmita e
Isla de Pájaros. Se realizaron recorridos, exploraciones de campo y
recolecta de muestras botánicas (septiembre 2019-febrero 2020) en
los periodos seco y lluvioso, y se enfatizó en la orística, hábitos de
vida y altura media de los individuos. El biotipo predominante fue el
arbóreo y presentó una altura media de 6,5 y 7,9 m (porte bajo) para
cada zona respectivamente, designándose así el término arbustales.
Los rasgos de xerotismo y de espinas se presentaron en las familias
con mayor número de especies (Cactaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae
y Poaceae), destacando especies álas, con parénquima acuífero,
tallo fotosintético, cutículas foliares gruesas, hojas compuestas,
aguijones, espinas y órganos subterráneos, adjudicándoles los
calicativos xerólo y espinoso. El vocablo deciduo resultó de la alta
variedad de especies caducifolias en comparación con los reportes
realizados para otras comunidades de zonas áridas y semiáridas del
país. La denominación de arbustales xerólos espinosos deciduos,
constituye una denominación nueva para la zona estudiada, apropiada
para ser incluida en el Plan de Ordenamiento y Reglamento de Uso
(PORU) de dicho espacio biótico y brinda orientación precisa sobre
la administración y el manejo de los recursos naturales vegetales de
esta Área Bajo Régimen de Administración Especial (ABRAE).
Palabras clave: área bajo régimen de administración especial, bosque
muy seco tropical, formaciones xerólas, reserva de fauna silvestre,
zonas áridas y semiáridas.
Resumo
O nome de arbustos xéricos decíduos espinhosos é proposto para
as comunidades xéricas de Ciénaga de La Palmita, estado de Zulia,
Venezuela. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas áreas: o setor sul da
oresta xérica e o enclave xeróto do ilhéu El Hicacal da Reserva
Natural Ciénaga de La Palmita e Isla de Pájaros. Foram realizados
passeios, explorações de campo e coleta de amostras botânicas
(setembro de 2019 a fevereiro de 2020) nos períodos seco e chuvoso,
com ênfase na orística, hábitos de vida e altura média dos indivíduos.
O biótipo predominante foi arbóreo e apresentava altura média de
6,5 e 7,9 m (baixo crescimento) para cada zona respectivamente,
designando assim o termo arbustos. Os traços xerofíticos e espinhosos
estiveram presentes nas famílias com maior número de espécies
(Cactaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae e Poaceae), destacando-se
espécies de bordas pontiagudas, com parênquima aquoso, caule
fotossintético, cutículas foliares grossas, folhas compostas, ferrões,
espinhos e órgãos subterrâneos, dando-lhes os nomes de xerólos e
espinhosos. A palavra caducifólia resultou da grande variedade de
espécies caducifólias em comparação com relatos feitos para outras
comunidades em áreas áridas e semiáridas do país. A denominação
de arbustos xerólos caducifólios espinhosos constitui uma nova
denominação para a área estudada, adequada para ser incluída no
Plano de Ordenamento e Regulamento de Uso (PORU) do referido
espaço biótico e fornece orientações precisas sobre a administração
e manejo dos recursos vegetais naturais do mesmo. esta Área em
Regime de Administração Especial (ABRAE).
Palavras-chave: áreas sob regime de administração especial, oresta
tropical muito seca, comunidades xéricas, reserva de vida silvestre,
zonas áridas e semiáridas.
Introduction
The vegetation found in each geographic area or zone responds
to the climatic, soil, chemical, physical, physiographic, altitude,
gradient conditions and factors, among other parameters, which
precisely inuence and determine its presence in that environment
or ecosystem. Likewise, the plant communities also correspond to
the attributes and traits of the predominant biotype or growth habit,
which provides arguments and support for the identication of such
communities.
The arid zones of Venezuela are located in four geographic
regions, namely: along the Venezuelan coast from La Guajira to the
Gulf of Cariaco, in the Barquisimeto plateau, in the arid mesas of
the Andes and in the Caribbean islands of the country. This is about
4,200,000 ha distributed in 11 governmental entities, of which 75
% of its surface corresponds to the states of Falcón, Lara and Zulia
(Alvarado et al., 2015).
In addition, the arid zones of the Venezuelan territory are
exposed to an incidence almost perpendicular to solar radiation, high
temperatures and water decit, coupled with a great geographical
variety and a wide range of ecological niches (FAO and MINEC,
2023). All these factors make these ecosystems one of the most
unfavorable for the development of plant communities in the country;
however, they have a varied oristic richness and are highly threatened
(Ewel and Madriz, 1968; Llamozas et al., 2003; Hokche et al., 2008;
Rodríguez et al., 2010; Huérfano et al., 2020).
In the arid and semi-arid areas of Venezuela, xerophytic vegetation
predominates and the plant communities have received various
names such as: xerophytic forests and xerophytic savannas, Zulia
state (González, 1980; Zambrano, 1994), xerophytic scrublands,
Falcón state (Silva and Espinoza, 1995), thorny shrublands, in
dierent states of the Venezuelan territory (Huber and Oliveira-
Miranda, 2010), thorny semiarid ecosystems, Lara state (Alvarado
et al., 2015), xerophytic enclave, Mérida state (Aranguren et al.,
2015), coastal thorny scrublands, Vargas state (currently La Guaira)
(Ponce-Calderón et al., 2016), premontane thorny woodland and
lower montane thorny steppe, Mérida state (La Marca and Contreras,
2019), xerophytic shrublands, Sucre state and Federal Dependency
La Tortuga Island (Bello and Barrios, 2019; Véliz et al., 2021), plant
communities of very dry tropical forest, Zulia state (Rivera et al.,
2022), tropical thorny scrublands, Zulia state (FAO and MINEC,
2023) among others.
Each of these dierent nomenclatures obey diverse scientic-
technical arguments and reasons, and derived in part from the
space-time context of the community. The names also respond to the
characteristics of each of these biotic spaces, and it is also important
to make them known to the scientic community in order to have
a precise and as concrete identication as possible of the plant
community considered.
Despite the above argument, the term thorny shrublands has been
given to these plant communities in arid and semi-arid areas of the
country, according to the representation of the plant formations of
Venezuela prepared by Huber and Oliveira-Miranda (2010). However,
the need to have a classication, cataloging and typication of such
communities on a smaller scale, taking into account the various
This scientic publication in digital format is a continuation of the Printed Review: Legal Deposit pp 196802ZU42, ISSN 0378-7818.
Vera. Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ). 2024 41(4): e244136
3-6 |
climatic, physiographic and spatial conditions of each particular
region or locality of the national territory, is highlighted.
The Ciénaga de La Palmita is a heterogeneous biotic space
located on the eastern coast of the Strait of Lake Maracaibo, Zulia
state, Venezuela. It covers an area of 2,525.85 ha and was declared an
Area Under Special Administration Regime (Área Bajo Régimen de
Administración Especial; ABRAE) under the designation of Wildlife
Fauna Reservoir (Reserva de Fauna Silvestre; RFS) on March 9, 2000.
The objective of this decree was to conserve the habitat of numerous
species of birds, species of hunting interest and in danger of extinction
(Gaceta Ocial de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, 2000).
However, the Ciénaga de La Palmita is currently exposed to stress
agents and anthropogenic disturbances that signicantly threaten the
plant communities that comprise it (Vera, 2022); despite being legally
protected and safeguarded by the Venezuelan state (Gaceta Ocial de
la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, 2000).
In this ABRAE there is vegetation adapted to the semi-arid
conditions of the area, known in a very general way as a xerophytic
forest of 1,352.5 ha, which has not been characterized nor is there
knowledge about the technical-scientic nomenclature referring to
its identication. Only some names have been indicated to designate
such plant communities based on the calculations of the Normalized
Dierence Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the landscape units
determined by Vera et al. (2020a). However, the precise designation
of an appropriate name for the xerophytic plant communities under
study has not yet been presented.
The objective of this research was to propose the name of the
xerophytic plant communities of the Ciénaga de La Palmita, Zulia
state, Venezuela.
Materials and methods
The research was carried out in a rst area located in the southern
sector of the xerophytic forest of the ciénega (10° 35’ 46.0’’ N and 71°
30’ 09.0’’ W) made up of xerophytic plant communities intervened
according to Vera et al. (2020a) (gure 1) while the second study
area corresponded to a small xerophytic enclave (cacti-thorny forests
and deciduous plant communities) of approximately 26 ha called El
Hicacal islet (10º 36’ 53’’ N and 71º 29’ 42’’ W) (Vera et al., 2019)
(gure 2).
Figure 1. Deciduous xerophytic thorny shrublands in the southern
sector of the xerophytic forest of the Wildlife Fauna
Reservoir Ciénaga de La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros.
Figure 2. Deciduous xerophytic thorny shrublands in the
xerophytic enclave of the El Hicacal islet of the
Wildlife Fauna Reservoir Ciénaga de La Palmita and
Isla de Pájaros.
Both areas belong to the Wildlife Fauna Reservoir Ciénaga de
La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros, Eastern Coast of the Strait of Lake
Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela; they are subject to semiarid
conditions of very dry tropical forest according to Ewel and Madriz
(1968), and they correspond to thorny shrublands according to the
classication of plant communities in Venezuela by Huber and
Oliveira-Miranda (2010). The average temperature of the study areas
ranges between 27.8 and 28.3º C and precipitation from 400 to 500
mm with a bimodal rainfall pattern (Vera et al., 2010).
Field surveys and explorations were carried out from September
2019 to February 2020, covering the rainy and dry periods, and
information was gathered on oristics, life habits, and average height
of the species.
For the naming of plant communities, nomenclatural aspects
related to the dominant life habit (biotype), plant xerophytic traits,
leaf or stem structures (with thorns or prickles) and leaf renewal, i.e.
deciduous species, were taken into consideration.
The taxonomic determination was made directly in the eld, by
consulting specialists such as Ángel Villarreal from the Universidad
Nacional Experimental Rafael María Baralt (UNERMB) and
Darisol Pacheco from the Universidad del Zulia (LUZ) and through
comparison with material from the Omar Zambrano HERZU
herbarium of the Faculty of Agronomy of the Universidad del Zulia;
while for the designation of epithets the botanical nomenclature of the
World Flora Online Plant List was used.
Results and discussion
Shrub character
The tree was the dominant life habit in the studied plant
communities, with 45 % for the southern sector of the xerophytic
forest, while herbs accounted for 31 %, shrubs 17 %, epiphytes 2.8
%, hemiparasites 2.8 % and sufrútices 1.4 %.
In relation to the communities of the xerophytic enclave of the
El Hicacal islet, the tree biotype was 43.21 %, herbs occupied 31 %,
shrubs 16.04 %, hemiparasites 3.7 %, sufrútices 2.46 %, epiphytes
This scientic publication in digital format is a continuation of the Printed Review: Legal Deposit pp 196802ZU42, ISSN 0378-7818.
Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ). 2024, 41(4): e244136 October-December. ISSN 2477-9407.
4-6 |
1.23 %, stipes 1.23 % and climbers 1.23 %. All this showed that
the tree biological type stood out in the plant architecture and the
physical-spatial conformation of such community’s plant.
The trees that identify the investigated plant communities had
average heights of 6.5 m for the southern sector of the xerophytic
forest and 7.9 m for the xerophytic enclave of the El Hicacal islet
(Figures 1 and 2). These altimetric values gave them the character
of low-growing trees or shrubs, which led to the use of the term
shrublands.
The ndings reported for the xerophytic communities of this
wildlife fauna reservoir under study coincided with those described
by Bello (2020), who designated the plant communities semiarid on
the northern slope of the Araya Peninsula, Sucre state, Venezuela,
as xerophytic shrublands. This last author based himself on the
nomenclature proposed by Huber and Oliveira-Miranda (2010) and
adjusted it to his work.
Furthermore, the denition of xerophytic shrublands indicated by
Bello (2020) fully coincided with that referred to for the wildlife fauna
reservoir investigated. This author stated that they are communities
plant mainly made up of an upper tree-shrub stratum formed by
woody species that do not exceed 6 m in height, with a sparse or semi-
sparse canopy, because most of the species are aphyllous or have
compound leaves, with very small leaets and generally deciduous
(legumes and cacti).
This particularity, in the structuring of vegetation, has also been
reported as a generality for other dry forests from Venezuela, where
it constitutes an important component in the characterization of their
physiognomy (Silva and Espinoza, 1995; Alvarado et al., 2015;
Aranguren et al., 2015; Ponce-Calderón et al., 2016; Jiménez et al.,
2017; Bello and Barrios, 2019; La Marca and Contreras, 2019; Véliz
et al., 2021; Rivera et al., 2022).
There is no doubt that the low height of the woody tree
component, dominant in the xerophytic communities of the Wildlife
Fauna Reservoir Ciénaga de La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros, is due to
the eect that, as a general rule, the limiting climatic-environmental
factors (high solar radiation, high temperatures, low rainfall, high
evapotranspiration demand, water decit and generally oligotrophic
soils) cause, such as a decrease in the metabolic performance of the
growth and development of the plant species of such communities in
arid and semi-arid zones of the country.
In addition, disturbances such as logging for timber, the use of
space for population settlements (housing), for the creation of roads
(routes for the transit of people) and routes for practicing BMX, for the
development of agricultural practices (crops) and the implementation
of livestock activities (cattle and goat grazing) present in the wildlife
fauna reservoir investigated (Vera et al., 2019; Vera et al., 2021), have
also obstructed the development of the successional process of such
plant communities, causing them to currently be in the intermediate
seral stage; therefore, they have not yet reached their mature climax
stage in which the tree component becomes the dominant plant life
form, reaching the highest values of height, growth, development and
size.
In addition to the above, Bello et al. (2020a) have stated that the
oristic and physiognomic aspects of the xerophytic shrublands of
three geological outcrops at the western end of the Araya Peninsula,
Venezuela, are conditioned by the edaphoclimatic adversities and
anthropogenic disturbances to which they have been subjected;
which has resulted in these plant communities being designated as
xerophytic shrublands.
Therefore, the synergy between these two major factors could be
considered as the cause responsible for the existence of these plant
communities classied as shrublands.
Xerophytic and thorny traits
Other aspects considered in the nomenclature that dened the
communities under study were plant xerophytism and the thorny trait
of the representative oristic species.
In this sense, four families were found that together grouped the
largest number of species inventoried for the plant communities under
study. Of these, the Fabaceae family had 9 spp. for the communities
of the southern area of the xerophytic forest of the swamp and 14 spp.
for the xerophytic enclave of El Hicacal islet; while the Poaceae taxon
grouped 9 spp. and 8 spp. for the same areas indicated respectively.
The rest of the Cactaceae and Euphorbiaceae families presented
the same number of species for both areas under study, 7 spp. and 5
spp. respectively.
These four families grouped various species with xerophytic
characteristics (adaptations to drought conditions) and some of
them also showed the thorny trait through the presence of thorns
and prickles as anatomical elements of armed plants (thorny). Both
aspects, xerophytic and thorny, are indicators that identify the index
or main taxa of the plant communities of arid and semiarid areas of
the country.
In addition to the above, the designation of xerophytic savanna as
a type of vegetation in the Venezuelan Guajira, Zulia state, reported
by Zambrano (1994), stands out. The denomination of this name
was made to an area of approximately 17,000 at hectares, which
constitute an edaphic association whose substrates are ne-clay
textured soils.
These substrate conditions originated a vegetal cover where the
herbaceous element predominates with the dominant species Phyla
nodiora L. Greene, associated with Paspalum vaginatum Sw.
and with scattered shrub elements of the genera Opuntia, Cereus
and Prosopis. It is also noteworthy that this xerophytic savannah
is located between xerophytic thorny shrublands or tropical thorn
bushes and halophilous and psammophilous coastal grasslands, which
are dierent in structure, physiognomy and edaphological conditions
(Zambrano, 1994).
Similarly, Alvarado et al. (2015) described the existence of
xerophytic thorn forests (espinares) for the semi-arid vegetation in the
surroundings of San Francisco, Lara state, made up of mostly armed
plants, that is, with reduced, compound leaves such as Parkinsonia
praecox (Ruiz & Pav.) Hawkins (syn. Cercidium praecox), Mimosa
arenosa (Willd.) Poir. and Neltuma juliora (Sw.) Raf. (syn.
Prosopis juliora) and columnar cacti of tree trunk, highlighting
Stenocereus griseus (Haw.) Buxb. and Cereus repandus (L.) Mill.
(syn. Subpilocereus repandus) and others with attened stems such
as Opuntia caracasana Salm-Dyck and Cylindropuntia caribaea
(Britton & Rose) F.M. Knuth (syn. Opuntia caribaea) for the San
Francisco station and the Santa Rosa sector, Torres municipality, Lara
state, Venezuela.
In the present wildlife fauna reservoir work under investigation,
species with a marked xerophytic attitude were found, that is, those
with xeromorphic characteristics or morpho-anatomical features
adapted to drought conditions, such as aphyllous species with
leaves transformed into spines, reserve parenchyma (aquifer) and
photosynthetic stem, such as the Cactaceae Acanthocereus tetragonus
(L.) Hummelinck, O. caracassana, S. griseus and C. repandus,
among others.
This scientic publication in digital format is a continuation of the Printed Review: Legal Deposit pp 196802ZU42, ISSN 0378-7818.
Vera. Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ). 2024 41(4): e244136
5-6 |
Mesophyllous leaves, thick leaf cuticles, compound leaves
segmented into pinnae or pinnules, thorns and spines on stems and
branches (armed plants) were also recorded, such as the Fabaceae
species P. praecox, Chloroleucon mangense (Jacq.) Britton & Rose,
Piptadenia retusa (Jacq.) P.G. Ribeiro, Seigler & Ebinger (syn.
Piptadenia ava), Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth., N. juliora
and Vachellia macracantha (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Seigler &
Ebinger.
In addition, traits such as spines and/or mesophyllous leaves stood
out in the Euphorbiaceae Cnidoscolus urens (L.) Arthur, Jatropha
gossypiifolia L. and Croton conduplicatus Kunth while among the
herbaceous taxa with xerophytism the Poaceae Aristida sp., Axonopus
sp., Cenchrus pilosus Kunth, Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd.
and Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka, which are adapted to oligotrophic
soils (poor in nutrients), with underground organs (bulb stems and
roots) resistant to drought, which accumulate reserve substances to
produce new aerial biomass when the substrate is hydrated and water
is incorporated into its tissues with the beginning of the rainy season.
The Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Cactaceae and Poaceae families
group species with xerophytic and thorny traits similar to those
mentioned for the taxa in this research, and these have been reported
for plant communities in arid and semiarid areas of Venezuela such as
thorn forests in Lara (Alvarado et al., 2015), the xerophytic enclave in
Mérida (Aranguren et al., 2015), coastal thorny scrublands in Vargas
(currently La Guaira) (Ponce-Calderón et al., 2016), xerophytic
shrublands, scrublands and xerophytic thorn forests in Sucre (Bello
et al., 2014; Bello et al., 2016; Jiménez et al., 2017; Bello, 2018;
Bello et al., 2020b), relicts of communities xerophytes and plant
communities of very dry tropical forests in Zulia (Vera et al., 2020b;
Rivera et al., 2022; Sánchez-Urdaneta et al., 2022).
All these adaptations and traits (anatomical, ecological, structural,
physical, physiological and morphological) adopted by plant
species that possess both their xeric character (plants adapted to dry
environments) and their predominant trait of armed species (thorns
and spines), have served as valuable and successful tools in their
transition through evolutionary history. Therefore, the designation of
these plant communities of the Wildlife Fauna Reservoir Ciénaga de
La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros as thorny xerophytic communities is
very important and valid.
Deciduous attribute
The plant communities of the wildlife fauna reservoir under study,
in addition to being made up of species with xerophytic and thorny
traits, also presented plants with deciduous attributes, since they
experienced loss of foliage during the drought period from December
2019 to February 2020. In these plant communities, a total of 20
deciduous species (7 shrubs and 13 trees) were inventoried: Astronium
graveolens Jacq., Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg., Bursera tomentosa
(Jacq.) Triana & Planch., C. conduplicatus, C. mangense, C. urens,
Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spreng., Gyrocarpus americanus
Jacq., Handroanthus billbergii (Bureau & K. Schum.) S.O.Grose., J.
gossypiifolia, Leuenbergeria guamacho (F.A.C.Weber) Lodé (syn.
Pereskia guamacho), Malpighia glabra L., Manihot carthaginensis
(Jacq.) Müll.Arg., P. dulce, P. retusa, Phyllostylon rhamnoides (J.
Poiss.) Taub.,
Pseudobombax septenatum (Jacq.) Dugand, Randia
obcordata S.Watson (syn. Randia gaumeri), Ruprechtia ramiora
(Jacq.) C.A.Mey. and Senegalia tamarindifolia (L.) Britton & Rose.
This number of deciduous species was relatively higher than
those recorded for other xerophytic communities in the Venezuelan
geography, highlighting the xerophytic shrubland of Laguna de
Caparú in the middle valley of the Chama River in San Juan de
Lagunillas, Mérida state (Soriano et al., 1991) in which 4 deciduous
species were inventoried: Cordia curassavica (Jacq.) Roem. &
Schult., C. conduplicatus, J. gossypiifolia and L. guamacho.
Likewise, in the xerophytic shrubland of the town of Punta de
Araya, in the northwestern of the Araya peninsula, Cruz Salmerón
Acosta Municipality, Sucre state, the 7 deciduous species were
reported: Bursera karsteniana Engl., C. conduplicatus, C. urens,
Heliotropium verdcourtii Craven (syn. Bourreria cumanensis),
J. gossypiifolia, P. praecox and Pithecellobium unguis-cati (L.)
Benth. (Velásquez et al., 2012). Also ve deciduous species Mimosa
arenosa var. leiocarpa (DC.) Barneby, Malpighia emarginata DC.,
H. verdcourtii, Plectrocarpa arborea (Jacq.) Christenh. & Byng (syn.
Bulnesia arborea) and P. praecox were reported in the xerophytic
thorn forest of San Francisco, Torres Municipality, Lara State
(Alvarado et al., 2015).
In another study, conducted by Bello et al. (2016), the 13
deciduous taxa B. karsteniana, C. urens, H. verdcourtii, Handroanthus
serratifolius (Vahl) S.O.Grose (syn. Tabebuia serratifolia), J.
gossypiifolia, M. glabra, L. guamacho, P. praecox, P. retusa, P.
unguis-cati, S. tamarindifolia, Senna atomaria (L.) H.S. Irwin
& Barneby and Trema micranthum (L.) Blume (syn. Cordia alba)
were registered in the xerophytic shrubs around the lagoon complex
Bocaripo-Chacopata in the Araya Peninsula, Sucre state.
It is important to highlight that the greater number of deciduous
species found in the xerophytic communities of Wildlife Fauna
Reservoir Ciénaga de La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros, compared
to other regions of Venezuela mentioned above, provides support
for considering the inclusion of the deciduous attribute in the
denomination of the studied plant communities.
Conclusions
The designation of deciduous thorny xerophytic shrublands to
the xerophytic communities of the Wildlife Fauna Reservoir Ciénaga
de La Palmita and Isla de Pájaros constitutes a new designation for
the vegetation of the studied area; it also provides information and
knowledge important and valuable scientic for the formulation of
the Management Plan and Regulation of Use (PORU) of said biotic
space and also allows for more precise guidance on the administration,
management, decision-making and handling of the natural plant
resources available in this ABRAE.
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